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mikehaydock has written the following articles:

Remember Remember album

Remember Remember - Remember Remember

Review by Mike Haydock

his debut by Remember Remember sits snugly alongside Errors’ debut album on Mogwai’s Rock Action label, proving that those wily Scots don’t just make fantastic music, they can also spot it from a mile off. Yet with this lot it's happy songs for happy people... »

Finch live from http://flickr.com/photos/7454535@N03/2409176367/

Finch, Hexes at Liverpool Barfly, Wed 12 Nov

Review by Mike Haydock

This group of fans are here for three songs, and all of them are from Finch’s first record: ‘New Beginnings’, ‘Letters To You’ and ‘What It Is To Burn’. That album came out in 2002, six-and-a-half years ago. But these fans are stuck in the past and refuse to move on, trapping the band in limbo.»

the automatic 2008

Gonzo Tour at Liverpool Barfly, Fri 10 Oct

Review by Mike Haydock

Make no mistake: this is a disastrous night of epic proportions. On this evidence, if The Automatic manage to rally themselves and survive to album number three, it'll be a genuine shock»

glasvegas latitude

Glasvegas

Review by Mike Haydock

They look and sound aloof: faces that refuse to crack, unleashing their impersonal, droning rock throb that borrows from classic influences and proves that they’ve lived through the bleaker times»

this is a fix the automatic

The Automatic - This is a Fix

Review by Mike Haydock

This Is A Fix is a pleasant mess, and it’s well-meaning, but you still feel The Automatic are fighting against the pop tag they should embrace»

years secondsmile

Secondsmile - Years

Review by Mike Haydock

The album to break Secondsmile into the mainstream? No. The album to cement their reputation as one of the most exciting bands in Britain? Too right»

dreaming of revenge

Kaki King - Dreaming Of Revenge

Review by Mike Haydock

Whether she likes it or not, Atlanta-based Kaki King now has a prefix to her name: “One of Dave Grohl’s favourite guitarists”»

even even

Even - Even

Review by Mike Haydock

This latest album by Even is doing absolutely nothing to help the cause of Australian music. In short, this self-titled fifth album is a chronic disappointment»

moby last night

Moby - Last Night

Review by Mike Haydock

Moby's Last Night is sensible, clean, pleasant. But it lacks that essential injection of endeavour and emotion»

maybeshewill

Maybeshewill - Not For Want Of Trying

Review by Mike Haydock

Maybeshewill are a poppy alternative to post-rock bands that make you work just to be rewarded with a single nugget of prettiness»

this city draws maps

The Rosie Taylor Project - This City Draws Maps

Review by Mike Haydock

Leeds’ The Rosie Taylor Project are an attractive proposition: a band of gentle acoustic lullabies that reference Nick Drake and more»

were it not for you baumer

Baumer - Were It Not For You

Review by Mike Haydock

As a pop record, this is a winner, crammed with memorable choruses. And, musically at least, Baumer are thoughtful, forward-thinking lads with an enviable ability to diversify their sound»

ursula minor cover

Ursula Minor - Laudanum

Review by Mike Haydock

Laudanum proves a powerful introduction to this Glaswegian four-piece. Ursula Minor have taken their time over five tracks on this debut EP rather than trying to rush through a full album’s worth of material»

hello voyager

Evangelista - Hello, Voyager

Review by Mike Haydock

This is a fascinating record that enjoys toying with musical boundaries and unnerving the listener. It isn’t the kind of album you can listen to on repeat, and you should keep it away from your more sensitive friends»

minus whale kill

Mínus - The Great Northern Whalekill

Review by Mike Haydock

It’s tough to imagine Minus picking up loads of new fans with their fourth album, but within their genre they're a fascinating prospect. If this album does reignite the press buzz, it will be well justified»

get cape searching for the

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Searching For The Hows And Whys

Review by Mike Haydock

Even an atrocious song in the middle can't override the fact that this is an enjoyable album, easily good enough to please Get Cape’s fans and bosses. But he’ll need to expand his range next time to keep people interested»

little dreams enjoy destroy

Enjoy Destroy - Little Dreams

Review by Mike Haydock

Is it just me, or are there a lot of miserable bastards around at the moment? Well here’s an antidote that might just help - the debut album from Enjoy Destroy, a blustering pop-rock band from Hampshire»

state radio year of the crow

State Radio - Year Of The Crow

Review by Mike Haydock

Boston’s State Radio are a politicised band that fuse rock, punk and reggae. Is it wrong to be put off from the start? Nah: UK listeners can still enjoy these pop choruses»

throw me the statue

Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams

Review by Mike Haydock

Moonbeams is an infuriating listen: an album that shimmers one minute and lurches off into the shadows the next. It jumps about and tries to show off, when restraint and subtlety were generating such rich rewards»

the meadows first nervous breakdown

The Meadows - First Nervous Breakdown

Review by Mike Haydock

That line between well crafted pop song and dad rock durge is being trodden again, this time by Los Angeles duo The Meadows. It’s a dangerous game, but The Meadows are simply incapable of shaking their classic influences»

Jicks stephen malkmus David Torch

Stephen Malkmus: trashed but talkative in London town

In Depth by Mike Haydock

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus is about to release his fourth solo album, Real Emotional Trash (his second with The Jicks), and DiS spends some time in the singer's company to learn about ear fatigue and fending off bears»

georgie james

Georgie James at London Brixton The Windmill, Sun 03 Feb

Review by Mike Haydock

Georgie James are hopelessly positioned in the UK market. An American blues-pop band on a small, independent, American label, they don’t fit into any comfortable media niche»

farewell album cover

Farewell - Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun!?

Review by Mike Haydock

Farewell execute their shtick well: Isn’t This Supposed To Be Fun!? is polished, catchy and energetic, crammed full of songs that any of the band's pop-punk contemporaries would be only too happy to include on their latest albums»

fuck buttons live

Alexander Tucker, Fuck Buttons at London ICA, Wed 30 Jan

Review by Mike Haydock

Watching Fuck Buttons live raises so many questions, that you’re still scratching your head as the final synth note wavers and dissolves into the air. What do you want from a gig? Is the music enough, or should the live ‘show’ entertain? Can electronic instruments replace a live band? On and on and on, questions piling on top of each other»

what are friends for charlottefield

Charlottefield - What Are Friends For

Review by Mike Haydock

Charlottefield's second LP is a restless and urgent collection of songs that will keep you permanently on your toes. It doesn’t overdo the twists and turns, and it's not been over-polished. What it is: thrilling»

minus the bear sara sanger

Minus The Bear at London Astoria 2 formerly Mean Fiddler, Thu 20 Dec

Review by Mike Haydock

Minus The Bear make fabulous records that demand clarity in a PA system, so it’s deeply frustrating that they’re playing in the unapologetic of sound Astoria 2»

cobra viva

Cobra Starship - Viva La Cobra!

Review by Mike Haydock

As catchy as moments on Cobra Starship’s second album are, it's a hollow affair, packed with cynical pop hooks that have been polished until they shine like Paris Hilton’s lip-gloss»

Gay For Johnny Depp Album

Gay For Johnny Depp - The Politics Of Cruelty

Review by Mike Haydock

A chaotic sprawl of hardcore riffs infused with punk fury and pace, The Politics Of Crruelty positively drips with sweat, sex and violence.»

Kill the Arcade Jack Margerison

Kill The Arcade at London King's College, Mon 19 Nov

Review by Mike Haydock

A slot supporting pink-haired transvestite and glam-rocker Jeffree Star is hardly the perfect billing for Reading's Kill The Arcade, but a band's got to start somewhere»

Peter von Poehl - Going to Where the Tea Trees Are

Review by Mike Haydock

Going To Where The Tea Trees Are won’t give you an energy boost, but it might just smooth away the worry lines. In Peter von Poehl’s world, everything feels under control»