Midlake are probably at their most gentle ever on ‘Antiphon’.
Tom Baker
A fresh viewpoint for the trio's lyrical wit, as they adopt a few Americanisms while on tour.
Old fashioned in places, a little po-faced in others, but it's jolly good fun.
Deliberately slow paced, to its detriment.
A pull-no-punches pugilist of a record. With tunes!
It's noisy, melodic, wistful and fun.
Like watching the resurrection of a lost loved one.
An emotional rollercoaster of high-pitched vocals and crunching drums.
For all of the frontman's dynamism, he can't save a frustratingly slow, out-of-date computer.
Guitars sound like they're having the last vestiges of life being wrung from their necks, and the vocals sound like they're being throttled on their way out, too.
Uncomplicated, joyful stuff.
The Black Angels aren't trapped in the past they regularly plunder for musical booty.
The New Yorkers' latest is a toothless shark, re-heating sounds that've been in vogue back home for over a decade.
A lively, noisy semi-resurrection.
Keaton is a very sad man, and this is a very sad album.
It's unabashedly sexy, full of synthesised drum beats that sound as bright and shiny now as thirty years ago.
The Pennsylvanian band's latest is a fun record, and a funny record.
It's like James Blake's debut, only you can dance to it.
E and gang's tenth album is a return to distorted guitar-and-vocals primal garage rock.
Less Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, more She & Him - only, well, better.
Definitely ominous and creepy sounding, without it ever being a gruelling listening-experience.
While the Liverpudlians' second album is more focused than its predecessor, there's not as much fun on show.
The Stockport quintet might start simple, sure, but when they're finished you've got something more than a little odd.
