pop albums
Album Review: Tracey Thorn – SOLO: Songs and Collaborations 1982 – 2015
Tracey Thorn has always been a part of my life, although I was a little late to the party. As a teenager I fell in love with Everything But The Girl’s huge club anthem ‘Missing’ and her Massive Attack collaboration ‘Protection’. Throughout the next few months I went to buying up their back catalogue, and …
Not Forgotten – Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
Back in the day Tusk was one of the most anticipated albums ever released. Rumours had launched Fleetwood Mac to the eye-watering heights of rock music’s mega-league, despite the increasingly strained relationships between the five band members, and expectation for its follow up had reached fever pitch. Behind the scenes at Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham …
Album Review: The Zombies – Still Got That Hunger
The Zombies new album, ‘Still Got That Hunger’ is after repeated listenings, hard not to like. For a band formed in 1961, they still tour a hell of a lot, so no-one can argue with its title. It’s in places semi-autobiographical, nostalgic and as technically proficient as one would expect, from a band responsible for …
Album Review: Lianne La Havas – Blood
Sometimes an initial listen to a new album can give you the wrong impression. When I heard Lianne La Havas’ sophomore effort in early August, it threw me slightly. Having appreciated her debut album as an enjoyable offering of pop-flecked neo-soul, I was fascinated to hear where she’d go next, but I was temporarily bamboozled …
Album Review: Youth Lagoon – Savage Hills Ballroom
Trevor Powers has the kind of fragility in his voice that when you hear it you feel at any time during a song he may just disappear into thin air. A pin hole leak in a balloon that slowly releases air into the world. Any kind of pressure or pushing will cause a bevy of …
Album review: RHODES – Wishes
A few years ago whilst looking through the Glastonbury line-up, trying to decide which acts to see and which I’d have to miss, I stumbled across a little known singer-songwriter called Ed Sheeran. He was playing numerous times over the weekend on various tiny stages. I remembered the name because his song ‘The A Team’ …
Album Review: Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon
Who didn’t love Lana Del Rey’s breakthrough hit ‘Video Games’? It was unique, sexy and classy. It was unlike anything we had heard, and rightly gave Ms. Del Rey her place on the map, and giving her her first top ten single. Since then, reactions to this sultry singer have been somewhat mixed. Her follow …
Album Review: Lucy Rose -Work it Out
Lucy Rose has moved on since the release of her folk fuelled debut album Like I Used To. While her vocals continue to have a distinctly delicate sound anyone who describes new album, Work It Out, in the same way isn’t giving the 26 year old singer-songwriter the credit she’s due. This is an album …
Album Review: Halsey – ‘Badlands’
It’s a rare thing to find an album that is a complete experience, where it’s emotions, themes and atmosphere jump right out of the audio and leave you with the knowledge that you’ve felt something as opposed to just hearing it. The debut album from Halsey is exactly that. There’s going to be artist comparisons …
Album Review: Act – Love and Hate – A compact introduction to Act
One of the blink and you’ll miss it bands from the time of synth-pop revolution, Act flashed and burnt out, pretty much before anyone noticed. The duo, Thomas Leer and ex-propaganda singer Claudia Brücken, convened after Propaganda fell apart over their contract with label ZTT, the band and Brücken (then Mrs Paul Morley, ZTT co-founder) …