Skaters - Manhattan (Album Review)

If the title of their debut record isn’t enough of a hint, Skaters are all about New York. Whether it’s their self-professed love for the city’s grimy ‘70s punk scene, the snatches of conversation that litter the spaces between their songs or the obvious debt owed to the Strokes and their ilk, the city’s influence is printed right across ‘Manhattan’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Nina Persson - Animal Heart (Album Review)

‘Animal Heart’, the first solo release by Nina Persson, is a record that emerged from the enjoyable clutter and time-consuming nature of family life.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Tuesday, 18 February 2014

H.E.A.T - A Shot At Redemption EP

Forget Reckless Love and their pretty boy hair-metal. If you're looking for a hot young band belting out classy ‘80s hard-rock with passion, balls and chops to burn, then this Swedish quintet are currently head and shoulders above the rest.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 17 February 2014

The Family Rain - Under The Volcano (Album Review)

'Under The Volcano' is the debut LP from the Family Rain, also known as the Walter brothers, Will, Ollie and Tim, and its objectives are clear from the first note: this is a British blues rock album.

Written by: Ryan Crittenden | Date: Monday, 17 February 2014

Speedy Ortiz - Real Hair EP

The follow-up to ‘Major Arcana’, Speedy Ortiz’s enjoyably sludgy, ‘90s-indebted full-band debut LP, the ‘Real Hair’ EP continues to build on those foundations while introducing a couple of twists that hint at an exciting flexibility in the band’s sound.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 17 February 2014

Lamb Of God - As The Palaces Burn

Music is more than just entertainment. For many people it is a form of expression, it is a way to escape, and it is a lifestyle. Don Argott's As The Palaces Burn documentary was initially due to explore this idea, following die-hard Lamb Of God fans all over the globe.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 14 February 2014

Fanfarlo - Let's Go Extinct (Album Review)

No band should ever be admonished for aiming big. But, doing so brings its own set of risks. ‘Let’s Go Extinct’, Fanfarlo’s third album, isn’t a huge musical undertaking in the way that Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor’ was, but it’s thematically ambitious to a fault.

Written by: Sam Jones | Date: Thursday, 13 February 2014

Temples - Sun Structures (Album Review)

Arriving with the Noel Gallagher seal of approval - equal parts help and hindrance, if we’re being honest - Temples’ debut album, ‘Sun Structures’ is frequently evocative and diverting, without ever really going anywhere.

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

Crosses (†††) - ††† (Album Review)

As diversions go, †††’ self-titled debut is one that leads to some pretty dark, dangerous territory. The band, Deftones’ Chino Moreno, Shaun Lopez of Far and Chuck Doom, have mixed a heavy cocktail of Depeche Mode synths, bleak imagery and occult leanings, albeit one that is addictive and wonderfully melodic.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2014

Sunn O))) & Ulver - Terrestrials (Album Review)

It’s unlike Sunn O))) to do things by halves, but the drone metal mainstays have proven themselves more than capable of restraining their most basic urges (especially volume) in the name of collaboration when it suits. ‘Monoliths & Dimensions’ was a rich, resonant work on which Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley weaved their hefty guitars around the contributions of guests like modern classical composer Eyvind Kang and Sun Ra trombonist Julian Priester.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 10 February 2014

Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow (Album Review)

By embracing their desire to dabble, Bombay Bicycle Club have produced something remarkable on ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’, sketching abstract pop on a canvas splattered with colour.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Friday, 07 February 2014

Katy B - Little Red (Album Review)

Having picked up a Mercury Prize nomination for her critically acclaimed debut album, 'On A Mission', not to mention a few high profile commercial endorsements, Katy B faces a new challenge with her sophomore record, ‘Little Red’. It must be equally on point, but also display three years’ worth of artistic growth. Luckily, she’s largely succeeded in doing just that.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 06 February 2014

Cayetana - Hot Dad Calendar

When delivering his best of 2013 list to Punknews, Paint It Black’s Dan Yemin wasn’t afraid to talk up his adopted hometown. He said, simply: “Philadelphia owned this year. So proud. But please don't move here from Brooklyn and drive the rents up.”

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 05 February 2014

The Treatment - Running With The Dogs (Album Review)

At what point does a band cross the line between being inspired by their idols and copying them? It's an increasingly prevalent question when it comes to young rock ‘n’ roll acts, and particularly relevant when discussing the Treatment's hit and miss second album.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 05 February 2014

Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom (Album Review)

Over the duration of Jamie Stewart’s Xiu Xiu project there have been few givens. Band members have come and gone, as have sonic hallmarks, but Stewart’s serially uncomfortable musical (and non-musical?) persona has remained fairly constant. A Xiu Xiu album not laden with despair and self-loathing would scarcely be a Xiu Xiu album at all, which perhaps explains the indifferent reaction to ‘Nina’, the muted Nina Simone tribute record Stewart put out last year.

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

Behemoth - The Satanist (Album Review)

Back in 2009, Behemoth reached an artistic and commercial peak with the release of 'Evangelion’, which trumped all of their previous outings and topped the album charts in their native Poland.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 03 February 2014

Within Temptation - Hydra (Album Review)

When it comes to following the best album of your career, the question is whether to stick or twist. 'The Unforgiving' found Within Temptation imbuing their symphonic metal with polished pop melodies, which ensured sizeable crossover appeal. On 'Hydra' they vary things a little, but mostly regurgitate that successful formula without the same level of consistency.

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

Maximo Park - Too Much Information (Album Review)

Maxïmo Park have certainly done their share of experimenting since releasing their debut, ‘A Certain Trigger’, almost a decade ago.

Written by: Katie Vowles | Date: Friday, 31 January 2014

The Gaslight Anthem - The B-Sides (Album Review)

As with many collections of this kind, the Gaslight Anthem’s ‘The B-Sides’ is an uneven affair, one undone ever so slightly by the fact that its contents are readily available elsewhere.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 30 January 2014

The Lawrence Arms - Metropole (Album Review)

The well-worn phrase tells us that good things come to those who wait. Broadly speaking, and in musical terms, that’s bullshit. But, when you’re talking the Lawrence Arms and ‘Metropole’, their first full-length in almost a decade, it’s a different story altogether.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 30 January 2014