King Creosote - Flick The Vs

4 Stars

A welcome return indeed for this Fence Collective animal, an indie stalwart whom, inevitably, many will be hoping to hold close.

21st April 2009

The Kills - Black Balloon EP

4 Stars

The underlying sensuality has always been one of the more interesting aspects of the band.

7th April 2009

Official Secrets Act – Understanding Electricity

4 Stars

The debut album from Official Secrets Act is a sci-fi epic of the type that only Brits can do. It’s a Tears For Fears referencing album that’s not afraid of using repetition and hypnotic mesmerising pieces of music. It’s even kind of prog. It’s also one of the debut albums of the year and chock full of great pop tunes.

1st April 2009

Royksopp - Junior

4 Stars

In six months time it won’t just be the hits you recognise.

31st March 2009

Frightened Rabbit - Quietly Now!

4 Stars

A stop-gap release it may be, but with all of the guest appearances and the stunning renditions of these amazing songs we can’t blame Frightened Rabbit for releasing this, really we can only thank them.

26th March 2009

Dan Deacon – Bromst

4 Stars

Long live the proverbial ​‘neek’, for it is thanks to him that we can justify electronica. It’s not moronic and mind numbing, it’s highly intellectual and far too complicated for you; you could never understand it. And Dan Deacon is the king, mainly ​‘cos he’s friggin’ cool too.

24th March 2009

Jeffrey Lewis And The Junkyard - Em Are I

4 Stars

It’s the heart, the songs and the stories which make us glad Jeffrey Lewis is here to share his imagination with us all.

12th March 2009

The Boy Least Likely To – The Law Of The Playground

4 Stars

And to think that this record nearly didn’t get released.

9th March 2009

Micachu & The Shapes - Jewellery

4 Stars

Arrangements far flung from the gloss of verse-chorus boreathon pop.

9th March 2009

The Race - In My Head It Works

4 Stars

Monolithic and cohesive, this album is multi layered with a fine attention to detail.

6th March 2009

St Gregory Orange - Things We Said In Bedrooms

4 Stars

Atmospheric and at times extremely poignant.

6th March 2009

M. Ward - Hold Time

4 Stars

There is a natural, unforced element that pervades all of Ward’s work.

18th February 2009

War Child - Heroes

4 Stars

War Child ​‘Heroes’ as a concept, a charity and an album series is unquestionably important.

16th February 2009

Lily Allen - It’s Not Me, It’s You

4 Stars

An abundance of tales about drugs, dodgy sex and failed relationships.

12th February 2009

Cherbourg – Last Chapter Of Dreaming EP

4 Stars

A charmingly listenable piece of work.

11th February 2009

Ida Maria – Fortress ‘round My Heart

4 Stars

We can’t help but agree that the original release should have sounded like this.

10th February 2009

downdime - Knowing Too Much

4 Stars

For the all the likenesses downdime produce something original.

6th February 2009

John McCusker – Under One Sky

4 Stars

His attention to detail has resulted in some of the most accessible pieces of contemporary folk music.

3rd February 2009

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight Franz Ferdinand

4 Stars

You can call the new Franz Ferdinand smug and arrogant but this album will be played countless times in months to come.

29th January 2009

The Old Romantic Killer Band – The Swan With Two Necks

4 Stars

A startlingly furious yet touching record.

9th January 2009

Menahan Street Band - Make The Road By Walking

4 Stars

A soulful, high-spirited album.

6th January 2009

The Glasgow School Of Art Goes Pop

4 Stars

Lesson to be learned, then: Glasgow is, quite simply, the place to be.

25th November 2008

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid – NYC

4 Stars

It’s the hurtling of traffic, the bustling subways, the back and the forth of feet on the city’s blocks.

10th November 2008

Peter, Bjorn & John - Seaside Rock

4 Stars

One of the most inventive albums you’ll hear all year.

31st October 2008