Release Reviews
Stephen Malkmus - Jenny & The Ess-Dog
It’s becoming increasingly hard to write these ex-member of Pavement reviews, as all there is exciting to write was written in the beginning of this poorly constructed sentence. So, new single by Stephen Malkmus once of the semina................ For those who own the previously released self titled album,»
Hironobu Sakaguchi - Final Fantasy - Spirits Within
There are films that people will look back at the future as landmarks of cinematic history. Gone with the Wind, Ghandi, Titanic, Toy Story, Star Wars. Add Final Fantasy to that list. Because, Final fantasy is simply a technical marvel, visually stunning and a masterpiece of achievement. Such»
ROB - Power Glove
French powerpop from a protege of Air. Consequently it’s squelchy, jazzy, and has a breezy vocal skipping over the top. Towards the end the rhythm completely changes to something that would probably be used in a manga bike chase sequence. Of the two versions here the second sounds better, slapping on a chunky be»
The Jehu Explosion - So far/made me sick
The Jehu Explosion seem determined to rock. After detailing his brave escape from the world of 80's cock-rock, "supersonic love muscle" guitarist Tom explains the Luton 3-piece's attempts to carve a niche for their raw animal sound in the rather stagnant and nu-metal-infested music scene of the Herts area.»
Stereolab - Captain Easychord
A better summer single you'd be hard pressed to find. Instead of travelling further down the increasingly sterile jazz/lounge route occupied by Stereolab on their last couple of albums, the band opt instead to release their best song in years, an irrepressibly jaunty pop song replete with gently plucked slide guitar, o»
Techno Animal - The Brotherhood Of The Bomb
There are two ways to deal with the music on this record – “You either react with your body or feel totally threatened by it.” That’s what Justin Broadrick and Kevin Martin reckon anyway, and they should know – they are Techno Animal, and they want to deaden your head by giving you temporary ‘bass»
Fuzz Lightyears - Girl Song
My, my, this is all rather chipper. And a little bit bleepy. It is quite a nice little tune to hum along to when it comes on the radio but I find it hard to imagine that there are people who really love this band. I can imagine the nice lady singing this to be glancing up towards the ceiling<»
D.A. Stern - The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier
This is a piece of media hype posing almost as propaganda. It is a compilation of the file and events which would have taken place had the Blair Witch Project been a real project. It was, of course, not. This book, however, is impressive. I found it in my local bookshop in the bargain bin for the gran»
Train - Drops Of Jupiter
This is quite definitely American. This is quite definitely MOR. This definitely reminds me of Sheryl Crow. This is not bad! Sorry, I'm lying again. Err, it hurts my ears a bit. The soaring choruses and rhythmic verses occur regularly. Almost, in every single bloody song. Diverse is »
Turin Brakes - Mind Over Money
Someone please lift me from my chair and levitate my mind to a higher state of consciousness. Oh, hello there Turin Brakes. A re-release. ’Mind over Money’ - would make a very simple pictograph would that. If you missed it first time around, please make yourself comfortable as things are about touch you,»
Joe Johnston - Jurassic Park 3
Jurassic Park 3, hugely under hyped (remember the last 2?) and stuck into the cinemas before anything really big starts up the summer blockbuster season, reports are that it's the worst of the series, that it was rushed and practically given up on by all involved with it. And as a 10 year old who read the»
The Strokes - Is This It
”…let’s be blunt and say The Strokes are the coolest motherf#%kers around right now… On the strength of three-song demo EP, The Modern Age and constant touring The Strokes have been receiving critical like that from the picky UK press. So is 'Is This It?' all that it’s hyped »
Mondo - i=aM+U
So, you want to post-rock but you want to have tunes and bit of style ?
You like your music to be experimental but you don't wanna have to listen to radiator noises passing themselves off as records ?
Yeah, you want music to appreciate artistically but you also wanna burst every blood vessel in your brain f»
Skunk D.F. - Dentro
As well as the usual hyperbole and useful information, the press release that comes with "Dentro" features a thought provoking mini-rant about decribing bands in terms of their peers. Apparently, Skunk D.F. are here to show us that it is still possible to be different, because they are more interesting th»
Bearsuit - Hey Charlie, Hey Chuck
It didn’t take Iain and Lisa et al of Bearsuit very long to realise that the world really isn’t quite as beautiful as it should be. So they formed a band, and in doing so made the planet just that little better. Because Bearsuit make beautiful songs about a world which is as beautiful as this one should be.»
The Coral - Shadows Fall
I know you’ve heard the sentence “best new band in the country” so often in the past year or so, and if you’re like me, 9 times out of 10 after a listen to a song or two from the band in question you realise that it’s basically just record company hype of their latest signings. After reading that this band, T»
The Crystal Method - Tweekend
The sophomore album from California beat-makers The Crystal Method delivers much of the same that made their 1997 debut, Vegas, which caused such a disturbance in the dance genre establishing them as the only stateside dance act with muscle. This time around with 'Tweekend the duo of Sc»
A.R.E. Weapons - Street Gang
A.R.E Weapons are the latest trendy New York dolls to infortrate our headspace with their articulate brand of sleeze and slur. Not bad either... Describing the sound of A.R.E Weapons isn't easy...a eclectic mix of sci-fi beats and spewed menacing vocals remind me of a more agressive, dirtier and da»
Moby - Moby - Play DVD
And so to the longawaited Play DVD. We've already had the album, the limited edition 2CD box set, a three year tour, eight singles, 422 advert tie-ins, and finally the warts n all DVD, with a remixes CD. Despite all this, can I just say, Please Moby, we love ya and that but can you please go away and make a new »
Elbow - Asleep In The Back
Ten years in the making, and three labels later Elbow bring us a outstanding release for this year and hope for the
future of music.
In Asleep In The Back every track works. From the spellbinding sound of an organ in the
opening track, 'Any Day Now', to the soothing sound of a piano in the »
Ill Nino - Revolution/Revolucion
Once in a while it becomes apparent that you are hearing something that is a little bit special. With ‘Revolution, Revolucion’, Ill Nino are delivering the latest update on the Nu-Metal blueprint and extending the plans that little bit further. Drawing influence’s from just about every important releas»
Dry Kill Logic - The Darker Side Of Nonsense
It’s such a tricky situation to review a band like Dry Kill Logic. They aren’t necessarily a bad band, the problem lies within the fact that they are merely ordinary in an already over-crowded genre. Imagine a Madeira cake with a slight bit of icing on top of it in a shop full of exotic cakes. It seems like a n»
Radiohead - Knives Out
“The moments passed... yeah, it’s gone“
What hath BritPop wrought?
By the mid-nineties ‘Indie’ turned turncoat and allowed itself to become assimilated into the chart mainstream. It had released its weary, yet once steadfast grip, and let itself be lulled, be pulled under and along by Pop’s soft but might»
R.E.M. - All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)
R.E.M, like I said in my last review of theirs, are not the young guns they used to be in the same way Morrissey is. These men have aged. But, unlike Morrissey, R.E.M aren't going to let that get in their way. Reveal is not your average album. It was quietly released by a band that can no longer compete i»
Champion Sound #13: Part 1 – Ten Yeezus Pieces
Parklife Weekender 2013 – The Drowned in Sound Review
Drowned In Sheffield #14
DiS Does Singles 17.06.13: Dornik, Washed Out, AlunaGeorge
All Hail the Culturati... Fighting Over Radiohead's Hail to the Thief
Cutting Through the Noise: What it's really like representing new artists at events like The Great Escape
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