SINGLE: Broken Bells – The High Road

For those of you not in the loop, Broken Bells is one of those surprising dream collaborations you could neither hope for nor expect. James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse, legendary producer of The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley etc, have teamed up to put the rest of us mere mortals in our place, […]
The latest release from Gigolo Records “U Can Dance” brings together two kings of different castles: Hell, a world renowned DJ/Producer and one of the pioneers of the Electroclash sound to recently emerge out of Berlin, and Bryan Ferry, seventies pop star and the lead singer of “Roxy Music”. Originally, Hell set out to rework […]

SINGLE: DJ Hell featuring Bryan Ferry – U Can Dance

SINGLE: Patrick Wolf – Damaris

I can safely predict that there will be very few singles released this year titled after a first century ecclesiastical heroine.  For those who skipped RE in school, Damaris was a wealthy Athenian who converted after watching a sermon delivered by Paul of Tarsus in front of the Areopagus.  Her conversion was seen as important […]
I was slightly pessimistic about the prospect of Depeche Mode’s new tune. Recently there has been a mass of long-running bands releasing disappointing new music. Bands such as Muse, The Cure, and Bruce Springsteen to name a few, and I thought Fragile Tension would fall straight into this category…but it doesn’t! They have created something […]

SINGLE: DEPECHE MODE – FRAGILE TENSION

SINGLE: Paloma Faith – Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful

Paloma Faith produces a very contemporary, familiar sound continuing in the long line of recent soulful singer songwriters like Adele and Duffy. But what sets Paloma Faith apart and above her peers is her voice. It’s an incredible cross between Amy Winehouse, Joanna Newsom, and Beth Gibbons and sets a strongly atmospheric tone for her […]
Radiate separates my split personalities into two warring acrimonious factions. The sci-fi geek in me loves the laser battle breakdown, the android singer and the bouncy retro synth beats. But the snob in me is repulsed by the chavy pop-dance sensibilities that underpin the whole affair…and the Star Trek lover. What wins through though is […]

SINGLE: Primary 1 & Riton – Radiate

SINGLE: Rob Thomas – Someday

Rob Thomas has the same vibe as Maroon 5. He’s trying to come across as a respected member of the creative community, but underneath lies the evil, robotic heart of another X Factor contestant. Singing with an overly-emotive yet unconvincing vibrato voice, and trading in all the most ubiquitous romantic clichés, he turns the epic […]
There’s something strange about the appeal of Richard Hawley. I mean, if he were born in a different time you’d expect it to be the kind of music your dad or grandfather would play when he wanted you to know how he seduced your mother or grandmother. It’s kind of wrong. But he’s playing it […]

SINGLE: Richard Hawley – Open Up Your Door

SINGLE: Alberta Cross – Taking Control

Treacherous band Alberta Cross hails from London but jumped our sinking island to go to New York and get famous. It seems to be working out for them as ‘Taking Control’, first single from debut album Broken Side of Time, is a bit of a treat. It’s bluesy, gushing indie squirting from the vein of […]
Let’s get this straight. Marina sounds like the demented offspring of Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush, both insane and insanely talented. Mowgli’s Road might be the first track released since her signing to major label Atlantic  Records, but you’ll be happy to know there’s no sense that she’s toned down the many demented aspects of […]

SINGLE REVIEWS: Marina and the Diamonds – Mowgli’s Road