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by Paul Stephen Gettings
You are left wishing they’d at least tried some studio trickery to sweeten the pot»
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
When a team of enterprising graffiti artists daubed the ominous phrase 'UNITED CRUSHERS' in man-sized letters atop the condemned A»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
Big Black Coat is an accomplished, soulful effort that will reward casual listeners and audiophiles alike»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
As unintentional as an epitaph this reissue is, White Light/White Heat may be the most glaring reminder of just how awesome Lou Reed was, and how much of a loss his passing was to western music and art. So long, Lou.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
Imitations is a touching, tasteful and rewarding listen that will not disappoint.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
While the composition of Grace/Confusion may be a little scattershot for some, Memory Tapes succeeds in making this a rewarding and distinctive listen, as well as recalling some old tricks that were sadly lacking in recent efforts.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
This Deluxe Edition only serves to cheapen the legacy of a truly great piece of music history. »
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
A thrilling record on which you never quite know where you will be taken next.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
The Suburbs is back in a bigger, better special edition, including two extra tracks, bonus material, and Scenes from the Suburbs, a half-hour short film directed by the band and Spike Jonze.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
The band seem to have discovered a formula that works, and maybe it works too well to be tampered with just yet. »
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
An infuriatingly average affair with brief, merciful moments of complete awfulness.»
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
As a stand-alone work or as a gateway drug for a journey of aural discovery, it is a highly rewarding listen. »
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
This is an engaging, rewarding listen that promises great things in the future from our four heroes. »
In Depth by Paul Stephen Gettings
As part of our 10-week “DiS is 10!” celebration, we’ve asked 50 of our favourite people to tell us about one of their favourite albums of the past 10 years. Here, DiS contributor Paul Stephen Gettings shares his choice...
When I chose Grammatics' sel»
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
Although largely interchangeable with its predecessors, Cloak and Cipher still sounds fresh enough to please Land of Talk loyalists, and engaging enough to showcase their appeal to new listeners as well.»
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
While being pleasant and listenable enough, Pink Graffiti simply doesn't do enough to set itself apart from the post-chill-glo-surf-wave-fi trend, which is ultimately its downfall. Here we have a record that is competent, often beautiful, but sadly, fundamentally unremarkable. »
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
You can well imagine the band themselves, with their anti-capital, anti-self-deifying tendencies, along with their insistence that: "All that we have to say has been said here or in our music/manifestos/lyrics and if that is not enough you are not likely to get it anyway", being furious at the idea of this reissue (if they hadn’t always anticipated such a cynical act of capitalism, that is.)»
Review
by Paul Stephen Gettings
We Are a Unit is Castrovalva's first LP as a three piece, promoting sometime band artist Leemun Smith up to the mic and perhaps as importantly, from collaborator to visionary. As a two-piece, bassist Anthony Wright and Drummer Daniel Brader played many of the songs here as instrumentals, and it worked; they made a name for themselves as one of the premiere bands of the Leeds houseparty scene, their angular, breakneck grooves packing out sweaty basements wherever they roamed. But with the addition of Smith, they've stumbled upon pure alchemy.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
It's clear from even a first listen to the album that Oh No Ono are as ambitious in their pop hooks as they are in their sonic adventures.»
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
This record isn't pushing any boundaries. And if you're already a critic, this isn't going to convince you otherwise. This is a realisation, and an affirmation, of Paramore's musical craftmanship and potential longevity. »
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by Paul Stephen Gettings
Something odd happens as the lilt of At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea's mini-curio opener 'Breakfast' meets your ears. A gaggle of cliché»