Cheap Trick - Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello (Album Review)

Whether the consequence of divine cosmic alignment, supreme jest or a random marketing decision, the arrival of Cheap Trick’s first new album in seven years on April Fools’ Day just seemed so right. Fun’s the name of the game here, with the nerdy godfathers of power-pop in fine fettle as they tear through a collection of catchy treats that, although not their best work, sound infinitely more energised than most new bands on the block. Or a hundred Sam Smiths.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 07 April 2016

Bleached - Welcome The Worms (Album Review)

Photo: Nicole Anne Robbins There are a couple of strands knotted together on ‘Welcome The Worms’, Bleached’s second full length. On one side you have its disaffected drifting through a baked Los Angeles. On the other, you have a gloriously gritty take on power-pop that lands somewhere around, pardon the phrase, post-Go-Go’s.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 06 April 2016

The Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect (Album Review)

Eight years is a long time. In the world of music it’s even longer. Bands come and go, chart-toppers become lost in the annals of history and new trends banish the old, leaving a trail of irrevocable destruction in their wake. Dubstep, anyone?

Written by: Liam Turner | Date: Wednesday, 06 April 2016

Weezer - Weezer (Album Review)

The sun’s out and so is Weezer’s 10th record, soon to be known by fans as ‘The White Album’. It’s not crap. Honestly.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 05 April 2016

Black Stone Cherry - Kentucky (Album Review)

Taking its name from their home state, ‘Kentucky’ finds southern rock’s reigning champions return with a hard-hitting fifth album that finds them going back to their roots in every sense. Dropping anchor in the studio where they recorded their debut a decade ago, the quartet have emerged with a record that feels like the natural follow up to that and their sophomore masterpiece, ‘Folklore And Superstition’.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 05 April 2016

Domo Genesis - Genesis (Album Review)

Photo: Carrington Scott Is finding your place in the world a case of meek acceptance or deeper understanding? Even a cursory spin of his first studio record is enough to suggest that this is a question Domo Genesis is familiar with. As a member of Odd Future he was sometimes a face in the crowd, obscured by weed smoke, the gregarious Tyler, The Creator and the collective’s reluctant headline-grabber turned introspective star, Earl Sweatshirt.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 01 April 2016

Three Trapped Tigers - Silent Earthling (Album Review)

Good reviews and a Deftones support slot notwithstanding, Three Trapped Tigers didn’t catch the attention they perhaps deserved with their 2011 debut, ‘Route One or Die’. The trio’s fusion of groove-based post-rock and IDM was more than just unique; it was an experimental, futuristic vision of electronic music that threw everything on the canvas.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 31 March 2016

Zayn - Mind of Mine (Album Review)

The boyband star gone solo is an old story. It’s about expanding and/or redefining an image, keeping interest levels high and proving that your tastes and musical awareness extend beyond the restrictive world of made-to-order chart pop.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 31 March 2016

Black Mountain - IV (Album Review)

If you want to know what to expect from Canadian rockers Black Mountain’s fourth LP, then there’s a bit of a clue in the title. Whether it’s an intentional reference to Led Zeppelin’s back catalogue or not, they’ve ploughed the ‘70s rock field since they formed 12 years ago and at times ‘IV’ leaves you in little doubt as to its influences.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Joe Bonamassa - Blues Of Desperation (Album Review)

Photo: Rick Gould "His early stuff was better, he used to rock harder, he's too polished and predictable now..." Since Joe Bonamassa had the audacity to become successful, some fans have been quick to hurl these accusations at him. While the veracity of their claims is debatable, naysayers should be stoked by 'Blues of Desperation', a record that not only delivers the edgier thrills they've been missing, but also finds the guitarist pulling a few rabbits out of his hat.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 29 March 2016

Amon Amarth - Jomsviking (Album Review)

Amon Amarth are more metal than you, and their 10th full-length, ‘Jomsviking’, proves it. There are beards. There’s brutality. But there are also a lot of surprises from a band who are often unfairly pegged as a meat and potatoes death metal act.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Thursday, 24 March 2016

White Denim - Stiff (Album Review)

White Denim are bringing sexy back with their sixth album, ‘Stiff’. Throughout, the band’s unashamed love for the sounds of the ‘70s gets amorous with flirting funk, dirty blues rock and romantic soul tunes.

Written by: Jennifer Geddes | Date: Wednesday, 23 March 2016

The Treatment - Generation Me (Album Review)

With the exception of the title 'President Trump', few things are as scary as having to replace the lead singer of your band. Once the most recognisable, and often alluring, part of a group's identity bolts out the door, most are pretty much screwed. So, while it may have been brown pants time for the Treatment when they faced up to that fact last year, it was actually just what the doctor ordered.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 22 March 2016

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression (Album Review)

Iggy Pop is a rock legend. Whatever your musical preferences, there isn’t any use in denying it. With ‘Post Pop Depression’ positioned as his last hurrah expectations are understandably high, particularly as recent albums, such as 2009’s ‘Préliminaires’, failed to hit the spot for those craving the Iggy of old, despite having their own understated charms.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 21 March 2016

Brian Fallon - Painkillers (Album Review)

The most powerful and stirring singer-songwriter records are often concocted by tortured artists wrestling with their inner demons. Given the Gaslight Anthem's penchant for angst-ridden blue-collar punk rock, you may be expecting Brian Fallon to follow suit on his debut solo album, 'Painkillers'. But he's only gone and crafted a rather lovely Americana record, reflecting on his tribulations in a fresh, relaxed and deceptively upbeat manner.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 18 March 2016

Aurora - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend (Album Review)

Aurora’s debut album, ‘All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend’, is a mass of contradictions. At its heart is a seemingly boundless sense of imagination, but it’s one wedded to a palette of sounds that can appear unremarkable by comparison.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 18 March 2016

Christine And The Queens - Chaleur Humaine (Album Review)

It’s easy to approach ‘Chaleur Humaine’ as though it's a new record as every spin reveals something different; a decaying synth here, a wash of strings there. But it's also about reinvention. The songs here are a couple of years old, but have been reconfigured, (literally) translated and presented time and again to fresh ears.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 17 March 2016

Primal Scream - Chaosmosis (Album Review)

After the outstanding, free-form psychedelic rock of ‘More Light’, Primal Scream have chosen to veer off in a completely different direction once again for their 11th studio album, ‘Chaosmosis’, which is a familiar trait in a near 35 year career.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 17 March 2016

The Struts - Everybody Wants (Album Review)

Sometimes an album is so dazzling it forces you to stop and reflect on what the hell just happened. With flash and flair to burn, British rock ‘n' rollers the Struts have crafted a joyous debut boasting so much class and confidence it's like being struck by a sonic lightning bolt. Predictions are a tricky business, but put your mortgage on this lot becoming superstars and you could be in for a mighty windfall.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2016

James - Girl At The End Of The World (Album Review)

“Bands talk about that difficult second album but it’s the trickster 14th one that’s the real motherfucker,” frontman Tim Booth said of the new James’ LP, ‘Girl At The End Of The World’. But with number 13, ‘La Petite Mort’, not even two years old, their ability to produce another collection so soon would suggest otherwise.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2016