Lindi Ortega - Little Red Boots (Album Review)

Apparently country is music is dead. Well nobody told Lindi Ortega that and she is single headedly making country music cool again.

Written by: Sophie Williams | Date: Friday, 14 October 2011

MGMT - Late Night Tales (Album Review)

I can imagine MGMT’s Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWygarden have recently found themselves in quite a difficult position. Their 'LateNightTales' compilation acts as an ideal bridge between the release of beautiful but very consciously oblique second album 'Congratulations', and the finishing stages of a third album (expected to be rather hit-filled after their label’s reaction to the unimpressive sales of album 2).

Written by: Ellen Davies | Date: Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Evanescence - Evanescence (Album Review)

Evanescence were, once upon a time, the quintessential female-fronted rock band of the world. At a time where Britney did it again and Avril Lavigne made things so complicated, Amy Lee stepped forth as the female icon who channelled that much darker image and sound. This self-titled release holds a lot of pressure on its shoulders; 2006’s ‘The Open Door’ didn’t exactly garner the best reception in comparison to their debut, despite commercial success.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 10 October 2011

Kevin Pearce - Pocket Handkerchief Lane (Album Review)

Being one third of the brilliant band Skywatchers, Kevin Pearce has already created his fair share of admirable music, but being a solo artist and songwriter in his own right has fortunately lead us to his compelling and graceful album ‘Pocket Handkerchief Lane’.

Written by: Emma Newlyn | Date: Monday, 10 October 2011

Every Avenue - Bad Habits (Album Review)

Is a big shame that Every Avenue’s third album ‘Bad Habits’ wasn’t released a few months earlier, as it would have made a perfect summer soundtrack this year. This ten track record, which as suggested by the title takes alternative rockers on sex, drug and rock’n’roll stimulated journey with their darkly lyrical verses and bouncy guitar melodies.

Written by: Catherine Rea | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (Album Review)

A little over two years on from Oasis’ rather abrupt break up, big brother Noel releases his debut album later this month to much anticipation and speculation on what it may include. The biggest surprise of all may strangely be that there are no real surprises. While rumours spread about possible new directions after Noel kept himself away from the media spotlight for a large portion of his time away, what he actually comes out with is an album which shows every influence and feeling that we’ve always associated with him.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

The Pineapple Thief - 10 Stories Down (Album Review)

'10 Stories Down', initially released in 2005, marks an important step in the development of Bruce Soord’s The Pineapple Thief. The first album that features the band as being just that, rather than Soord’s solo project, is a record in thrall to the artsy melancholia of mid-nineties Radiohead. Interestingly, despite the band’s frequent labelling as a ‘progressive rock’ project, this is also mostly a fairly straightforward alt-rock album.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

ÅRABROT – Solar Anus (Album Review)

What to make of Norwegian terrible twosome Årabrot is tricky. There just aren’t many bands that sound as if they so deliberately want to make themselves horrendously unattractive to potential listeners in the way that Årabrot do. Their horrifically noisy take on guitar music, in large enough doses, is probably capable of inducing cardiac arrest, or at least some seizures, in some listeners. In a way this is what makes Årabrot so brilliant. They sound like the scummy muck at the bottom of the musical dustbin and they don’t care if people don’t like them. The fact is, however, that there is a lot to like about Årabrot.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

The Vaccines - Norgaard (Single Review)

Over the last year or two mainstream indie music has developed into a pretty predictable formula; upbeat drums and power chords topped off with catchy, chanty vocals. Just think of Miles Kane, The Courteeners or The Pigeon Detectives and you'll get the idea. But you know what they say: if it ain't broke, then don't fix it!

Written by: Steven James | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Eat More Cake - 'Climb the Ladder Live the Dream' (Double EP/Album Review)

The brain-child of London based songwriters Andy Briggs and Matt Pearn, Eat More Cake are back with new offering 'Climb the Ladder, Live the Dream'.

Written by: Victoria O'Hagan | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Rocketeer - Leave Me (Single Review)

London’s Rocketeer aren’t quite your typical Indie-Rock band. They sound as though they could implode at any moment; such is the amount of musical influences in their unique sound.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Modestep - Sunlight (Single Review)

Modestep have placed themselves firmly in the public eye with a succession of catchy singles in Feel Good and Bite The Hand, but with Sunlight the London four-piece have taken their credibility a step further.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011

Rise To Remain - Power Through Fear (Single Review)

Rise To Remain have a lot on their plate right now. They’re being given praise and opportunities left, right and center and rightly so – the metalcore quintet are a rising power in British music and serve as a great example of what the English can give to our country’s musical heritage.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011

New Found Glory - Radiosurgery (Album Review)

Since their formation in 1997, New Found Glory have consistently served as a major influence to the genre of pop-punk as whole. Albums such as New Found Glory and Sticks And Stones were strong enough to not only stand the test of time, but also to carry the Florida quintet through those times that saw fans questioning New Found Glory’s more daring changes in musical direction. It seems however that the band have come full circle over their 14 years, taking with them the best parts of their career to make Radiosurgey, an album to truly serve the devout following they have garnered.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011

New Found Glory - Radiosurgery (Single Review)

Of late, New Found Glory have been insisting “Pop-Punk’s Not Dead” anywhere they can. It’s a phrase that has appeared in stage banter, on every social network available and even on their merchandise. They’ve even named their recent tour after this slogan. And who can blame them? Infectious Pop-Punk has always been the trade of Florida veterans New Found Glory and if this single is an indication of the quintet’s future, we can safely assume that when they say “Pop-Punk’s Not Dead”, they mean it. With single Radiosurgery, they’re once again breathing life into the genre that they have quietly become the unchallenged kings of, and rightly so.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011

Textures - Dualism (Album Review)

Dutch metallers Textures have a right to feel a little frustrated at recent trends in metal. Although they are now being lumped in with the ‘djent’ scene that has recently exploded across the heavy world, Textures are really a far more important band in the evolution of modern metal than they are given credit for.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011

Rise To Remain - City Of Vultures (Album Review)

If you take one thing from this review or from listening to Rise To Remain’s debut ‘City Of Vultures’, let it be this: they are a band in their own right. This is a statement that needs clarifying courtesy of a more than obvious link to another musical force, one that pops its head up in almost every feature regarding the young band. Rise To Remain are their own musical force; one that is ready to take over the world, starting with this great debut.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Friday, 30 September 2011

Antlered Man - Buddhist Soup (Giftes 1) (Mini Album Review)

One thing needs to be cleared up right at the start of this review. Antlered Man are brilliant. There is something about their skewed take on alt-rock that makes them ridiculously appealing, despite the fact that all their songs seem determined to change pace at awkward moments and verge on being pretty disturbing most of the time. Don’t be fooled by the lullaby-esque melodies at the heart of 'If You Can’t Beat Them, Try Solvents', for example. This is a band that are here to drag you into the murkiness where they belong.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 30 September 2011

miaou - The Day Will Come Before Long (Album Review)

Japan's mercurial architects of enticing whimsy miaou end their three year recording hiatus with the long awaited and very captivating, 'The Day will Come Before Long'. Their fourth release and first since 2008s 'All Around Us', it finds the band immerse themselves in a much more electronic soundscape than on previous forays, conceiving arguably their most lavish and consummate record to date.

Written by: Patrick Gormley | Date: Wednesday, 28 September 2011

You Me At Six - Sinners Never Sleep (Album Review)

“It’s a lot more in a…not in a new direction, but kind of the same evolution between our first two CDs, just kind of a bit more mature, bit more grown up, the rockier bits are heavier and we are just more of a rock band now I think, we are a lot more grown up. But we’ve still got everything about us that all our fans love, so it’s not too drastic.” Chris Miller, guitarist.

Written by: Marcus Colley | Date: Wednesday, 28 September 2011