• The Men – Tomorrow’s Hits

    March 12, 2014 - By 

    With a prodigious work ethic and a group of likeminded individuals, it’s often remarkable what can be achieved. For instance, while for some the process of creating a record from gestation to release can be a seemingly interminable operation, The Men have just produced their fourth LP of genuine quality in as many years. And with their latest release, the ironically titled Tomorrow’s Hits, the band are following a natural progression for arguably the first time. While 2011’s Leave Home – the band’s second release but the first that would be widely available – was seen as a critical success, its…

  • Mogwai – Rave Tapes

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    “Blur are shite.” A simple, to the point, and even iconoclastic statement that Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite once saw fit to wear emblazoned upon his torso. While Damon Albarn & Co. may not be everyone’s cup of tea, what seems to have really stuck in the throat of the Glaswegian post-rocker was their laissez-faire irreverence that became a quintessential hallmark of the Brit-pop era. A bugbear that provides proof, if any is still required, that those in Mogwai view their craft as a fairly serious business. So, given that they could never be described as a particularly light-hearted collection of individuals,…

  • Warpaint – Warpaint

    January 21, 2014 - By 

    With Warpaint taking three years to produce the follow up to their 2010 debut The Fool, and allegedly drawing inspiration from a desert recording session somewhere in the vicinity of The Joshua Tree, the history of popular music would suggest that any lingering doubts about the accessibility of their self-titled second album may not be entirely misplaced. And while the output is not as experimental as its recording process and subsequent promotion may suggest, if The Fool was slightly detached, on first listen Warpaint emotes the kind of welcome usually reserved for the most reticent of hermitages. Delve deeper however…

  • Walton – Beyond

    July 29, 2013 - By 

    On his debut LP young Hyperdub affiliate Walton has produced 13 disparate and genre-spanning tracks that comfortably sit seemingly incongruous sounds alongside one another while liberally peppering a range of R’n’B samples throughout. By adeptly ensuring that this blend never seems forced – and, crucially, always keeping the dancefloor in mind – Walton displays a maturity beyond his years; with Beyond never losing focus or meandering off on aimless tangents. The opening title track sets out the record’s modus operandi both literally and figuratively with the use of a sample from Mary J. Blige‘s ‘Forever No More’. The refrain which states “a…

  • oOoOO – Without Your Love

    July 15, 2013 - By 

    When Chris Dexter first emerged into the mainstream consciousness back in 2010, he was surrounded by much talk in the music press about the so-called ‘Witch House’ genre and was joined by a slew of seemingly like-minded contemporaries, most notably the likes of Salem and Purity Ring. While it was a tag that Dexter attempted to eschew, the similarities were unavoidable — their releases all utilisisng a now-familiar mix of hip-hop, pop and shoegaze to form a hazy blend that had hacks squirreling away at their keyboards. Some three years later and we are now belatedly presented with the first…

  • These New Puritans – Field Of Reeds

    July 3, 2013 - By 

    Distant, stand-offish, awkward in the extreme and too serious by half. With the music press expressing such sentiments to describe These New Puritans, you get the impression that, despite the praise heaped upon 2010’s Hidden, the Southend trio would be afforded little leniency or understanding if they were to make a misstep with its follow-up. Thankfully however, Fields of Reeds once again sees the brothers Barnett unequivocally delivering a record worthy of bountiful acclaim that will surely feature in many critic’s reckoning for album of the year come December. Recorded over the course of twelve months, throughout the LP’s conception Jack…

  • The xx, Mount Kimbie – The Waterfront, Belfast

    June 28, 2013 - By 

    Throughout the course of The xx‘s show in The Waterfront we are informed that, given the city is the birthplace of Romy Madley Croft’s father, Belfast is a place that is close to the hearts of the London trio. Despite the familial ties, tonight’s gig marks the band’s first visit to these shores since back in 2009 when they graced the stage of The Speakeasy. Back then, the sell-out crowd had gained entry for less than the cost of a round of drinks in this evening’s more salubrious surroundings and the impression was very much of a band still finding…