Tellison - The Wages Of Fear (Album Review)

“It’s been a bad year, we lost everything.” 

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 13 June 2011

King Post Kitsch - The Party's Over (Album Review)

The party's over but may the celebrations for this album long continue! I can't remember ever hearing an album quite like it – an infectious pop/rock/grunge number with all the sound elements of a raw, intimate gig. This 30 minute wonder spans genres, emotions and sounds to create a record that displays all of Charlie Ward's abilities.

Written by: Elin Sutton | Date: Tuesday, 07 June 2011

Secret Sirens - My Favourite Obsession (Single Review)

Ahh Mr Bond, we’ve been expecting you!

Written by: James Ball | Date: Monday, 06 June 2011

Frank Turner ‘England Keep My Bones’ (Album Review)

Having already carved himself a reputation as England’s favourite folk hero and a spokesman for twenty-somethings everywhere with tracks like ‘Photosynthesis’, Winchester solo artist Frank Turner returns this month with his fourth album ‘England Keep My Bones’, which follows 2009’s ‘Poetry of the Deed’. Not that he’s really been away in that time, however. Frank fans will be able to testify that, since the release of his last album, the non-stop travelling showman has been anything but dormant – touring relentlessly and hitting the festival circuit with unwavering persistence.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 06 June 2011

Hanson - Shout It Out (Album Review)

Despite it being fourteen years ago since Hanson first hit the charts with 'MMMbop', they are still remembered by the majority of people as the people who sang said song. Forgetting the fact that it isn't even a bad song, especially when they were aged between 10 and 14 when it was recorded, they are still seen as some sort of novelty act, especially in this country.

Written by: Liam Gascoigne | Date: Saturday, 04 June 2011

Bon Iver - Bon Iver (Album Review)

If you’re reading this before the 22nd of June then I’ll tell you now that this review will cause you to bite even harder on that bit of anticipation, but if you’re reading this after the 22nd of June then what the hell are you doing wasting your time with this insignificant review? Why, in God’s name, aren’t you doing anything other than filling every spare moment of your life listening to this album?!

Written by: Rhys Morgan | Date: Thursday, 02 June 2011

Chase & Status Ft Delilah - Time (Single Review)

Since Chase and Status released their first album three years ago, they have gone from strength to strength. Bringing an entire new audience into dance music aswell as having a big hand in making Plan B as big as he is now, they have turned into one of the biggest acts in the country.

Written by: Liam Gascoigne | Date: Wednesday, 01 June 2011

DanDanDan - Happy Happy Joy Joy (EP Review)

Ok. I’m going to make one thing perfectly clear. If you like pop music, music that’s easy to listen to or understand then steer way clear of DanDanDan. If you like clever noise-pop, distorted, crunching guitars that eat your and your kids as an appetiser before streaking naked down Leith Walk making love to every redirected bus on the way, then this is your new favourite band.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk (Album Review)

“Blues runs this House”, “There is a House in New Orleans”, “House that blues built”. At this point i've heard all the puns based on combinations of “House” and “Blues” when it comes to this album. But really this isn't House playing the blues. Its Hugh Laurie playing the blues.

Written by: Craig Willis | Date: Monday, 30 May 2011

Beatsteaks - Boombox (Album Review)

In countries where pop/rock music isn’t currently of the “highest standard”, you often find that some distinctly unremarkable bands are ruling the airwaves. In their native Germany, Beatsteaks are pretty gigantic and 'Boombox', their latest record, is no exception.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Monday, 30 May 2011

Secret Cities - Strange Hearts (Album Review)

I was surprised to learn that Secret Cities’ sophomore effort, 'Strange Hearts', was recorded in a Kansas City basement.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Monday, 30 May 2011

F***ed Up ‘David Comes to Life’ (Album Review)

After playing a 12-hour-long gig in New York, releasing a cover of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ with members of Vampire Weekend, TV On The Radio and the Wu Tang Clan, and getting away with being played on MTV with one of the most outrageous names in the industry, what could Toronto-based hardcore sextet Fucked Up possibly do next to top such accomplishments? Well, on this occasion, they’ve gone for the less than small feat of recording a punk rock opera. But this is no ‘American Idiot’ – this is the real deal. Split into four acts, the album tells the odd and convoluted story of our hero David, supposedly set against the backdrop of our own United Kingdom during the 1970s. However, if you find yourself struggling to follow this rather elaborate tale, you’ll be pleased to hear that, lyrics and vocals aside, this is an extremely well-structured composition where the music itself is brimming with raw emotion, telling a story the whole way.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 30 May 2011

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis ‘Smoking in Heaven’ (Album Review)

Who would have thought it would take three young siblings from London to revive classic American rhythm and blues music in such a genuinely authentic style? However, that is exactly what brother and sister trio Kitty, Daisy and Lewis have done on their second album ‘Smoking in Heaven’. Following the release of their eponymous debut in 2008, which saw the group mix a selection of traditional genres and earned them a number of well-known followers such as Amy Winehouse and Chris Martin – the latter even invited them on Coldplay’s US tour – Kitty, Daisy and Lewis have taken things further still on their latest offering.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 30 May 2011

Cults - 'Cults' (Album Review)

Graduating from the Arctic Monkeys school of DIY, word of mouth-type promotion – with a bit of help from the World Wide Web – Cults are here with their dazzling, hypnotic and, more often than not, cheery-sounding debut album. For those that are as yet unfamiliar, Cults are a boyfriend and girlfriend duo from San Diego in California, who are currently based in New York and are signed to Lily Allen’s new record label In The Name Of. For their first effort, Cults seem to be proudly wearing their influences on their sleeve, although not as you might expect. Even though the album does frequently drift into oddly familiar territory from yesteryear, the overall feel of the record manages to capture a very personal and unique style from this new fascinating new band.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 26 May 2011

Is Tropical - The Greeks (Single Review)

Is Tropical have gone to the Klaxons school of song writing. With the major exception being that this song, lyrically, makes sense unlike anything Klaxons have ever released.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Fink - Perfect Darkness (Album Review)

Imagine it, you’re a minimalist Techno DJ spinning the vinyl at some of the country’s top clubs around the turn of the millennium. You’re rising through the ranks and then you sit down with a guitar and start making Indie music, releasing three albums of it since 2006. It’s not the usual route for the average musician, but for Fin Greenall, aka Fink, it’s worked pretty nicely.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Rome (Album Review)

Albums these days: They’re generally written, rehearsed, recorded, mixed, edited and put on the shelves every, say, two years or so. Bands rarely start the next album properly before bringing out the current one. Danger Mouse, however, has allowed this Rome project to slowly gestate for five full years, tweaking, perfecting, messing around with the songs, the instrumentalism, the order, everything about it, and you know what? It’s bloody fantastic.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Wednesday, 25 May 2011

The Computers - This Is The Computers (Album Review)

2011 is shaping up to be a brilliant year in the world of alternative music. Where the mainstream is littered with countless meaningless dance tracks, all of which instruct their listeners to ‘hit the flo’ or ‘feel that 808’, elsewhere albums much like ‘This is the Computers’ are appearing.

Written by: Abby Fletcher | Date: Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Slaves To Gravity - UNDERWATEROUTERSPACE (Album Review)

Hailed as one of Britain’s best upand coming bands in the last couple of years, Slaves To Gravity have had a lot of support over their musical course. Having said that, I must admit that I entered the review process of their latest offering, ‘Underwaterouterspace’, with a high level of scepticism. Not being overwhelmingly grabbed by them over the years I had seen and heard them, I decided this was the chance to give them another try – and I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Mexicolas - The Minerva Suite (Album Review)

For those in the room down on their history, Minerva was the mythological goddess who Romans believed invented music. This might be enough of a basis to conjure images of an epic concept album that transcends the beauty of sound as we know it. But instead, 'The Minerva Suite' is the second album by the distinctly unambitious Mexicolas.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Tuesday, 24 May 2011