Click Here To Go To Your Artist Control Panel Click Here To Go To Your Listener Control Panel Click Here To Go To Your Press Control Panel  







# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Post New Review
Page 6 of 22 « First Previous Page 2345 6 7891016 Next Page Last »

Reviews in Category : Reviews Category Tools Search this Category
If they get a good video, you may see Essay for the Ordinary on some small-time music channel. Scuzz or something. Maybe even on Kerrang. But it will be on one of those shows that I will invariably abandon the music channels for and see if Dave is showing QI in the hope that I can recover the few IQ points I have just lost by accidentally exposing my ears to the angst less attempts of adherence to punk in its suffixed position to pop or ska. Here is a ska-punk band at its most ordinary. I find that the brass section in a ska-punk band are usually the more accomplished musicians, even when they’re still not that good. Essay for the Ordinary maintain this form, and the horns are good. The guitar sounds lifeless, playing dull and predictable and yet still more dull ideas; the drums are timid and the timing is loose; everything else is just poor. And the vocals? Still holding firm to what you would expect from an English ska-punk band, is delivered in a Californian accent and does that...
Essay for the Ordinary - Cool Cats
End of The Trail Records

Altsounds thinks Essay for the Ordinary - Cool Cats is terrible
On first impression, listening to the album, I was certainly able to draw comparisons to other bands of the "emo" variety, as there isn't much that sets them apart from such bands as Panic! or Say Anything. Most of the lyrics are appealing to those who tend to sing along, and they are quite 'relatable' - which perhaps is suitable for their "emo" audience. I was expecting a lot more form the title song - Lengths And Limits - it didn't really stand out, and the "middle 8" : added to contrast the dynamics of the song, didn’t work as effectively as intended. Many of the chorus's were catchy yet weren't particularily easy to distinguish from the verse, as many stayed in the same key, or at least the tune sounded very similar to that of the verse. Backing vocals were very effective throughout, the main focus of the songs being that of the lyrics - although appealing to many, I find this too mainstream; they just didn't make me stop and turn my head. The musicians almost become...
Makeout Party - Lengths And Limits (Album)
Make Music Collective 		Session musician Henrik Irgens’ solo debut is nothing if aptly titled. The problems this album faces are the various musical factions within Henrik himself, which have all spilt out onto this record, or rather been collected from various bedroom recordings over the last two years. The young Dane needn’t, or indeed, shouldn’t have brought them all together. Opening with ‘Hey Ho’, where Sigur Ros soundscapes play over a spoken sample, it’s a promising start. Henrik completely changes tack immediately with ‘Any Old Day’, as country blues plod along pleasantly enough. It’s a slight disappointment, however, after the opening track. Next up is ‘Try Me’ which sounds a little like Morcheeba with a country twang and a bassline lifted right off Omar’s, ‘There’s Nothing Like This’. As it seems we may not return to the sound offered by the opener, I console myself with the thought that ‘Try Me’ is at least an improvement on the previous track. I’m still confused as to where this album is...
Henrik - Factions [album]
Lojinx Records
“It’s a battle against weak verses and big choruses and we want to make classic albums, not albums with four singles and a bunch of fillers”, explains Petter Ericson Stakee of Anglo-Swede band Alberta Cross. It’s a promising manifesto, and quite refreshing in the modern musical world where some bands are considering ditching albums altogether for a series of singles. Of course it would count for nothing if they couldn’t back it up, so the pressure is on with their debut, ‘The Thief and The Heartbreaker’. At 7 tracks long, it’s more a mini-album than full length debut, but when the 7 tracks are this good you really can’t complain. It also serves to back up their approach of quality over quantity. The album begins strongly with the title track easing itself in with a drum beat that sets the pace for what’s to come. As bass and steel-strung guitar arrive, they bring modern American along, and this worries me a little. It’s a genre that I love, and one that is often completely...
Alberta Cross - The Thief and The Heartbreaker [Mini-Album]
Fiction 		Music Like A Vitamin is apart of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival and tonights event is curated by Rod Jones of Idlewild fame, he's hand-picked some of the finest performers in Scotland to perfrom in order to reduce the stigma and promote understanding about mental health through music. It's an ambitious event with another to follow tomorrow with Emma Pollock (The Delgados) at the helm, the cause that is being represented is something that a lot of musicians have dealings with in their own lives and can lead to some thought provoking music two names spring to mind in Brian Wilson and Daniel Johnston that have had to persevere through mental issues for their art. And so tonight gets off to a fairly furious beginning, anyone who has witnessed The Twilight Sad before or even just taken in their debut album 'Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters' will know that they unleash a pretty potent noise. 'Walking For Two Hours' awakens in an eruption of reverb and crashing drums and...
Music Like A Vitamin: Vitamin A Live 9th Oct, Glasgow ABC
Feat. Sons & Daughters, Twilight Sad, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) & Rod Jones (Idlewild) 		The first track "Go Go Go" was quite impressive for a first track - I hoped that this set a precedent for the rest of the album. It is extremely catchy, the instruments are utilized well, and it's very dynamic - definitely "single material" as it would certainly sell. However there wasn't much that separated each track and The 88 became quite predictable and started to sound very "samey". Which is a shame as The 88 sound like The 88 have quite a lot of potential, with both the music, and lyrics. I get the impression that The 88 would be a great act live but The 88 need to expand their musical boundaries; as The 88 are very indie-mainstream. Which isn’t necessarily a negative point - as the audience is quite large. However, I expect a lot more from bands. I don't want an album that fades into the background as I’m listening to it, and I don't want to be able to have a choice of another twenty bands; as The 88 all sound so similar to so many other bands. It would have been better...
The 88 - Not Only... But Also(Album)
Island Records
Perfect for the background. This is an album that fades away while I’m doing other things, but as soon as I actually start to pay attention to the music, it starts to annoy me. I found it very easy to potter about and do other things while this album was on, but none of the tracks lured me back to the computer to find out the name of the specific track that was playing. The music is pleasant enough, and is energetic enough to carry me though my daily tasks, and I’m glad I have plenty to do today. Usually I’m walking while listening to music, and I can tell that I would have very quickly turned this over had I been walking to work while listening to ‘Ode to J.Smith’. ‘The man who’ was the only Travis album I’d heard at any length before this one, and thus it was the only one that I liked. I did very much like that album, with it’s slightly ridiculous fun and optimistic sounding songs, where even songs like ‘Why does it always rain on me’ which has some very melancholy lyrics,...
Travis - Ode to J.Smith
Red Telephone Box, Fontana 		Natty – Rescue Rooms – 09/10/2008 Live review. Tonight’s venue seemed to be filling up nicely. I walked in halfway through what looked like the lead singer from The View playing an acoustic set. But no, this was a gentle, timid, quiet and unforgettable Karmina Francis. Such a powerful voice seemed inconceivable from this delicate artist. In-between songs she would talk shyly to the crowd, smiling and seemed to be overwhelmed by the crowd’s love for her. You could do nothing but stand in silence and admire her vocal talent. She provided a natural ability to disappear into her songs and have the crowd follow. She is currently working hard on her debut album on the Kitchenware Label and will inevitably become something special. At times you were faced with a lot of similarities to Adele’s voice, but musically it’s a different story. Next up was the headline act; Natty. The room seemed to fill even more as it neared to the 9:00pm mark and anticipations were high. Fans cheered as the...
Natty - Rescue Rooms Nottingham (Live)
Support from Karima Francis 		Cold War Kids – Loyalty To Loyalty Released: 22nd September 2008 So, to the return of the Californian Soul four piece, Cold War Kids. If you were a fan of their debut Robbers And Cowards, then you are automatically a fan of Loyalty To Loyalty. The album is similar in many ways, yet different in others. In our two-year wait for this record, nothing much has changed. Lead singer Nathon Willet continues his vocal domination on each track, providing cracked-throat blues and a soulful atmosphere. Plus the big beat, slow piano, jittery music works just as well as it did the first time. It’s hard to compare CWK to any other band around at the minute, and I like that. The Opening track ‘Against Privacy’ sounds as if The Zutons have taken over the record, with a guitar sound from SpongeBob Squarepants. ‘Something Is Not Right With Me’ is a dry, 2min22sec, 2008 equivalent to ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’. It undoubtedly gets into your head and makes you sing along (even if you don’t want it too!)....
Cold War Kids - Loyalty To Loyalty [Album]
Second Release for the Californian Quantet
Lipona may be fairly unknown in the UK, but if they continue to produce albums like this, it won't be too long before they're well featured in the british rock scene. This is their first full-length album and they have already given themselves a challenge to better it. The album is self-released and a call from a record label can't be too far around the corner. The five-piece from Florida are a high-energy modern punk band that are comparable to many other bands of this genre, but also create their own styles of uniqueness. The vocalist Yamil Velez, for example, doesn't have the stereotypical high-pitched squeak often associated with many punk singers, but he has a voice that makes Lipona stand out from the rest. The acoustic guitar and vocals that open the album on the track 'Shut up and Stay Positive' demonstrate the emotion created in many parts of the album. It then bursts into the fast-paced guitar riff and drum patterns that make Lipona what they are. In fact, the link...
Lipona - Atlas
Self Released - One of the best debut albums I've ever heard

Altsounds Recommends Lipona - Atlas
Rock without words…well I never! The first thing that annoyed me about this band was a quote I saw on Wikipedia: It just makes me think that they are arrogant and that they think that the people who hear their music are stupid enough to go: “urgh, no words…what going on…me no like!”
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling [CD]
Wall of Sound 		Ah! The Soviets. There's nothing quite like knowing communism is alive and well in Scotland. Wait... that's not the case? They are not chums with Stalin's grandson? It's just a name apparently. The burning question here is though.. Can you cossack to the single? Well it's not unimaginable but i would expect more 'whoops' and 'yee-ha's' than men crouched down with their arses on the floor if this was on. 'I Gotta Go' rolls along like a freight-train with a nice fat bluesy stomp that's hard to resist nodding along, stomping your feet, or in my case perform finger drumming (something i excel at). Vocalist Stephen Law rasps away throughout in a faux americana/scouse accent as if he's eating Marlboros and gravy, and the whiff of blues off those guitars is full on and effecting him. There's nothing original here and it falls into that category of track that just seems to loop over and over rather than change structure at any point but then that's for the Radiohead's of this world...
The Soviets - I Gotta Go (Single)
Diffusion Records - Out November 17th 2008
Now The Valkarys are claiming to be from Edinburgh but if this is true then surely they got there via the wild west with a quick detour through 60's Liverpool because judging by this tune i would have to say that is the conclusion I've come to. It's easy to listen to songs and associate them with other bands you've heard and i guess this helps us all make a decision on if it's our cup of Orangina or whatever and so I'm gonna stick a label on this song just to give y'all an idea of where it's coming from so here's the tag line There that should do it. There is this nagging thing in my head that tells me I've heard this before by a hundred different bands and eventually it gets harder to tell one from the next with lyrics about trying to escape a girl and yet never quite being able to leave her behind, it's just gotta be something special to transcend all those before it, and despite a valiant effort this just isn't the song to make it.
The Valkarys - Candy Girl (Single)
Diffusion Records - Out November 24th 2008 		Florida based pop band Copeland are back with their newest release You Are My Sunshine having collaborated with a host of brilliant producers to create a beautiful soundscape that can’t help but chill you out. My first thought upon hearing opening track ‘Should You Return’is that the vocals have a very Imogen Heap quality, with the quirky, ‘is it or isn’t it’ electronic feel to the mass of harmonies that begin this song. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it sounds very beautiful and compliments many of the songs, but it is no new thing. In fact much of this album has a strong electronic feel to it, with what sounds like a drum machine and synth bass in songs such as ‘The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)’ and ‘Not Allowed’ The slick production of this album certainly helps it aurally. The stunning orchestral arrangements that pad out certain areas give Copeland an epic sound you can imagine seeing in arenas. They have experimented with a whole range of sounds and...
Copeland - You Are My Sunshine [CD]
Tooth & Nail 		Previously known as A Fir-Ju Well, not much information can be found about this obscure four-piece from Atlanta, other than their summer gigs being well received. Their latest offering All Y'all however seems to have fallen short of the mark, barely able to supply listeners with the energy they appear to offer their live audiences. Halfway through the first listen to the album and it already feels as though it should have been turned off, in fact it would have been turned off if it hadn't been for Transmission. The band relies heavily on their Motown beats mixed with their raw garage rock guitar tones that the music doesn't really get the chance to diversify. The lyrics stay simple throughout the whole album, and while this isn't always a bad thing, when mixed with repetition in nearly every song it begins to feel as though your mind is slowly melting. The only two stand out tracks on this album are in fact Transmission and I Will Not Follow, and possibly the reason for only these...
Gringo Star - All Y'all [Album]
My Anxious Mouth Records
In anticipation of his debut album 'No Point In Wasting Tears', twenty year old London rapper and DJ Ironik has previewed his songs with a six track album sampler. After winning Best Newcomer at the 2008 MOBO awards, we expect great things from this young UK rapper. Sadly, it is a truly annoying and frustrating listen. Maybe 2008 was a bad year for MOBO newcomers. Or maybe Ironik (if you excuse the lame spelling) is living up to his name and has everyone fooled. When RnB and hip-hop is good, it is really good. It can be uplifting and challenging but also inspired and original. With a DJ at the helm, a wealth of songs and samples are fused into the mix to create unique textures and sounds. Ironik has done none of these things and to make matters even worse, his rapping is as hopeless as his song writing. Every song, with the exception of 'Broken' (sung by Digga) is plagued by his weak voice and some of the worse lyrics heard this year. A series of attempts at the same love song...
Ironik - No Point in Wasting Tears [Album Sampler]
Asylum 		I did my best to give this album a fair go, I honestly did. Having listened and looked at their Myspace before receiving the album, I thought it would be a nice, pleasant listen. The first time I listened to the album I had it on in the background, while I was busy doing other stuff. It was OK, started off more upbeat than I was expecting. I remember thinking that they probably sound better live, but nothing particularly stood out; however it was just on in the background. The second time I put the album on, again, in the background, I noticed how long it was. So long that I was getting antsy (and bored) and couldn't wait for it to finish; I stopped it half way through and put something else on. I tried listening to it a couple more times, each time not managing to reach it's end. It appeared the more I Iistened to it the less I liked it. Which is the complete opposite of what should happen, surely? Eventually I decided to give it one final last go. I put it on, with the lyric...
Revival Dear - Revival Dear [Album]
U Spin records 		I was terrified when news got around that Mystery Jets were ready to release their second album. Perhaps petrified further when it arose that mash-up queen Erol Alkan was in line to part produce this next record, especially after lending my ears to his uninspiring rework of the Jets’ initially amazing earlier single “Zootime”. In fact, debut LP release “Making Dens” was so compellingly flawless that I almost wished the Twickenham-based four-piece would never even attempt that notoriously difficult second coming, and leave me able to soak up their glorious first-offering with no ‘buts’ in my mind for evermore. Thank God I am not in charge of such things – for “Twenty One” is, thankfully, all I’d hoped for and more. Despite the cheesy intro of what sounds like looped air-raid siren samples, the quirky quality I’d expect from the new-wave progsters runs right from opening track “Hideaway”. Even though the band’s trademark improv-inspired no-frills sound prevails throughout it’s...
Mystery Jets - Twenty One [ALBUM]
679 Records

Altsounds Recommends Mystery Jets - Twenty One [ALBUM]
Now I’m not a great lover of R&B, but this single isn’t half bad. I’ll be honest and say I’ve never heard of Plies, and I think he sounds a lot like Busta Rhymes. I’m not a complete ‘noob’ in this genre though, as I haven’t lived under a rock for the past few years, so I have heard of Ne-Yo. As Plies is signed to Atlantic records, a label which has a pretty good reputation of producing platinum selling artists such as Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg, I expected a good tune. And a good tune I got. Musically ‘Bust It Baby’ isn’t great as they use the standard R&B backing track as all other R&B artists do, but the name drop of Ne-Yo in ‘Bust It Baby’ is a great selling point. Ne-Yo does too much in this song to just be ‘featured’ as he sings every chorus and one of the verses! Plies raps all but one of the verses and says ‘Bust it’ in the most annoying tone possible in the intro and chorus. ‘Bust It Baby Part 2’ has great potential to sell well as it’s a decent track. It has also been nominated...
Plies feat. Ne-Yo - Bust It Baby Part 2
Atlantic 		When you are going to have such a political, ballsy and brash title as "Burn America Burn" I would personally suggest that you have a great song, with great lyrical content that will ensure that you as a band don't get "burned" yourself. Granted over the last 8 years of King Bush's reign the American society hasn't looked that favourable from a worldwide stance due to terrible leadership and awful political choices. However, is that any reason to will that country and their people to burn away? Not really no. That would be like me writing a song about burning down Levellers hometown of Bournemouth because I didn't agree with the lyrical content choices of this song. How rubbish would that song be? About as rubbish as this one. As the most powerful country in the world gets a lot of shit when it comes to songwriting. Some of it is great and meaningful with good research, background and valid points others are just complete garbage. Unfortunately for Levellers theirs sits...
Levellers - Burn America Burn [Single]

Altsounds thinks Levellers - Burn America Burn [Single] is terrible
This is the type of record that makes me wish that my Ford Fiesta was a Low-rider and that I was a P.L.A.Y.A instead of a red haired guy in skinny jeans! 'In The Ayer' embraces all of the stereotypes that people have about hip hop. True fans of this genre should probably stay well away from this track, as it is likely to offend the music that you love, but for the rest of us, we can always crank it up on our car stereos and do 50 Cent influenced hand motions and say 'Ahhhhh yayah'. I don't mean to sound too negative, because this is actually a really catchy, bass heavy track. It's just that I can only take what can only be described as a modern day Mr T only so seriously - the man has the heftiest bling and meanest sideburns in the music business today. That's right, I put it out there. Will.I.Am's contribution to the track is somewhat needless, yet is hilariously pronounced (which is wittily reflected in the title) so more than redeems it's presence. This track is surely one...
Flo Rida (Feat. Will.I.Am) - In The Ayer [Single]
Atlantic
The double A-Side release of 'Sea Spray' and new album title track '22 Dreams' is the best fresh example of The Modfather's work that the world has seen for years. The persistent momentum of Sea Spray's thudding drums nicely carries the listener through the song, and provides a sturdy backbone for Weller's now signature vocal style. This track is upbeat, short and very sweet but offers the listener nothing that they haven't heard before. This is perhaps because it doesn't need to; as Paul Weller has more than established himself as a successful and highly influential artist and doesn't need to answer to the likes of me. He has already seemingly made the swift manoeuvre from being in the thick of new music to settling into the steadier, less turbulent harbour of the fairly new genre of 'Dad Rock' and has an army of fans that will buy his records no matter what; in fact, more so if they are classic old,Weller with no fancy stuff added. The second track on this release, 22 Dreams, is a...
Paul Weller - Sea Spray / 22 Dreams [Single]
Island Records 		First things I thought when I listened to their MySpace site whilst waiting for the CD to arrive was that they sounded like Ugly Kid Joe vocally and looked like Limp Bizkit visually. Not a bad thing at all in the vocal department as I for one used to love Whitfield Crane’s vocals, not so sure about the graphics of the album though. So I listen to the whole album as it arrives and the Ugly Kid Joe I noticed earlier has gone and replaced by the massive amounts of FX on the vocals. This to me is a bad thing production wise. The opening track “In my World” has a pretty interesting riff which is soaked to the bone by the vocal effects and it lacks lyrically. As I listened to the rest of the tracks I found that the very 90's rock/metal sound was enjoyable and competent but was nothing original or special. As a band they defiantly wear their influences on their sleeves and for me it was in places too similar to other bands but not as good. Such as their Tool like moments...
Sizen - What do you See?
Top Stock Records 		Born at Goldsmiths Univeristy as recently as 2006, things have moved pretty fast for Royworld. Weeks after forming, the bands hard-working ethos began securing them regular appearances at all the right Camden venues, and very soon their quirky little moniker became a music industry buzzword. Brakes is the fourth single to be officially taken from June’s debut LP Man in the Machine, and like their previous releases this is keys heavy, synth-laden pop owing more to the likes of Keane or Ghosts than Royworld's ultra-cool fan base might suggest - Jo Whiley and Dermot O’Leary happily spin their upbeat numbers on air and NME included previous single Dust on a typically premature Best of 2008 list. The problem with Brakes, common in so much of the 80’s style pop filling the UK’s airwaves right now, lies in it’s intolerably neat production values. Every knob is turned to “nice” every dial set to “smile” and only seconds after the almost offensively pleasant intro, the charm...
Royworld – Brakes [Single]
Virgin – 1st September 2008 – CD, 7” & Download

Altsounds thinks Royworld – Brakes [Single] is terrible
Dirty Sally is the glamorous tale of Sally, a check out girl, who delves further and further into the murky world of drugs eventually resorting to prostitution through her pimp, Dirty Harry (haha), and then predictively dying from a drug induced death. Lovely stuff, there's even mention of a needle in the arm and everything. The second single taken from their debut album, "The Six Grand Plot", Dirty Sally is an effortless mix of hard rock (think Motorhead) watered down with early Kings of Leon. On many levels this is a faultless piece; a well produced, mature sounding indie rock n’ roll song. It immediately grabs your attention, the verse is catchy and the intro quick and upbeat, and is refreshingly different in its unconventional old school heavy rock style, compared to the poppy indie of late. However, despite its promising start, it ultimately fails to deliver. It lacks a hook to reel the listener in, largely due to its practically non existent chorus. Once you’ve heard the...
Officer Kicks - Dirty Sally [Single]
Redemption Records 		Marion Raven is currently best known for recording ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ with Meat Loaf. This EP is unlikely to change that, as Raven follows firmly in the footsteps of the Avril Lavigne / Lauren Harris female-fronted pop-with-rock-leanings crowd and, although ‘Heads Will Roll’ is a fun listen, it’s all been done before, and done much better. Opening track ‘Spit You Out’ may have a chorus that could have been written by a five year old, and Raven’s voice may have been edited and layered to within an inch of its life, but it’s crammed with so many straightforward riffs and soaring vocals that this is great fun to listen to, even if it won’t have you hitting the repeat button. Raven does make one fatal mistake with this song, and that’s dismantling that big, rock and roll backing track on the verses. This leaves you with no distraction from those dire lyrics, and the fact that there’s something vaguely annoying about some of Raven’s vocals. This is particularly true...
Marion Raven - Heads Will Roll (EP)
Eleven Seven Music 		The album opens with ‘glorious’. And a glorious sound it is. A huge space filled with a single guitar playing a solemn part, with the promise of an elating climax. The space is reminiscent of Coldplay at their more minimal, and most powerful dynamic. Paul Hampton’s voice joins in, bringing with it a sense of restrained optimism as the song builds. Then just as the song needs a change it holds for a second… and the release satisfies the ear; the drums come in strong and carry you further along through builds and dips in well-timed steps that keep your attention, if your not simply taken along without realising; until a reprise of the intro and end. And it is only at 4 minutes 42 seconds that you realise that you got here without the payoff you were expecting, that the build up peaked a couple of minutes ago, short of the souring heights promised. You were shown a photo of a mountain and in your head thought that you would be taken all the way up, shown a breathtaking view, only to be...
Computerclub - Before the Walls Came Down
Split Records
Artist: Plies Album: Definition of Reality Label: Atlantic, Big Gates Records, Slip-n-Slide Records I want to believe that Hip Hop/Thug Rap does still exist in it’s entirety of unique complex rythms, clever lyrics and a whole bunch of street bad ass attitude. Plies album – ‘Definition of real’ , is an acquired taste. With laid back beats and chilled out vocals. I wish I could go back back to the days of D12, DMX, 50 Cent, they were good times, tracks like ‘In Da Club’ (50 Cent) were incredibly popular back then, but I fear no clubs will be playing Plies attempt at a hit record. Don’t get me wrong, 200,000 copies sold in the first week of release and with two gold albums under his belt, Plies is obviously doing a good job, but I can’t help thinking where is the progression in this genre? This record is Gangster/Thug rap, expectations of violence, abuse, money, and bad attitude are required, this album doesn’t fail to provide these contraband. With tracks like ‘Dat B**ch’, ‘Bushes’...
Plies - Definition Of Reality [Album]
Thug Rap

Altsounds thinks Plies - Definition Of Reality [Album] is terrible
Shy Of The Depth - the newest installment from Basick's growing selection of fresh talent debut with their self titled EP, displaying a fierce passion and relentless talent for modern 'technical' metal. The CD features the Brighton based five-piece showing their teeth with a malicious style of complex structures and virtuosic instrumentation, while vocalist 'Eddy-B' fronts the band with alternating screeches and growls. Throughout the record Shy of the Depth exercise a vast multitude of riffs and licks, ranging from the sporadic thrashy-stylings of Sikth and Between The Buried And Me, to the mechanical rhythmic patterns of Meshuggah and Oceansize, and prove that they can pull all it off with discipline and good musicianship. Courtesy of Dan Weller and Justin Hill of Weller-Hill Productions (former members of like-minded metal outfit Sikth) the E.P is very well recorded and mastered, complimenting each member of the band individually. Shy Of The Depth show a great deal of potential...
SHY OF THE DEPTH - S/T E.P
(BASICK RECORDS) 		As I saw these guys shoot their music video for “Egocentric”, arguably the best track on the EP, I know how much energy they put into their performance and it doesn’t get lost in translation of the recording. This EP is energetic, lively and up tempo throughout and the perfect choice when getting ready to go to a gig. Although there is something for everyone, its something for everyone in each track therefore sounding a little busy and can leave you confused as to where the song is going to go next however at least it keeps you guessing and isn’t predictable as some pop punk bands can be. This band has great potential and I cant wait to hear what they have in store for their fans next, as I think these guys will keep getting better and better.
Dissolved IN - Proudly Dressed
Self Released
Before I played this CD I had decided that it was going to be over produced, whiney and very samey…however I was wrong. Firstly I noticed that the singles have altered and been re recorded, in particular “Save It For The Bedroom” gone is the irritating and often mocked way in which bedroom, in the breakdown, was pronounced which makes for much easier listening; allowing the listener to appreciate the song for what it is a good catchy hook filled powerpop track. There’s a good mix of up-tempo and ballads, something for every mood to relate to. It definitely seems that they have honed their sound. Unfortunately it is noticeable that when singing the slower and more emotional tracks his voice is stronger, than when concentrating on sounding cool and “unique” in the up beat singles and so I would definitely like to hear their album in a couple of years time once the lyrics and voice have matured, but all in all this is a great first album from the YMA6 boys, I think...
You me at six "Take Off Your Colours"
Slam Dunk Records 		“Losing Sun” is a band from Cardiff, who can best be compared to the 90’s Nu-Metal movement musically but vocally it is hard to compare them to anyone. On first listen I found myself thinking maybe this band can cause a stir in the local music scene. “Memory Run” is a well impressive opener for the album. It storms in with a moody, guitar fueled, drum pounding intro. Just from the intro it is easy to tell that this band has lots of live experience. Everything about Losing Sun’s sound just fits together: the guitar sound, the melodic yet shouty vocals, and the frequent use of double bass drum. The chorus to the opener isn’t really nice to the ear but it does have a melody and is memorable. Nearly every song on the album begins with some synthesized sound. This does get tedious and it is lazy in my opinion. However, coincidence or not, the best song on the album “Classic Art Betrayal” starts with guitar. It contains a lot of the same elements as “Memory Run” but it is more down tempo...
Losing Sun - Perspective (Album)
GMF Records 		Upon listening to the first five minutes of this album you could be mistaken in thinking that Lukestar are an imaginative and original band. After that you quickly realise that this is the most tedious collection of music since The Jesus And Mary Chain. If you’ve heard one song off of Lake Toba you’ve heard them all. Not only one of the most boring albums I’ve heard within the last five years; it’s also the most cringe-worthy. Everything from the continuous unbearable high pitched screeches coming from either the vocalist or his cat – I can’t tell which- to the monotonous guitar riffs. It all sounds a bit too much like a dodgy product of the Led Zeppelin era. To their credit, Lukestar do come up with one or two catchy sections throughout the whole album, but nowhere near enough for me to consider donating a penny towards purchasing it. They also managed to write one song that made them sound less like a 70’s tribute act and more like an equally bad 80’s tribute act in ‘House of...
Lukestar - Lake Toba
Phone Me Records

Altsounds thinks Lukestar - Lake Toba is terrible
The opening track ‘Yuppy Flu’ immediately demands the full attention of the audience. Strong simple drums and catchy guitar riffs throughout, matched by a voice full of woes and yet strangely attractive; perhaps not a hit single, but certainly one strong enough to encourage an audience to continue listening. Unfortunately you face listening to a couple of pitifully dull songs before getting to anything worth a second listen; with tracks such as ‘Death By Fire’ and ‘The Man Who Breaks Things’ have clearly been put in for the sole purpose of plumping the album up. Elizabeth Powell really begins to let loose with her talents in the track after which the album is named – Some Are Lakes. Her beautiful folky voice juxtaposes distorted guitar melodies to give off a fantastic and unique sound. The chorus really exploits how deep and meaningful Powell’s voice is, as even at times when the lyrics are undistinguishable you know exactly what she means. Drummer Eric Thibodeau also plays his...
Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes
Saddle Creek Records 		An unhappy medium. Their first (major) album, full of screamcore and shoutmax. They tour with Machine head. Their next album, full of thrash and Metallica copies. They tour with Metallica. This album, a mix of the 2 styles, with the singing less Metallica sounding. They’re touring with All That Remains and 36 Crazyfists. This band really is an skeleton key to the many metal boxes.
Trivium - Shogun
Roadrunner 		The reason I decided to pick The John Henry's CD out of the blue was actually quite unusual: I did choose them as their name reminded me of a very famous studio in London where Coldplay and Travis used to rehearse. I was shocked to say the least to hear that the John Henry's were nowhere near to the style that inspired me into picking them up. The John Henry's are quintessential country in a way I didn't even know existed. Think Banjos, Mandolins, Harmonicas and so on. Think old Far West and Cowboys and you're just about there. From the 12 tracks of "Sweet As Grain" you can tell they have a very clear picture of what they want to represent, and they do stick to their guns. As I don't know many people that go crazy for Country I am not really sure how many listeners they might actually interest. The way they are focused on one, and just one sound is both their strength and weakness in my opinion. I can see a music consultant for a western film or the next Elizabethtown nearly...
The John Henry's - Sweet as the Grain
System Records
It hasn't been the best of starts for California post-hardcore five-piece I Am Ghost. The band's debut album 'Lovers' Requiem' was tentatively received, making about as much impact on an already saturated genre as a marshmallow mallet, and debut EP 'We Are Always Searching' was almost as anonymous. In 2007 the future of the band was thrown into turmoil with the departure of Kerith and Brian Telestai and drummer Ryan Seaman (who was actually the band's second drummer and had only just recommended Ron Ficarro as a replacement for Brian Telestai). Gabe Iraheta quickly joined the quartet of ex-members but founder and lead vocalist Steve Juliano vowed to strive on with replacements. Complicated history and confused line-up changes aside, I Am Ghost release a second album entitled 'Those We Leave Behind' - an appropriate name considering past events. It is clear from the first few songs that 'Those We Leave Behind' has a strict formula and any deviation will in no way be accepted or...
I Am Ghost - Those We Leave Behind
Epitaph 		Certain bands/albums have the stigma of 'hype' thrust upon them and yet so rarely over the years do we get to bask in the glory of it actually being true and not some ploy by the record label to try to take over the world and realise the dream of living in a volcano hideout. Well in Glasvegas we have found one such band who not only live up to the 'hype' but transcend it by making one of the greatest debut albums to come out of this planet, because there is not enough 'hype' in this world to do Glasvegas justice. From the opening throb 'n' hum of 'Flowers And Football Tops' your plunged into the trenches where Phil Spector is conducting the soundtrack to our times tackling themes such as knife crime (Flowers..), bullying (Go Square Go), social work (Geraldine), and seasonal affective disorder (SAD Light) and you feel it, it all resonates with what we see in our everyday lives (not just the tabloids). Songwriter James Allen (in full glaswegian brogue) has tapped directly into the vein...
Glasvegas - Glasvegas [Album]
Columbia

Altsounds Recommends Glasvegas - Glasvegas [Album]
Politics and music are something of a match made in hell aren’t they? Without sounding disrespectful to the likes of the mighty Rage Against The Machine or the not so mighty System Of A Down, you’re always going to sound like a bit of a twat going on about the follies of capitalism and corruption when you’re signed to a major record label and your only real concern being whether to buy your next Bentley in black or blue. The Levellers may not have achieved the household name status of their anti establishment contemporaries but with ‘Letters From The Underground’ being the first album in 4 years from the Brighton based 6-piece they are certainly hell bent on giving crossover appeal one last try. “Letters From The Underground” is one of those albums with a bit of a two steps forward, three steps back complex, whilst being a mighty progression in the bands overall sound the concept of the record itself is somewhat dated. With George Bush on his way out of office within the next couple...
The Levellers - Letters From The Underground [CD]
Universal
Tonight saw Frightened Rabbit play their largest headlining show in their home country and Glasgow's The Arches is a fitting setting with it's cavernous architecture and tonight it's sell-out crowd who fill every inch of the hall from very early in the evening. First up is We Were Promised Jetpacks who continue to make great strides in the heavely crowded Scottish music scene, tonight's show will surely only improve their reputation. With songs as immediately arresting as 'Keep Warm' and 'Quiet Little Voices' they have the ability to breakthrough, keep an eye out for these boys and catch the live show because tonight they had someone else's sell-out crowd in their arms. And so after a short delay that was spent trying to squeeze through to a bar (a difficult thing to attempt in Glasgow) the light's dim and out come the headliners. It's a tough task for Frightened Rabbit to release all the intricacies and poise of their album 'The Midnight Organ Fight' live and they do struggle at...
Frightened Rabbit/We Were Promised Jetpacks
The Arches, Glasgow - 30th Sept 		Although this isn't a positive way to start a review, I am going to say it anyway, simply because it's my prerogative and I can say it...... political music, it's just a bit, well... shit. Yes Bob Dylan's lyrics were polital and he is still today highly respected, yes John Lennon probably saved the world by staying in bed and getting trollied off his face everyday and yes The Sex Pistols were the soundtrack for an entire generation of rebels (although they were as manufactured as Girls Aloud.... take that punk fans) but with the exception of the odd few who deserve respect for their beliefs and determination to save the world from becoming one massive Tesco, does anybody care about what these musicians actually say? I'm not so ignorant that I don't realize that they believe their music to be a great outlet to reach out and to inspire thousands of people, because they do actually have a point and feel strongly about their beliefs, but I'm not entirely convinced that the consumers of...
Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - The Fabled City [CD]
Sony BMG Music Entertainment 		Every so often bands appear from nowhere and take you completely by surprise. The idea of a 'French Portishead' who quote influences like Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins does very little to inspire confidence. It is a prospect to approach carefully with feelings of curiosity and dread. But with a singer (the eloquent Juliette) who is not as much like Beth Gibbons as she thinks and a wonderful guitarist (Alex), Arther generate a sound which transcends any immediate influences. On the surface the eponymous titled album appears to be a constant confusion of styles and sounds. This could not be further from the truth. The album is a delight from start to finish, opening with an impressive trio of songs ending with the sublime 'Ghost Of My Mind'. The delicate soft vocals and jangling percussion make way for a simple arrangement. The second chorus comes complete with spooky backing vocals. The guitars are prominent throughout but excel at the end. Prior to this, opener 'Totally Out' is the...
Arther - Arther
Self Released

Altsounds Recommends Arther - Arther
What is there to say? This is simply just another of Kerrang!'s annual releases that sum up the year of music in the form of backhand pay offs, but if we took this view for every musical release then there would be barely anything on our iPods! Generally, as expected of Kerrang! compilations,the quality of the tracks included is very high (perhaps more so this year than ever before) and the range of sub-genres included is phenomenal. From Canadian bruisers Cancer Bats through to poster boy pop-bitches Fall Out Boy via the creative maze of Scars On Broadway, this CD really is a who's-who of alternative rock culture in 2008. Except for Green Day's 'American Idiot', why is that on there? It was released years ago and now sounds stale as a result. As I said, backhand pay offs.... As always is the case with Kerrang!'s annual compilations, this double CD is rammed to the rafters with '42 Mega Tracks' (A welcome comeback for the word 'Mega' after a lull of about a decade) and boasts of...
Various - Kerrang! The Album '08
Rhino

Altsounds Recommends Various - Kerrang! The Album '08
At first glance, it's easy to hate a band like Nochaa....the generic death metal artwork that brandishes their CD covers and their track names ('Upon My Last Dying Breath', 'A Cry For Bloodshed' and the Iron Maiden-esque 'Into The Crypt' to name but a few) do nothing to help them to stand out from all of the other black metal bands that seem to be emerging from the younger generations in the thriving big mountainous mosh pit that is the South Wales music scene. And then you listen to their music which unfortunately also lacks real originality, and this is a massive shame because Nochaa are a very talented band who seem to have songwriting down to a tee. The constant clicking of the double kicks that sound almost like the world fastest typist, the undeniably rock and roll riffs and the overall blood hungry feel of their sound keeps the music consistently exciting. When they take a Kit Kat break and ease off the acceleration for a moment (most notably in title track 'Tortured To...
Nochaa - Tortured To Death [CD]
Unsigned