The Staves - Dead & Born & Grown
3-5 Stars
The sisters’ perfectly judged harmonies are their not-so-secret weapon, drawing obvious comparisons with the illustrious likes of Laura Marling and Joni Mitchell.
10th November 2012
3-5 Stars rated Albums & EPs
By The Sea - By The Sea
3-5 Stars
For all those references By The Sea remain very much their own band.
9th November 2012
Vinyl Williams - Lemniscate
3-5 Stars
The mood is disorientating and woozy from the outset.
9th November 2012
The Soft Moon - Zeros
3-5 Stars
It’s almost schizophrenic as you concentrate on one thing, whilst being unsettled by other auditory hallucinations, which may or may not be there.
5th November 2012
Sandra Kolstad - (Nothing Lasts) Forever
3-5 Stars
Sound landscapes that combine the grandness of her Norwegian homeland with the tumultuous fluidity of her current residence Berlin.
5th November 2012
Rolo Tomassi - Astraea
3-5 Stars
A bit like Sherlock if he was into The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Mars Volta.
5th November 2012
Melody’s Echo Chamber - Melody’s Echo Chamber
3-5 Stars
Sophisticated yet uncomplicated, misty yet vibrant, luxurious yet disquieting.
4th November 2012
Friendly Fires - Late Night Tales
3-5 Stars
Although there is such a wide variety of styles here, the transitions are seamless and make sense within the context.
2nd November 2012
Me & My Drummer - The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey
3-5 Stars
A promising debut.
29th October 2012
of Montreal - Daughter Of Cloud
3-5 Stars
For such a madcap, experimental pop act, this is a reasonably cogent collection of songs.
23rd October 2012
Sonnymoon - Sonnymoon
3-5 Stars
An incredibly infectious debut album that emanates good vibrations.
20th October 2012
Tamaryn - Tender New Signs
3-5 Stars
‘Tender New Signs’ may be an exhausting listen but it is definitely a rewarding one.
15th October 2012
Halls - Ark
3-5 Stars
There’s an otherworldly sense of maturity and wisdom behind this record, and it is woven into every sound.
14th October 2012
Patrick Wolf - Sundark And Riverlight
3-5 Stars
For the most part, with the low-key nature of the instrumentation being used, it’s a fairly sombre celebration of Wolf’s career so far.
13th October 2012
Moon Duo – Circles
3-5 Stars
This is krautrock coloured in.
10th October 2012
PAWS - Cokefloat!
3-5 Stars
Only so many bands can pull off calling a song ‘Boregasm’, and PAWS are one of them.
10th October 2012
Nine Black Alps - Sirens
3-5 Stars
‘Sirens’ is the sign of a band not afraid to mix it up a bit.
8th October 2012
Trash Talk - 119
3-5 Stars
There’s a near-constant feeling throughout that ‘119’ is about to collapse in on itself; it’s an album that frequently hurdles close to and, indeed, over the edge.
7th October 2012
Errors - New Relics
3-5 Stars
Like Animal Collective filtered through a ZX Spectrum.
6th October 2012
Deep Sea Arcade - Outlands
3-5 Stars
They have all the tools to come up with something really special.
1st October 2012
Wintersleep - Hello Hum
3-5 Stars
If the band were ever guilty of anything since their conception in 2001, it is their inability to make a consistent album.
1st October 2012
Castrovalva - You’re Not In Hell, You’re In Purgatory My Friend
3-5 Stars
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea — hell, it’s not even a cup of tea so much as a shot of Jäger through your eyeball.
1st October 2012
John Cale - Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood
3-5 Stars
A visceral, thrilling ride, capable of soundtracking any seedy disco on the outskirts of Nookie Wood.
30th September 2012
Field Music - Field Music Play…
3-5 Stars
More like a gift to the listener; a frivolously bought bunch of cut price and soon to wilt garage forecourt flowers.
30th September 2012
Featuring Yard Act, Death Cab For Cutie, Graham Coxon, Maisie Peters and more.