• Queens Of The Stone Age – …Like Clockwork

    June 12, 2013 - By 

    Queens of the Stone Age are easily one of the most reliable bands of the last 20 years. There is not a dud in their entire back catalogue and even the weaker entries would still appear on most people’s top 20 of the year. So it’s no surprise that their latest effort …Like Clockwork keeps up with this trend. It’s a monolithically heavy album that will kick you in the teeth and then gently cushion your fall to the ground. The first sounds of the record are of breaking bottles, warning the listener that shit is about to get fucked. We’re…

  • REPLETE – REPLETE EP

    June 5, 2013 - By 

    Picture the scene: it’s 3 am on a Saturday night. You’re in a club. Your friends are long since gone and you’re isolated. It’s hard to focus. Your head isn’t where it should be due to over-the-counter downers and under-the-counter uppers. You’re surrounded by a swirl of sounds and disembodied voices that seem to have no beginning or end. All you can do is just sit back and let it engulf you. In a different light this is a nightmare, but for REPLETE – aka Pete Lawlor – capturing and showcasing the beauty of these dark moments is a mission…

  • Bibio – Silver Wilkinson

    May 27, 2013 - By 

    Ambient, electronica, folk, Boards of Canada and a couple of kitchen sinks are the constituent elements of  Bibio‘s (aka Steve Wilkinson) seventh album, Silver Wilkinson. The British producer has been toying with his distinct sound for the last ten years; a sort of folktronica. For this album he has attempted to expand on his previous effort’s more funk-driven style, leading to a conflict that divides the album into two distinct halves; the downtempo, Air– like first half and the funkier, more dance -based feel of the second half. Silver Wilkinson is an album to listen to during a late night chill-out session. The first section of the album is draped with shades of Eno‘s Ambient series and Zero 7‘s earlier releases.…

  • Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart

    May 14, 2013 - By 

    It’s been ten years since Frank Turner first howled his lungs out on Million Dead’s debut. One band dissolution, a genre hop, multiple releases and an Olympic ceremony later the Winchester lad is still wailing, albeit with a greater sense of melody. Tape Deck Heart is Turner’s fifth solo album in seven years and it is around this point in an artist’s career that the cracks invariably begin to show – this album is no different. There is an increased feeling of lethargy with some of the music on display. A release schedule like Turner’s puts a strain on any artist’s musical ability and…