Acquiescence

Sure does sound like a stone-cold 4/10 album to me. It's a total mess.

My Bloody Valentine have a new album out?

Beavis And Butthead on the cover.

This. Hit the nail on the head. I actually like all of Coldplay's albums to varying degrees, but this new one is a disappointment largely because of the reason stated above. Viva La Vida was terrific because it took Coldplay's sound into consistently bold and adventurous directions, while reserving the tried-and-tested acoustic sound for just one track ('Reign Of Love').

Mylo Xyloto starts fantastically, but after 'Charlie Brown' the structure of the album falls apart from constantly alternating between huge sounding anthems and stripped-down ballads. It kills the sense of progression Coldplay showcased with VLV, and the likes of 'Us Against The World', 'UFO', 'Up With The Birds' and 'Up In Flames' are pure unadulterated filler. Pile on U2-copycat 'Don't Let It Break Your Heart' and the dismal 'Major Minus' and you've got yourself a hugely frustrating album.

Even the 40 second interludes in all their ambient beauty are more interesting than anything else after track 4, bar 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'.

Sunshine Hit Me, Free The Bees and Octopus are all, to varying degrees, summer-pop brilliance and so is this one. They duly deliver every time and I definitely missed them during their absence. I'm just gutted that summer is long gone; this album was made for basking in rays.

Er, what?! I think you need to clue yourself up on the bands discography.

The fact that I visit both this site and Midlake's last.fm page doesn't really constitute as stalking does it. And let's just ignore the fact that I registered onto DrownedinSound back in 2005 and tend to read its reviews on a regular basis, especially the ones that revolve around bands I'm interested in. I can assure you though, if I was a stalker you sure as hell wouldn't be my first prospect.

And it is obvious that Wooly is replying to himself, if he was replying to anyone else he wouldn't have "@Wooly31" underneath his messgae. I don't understand why this is so difficult for you to grasp.

Anyway, you keep on mindlessly ranting and raving if it makes you feel better. Gives us rational folk something to laugh at.

JSkins knows who Wooly is refering to because...

*gasp*

"Wooly31 @Wooly31"

...Wooly31 is replying to himself! Hardly "open to interpretation" is it. You can stop hurling abuse at eveyone now.

First great album of the decade for me. I disagree fervently that "Almost every track on Acolyte could work as a single" though, I'm only hearing 4-5 tracks that could work as singles and three of them have already been released.

cos that's just the kind of guy I am. *turns head slightly, reveals a cheesy grin and gives a thumbs up*

Van Occupanther is a masterpiece. I hope this keeps up the same standards.

Getthefuckouttahere.

Wasn't too impressed on my first few listens but I kind of expected that since United States Of Eurasia' and 'Uprising' hardly set my pulse racing the first time round. But with time, as you grow more accustomed to the weirder moments, it all starts to make a strange kind of sense. Even 'I Belong To You' (which is far funnier than anything off of the new Flight Of The Conchords album) gels together, the opera section being stunningly beautiful.

Uprising 8/10
Resistance 8/10
Undisclosed Desires 10/10
United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage) 9/10
Guiding Light 8/10
Unnatural Selection 10/10
MK Ultra 8/10
I Belong To You (+Mon Cœur S'ouvre à Ta Voix) 9/10
Exogenesis 9/10

...'Nothing', 'The Note (These Voices)' and 'Chemeleon' (it's fairly flawless up to this point). But yeah, are you right about the last two tracks. The album really does bounce back for the finale, 'Die Happy, Die Smiling' and 'Without You' are gargantuan highlights. Love the album, well done James.

I'm getting ridiculously excited for this album now. I hope the official review doesn't differ too much from the one here.

This just reads like a continuation of the hate-fuelled campaign that DiS had for Kasabian back in 2004-05, when not only did the debut album receive an unjustly scathing review but EVERY DAMN single release too. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is leagues ahead of the lad-rock tag that could be attributed to the lesser likes of Oasis or The Enemy and the only real duds here are 'Vlad The Impaler' and 'Happiness.' Otherwise the rest is a celebration of musical diversity and vibrancy, it's hardly "predictable" when practically every song sounds different from what was heard prior to it. A wonderful album, the acclaim it's receiving from many publications elsewhere would confirm that.

and I'm still listening to it relentlessly, they really seem to have a grasp on the pop tune like no other. Songs this addictive and crammed with hooks deserve to reign over the charts for weeks.
Got to be honest, this reads like another Dom review downgraded from an 8 to a 7 by the editor.

Even after the constant battering this band recieves on these boards you still don't give in to the mob. Having just read this and his review for Hush by Asobi Seksu, I think Dom is my favourite music critic after John Earls.

Just had to say that.

But yeah y'know, Oceans Will Rise is a brilliant album, can't wait to buy it. And a big whoop to Sean for mentioning the likes of Longwave and Electric Eel Shock, thats what I'm talking about!

I've gone completely off of Radiohead the last few years due to their inability to record something that doesn't resemble wailing miserablism. If they have been 'uplifting' at some point then I must have missed the song. Regarding The Little Ones, its just a shame that Sing Song was such a classic yet this is so...rushed. Its not the happy clappy, sugar-coated approach to pop that bothers me, rather that the arrangements on some songs are just crap.

And I really like this album. Go Paul Mullen.

8 tracks again, just like Ten Silver Drops. Hmmmmm.

It'll be interesting to see how this measures up to Alpinisms, the School Of Seven Bells' album, out in November.

which is a shame considering everything on BOTT is gold.

It definitely is a return to form and the equal of Bows + Arrows I think.

Adele
Estelle
Radiohead
Last Shadow Puppets

Don't make me larf.

I guess Lydon must have heard 'Mercury'.

Without doubt the biggest dissapointment of the year for me, how could they follow up the best pop album of 07 with something so passive and by-the-numbers. :(

In order cos I don't fudge around

1. The Envy Corps - Dwell
2. Fleet Foxes - s/t
3. The Corrections - Repeat After Me
4. Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
5. Young Knives - Superabundance
6. Feeder - Silent Cry
7. Sennen - Where The Light Gets In
8. Vampire Weekend - s/t
9. Duels - The Barbarians Move In
10. The Black Keys - Attack & Release
11. Nada Surf - Lucky
12. This Will Destroy You - s/t
13. James - Hey Ma
14. Lowgold - Promise Lands
15. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
16. Moby - Last Night
17. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
18. Mudy On The Sakuban - VOI
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
20. Guillemots - Red
21. Hans-Joachim Roedelius & Tim Story - Inlandish
22. Marah - Angels Of Destruction
23. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
24. The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
25. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

'This is followed by the lead single and arguable album highlight, the agreeably nodding guitar machismo of ‘Violet Hill’'

Thats coming from the same guy who stated this, on the Embrace forum no less...

'Absolutely fucking horrible affect on his vocals. Nasty compressed instrument sounds. No edges. Predictable phoned-in U2-era Eno intro (he did INTERESTING things with Talking Heads). In summary; massive, hollow, absolutely no interest in hearing it again.'

And then, on the same thread when someone expressed their feelings of how the song was 'growing' on him, this was Nick's immediate response...

'Everything grows if played often enough. I have a soft spot for Marillion and Supertramp due to exposure. Doesn't mean they're not fucking shit.'

I think I'll take this review with a pinch of salt.

I doubt they'd lavish it with that much praise.

Brilliant album, rousing stuff.

You See Colours is an accomplished album that just happened to take a turn in the wrong direction. This new one however, well I agree with the consensus, its just wildly over-produced to the point of aggravation and aural bleeding. Plus they've gone from being like The La's to being like Mika, not good. Shame really.

Second album - Underrated and unfairly maligned

This news has shocked me as I didn't even know they were going to release an album this year, thus I am so :D right now. Can't wait to hear it.

No more of that please.

Sennen
Iver Boner (that joke will never get old)
Cut Copy
Death Cab For Cutie
Moby

That new Spiritualized album is crap though, doesn't deserve to be reviewed.

Gary Oldman kills him in The Fifth Element.

They have reverted back to Longview, just thought you should know.

10. Unison
9. Come To Me
8. Big Time Sensuality
7. I Miss You
6. Hunter
5. Isobel
4. Play Dead
3. Bachelorette
2. All Is Full Of Love
1. Venus As A Boy

I wholeheartedly agree with your praise of this fine band and personally I haven't heard a better album yet this year. Its all so just endearingly operatic and epic without ever straying into pomposity, due to the tight pop hooks and good-natured sincerity on display. Any band that can write songs as accomplished as Wires & Wool, Keys To Good Living and Story Problem deserve to be huge. Plus I concur with carstairs1, a 9 would be accurate and the video to Rhinemaidens is lovely.

for me it delivered solid pop thrills at a fervent pace. But this new album is an abolishment. Go figure.

Really liked the debut but they've lost something, every BTM song hints at something special yet completely fails to achieve anything noteworthy. Even Impatience would be a winner if it didn't neglect to include an actual chorus.

DiS is crammed full of twats, it's what the site is notorious for. Just fuhgedaboutit Henry and keep sending out some of those sweet sweet tunes.

Like you know I do
Like you I DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOO.