Album Review: Downpilot – Radio Ghost

Right from kick off with the track ‘Radio Ghost’, Downpilot instantly remind me of so many other artists. The vocals are like a strange mix of Michael Stipe and Thom Yorke, and the music itself has that sort of R.E.M./Radiohead melancholy sound which I like a great deal. The sense of sadness in the guitar, the […]
Within the first 30 seconds of b’lieve I’m goin down… we are once again fully acquainted with the languid, finger-pickin-on-the-ranch, meandering tendencies of Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile. After a brief spell as member of The War on Drugs, he has been releasing solo albums for seven years, peaking commercially with 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo and […]

Album Review: Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin down…

Album Review: Battles – La Di Da Di

La Di Da Di is an interesting choice of name for Battles’ third album. Where Mirrored had those weird, indecipherable, pitch-shifted syllables and Gloss Drop had fairly traditional guest vocalists, La Di Da Di is wholly instrumental and all the better for it. If anything the vocals were distracting on Gloss Drop. This record feels […]
Beirut band leader Zach Condon’s story is film-worthy – as a young jazz trumpeter, he was exposed to mariachi music while growing up in Sante Fé, New Mexico. At 17, he dropped out of school and ran away to Paris after working in an international film cinema, where Sicilian funeral brass music and Balkan folk had caught his […]

ALBUM REVIEW: BEIRUT – NO NO NO

Album Review: Exxasens – Back To Earth

“Things can get out of a black hole, both to the outside, and possibly, to another universe. So, if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out” (*). This is Stephen Hawking’s encouraging reflection on the everlasting human concern about what’s on the other side(s). Spanish progressive post-rock […]
Grunge is making a bit of a comeback isn’t it. False Advertising are leading the charge for Manchester, making waves locally with their satisfyingly sweet single ‘I Don’t Know’, with its twisting verse riff and power pop chorus. The thing is, it doesn’t turn up until about halfway through their self titled debut album. It […]

Album Review: False Advertising – False Advertising

Album Review: Beach House – Depression Cherry

Is Beach House sticking two fingers up to the tyranny of change on their fifth album, Depression Cherry? Perceived wisdom maintains that constant musical transition bears the seal of authenticity. Arguably, titan, critically adored bands look like snakes constantly shedding their skins. The Beatles took a glorious trip from exuberant rock ‘n’ roll to the […]
CHEVY THUNDER, CHEVY, CHEVY THUNDER!!! Sorry, love that tune. Anyway, Spector return with their second album, Moth Boys, which is an ambiguous title to say the least and baffling to someone not in the know like myself. What the fuck is a moth boy and where can I find one? Answers on a postcard please. […]

Album Review: Spector – Moth Boys

Album Review: Monotony – Monotony

Monotony is the ‘evil twin’ of DIY crusaders Sauna Youth (Jen, Rich, Chris, and Lindsay forming both bands). Limited to 300 copies, this 12″ is delightful in its shouty A to B delivery, providing post-punk goods. Boasting a scuzzier sound compared to the SY side of the yin-yang of the two bands, this recording has […]
Frank turner is a man who seems to have hardly slept since he began this solo venture of his back in 2006.  If he’s not writing he’s in the studio, and if he’s not in the studio he’s on the road. Positive Songs For Negative People is Frank’s sixth album and follows up 2013’s Tape […]

Album Review: Frank Turner – Positive Songs For Negative People