Liars - Mess (Album Review)

The question to consider before listening to a new Liars record these days is not so much ‘what will Liars do next?’ as ‘what can Liars do next?’ Since emerging as part of the mostly depressing and awful dance punk scene of the early 2000s, Liars have spent their career hopping between stylistic terrains with such consummate ease that, with each shift in their sound, it looks alarmingly like there really might be very little they can’t do.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 24 March 2014

The Darcys - Warring

‘Warring’ is a stamp of artistic competence from Toronto indie-rockers the Darcys; the result of playing with soundscapes and things taking an altogether more elusory turn. Compared to their pristine eponymous debut, released in 2011, this is one big musical experiment.

Written by: Josh Adams | Date: Friday, 21 March 2014

Yearbook - Old Bones

Despite forming only three years back, 2014 could be the year for this lot, and not just for the sake of a convenient play on words.

Written by: Gemma-Louise Johnson | Date: Thursday, 20 March 2014

Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow (Album Review)

Seven albums in isn't really the time to start orchestrating a grand departure from an established sound. Black Lips have built a fanbase over the years thanks to the fact that their old school garage-punk sound provides a refreshing change to the gloss of the modern day, and 'Underneath the Rainbow' is no different.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Wednesday, 19 March 2014

I Am The Avalanche - Wolverines (Album Review)

‘Wolverines’, I Am The Avalanche’s third studio record, marks the passing of time in a slightly different manner than its predecessor, ‘Avalanche United’, did. That album arrived after a protracted six year wait and reflected a sprawling writing process, its numerous high points never quite getting it together to make a go of things.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time (Album Review)

When navigating the noisy synth-pop of ‘Night Time, My Time’, it’s worth remembering that Sky Ferreira was snatched up by the industry machine in her mid-teens and added to the ‘next big thing’ conveyor belt.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Monday, 17 March 2014

Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction (Album Review)

‘A Perfect Contradiction’, Paloma Faith’s third studio record, doesn’t really follow through on its title’s promise. It’s not all that contradictory and it’s certainly not perfect. What it is, is another competent soul revival album.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Friday, 14 March 2014

Joan As Police Woman - The Classic (Album Review)

‘The Classic’ is a daring title for any record, and is particularly bold when it’s accompanied by a shift in style. Here, Joan Wasser has given in to the delights of soul wholeheartedly for the first time.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 13 March 2014

Metronomy - Love Letters (Album Review)

To the surprise of very few, Joe Mount has repurposed Metronomy once again, allowing new influences to seep in and muddy the nostalgic, wistful waters the band navigated with such charm on ‘The English Riviera’.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything (Album Review)

On first listen, Elbow’s sixth studio album, and first since 2011’s ‘Build A Rocket Boys’, sounds rather familiar, turgid even, never reaching the standard set by One Day Like This, the group’s anthemic yardstick and, increasingly, a monkey on their backs. But, thankfully, first impressions don’t always paint a full picture.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 10 March 2014

Young Fathers - Dead (Album Review)

'Dead' is a disorientating first play, pummelling the listener with speculative imagery, jumbo synths and relentless percussive sounds. This is how Young Fathers, a trio from Edinburgh by way of Liberia and Nigeria, do hip hop.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 06 March 2014

Architects - Lost Forever // Lost Together (Album Review)

Architects have never really reaped the credit they deserve. Cut from the same cloth as Bring Me The Horizon, 'Lost Forever // Lost Together' might be the album to push them over the edge.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Thursday, 06 March 2014

Pharrell Williams - GIRL (Album Review)

Given the fact that it’s been eight years since Pharrell Williams released a solo record, the arrival of ‘GIRL’, with just a couple of weeks’ notice, should have added this collection to the ever-expanding ‘surprise’ pile. But, he’ll have to make do with watching Beyoncé and David Bowie from the outside.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Wednesday, 05 March 2014

The Men - Tomorrow's Hits (Album Review)

The Men are a hard band to pin down. ‘Tomorrow’s Hits’ is the Brooklyn troupe’s fifth record in five years and finds them continuing their love affair with classic American rock, a relationship that’s flourishing following the paring back of many of their hardcore influences on ‘Open Your Heart’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 04 March 2014

Exit_International - Our Science Is Golden (Album Review)

Noise rock miscreants Exit_International first wowed this lover of raucous scuzziness with their ‘Sex W/ Strangers’ EP in 2010. A sharp set of shots to the temple, it was followed by a slightly more ambitious, and even more entertaining, full-length album, ‘Black Junk’ a year or so later.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 04 March 2014

Bigelf - Into The Maelstrom (Album Review)

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a maelstrom is 'a situation of confused movement or violent turmoil'. It’s a term that describes this existential explosion of bludgeoning metal, woozy melodic pop, unhinged prog and cinematic grandeur to a T. 

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 03 March 2014

The Crimson ProjeKCt - Live In Tokyo (Album Review)

King Crimson are back, for real. This year will see the group’s maverick leader Robert Fripp unveil new music from his near 50-year-old project for the first time in over a decade. ‘Live In Tokyo’ isn’t it. In fact, technically speaking, this isn’t even King Crimson.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 28 February 2014

Beck - Morning Phase (Album Review)

Beck Hansen, as we’re all well aware, is no one trick pony. Having leapt from the mangled folk of his breakthrough record, ‘Mellow Gold’, to the oddly eclectic, strangely appealing ‘Odelay’ - experimental funk and electro textures included - almost two decades ago, he has continued to allow his mind to wander.

Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Thursday, 27 February 2014

St. Vincent - St. Vincent (Album Review)

On ‘St. Vincent’, Annie Clark has performed a neat sidestep onto pop’s crowded dancefloor, brushing aside multi-purpose beats and callow melodies to offer something altogether more interesting: a record to engage hips and head in equal measure.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Band Of Horses - Acoustic At The Ryman (Album Review)

“Thanks y’all,” has never sounded as wholesome as it does when uttered by Band Of Horses’ Ben Bridwell at the start of ‘Acoustic At The Ryman’, their first live album.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Tuesday, 25 February 2014