The Candle Thieves - Sunshine And Other Misfortunes (Album Review)

Before getting into this review, I should first point out that this isn’t a brand new album. In fact it was released in April of 2010 so is a little over 6 months old. However, having seen them perform a support slot for Badly Drawn Boy recently (and completely out shine him I should add) I felt compelled to write something to draw more attention to this little known band.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Friday, 05 November 2010

Chiddy Bang - The Preview (Album Review)

'The Preview’ is exactly that, it is a preview of the forthcoming 2011 album from Chiddy Bang and it promises to be an excellent album. The duo from Philadelphia are releasing ‘The Preview’ on the back of the success from single ‘Opposite Of Adults’, which saw them go from one of the most hyped hip-hop acts around to challenging the charts.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 04 November 2010

Nelly Furtado Feat. Wiley - Night Is Young (Single Review)

The songbird and the godfather of grime have teamed up with Sketch Iz Dead to create a real floorfiller of a track, 'Night Is Young'. This won’t sound out of place on the club scene or the radio with the four to the floor beats on the chorus that have become big in today’s charts make this track potential chart material.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 04 November 2010

Pure Reason Revolution - Hammer And Anvil (Album Review)

Pure Reason Revolution claim to be proof that a band can be influenced by ELO, Smashing Pumpkins, Soulwax, Depeche Mode and The Beach Boys all at once, despite sounding nothing like them. This is evident within the album ‘Hammer and Anvil’ which features a constant combination of electro-pop and rock guitar riffs throughout.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 04 November 2010

Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars (Single Review)

It's not a huge surprise that Brooklyn based duo Sleigh Bells aren't a household name. Signed to Mom + Pop Music, an independent label based in New York, Derek E. Miller and Alexis Krauss have only been making music together for two years. Having only previously released a handful of tunes online, it's about time that the band start to get some recognition from their soon to be adoring public. 

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Tuesday, 02 November 2010

Jamiroquai - Rock Dust Light Star (Album Review)

After spending almost 5 years in the music wilderness since the release of 2005 offering, 'Dynamite', Jamiroquai enjoy a welcome reawakening with their 7th studio album, 'Rock Dust Light Star'. Fronted by energetic, big hat wearing Jay Kay, the band triumphantly and effortlessly deliver yet more jazz/funk with a hint of electro in the way only Jamiroquai can.

Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Tuesday, 02 November 2010

Kobra And The Lotus - Out Of The Pit (Album Review)

The metal scene of today is bursting at the seams with talent. Most of said talent is clearly placed at the experimental end of the metal scale. Bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Opeth take the genre of metal and move it on to higher plains. Kobra and the Lotus is a metal band and they are at totally the opposite end of the scale to the aforementioned experimentalists. Does this necessarily make their debut record worthless?

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 01 November 2010

Doris Brendal - The Last Adventure (Album Review)

Doris Brendel, the daughter of famed classical pianist Alfred Brendel, is set to release her latest album ‘The Last Adventure’ on the 1st November. She was the vocals behind 1990s alt-rockers ‘The Violet Hour’ who were signed to Sony, now, just as they receive critical acclaim, Doris is forging a new path in music with her own release.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010

Akabu - The Phuture Ain’t What It Used To Be (Album Review)

Akabu is the deep house pseudonym of UK Producer/DJ/Remixer Dave Lee.  Better known by some of his other monikers (Joey Negro, Jakatta) he has been instrumental in the disco house scene since 1990, being one of the pioneers in using original disco samples and live instruments to fuse a totally new house sound – funky, dancefloor friendly and chilled. Described as “retrospective yet futuristic” and featuring collaborations from such diverse artists as Boomclap Bachelors, Andre Lodemann, Tony Momrelle and Tanya Michelle to name a few, this album is a real tribute to a love of house music spanning decades, and it shows its respect beautifully.

Written by: Andy Droid | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010

The Jam – Sound Affects (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

For those of you that may be relatively unfamiliar with the Jam’s music and history, ‘Sound Affects’, the fifth and penultimate album by the trio, has become known by many as one of their most experimental. Thirty years on and, if you haven’t yet been fortunate enough to give this gem a proper listen, the album is out again - remastered, repackaged and re-released.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010

Delta Mainline - In A World Full of Madness, the Simple Joy of Melody... (EP Review)

'In A World Full of Madness, the Simple Joy of Melody Can Pull You Through' is the eagerly-awaited EP release by pseudo-experimental Edinburgh collective Delta Mainline. It presents a new phase in the band's creative exodus from the norm, and a concoction of genre-spanning influences, such as Sparklehorse and Spaceman 3, are displayed.

Written by: Jacob Mier | Date: Wednesday, 27 October 2010

Sea of Bees – The Woods (Single Review)

Some people may already be familiar with the term “freak-folk” after coming across it a few years back, following the success of artists like Devendra Banhart and the Animal Collective. However, for those of you who have so far managed to miss this curious genre of music, please welcome Sea of Bees.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 26 October 2010

British India - Vanilla (EP Review)

The title track - 'Vanilla' - channels well-layered, epic guitar sprawl echoing Sonic Youth against slow-building ambience - verging on chaos - which creeps towards the song's anthemic chorus - "I can't breath underwater, I can't stand in the air, But I could tear up your whole world, And then not even care" - and the eventual crescendo of guitar solo and furious drum riots, while almost inevitable, is of no smaller impact for it.

Written by: Jacob Mier | Date: Tuesday, 26 October 2010

Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown (Album Review)

Kings of Leon have come a long way since the release of debut LP ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ back in 2003. Gone are the days of dodgy hair, barely audible vocals and frenzied guitars of which their brand of southern rock embodied. Of late, the Tennessee band has opted for a far more polished approach perhaps somewhat unintentionally, to appeal to a wider audience. New album ‘Come Around Sundown’ does exactly that.

Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010

Carl Barat - Carl Barat (Album Review)

Fresh on the heels of the newly reformed Libertines performances at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, among the chaos, guitarist Carl Barat releases his debut solo album, 'Carl Barat'. 

Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010

Olly Murs - Thinking Of Me (Single Review)

Every mum’s favourite cheeky X Factor contestant is back for his second single ‘Thinking of Me’. Olly Murs is often compared to the pop superstar Robbie Williams and he certainly possesses the same charm. Having come off X Factor as a very credible runner-up to Joe Mcelderry, he has gone for a very Jason Mraz-esque sound.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010

The Script - Nothing (Single Review)

The Script have gone from strength to strength after the success of their self-titled debut album. In addition their follow-up, ‘Science and Faith’, has seen them progress into a leader of the genre. The smash hit ‘For The First Time’ erupted onto the UK charts and ‘Nothing’, the follow up to the hit single, is scheduled for release on 21st November. A perfect autumn song to warm up those slightly chilly evenings and it may turn out cheaper than turning on the heating!

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010

Warpaint – The Fool (Album Review)

If you’ve managed to escape recent news of the up-and-coming LA-based all-girl rock group Warpaint, then your avoidance skills are commendable. In the lead up to the release of their debut album ‘The Fool’, the band have managed to stir up a fair bit of excitement amongst the music press. Following a successful summer of festival appearances, including Reading and Leeds, Warpaint have already been invited on a tour of the US by this year’s Mercury winners The xx. Now, after months of speculation, the four-piece are readying their album for its impending release.

Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010

Example - Two Lives (Single Review)

Example, real name Elliot Gleave, is slowly moulding into a pop machine which churns out single after single. The artist from West London has had an incredible summer with ‘Kickstarts’ taking over clubs and radio waves all over the country and ‘Two Lives’ is the fifth single from the album ‘Won’t Go Quietly’. The album sees a change in style from Example, with help from big producers such as Calvin Harris, Don Diablo and Chase and Status the new offering reached Number Four in the UK chart, behind Oasis, The Black Eyed Peas and Eminem, a jolly good effort.

Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010

Blonde Louis - Midnight Kiss (Single Review)

I’m a twenty year old student who concedes that he is slightly musically pretentious and listens to everything that isn’t mainstream and intentionally bad mouths anything that’s in the charts. Well I’m going to have to reassess my life, because whether with this track or another, Blonde Louis ARE going to hit the charts in the coming year and these guys are infectious. These four lads already have a crazed set of teenage fans packing out small venues and word of mouth hype has established them as one of the best unsigned pop acts around.

Written by: Rhys Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 19 October 2010