Archive for the ‘ Album Review ’ Category

Album Review: Purple Naked Ladies by The Internet

The aim of a film score is to encapsulate the mood of the movie, to add an aural element to fully immerse the viewer in the storyline. The very best of these can stand alone as albums in their own right, like the scores to Grease and The Godfather, or soundtracks to films such as [ READ MORE ]

Album Review: Sticks + Stones by Cher Lloyd

After the irritable ‘Swagger Jagger’, Cher Lloyd delivers a debut album bursting with personality. Every track on Cher Lloyd’s debut album could easily have come from a different artist. From the dancehall bounce of opening track ‘Grow Up’ to the balladry of ‘Beautiful People’; the album is an erratic and jumpy affair saved by its [ READ MORE ]

Album Review: Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay

At this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Coldplay put on a show so spectacular that the Pyramid Stage itself burst into life with an explosion of colour. On Mylo Xyloto the colour is splashed right across the record sleeve, but musically there isn’t quite as much colour as youone might hope. Jonny Buckland’s Edge-like guitar-play and Martin’s [ READ MORE ]

Album Review: Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83

15 million light years from earth, the M83 Galaxy has not only been the site of 6 supernovae but also contains several red knots – the parts of space where active star formation takes place. Its spiral arms create a mesmerising view, earning it the nickname of the Pinwheel Galaxy. All in all, the M83 [ READ MORE ]

Album Review: New Brigade by Iceage

Despite one being a Danish punk band and the other being an LA hip-hop collective, there are comparisons that can be drawn between Iceage and Odd Future (OFWGKTA). The hype surrounding both comes largely from their highly energetic live shows, which often end with injuries sustained to both band and audience. Taking a look at [ READ MORE ]

Album Review: A Different Kind Of Fix by Bombay Bicycle Club

Three albums in and Bombay Bicycle Club look close to hitting their stride. While not exactly a departure from the sound they have come to be known for, Bombay Bicycle Club’s third LP is an assured album that builds upon their existing style; adding more textures and layers than previously heard from the Crouch End [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – 4 by Beyonce

When Neil Young released Harvest, he was booed on stage for playing his new album in its entirety. He promised the crowd that when he had finished it, he’d play them “something you’ve heard before.” True to his word, after finishing the set, he played it all again. Musicians performing a new album in its [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Pala by Friendly Fires

Headlining Brighton’s Great Escape Festival this weekend, Friendly Fires went down a storm. The entire audience were on their feet shaking, grinding and clapping along to tracks both new and old from the St. Albans band. They’ve returned with a second album that will see them continue to excite festival audiences for the rest of [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Goblin by Tyler, The Creator

With the blanket coverage that has come with the recent emergence of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA / Odd Future for short) you’d be hard pushed to find someone who hasn’t heard of the group’s enigmatic leader, Tyler, The Creator. Goblin is his second full length release after 2009′s under the radar [ READ MORE ]

Album/Packaging Review – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys

I was immediately impressed with the artwork for the new Beastie Boys album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. With the album now in my hands I feel confident enough to say that this is the best album artwork and packaging of the year so far. Not only is the front cover of the CD striking [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

“So now I am older / than my mother and father / when they had their daughter / now what does that say about me?” The opening lines to Fleet Foxes’ new album, Helplessness Blues, see front-man Robin Pecknold ask a question, and it’s not the only one. The Seattle band’s second album is a [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Angles by The Strokes

When Is This It was released in 2001 I was eleven years old. I remember it for two reasons: 1) My brother owned a copy, and 2) The cover was of a naked woman (at least as naked as I’d ever seen at eleven years old). As I grew older and each of The Strokes [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Long Player Late Bloomer by Ron Sexsmith

After releasing 11 albums to almost no fanfare whatsoever, it is his twelfth offering that is finally getting Ron Sexsmith wider recognition for his work. With celebrity fans from Elton John to Bob Dylan, Sexsmith has long been known as a ‘songwriters songwriter’ but with his Radio 2 playlisted single ‘Believe It When I See [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – The King Of Limbs by Radiohead

This morning, Radiohead’s new album was released a full 24 hours earlier than had been expected. This caused a flurry of excitement all over the place, but at the time of release I was stuck in the office with the internet down. I had no way of hearing The King Of Limbs until I reached [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Computers and Blues by The Streets

Mike Skinner may well have made the right decision in retiring The Streets. When Original Pirate Material was released in 2002, Mike Skinner’s ordinary bloke lyrical style was refreshingly unique, but as with anything popular, it drew its fair share of copycats (some of which Skinner even signed to his ill-fated label). While the influence [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Michael by Michael Jackson

I refuse to dignify this travesty with a review longer than this sentence[ READ MORE ]

Album Review – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

Kanye West couldn’t have come up with a more apt description of his latest record than the very title he gave it; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is just that. Anyone familiar with Kanye’s Twitter feed will know just how erratic he can be. Tweets about his new diamond teeth run close to hour long [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Progress by Take That

With the fastest selling tour in British history tucked firmly under the belts of the recently reformed five piece, you’d be forgiven for expecting an album harking back to their 90′s heyday. However with Progress, the band have released one of the most striking albums of the year. Lead single ‘The Flood’ is the closest [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Loud by Rihanna

“Hey Mr DJ won’t you turn the music up?” When Rihanna released her debut album Music Of The Sun in 2005 she was 17 years old, and the album’s opening track ‘Pon De Replay’ was about a DJ not playing music loud enough. Now in 2010, the Barbadian has released Loud, whose opening track ‘S&M’ [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Insatiable by Nadine Coyle

Apparently Nadine Coyle’s debut solo album isn’t doing too well, which is a shame because it contains some pretty good pop songs. Actually, it contains about three or four good pop songs and several other tracks that aren’t quite as good but are still better than most songs on Cheryl Cole’s Messy Little Raindrops. This [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Nothing by N*E*R*D

After being supremely underwhelmed by N*E*R*D’s performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2009 and appalled at the band’s behaviour following the plug being pulled on them for running over their time slot, I approached their new album with trepidation. However that trepidation was unnecessary, as Nothing is N*E*R*D’s strongest album since In Search Of… . Lead [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Messy Little Raindrops by Cheryl Cole

With her divorce from a cheating husband and battle with malaria taking up many a headline over the last 12 months, Cheryl Cole (the only woman on earth who actually cry’s angel’s tears) has had plenty to be upset about. However with none of the lyrics having been written by Cole herself, we were unlikely [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Come Around Sundown by Kings Of Leon

The first three tracks on Youth & Young Manhood included ‘Wasted Time’ and ‘Happy Alone’, Aha Shake Heartbreak included ‘King Of The Radio’ and ‘Taper Jean Girl’, Because Of The Times had both ‘Charmer’ and ‘On Call’ while the mighty Only By The Night opened with ‘Closer’, ‘Crawl’, and ‘Sex On Fire’. All are fan [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Red Brick Heart by Performance

A quick look through Performance’s history suggests that this is a band that shouldn’t even exist. School friends Joe Stretch, Laura Marsden and Joe Cross formed the band in 2003 and quickly became well known on Manchester’s live scene. A deal with Polydor records followed in 2005 but was scuppered by various bouts of romance [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Record Collection by Mark Ronson & The Business International

Record Collection is an apt description of the new Mark Ronson album, with appearances coming thick and fast from hip-hop luminaries Ghostface Killah and Q-Tip, to 80′s pop masters Simon Le Bon and Boy George. Having done away with the horns, this is supposedly a representation of Ronson’s own record collection. Opening track and lead [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – A Complete Introduction To Sugar Hill Records

The opening track to A Complete Introduction To Sugar Hill Records is the record that pushed hip-hop into the mainstream. ‘Rappers Delight’ by The Sugarhill Gang is an undeniable classic. The 15 minute track was selling thousands of copies a day and getting radio airplay that hip-hop had never before received. Some radio stations even [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – The Ordeal by Stuart Warwick

The official website for Stuart Warwick says that “In his spare time he writes music” which is quite an odd description of a musician considering that it is meant to be their profession. Not so for Stuart Warwick, who’s day job is actually as Professor of Applied Anthropology at the London School of Economics. The [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Barking by Underworld

After recording and mixing the nine tracks that would eventually make up Barking, Underworld began correspondence with various producers to help them create the album released today. Speaking to the Guardian, Underworld said that hearing their own music remixed for over twenty years of had inspired them to no longer work alone but to collaborate [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park

When I was 11 years old, Linkin Park were the epitome of cool and as time went on I found that their future releases were better than debut album Hybrid Theory. The collaboration with Jay-Z was inescapably good, while second album Meteora featured an incredibly good instrumental piece called ‘Session’ (also featured on a soundtrack [ READ MORE ]

Album Review – Flamingo by Brandon Flowers

When the lead single for Brandon Flowers first solo album was premiered in mid June of this year there was a fair amount of anticipation surrounding it. Was ‘Crossfire’ going to be like when Thom Yorke released The Eraser; digital beats and laptop loops? Or maybe more like Brian Eno’s Ambient 1/Music For Airports? No. [ READ MORE ]

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