Osmo - Heaven & Hell Is Just A State Of Mind (Album Review)

When your first ever UK date isn’t in some seedy pub somewhere in Camden, or in your best friends back garden, or at a birthday party, but in the official London residence of the Finnish Ambassador, you know you’ve got one hell of a career in front of you. This album, Osmo's second, but first released in this country, is described as a “cool slice of soulful pop”, which I have to disagree with to an extent. That description gives you the impression that the album’s going to sound like twelve different versions of Adele's ‘Rolling in the Deep’ (which, I must add, is an utterly ace song) but that isn’t quite the case. I would describe the general taste as a cross between swing, jazz, funk with a hint of a Latin influence all mixed together with a radio-friendly pop icing on top. This is inoffensive jolly nonchalance that gets parts of it right, and parts of it way off the mark.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Thursday, 21 April 2011

Bella Hardy – Songs Lost & Stolen (Album Review)

I believe that it would be fair to say that the folk scene is experiencing another serge in popularity at the moment. With artist such as Mumford & Sons or Elle Goulding all being sited as having a folk influence its no wonder people begin searching for real folk music. And once you've started searching, amazing and brilliant talents like Bella Hardy tend to surface.

Written by: Craig Willis | Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2011

The Pattern Theory - The Pattern Theory (Album Review)

Berlin based instrumentalists The Pattern Theory have spent almost two years distilling their ideas for the eight songs that make up their self titled debut album. The band has put this down to producing too many ideas musically and being overly perfectionist, so lucky for The Pattern Theory all this time and care has paid off.

Written by: Patrick Gormley | Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2011

The Maine - Black & White (Album Review)

Well, after coming up on my iTunes under ‘Gucci’ I managed to find my sampler of The Maine’s 'Black And White' album, out this month.  The Maine are one of the rising stars of the ever growing pop rock scene.  The album, produced by heavyweight Howard Benson, who has worked with My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach and Daughtry, instantly gives the album credibility, and the production on the CD is flawless.  Already the album’s achieved Billboard Top 20 status in America and they’ve been selling out tours on both sides of the Atlantic.

Written by: Matthew Williamson | Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Explosions In The Sky - 'Take Care, Take Care, Take Care' (Album Review)

If you are a fan of the musical subgenre known as post-rock the chances are pretty high that you have, at some point, been wildly in love with an album called 'The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place' by a band known as Explosions in the Sky.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

Rev78 - Boys In The Blitz (Album Review)

I hadn't heard anything about London boy's Rev78 so when I received the album, I had no expectations at all. Luckily for me, there was a press release with it to make them sound very exciting and perhaps even hyped them up a teeny bit too much. 'Music made for Arena's' was one quote - do I believe the press release? Surely the press don't lie?

Written by: Liam Gascoigne | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

Michael Franti & Spearhead - The Sound Of Sunshine (Album Review)

At the time of writing, the weather outside my window has gone from being a glorious display of sunshine and warmth of the last few days to a grey, drab affair that can’t even be bothered of rain. And it’s muggy. Of course, Michael Franti and his long-time creation Spearhead aren’t known for taking a bright day and making it all crappy, so I placed this new album, already huge in the musical behemoth of the USA, in the player and while the weather outside didn’t change a whole lot, I felt a whole lot sunnier on the inside.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

The Antlered Man - Surrounded By White Men (Single)

“He wrapped them up in white skin, and said it was for their benefit”

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

Slow Six - Tomorrow Becomes You (Album Review)

Christopher Tignor, one imagines, is quite the clever fellow. Not only does he design his own signature music software (which is free on the groups website), play a series of spellbinding shows with The American Dollar and Caspian but now his Slow Six ensemble have put together the enchanting classical/ rock hybrid 'Tomorrow Becomes You'.

Written by: Patrick Gormley | Date: Friday, 15 April 2011

Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl (Album Review)

If you've never heard of Joe Bonamassa before, you should be ashamed. Bonamassa's particular brand of blues rock has seen him gain a Number One on the billboard blues chart as well as a headline concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Written by: Craig Willis | Date: Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Young The Giant - My Body (Single Review)

From the first bars of 'My Body' when the jolting percussion kicks in, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Young The Giant are a seasoned band of musicians advertising their well-honed craft. In actual fact, the California quintet's age range is a mere 20 - 22, and 'My Body' is just their second single. Having already nabbed support slots for Kings Of Leon, The Futureheads and Marina & The Diamonds, as well as landing some mixing sessions at the infamous Electric Lady Studios in New York, it's time Young The Giant made their mark on the UK music scene.

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Redtrack - The Trier (Single Review)

Oh goodie. A single review disc with three tracks on it to critique! Stop it RedTrack, you’re spoiling us!

Written by: James Ball | Date: Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Wax On Water - An Army (Single Review)

So, to start with, these guitars came from absolutely nowhere, screeching around the corner, running me over and then I died.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder (Album Review)

Noted to be a prominent name in past pop-punk, it’s safe to say that Sum 41’s musical ‘stride’ was the years prior to their last release ‘Underclass Hero’. Four years down the road and here they are with the follow up – ‘Screaming Bloody Murder’. Like many fans, a main pondering upon this release is whether they can make a triumphant return to that musical peak on which we previously saw them rested.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Guillemots – ‘Walk The River’ (Album Review)

Three years after their Top 10 album ‘Red’ and just one year on from Fyfe Dangerfield’s first solo effort, Birmingham quartet the Guillemots are back with their latest offering ‘Walk The River’. After failing to claim the Mercury Prize back in 2006 for their debut ‘Through the Windowpane’ – sadly losing out to predictable winners Arctic Monkeys – and gaining only commercial recognition for ‘Red’, are Guillemots hitting back with a vengeance for their third album? Also, after the uplifting and atmospheric indie-pop of ‘Through the Windowpane’ and the experimental and often weird ‘Red’, what have the four-piece got in store for us this time around? And even more importantly, following the success of his far more modest solo record ‘Fly Yellow Moon’, will frontman Fyfe Dangerfield be bringing any of his new-found experiences with him on his return to the group?

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Sunday, 10 April 2011

Eksi Ekso - Brown Shark, Red Lion (Album Review)

Since releasing their superbly title debut 'I Am Your Bastard Wings' in 2008, Boston’s Eksi Ekso have gone from six to three full time members, become infatuated with synthesizers and totally changed direction for their new album. Said album 'Brown Shark, Red Lion' finds the newly stripped down trio explore orchestral pop, synth-soaked dance and balls to the wall rock with sadly, fairly hit and miss results.

Written by: Patrick Gormley | Date: Sunday, 10 April 2011

Wonderland - Wonderland (EP Review)

Well this is a strange review for me to be writing. I don't usually dedicate my time to listen to new, stereotypical girl bands who I just happened to hear on the radio late one night. But I decided I'd do something a bit different, and I'm actually very much glad that I did.

Written by: Sophie Monk | Date: Sunday, 10 April 2011

My Passion - Inside This Machine (Album Review)

Having had their follow up to ‘Corporate Flesh Party’ sitting in waiting for around a year, My Passion can breathe a sigh of relief and the fans can become amped with excitement as ‘Inside This Machine’ is finally about to be unleashed into the world.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Sunday, 10 April 2011

The Retrospective Soundtrack Players – Cool Hand Luke (Album Review)

Not every band would invite an audience member up on stage to try and eat 50 eggs in three minutes (fried egg sweets, mind), but that just the kind of band The Retrospective Soundtrack Players are: full of cunning ideas and not afraid to sound slightly gimmicky.

Written by: Chris Jefferies | Date: Sunday, 10 April 2011

Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S (Album Review)

Super groups seem to be popping up all over the place these days with the likes of Them Crooked Vultures, The Damned Things and anything of Jack White’s design from the last four years all stirring up headlines. So here is to anyone who thought the US punk and post hardcore scene was on the descent. An out of this world, face slappingly unprecedented collision of Chiodos' frontman Craig Owens joining forces with ex-members of Story of the Year,  From First To Last, Matchbook Romance and Undermined. With credentials like these, It didn’t take long before this mammoth gathering of artists were united under a signing from Sire Records and now their self titled release has hit the UK shores.

Written by: Owen Sheppard | Date: Friday, 08 April 2011