Album Reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Cherry Red Reggae Reissues – No More Heartaches/What Am I To Do & Marcia Griffiths: Naturally / Steppin
Cherry Red Reggae Reissues September 2017 By Leggy Mountbatten No More Heartaches/What Am I To Do 2 CD Set Compilation Marcia Griffiths Naturally and Steppin 2 CD Set No More Heartaches and What Am I To Do various artists reissued by Doctor Bird/Cherry Red Having the original Trojan and Harry J vinyl versions which would …
Say Psych: Album Review: Acid Baby Jesus – Lilac Days
Rating: 7/10 With such a tripped-out name drawing focus, the new Acid Baby Jesus album, Lilac Days, released on Fuzz Club Records, has a lot to live up to. These Greek garage rockers have been championed highly in the international scene, being less concerned with the spiritual and tripped-out realms that their name foreshadows but …
Mammoth Penguins and Friends – John Doe
This is a bit unexpected. Mammoth Penguins’ first album, while with its own style, picked up not a million miles away from where Emma Kupa’s first band, Standard Fare, left off – quality indieish guitar pop soundtracking vignettes from day-to day life. So when the needle drops on some background noise, stately strings, mandolin and …
Album Review : The Clientele’s ‘Music for the Age of Miracles’
Before listening to the new Clientele album titled Music for the Age of Miracles I wasn’t all that familiar with the London band. I imagined some dark, brooding group with pale skin and weathered suits playing music that was somewhere between Bauhaus and This Mortal Coil. Maybe there were goblets of blood and incantations involved, …
Album Review : The War on Drugs’ ‘A Deeper Understanding’
I don’t think a songwriter has excited me more about the future of music in the last few years more than The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. It’s ironic, too, given that his music feels more like looking back into the past than forward into some unknown future. I guess I’ve been known to wallow …
Album Review : LCD Soundsystem’s ‘American Dream’
There’s always been something about James Murphy that I’ve been drawn to. Ever since I bought LCD Soundsystem’s Sound Of Silver on a whim back in 2007 I’ve been enamored with the guy. Maybe because he’s close to my age. Maybe because he’s a middle-aged guy acting like a middle-aged guy. He’s not posturing the dude-isms …
Album Review : Metz’ ‘Strange Peace’
I will admit that I have a bit of a dude crush on the Canadian rock band METZ. There’s just something about their intense brand of noise rock/post-punk gumbo that gets me in the gut. It’s a kind of rush that comes with a special sort of experience. Maybe like jumping out of a plane, …
Album Review : Wand’s ‘Plum’
Going into Wand’s Plum I was expecting a bit of the usual Ty Segall-inspired garage noise, much like what was on the three previous records(Ganglion Reef, Golem, 1000 Days.) Playing with both Segall and Mikal Cronin, Hanson does have a little of both hard-wired into his musical DNA. While there are moments where the weirdness …
Album Review: Randy Newman – Dark Matter
Back in 2004 Green Day released American Idiot, an album on which they took the American government of the time to task for the less than wise decisions that were being made. Wind forward thirteen years, and frankly we need something a little more substantial than a pop-punk power trio to take the current American …
Album Review: Reverend and the Makers – The Death Of A King
Sheffield’s very own Reverend and the Makers have just returned with their sixth release, and follow up to 2015’s critically acclaimed album – Mirrors – with possibly their most impressive – and expansive – outing so far. ‘The Death Of A King’ was released on 22nd September via Cooking Vinyl and it certainly grabs the …