Guns Or Knives - Can’t Beat Him, Can’t Join Him (Album Review)

Stef Ketteringham’s first full-length solo release proper under the name Guns or Knives, 'Can’t Beat Him, Can’t Join Him is a bizarre listen to say the least. The guitarist/vocalist in experimental rockers Shield Your Eyes, Ketteringham is renowned for his inventive guitar playing but perhaps less so for his consistency in the songwriting department. Of course, you shouldn’t listen to this album with the expectation that it will be a standard singer-songwriter material. To do so would be utterly hopeless.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 15 June 2012

Nately's Whore's Kid Sister - Ribs (Album Review)

'Ribs', the debut mini-album from the confusingly named Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister, is a funny old beast. The band are keen to proclaim the influence of art rock legends such as Bjork and Radiohead upon their sound and, whilst such elements are apparent here, it is the spectre of forward thinking metal bands like Neurosis and Tool that translates most aptly to descriptions of this record.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 15 June 2012

Various Artists - Music Is Great Britain DVD (Live DVD Review)

Music is Great Britain is a DVD of the most iconic live music acts that Britain has produced. The DVD was released as part of Music is Great week and all proceeds made from sales are donated to the Save The Children charity.

Written by: Lara Rainsforth | Date: Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Download Festival - Donington Park - 8th-10th June 2012 (Overview)

100,000 people descended on a drenched Donington Park this weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UK’s premier rock festival: Download. From downpour to downright brilliant, over 100 bands played across five stages, including headliners The Prodigy, Metallica and Black Sabbath.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Wednesday, 13 June 2012

A Place To Bury Strangers - Worship (Album Review)

How do you define a band like A Place to Bury Strangers? After all they really are one of those bands that seem to take an uncommon delight in being hard to pin down. It would be very easy to just call them a noise rock band but then that fails to quite capture the dark post-punk facet that is crucial to their sound, as well as the undeniable pop tinge that is sometimes allowed to break through all the feedback and take control. What is for sure is that, over the course of two well-received albums, A Place to Bury Strangers have managed to cement themselves a position as one of the loudest, and indeed finest, bands in modern alternative rock.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Bleech - Nude (Album Review)

If rock n’ roll is on the way out, then Bleech certainly didn’t receive the memo. For anyone who is starting to doubt whether that next Queens Of The Stone Age album is ever going to happen, or whether Feeder have completely lost all song-writing capability, or for anyone who actually liked The Arctic Monkeys’ third album, pay a warm welcome to the up-and-coming London based three-piece.

Written by: Owen Sheppard | Date: Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Master And The Mule - The View From Nowhere (Album Review)

Having changed their name from Immune back in 2009, it has taken a while for Master & the Mule to get a new album out. With the exception of the odd well received track on their bandcamp page, things have been pretty quiet from the Leeds based quartet. 'The View from Nowhere' therefore marks a hugely important watershed in their career. The pressure is most certainly on.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 07 June 2012

Black Sabbath - Iron Man: The Best Of Black Sabbath (Compilation Album Review)

It was the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year and the time was exactly 11 o'clock.  The venue was the legendary Whiskey a Go-Go club in Los Angeles.  In attendance were four well worn, black clad blokes from Birmingham, England sitting before an assembled army of reporters.  They were John 'Ozzy' Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, readying an announcement to delight and ignite the world of heavy metal music.  There was no drum roll, but had there been it would have blitzed onlookers with a jazz infused blast of frenetic power.  Nor was there an ominous bass line to kick off proceedings with the perfect precision of the grim reaper's scythe come judgement day.  Absent was any sign of a doom drenched guitar to bring forth the impending declaration.  Not even an a capella howl inviting the assembled press cartel to “go f****n' crazy for me”.  All that mattered were these simple words - Black Sabbath's original line up were to reunite for their first new album together in over 30 years, followed by a world tour that would see them headlining the Sunday night at this weekend's Download festival.  Sabbath Bloody Sabbath indeed!

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The Tallest Man On Earth - There’s No Leaving Now (Album Review)

With the success of his previous two albums there must have been times when Kristian Matsson really has felt like The Tallest Man on Earth. With a minimum of fuss but a bucketful of charisma and an abundance of beautiful songs, Matsson has charmed his way to the edge of the mainstream. With 'There’s No Leaving Now' he only looks set to continue his rise.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The Invisible - Rispah (Album Review)

There are a whole slew of bands that it would be easy to compare The Invisible to, but such comparisons would be very lazy. The Invisible do not deserve to spend their careers being talked of in the same breath of Radiohead and TV on the Radio, instead they deserve a breath of their own. With 'Rispah', the long overdue second album from this London based trio, this London based trio have managed to fully define their own sound and create a work of astonishing depth.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The Funeral Suits - Lily Of The Valley (Album Review)

'Lily of the Valley', the debut by Irish four-piece The Funeral Suits, is an album that can change your mind several times when listening to it, and I don't just mean on one play-through. At points it seems maddeningly close to being a classic, but at other points you have to wind back your thinking and remind yourself that their song writing isn't the finished article yet.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2012

Future Of The Left - The Plot Against Common Sense (Album Review)

I can’t pretend that this review is not going to contain a fair amount of bias. You see, I’ve been waiting for this album for years - three years to be precise. Future of the Left are just one of those bands; once you are in, you are in knee deep and all you want is more. After 2009’s completely brilliant and barmy 'Travels with Myself and Another' it was all change in the world of this particular British institution. Oh yes, for ‘institution’ is the word for this band. Sure this is only their third full-length album but even frontman Andrew Falkous seems to have vaguely found peace (not with the “name they gave you” - see track 3) with the idea that most people basically see Future of the Left as something of a continuation of the distinctly acerbic noise rock style of his previous band Mclusky, if the playing of classic former bands tracks live is anything to go by.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 01 June 2012

Various Artists - The State Of Music: Volume 3 (Compilation Album Review)

It’s not often I see a compilation album that doesn’t have the word NOW! in its title. Non pop compilation albums seem to be a little sparse on the ground at the moment, which is a shame as they can be a fantastic way of introducing the listener to potential new band-crushes. So upon hearing about Choose My Music Records, which is compiling five albums featuring unsigned or underground bands from different states of the USA I jumped to download Volumes 1 and 2 (which were released in January and March 2012 respectively), prior to Volume 3 dropping.

Written by: Sadie Walton | Date: Wednesday, 30 May 2012

The Beach Boys - That's Why God Made The Radio (Album Review)

It was back in spring ’63 when The Beach Boys sampled the taste of chart success, reaching number two on the US Billboard chart with sophomore disc 'Surfin’ USA'. On paper, this looked like the ultimate rock n’ roll dream, a band who were well on their way to achieving stardom. But it didn’t take long for the apparent bromance between members of one of the world’s biggest band to fall apart.

Written by: Gemma-Louise Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight (Album Review)

Ladies and gentlemen the secret is out and it's time to rejoice; the blues is cool again! For over a decade New York native Joe Bonamassa has been on a relentless mission to bring his brand of blues soaked, riff fuelled rock music to the masses. Armed with a dazzling array of sizzling six string skills and boasting a smoky, coolest-cat-in-the-bar vocal delivery Bonamassa is a veritable modern day guitar God and leading light of the current revival of blues based music. Whether reinventing classic material and little known gems with innovative aplomb, or penning exceptional original songs he's worked tirelessly to forge his own sound, giving a contemporary twist to an anachronistic genre in the process. His sonic signature resides somewhere between Zeppelin, Clapton, Jeff Beck and B.B.King, with a healthy mix of Country, Soul, Americana and World music spliced into the mix to ensure he isn't just treading the same old ground as other blues musicians who reside in a large pack of gifted, yet faceless generic players. In addition to his precocious talent Bonamassa's astonishing work rate has left other musicians drenched in dust as he delivers 'Driving Towards The Daylight', his 13th solo album since his debut dropped back in 2000. In the last 3 years alone he's released 4 solo records, two albums with his newly formed super group Black Country Communion and a stunning collection of soul covers with Beth Hart (Axl Rose ...please take note).

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 28 May 2012

Codex Leicester - A Mad Man's Lullaby (EP Review)

Codex Leicester are a four-piece based in, well, Leicester named after the famous Da Vinci scientific journal. This EP is, incredibly aptly, entitled 'A Mad Man’s Lullaby'. Aural examination of the six songs contained here affirms that Codex Leicester are, most probably, complete nutcases. Whether they sing each other to sleep to the tune of second track 'Hey Hey Hot Legs' is yet to be confirmed at the time of publication.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 28 May 2012

Cats And Cats And Cats - Catsalogue (Album Review)

It would be unfair of me to pretend that I have always been greatly enamoured with Cats and Cats and Cats. One of those bands that never quite got to where they should have done, prone to crafting songs that meandered rather than made their point, it is enormously frustrating to see the band depart before making a record that fulfils their potential. However, the hackneyed idea of releasing a posthumous ‘best of’ collection proves to be a success with 'Catsalogue', providing a refreshing glimpse into some of the band’s finest moments.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 28 May 2012

Gaz Coombes - Here Come The Bombs (Album Review)

If this collection had a tagline, that tagline should read: “'I Should CoCo' this ain't.”

Written by: James Ball | Date: Friday, 25 May 2012

Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns (Album Review)

The boys behind Simian Mobile Disco have been very busy over the past five years, releasing what is now their third bonafide full length, as well as a compilation record and remix album on top. In between all of that, they're constantly hopping onto other peoples songs, trying to put their own spin to them. Basically, it's all manic in the monkey house as the Simian duo finally drop album number three onto our doorsteps, and it couldn't be less busy if it tried.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Thursday, 24 May 2012

John Mayer - Born And Raised (Album Review)

Following a three year musical hiatus, and with his wounds apparently healed, the "new, improved and enlightened" seven time Grammy winner John Mayer is back with 'Born and Raised' a rootsy, Memphis rejection of his foot-in-mouth past released today by Sony, that is pleasant enough, but doesn't demand repeat listening.

Written by: Helen Grant | Date: Tuesday, 22 May 2012