Album Reviews
Album Review: Sonic Jesus – ‘Neither Virtue Nor Anger’
‘Neither Virtue Nor Anger’ by Sonic Jesus, is perhaps 2015’s most eagerly anticipated debut LP, certainly for those fortunate souls who take their music with more than just a pinch of gravitas. Few releases have me contemplating the juxtaposition of Platonist preponderance over Aristotle’s ‘Ethica Nicomachea’, combined with Blake’s adherence that “there is no suffering except …
Album Review: Roisin Murphy – Hairless Toys
Roisin Murphy will release her third solo album ‘Hairless Toys’ on May 12th, but after nearly eight years since her second album “Overpowered’ reached number twenty in the UK album charts I’m guessing a few of you may be wondering who Roisin is; Firstly. it’s pronounced Rosheen, like machine, not Roison, like poison or Wassin’ …
Album Review: Amber Run – 5AM
Amber Run proves to us all that popular music can still be sincere. After releasing a handful of EPs and singles the past few years, we’ve finally been gifted with a full-length album, produced by the magnificent Mike Crossey. 5AM is a moment of clarity in a world full of noise. Whilst you’ll recognise ‘Spark’ …
Album review – Villagers – Darling Arithmetic
Villagers pulled off a unique double when their first two albums won Mercury Prize nominations and the good news for their fans is ‘Darling Arithmetic’ is the best yet. To understand Villagers it is necessary to see that they are not a regular group, but a vehicle for the singular vision of Conor O’Brien who …
Not Forgotten: T.Rex – Electric Warrior
The gap between being a ‘serious’ album act and being a ‘disposable’ pop act was still relatively wide back in the early 70s. The more album-orientated acts had a couple of hit singles at most (if indeed they even released singles), whereas the acts that appeared on Top of the pops had hit albums, but …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Benefit
For some reason Jethro Tull are never spoken of in the same hushed tones of awe as Led Zeppelin or King Crimson. Or Deep Purple and Yes. Or Wishbone Ash… Quite why that is may be down to the fact that their style was very difficult to pigeon hole and emulate, therefore no one has …
Psych Insight: Album Review – Hypnophobia by Jacco Gardner
Well Jacco’s caught me out again. When I first came across his music ahead of the Liverpool PsychFest in 2013 I was fairly unimpressed by what I heard that I didn’t have him on my list to see. I caught him quite by mistake while finding myself in the same room as he was performing, …
Album Review: Grace Jones – The Disco Years
1977 was an important year according to most people I know, and many I don’t. The first Star Wars film was screened, The first issue of 2000AD was published, Apple was incorporated, the rings of uranus were discovered (much to the amusement of most), Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley played their last concerts, Elvis then …
Not Forgotten: The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
After years of struggling in the alt-rock wilderness, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots was the first release by The Flaming Lips that you could say had been ‘long awaited’ by just about anybody outside of North America. Sure they had their small bands of admirers scattered across the globe previously, but The Soft Bulletin had …
Album Review: Lonelady – Hinterland
Manchester’s Julie Ann Campbell, aka LoneLady, piqued listeners’ interest with her debut album five years ago and has now returned with the remarkable Hinterland, an incredible hat tip to early ‘80s dance music. In a city with such a strong male-dominated mod rock tradition, LoneLady stands out a mile with classic Roland riffs and Nile …