The Stranglers - Giants
2 Stars
It is also the lack of punk-rock bravado that leaves ‘Giants’ feeling most empty.
5th March 2012
2 Stars rated Albums & EPs
Papier Tigre - Recreation
2 Stars
A rather beguiling if underwhelming listen.
5th March 2012
Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
2 Stars
It’s a shame, but ‘Ex Lives’ just sounds like a band going through the motions.
4th March 2012
Foxes! - Foxes!
2 Stars
Foxes! take almost every trick in the book and nauseatingly sugar dump them back out.
16th January 2012
Keith Top Of The Pops - Fuck You! I’m Keith Top Of The Pops
2 Stars
As far as good albums go… this isn’t one.
27th September 2011
Puro Instinct - Headbangers In Ecstasy
2 Stars
Unfortunately the quality of these tracks only accentuates the shortcomings.
16th September 2011
The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart
2 Stars
The album has its limited perks, but the cliché of the romantic cornfields is undeniable.
12th September 2011
Ganglians - Still Living
2 Stars
Ganglians are cruising at a third and drifting worryingly into the middle of the road.
1st September 2011
Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania
2 Stars
Headache inducing as white noise, annoying as a hyperactive puppy.
6th June 2011
Cage The Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday
2 Stars
A lack of identity, and a lack of cohesiveness.
21st March 2011
The Dears - Degeneration Street
2 Stars
After so many years of practice you’d expect them to be more focused and discerning.
9th March 2011
Thirteen Senses - Crystal Sounds
2 Stars
Time and time again the band insist on playing it safe.
21st February 2011
Pow Pow - Last Days On Earth
2 Stars
More science class than science fiction.
23rd November 2010
Burn The Negative - How To Weigh The Human Soul
2 Stars
At times, it’s like listening to Hard-Fi collaborating with Gary Numan.
23rd July 2010
James Yuill - Movement In A Storm
2 Stars
We’d say that it’s not as good as Ellie Goulding, but that might sound a bit mean.
22nd July 2010
Tegan & Sara - Sainthood
2 Stars
It’s depressing to compare ‘Sainthood’s phoned-in feel to the raw and honest lyrics of something like ‘My Number’ from their debut.
1st December 2009
Kid Harpoon - Once
2 Stars
Kid Harpoon is a dish best served hot, without famous producers.
24th September 2009
Magnetic Morning - A.M.
2 Stars
The pedigree’s of the cast of players are pretty impressive, but good music is made up of more than just names and history.
31st July 2009
Lupen Crook & The Murderbirds - The Lost Belongings EP
2 Stars
Imagine floppy fringes, skinny jeans and Jarvis Cocker posing and you may get an idea of what we’re dealing with here.
31st July 2009
Spinnerette - Spinnerette
2 Stars
Noticeably Spinnerette follow on from The Distillers propensity to, at times, underwhelm substantially.
13th July 2009
Let’s Wrestle - In The Court Of The Wrestling Let’s
2 Stars
Bands like Let’s Wrestle don’t exist any more. Well, apart from Let’s Wrestle that is.
29th June 2009
Gossip - Music For Men
2 Stars
Pure, relentless Ditto. And you can only bare so much of it.
24th June 2009
EVILS - Hello Children Everywhere
2 Stars
A mixture of influences and characters.
22nd June 2009
Bloc Party – Intimacy Remixed
2 Stars
More bad than good; we’re having trouble figuring out what the point of its release is.
13th May 2009
Festival special! Featuring Wolf Alice, Kasabian, Lykke Li, Marmozets, Genesis Owusu and more.