Joe Bonamassa - An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House (CD Album/DVD Review)

Is Joe Bonamassa (pictured, image © 2013 Marcus Sweeney-Bird for CGFilm) trying to bankrupt his fans? This decade alone he's released 3 solo albums, a live package from New York's Beacon Theatre, a trio of studio efforts with Black Country Communion and a live album/DVD of their last tour. As well as collaborative records with Beth Hart and Rock Candy Funk Party. In truth, Joe's Bonaholic followers would be delirious if he released an album a week given the excellence of each offering to bear his increasingly famous name. That winning streak continues on this double live CD/DVD combo, with Smokin' Joe performing acoustic renditions of his tracks at the majestic Vienna Opera House, backed by an exotic cornucopia of instruments from around the world. Another Bonamassa release. Another eclectic left turn. Another home run. You can't put a price on quality.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Annie Dressner - East Twenties (EP Review)

Following on from her full debut release ‘Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names’, which was positively reviewed by everyone including Stereoboard (here), Annie Dressner will launch her follow up EP ‘East Twenties’ in early April. Named after the neighbourhood she called home in New York before moving to the UK, ‘East Twenties’ contains just 4 tracks and barely makes it past 12 minutes but the quality more than makes up for the brevity.

Written by: David Ball | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Frantic Alice - Frantic Alice (EP Review)

In their reasonably short time together, Milton Keynes hard rockers, Frantic Alice, have been accumulating their achievements fast. Though young in years, they nailed their place as one of the five finalists in the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest last November and have now produced 'Frantic Alice' the EP.

Written by: Anna Ghislena | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Kvelertak - Meir (Album Review)

With their self-titled debut album Kvelertak took the heavy music world completely by surprise. They emerged seemingly fully formed. Their catchy black metal/classic rock/hardcore punk hybrid model worked better than it ever had any right to. Not to mention the fact that their live show wiped most other bands off the face of the planet. So, it is easy to see how ‘Meir’, their slightly amusingly titled sophomore effort (it literally translates as “more”), could buckle under the weight of pressure.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent (Album Review)

Metalcore. It's become something of a dirty word nowadays, hasn't it? Usually associated with skinny jeans, false angst and uninspired breakdowns, the sub-genre that once threatened to dominate the universe now lays largely abandoned by the media, left alone like the weird kid in the corner of the class. Credited for exposing this behemoth of a musical style to the mainstream, Killswitch Engage have returned with original vocalist Jesse Leach back in the fold. Not to dismiss Howard Jones' efforts on classic tunes from 'The End Of Heartache', but you'd be a fool if you regard their 2002 opus 'Alive Or Just Breathing' as anything other than a modern classic. Obviously, due to the astronomical expectations set by this beast of an LP, the band have never quite managed to equal or surpass it. Now they're all reunited and chummy again, can we hope for something a bit better than their lacklustre self-titled release back in 2009?

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Moya - A Little More Love (Single Review)

After last year’s amazingly successful single ‘Making Me Fall’ spent three weeks on the BBC Radio 2 A-list, Moya’s back with her new single ‘A Little More Love.’ It’s a self-confessed changed of direction, and Moya describes her new single as "a bit of a transition…with this single I wanted to incorporate the kind of music that I listen to. I think it’s important to keep my sound current."

Written by: V O'Hagan | Date: Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Portico Quartet - Live / Remix (Album Review)

Live albums are tricky beasts. Nail them and you create a spectacular document of a moment in time, don’t and you produce something that is the very definition of a “fans only” release. Remix albums are even trickier. For every great remix record there are a dozen or more totally pointless ones. By pairing together these two concepts then, Portico Quartet are putting themselves straight in the firing line. Last year’s fantastic self-titled record moved them up in the world, and their star is flying about as high right now as any experimental jazz outfit in the UK is ever going to fly in this day and age.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Jeff Healey - As The Years Go Passing By: Live in Germany 1989 – 1995 - 2000 (Album/DVD Review)

It's been five years since Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey lost his life to cancer at the age of 41. Released to commemorate the anniversary of his passing, this box set is a lovingly assembled compilation of rare archive material featuring three concerts recorded and filmed in Germany over an eleven year period – 1989, 1995 and 2000. It's a riveting collection that shines a light on the inimitable man and his no frills - maximum skills, bluesy rock & roll band, tracing their evolution from fresh faced pups to seasoned pros. With a booklet full of tasty anecdotes from family and fellow musicians, this is the first posthumous release to have been officially endorsed by his estate. All in all, a fitting tribute to a virtuoso musician who mesmerised and entertained with one of the most bafflingly unorthodox guitar styles ever seen.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 March 2013

The Flaming Lips - The Terror (Album Review)

You could be forgiven for thinking The Flaming Lips had finally lost it completely. This is a band that, with 2001’s ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’, pretty much perfected pure pop music as an artistic format, but ever since they seem to have lost their way. Diversions back into the psychedelic experimentation of their early years have come across as too placid and unfocused to be consistently rewarding, whereas collaborative efforts like the ‘Heady Fwends’ record last year have mostly ended up on the wrong side of the brilliant/goddamn awful line.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 25 March 2013

Wardruna - Yggdrasil (Album Review)

Although much of the name Wardruna have gleaned for themselves comes from the participation of notorious former Gorgoroth/current God Seed vocalist Gaahl, it takes but one listen to ‘Yggdrasil’ to realise that there is something inherent in the music of this band that should lend it to appeal to fans of dark music of all stripes. There is nothing remotely “heavy” or “metal” about this release, of course. Wardruna are, in the simplest possible terms, a traditional Nordic folk project.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 25 March 2013

Scholars - Black And Blue (Single Review)

Exactly one year ago today I wrote my last Scholars review, and while I was mostly positive about 'Bad for Business', I had a few problems with it. Most importantly it didn’t quite seem imaginative enough, and had a really awkward “quiet” bit half way through. So, one year later what has changed?

Written by: James Ball | Date: Friday, 22 March 2013

Bon Jovi - What About Now (Album Review)

Whenever the Jovi boys drop a new album the same questions are asked; is it a return to their 80's sound? Is it guitar driven? Is it a proper rock record? Regardless of shifting over a hundred million units and selling out stadiums around the globe, most fans still crave the kind of record they haven't delivered since 1992's 'Keep The Faith'. Sure, they still capture that style occasionally, but their evolution into a more contemporary outfit has seen the pop infused rock & roll ditched in favour of an MOR sheen reminiscent of U2, Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Even dabbling in country territory on 2007's 'Lost Highway', much to the dismay of many older fans. On the strength of their twelfth studio album - 'What About Now' – such frustrations will only intensify.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 22 March 2013

Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory (Single Review)

New Black Star Riders’ single ‘Bound for Glory’ has all the elements you’d expect considering the band’s personnel.

Written by: Daniel Lynch | Date: Friday, 22 March 2013

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (Album Review)

It has been seven years since Justin Timberlake released his 'FutureSex/LoveSounds' album. 'The 20/20 Experience' is possibly one of the most anticipated albums of the past few years. Considering the time since 'FutureSex/LoveSounds', the follow-up, 'The 20/20 Experience', comes from a more mature Mr Timberlake. Was it worth waiting seven years for? Personally, I think it was.

Written by: Lara Rainsforth | Date: Thursday, 21 March 2013

Ensemble Pearl - Ensemble Pearl (Album Review)

Oh how easy it is to underestimate the possibilities of sound. Too often do we think of the sound world inhabited by music as one of constraints, of walls and boxes, but we are wrong and Ensemble Pearl are here to prove it. A supergroup of the truest kind, the quartet is made up of Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O))), KTL, etc), Atsuo (Boris), Michio Kurihara (Ghost, as in the Japanese psychedelic rockers not the Swedish MORsters) and Bill Herzog (Joel R. L. Phelps & the Downer Trio) but positive feelings for the other projects of these fine musicians aside, this is still a fascinating debut record.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 18 March 2013

Black Pus - All My Relations (Album Review)

Black Pus, the solo project of Brian Chippendale (the demented drummer in Lightning Bolt), supposedly emphasises the “pop elements” of its creators musical personality. I think it is pretty safe to say that this tells us far more about Chippendale himself than his second solo record, ‘All My Relations’.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 18 March 2013

The Black Angels - Indigo Meadow (Album Review)

The 4th studio album from US psychedelic rockers The Black Angels is released in the UK by Blue Horizon Ventures on April 1st, having been preceded by hard hitting single 'Don’t Play With Guns' in January.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 18 March 2013

Suede - Bloodsports (Album Review)

It’s been 11 years since the music world was last treated to a studio album from 1993 Mercury Prize winning indie band Suede, led by the enigmatic Brett Anderson – and considerably longer since the band were heralded by the music press as The Best New Band in Britain (1992).

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Sunday, 17 March 2013

Clutch - Earth Rocker (Album Review)

It’s 2013. The music industry has changed beyond recognition. It has mutated into something not so steady as one would hope; a jungle of illegal downloads, illicit album leaks and Internet trolls. Every thirty year old man still living with his Mum has an opinion nowadays, being allowed free reign to spew their obnoxious bile across almost any web page imaginable. The public has collectively become a greater critic than the press. Slayer will never surpass the glories of their 1986 opus ‘Reign In Blood’ in the eyes of your average thrashoholic. Metallica will never be let off the hook for providing the backdrop to the ‘Lulu’ project; James Hetfield’s unintentionally comedic cries of “I AM THE TABLE!” are sure to follow him to the grave. Guns N’ Roses will never be... Actually, I think it’s best if I just stop there. The point I’m trying to make is this: Bands are criticised if they stray from the path, yet are flogged with equal animosity if they continue to churn out the same stuff over and over again.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Sunday, 17 March 2013

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Album Review)

Seriously, what’s the crack with Intronaut? Their gargantuan prog sludge should have punters like me rolling in the aisles with joy, but I’m not. In fact listening to ‘Habitual Levitations’ makes me feel more like I’m going to drift off to sleep in the aisle than anything else.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 15 March 2013