The New Pornographers - Together
3 Stars
Indie also-rans, take note from the pros: this is how it’s done.
4th May 2010
3 Stars rated Albums & EPs
Temposhark - Threads
3 Stars
Troubled relationships and self-obsessed women.
27th April 2010
Harrys Gym - Harrys Gym
3 Stars
If you are going to try being ambitious, try your absolute hardest.
22nd April 2010
Pin Me Down - Pin Me Down
3 Stars
Originality is not one of the duo’s assets, then, it would seem.
20th April 2010
The Automatic - Tear The Signs Down
3 Stars
There are all the signs of demonic outpourings.
29th March 2010
Peggy Sue - Fossils & Other Phantoms
3 Stars
Overwrought, overlong and over instrumented.
15th March 2010
Music Go Music - Expressions
3 Stars
At times it’s hard to tell whether this Abba nostalgia is ironic and tongue-in-cheek or for real. But, it seems to be the latter.
11th March 2010
Shy Child - Liquid Love
3 Stars
The hard hitting standouts seem to pack enough of a punch to overshadow this change in tempo and overall deliver an impressive record.
26th February 2010
Eight Legs - The Electric Kool-Aid Cuckoo Nest
3 Stars
Lad rock tendencies and a sprinklings of upbeat pop.
25th February 2010
The Magnetic Fields - Realism
3 Stars
An album that appears majestic enough on the surface, but is full of holes and never quite floats right.
16th February 2010
The Plastiscines - About Love
3 Stars
All in all: groundbreaking? No. A classic? No. Fun? Yeah, sure why not.
9th February 2010
Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
3 Stars
Troubled throughout by almosts: almost sweet, almost catchy, almost pop, it is essentially not quite the album that it could be.
9th February 2010
Erased Tapes Collection II - Label Sampler
3 Stars
The recurring theme of emotion, of powerful music expressive of mood, is key here.
14th January 2010
The So So Glos - Tourism / Terrorism
3 Stars
The So So Glos are four, Brooklyn-raised brothers making energetic punk music.
30th November 2009
Espers - III
3 Stars
The band appears to be walking too fine a musical line.
19th November 2009
Lou Barlow - Goodnight Unknown
3 Stars
Lou Barlow doesn’t need too much of an introduction, having seemingly been around for longer than forever in numerous guises and bands.
19th November 2009
Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
3 Stars
It is quite remarkable to hear the enchanting sounds the duo is able to produce given their stark, muted arrangements.
5th November 2009
Basement Jaxx - Scars
3 Stars
The kind of feelgood party you will enjoy enough at the time but probably struggle to remember.
6th October 2009
Lemonade - Lemonade
3 Stars
What do you get when you cross Brooklyn with California and add a dash of cowbells?
2nd October 2009
Get Back Guinozzi! - Carpet Madness
3 Stars
The band seem to drip with innovation as they continue to surprise and alter what we expect.
28th September 2009
The Dodos - Time To Die
3 Stars
Following up a critical masterpiece is never an easy task for a band, for it seems no matter what you do on the subsequent record, it will likely always be overshadowed and compared to its superb predecessor.
18th September 2009
Lovelikefire – Tear Ourselves Away
3 Stars
A solid but underwhelming album that could have offered so much more.
14th September 2009
Lucky Elephant - Star Sign Trampoline
3 Stars
Each song could easily have been plucked from a CBBC soundtrack.
13th August 2009
Flashguns – Matching Hearts, Similar Parts
3 Stars
On the whole, an agreeable EP.
8th July 2009
Festival special! Featuring Wolf Alice, Kasabian, Lykke Li, Marmozets, Genesis Owusu and more.