Album Reviews
Album Review: Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes – What Kinda Music
In these almost unprecedented times for UK jazz, two of its foremost protagonists – Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes, have joined forces to make ‘What Kinda music’ which is out today via Blue Note / Caroline Records, apparently having crossed paths firstly as children before hooking up around the time of Misch’s 2018 debut album …
ALBUM REVIEW: TRIVIUM – WHAT THE DEAD MEN SAY
Since releasing their debut album in 2003 there has been a sense Trivium have been searching for their own sound. Albums like ‘Ascendancy’ and ‘The Sin And The Sentence’ have been absolute smashes, but still that feeling of the band trying to find their way as they wander lost through the metal genre has prevailed. …
Album Review: The Strokes – The New Abnormal
The Strokes are 22 years into their musical career as a band and with their 2020 release The New Abnormal, they’re showing no signs of slowing anytime soon. This is the New Yorker’s sixth studio album and it has all the elements of a typical Strokes offering. Opener The Adults are Talking has an infectious little riff throughout, which contrasts …
Album Review: Sleepersound – Medias Rae
Milwaukee, Wisconsin quartet Sleepersoiund have recently released their latest long player ‘Medias Res’ on the Shore Dive Records imprint, the bands first new music since their 2016 Pilots / Passengers / Portals EP, and sees them further hone their experimental shoegaze post-rock This band have a hypnotic ambience about them which draws on clean sounding …
Album Review: Unruly Girls – Epidemic
Two and a half years ago, Italy’s Unruly Girls unleashed their debut album ‘Cruel Tales’, reviewed by me in September 2017. This was a stunning debut: anarchic, arrogant and infused with a refreshing punk sensibility. The noise merchants are back with the album ‘Epidemic’ (named, it must be noted, perceptively before the current COVID-19 situation) …
Album Review: Bethlehem Casuals – The Tragedy Of Street Dog
You’ve got to love Bethlehem Casuals, haven’t you? The new album from the Manchester septet – The Tragedy of Street Dog, sees a concept record – a road to discovering where all the music in Manchester has gone. But wait concept fans, thats not all. It’s from the perspective of a street dog. As not, …
Album Review: Enter Shikari – Nothing is true & Everything is Possible
The St Albans bred quartet question everything with their outlandishly ambitious new record, Nothing is True & Everything is Possible. Coming off the back of their 2017 record The Spark, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Enter Shikari couldn’t possibly take their experimentation to more extreme lengths; but you would be completely mistaken. Their sixth …
Album Review: Pilotcan – No More Shan Goodbyes
Edinburgh’s Pilotcan has just released their fifth album ‘No More Shan Goodbyes’ and it is an absolute delight. Bringing together elements of nineties low-fi simplicity with a touch of eighties pop grunge, the common thread is a bunch of haunting, wistful intelligent songs. Of the album, front man Keiron Mellotte notes that he was writing …
ALBUM REVIEW: BC Camplight – Shortly After Takeoff
BC Camplight, aka Brian Christinzio, returns with a new album “Shortly After Takeoff” on 24th April via Bella Union. It is the final chapter of his ‘Manchester Trilogy’, following 2015’s “How To Die In The North” and 2018’s “Deportation Blues”. All three albums were created after the native Philadelphian had moved to Manchester. It will …