Arctic Monkeys- Suck It & See

Arctic Monkeys return after the excellent Humbug with "Suck It and See" Turner's typical wordplay is the strongest factor in what is unfortantely a by the numbers effort which seeks to satisfy the fan definition of the band. Expect more engimatic women existing in Turner's northern stories to familiar effects. By all means not a weak effort as the Monkeys hit some above-average indie pop but follow the expected route rather than venturing in any new direction.  A Long suck leaves a familiar if not pleasant taste (too easy) 6/10

Cold Showers- I Don't Mind/Near Burn 7"

 COLD SHOWERS- I DON'T MIND/NEAR BURN (MEXICAN SUMMER)

Debut 7" from LA four piece Cold Showers. No Words. Just An Awesome Song you should be playing all summer. Insane Video Too!


Cold Showers - "I Don't Mind" from Mexican Summer on Vimeo.

Julianna Barwick- The Magic Place

This album has been doing the rounds for a while so If you have not yet been privileged to soar along with Barwick's 3rd album The Magic Place where have you been... (Unless like me you've been travelling and then you can be forgiven) A Record that is almost a transcending, eye opening solitary experience, heavenly but also based inside the very torture of solitude and loneliness. Hauntingly melancholy but also joyful hymnal childhood innocence...

Fucked Up- David Comes To Life

Fucked Up- David Comes To Life

Fucked Up come back from the great unknown for what is a wonderful step back, whilst soaring forward from the Canadian giants; sounding sonically more like Hidden World than their previous polaris prize winning Chemistry of Common Life... David Comes To Life is like no other album you will ever hear... lyrically explosive, engaging and deserving of all the hyperbole anyone can throw at it. There are few records which will really hit you from all angles like this one, but I will leave you to experience it for yourselves and read elsewhere about the story behind one of the most pecuilar "rock operas" of our generation. I predict this will be in my top 5 if not higher when it comes time to compare this year's great releases...
Matador you sleigh me once again... 10/10

Thao & Mirah- S/T

Thao & Mirah- S/T

Put Together Thao, who is known to most as the leader of the get down stay down, electrically charged and punked up serrated rockers and Mirah, who can be simply defined as creating some lovely twee and simple songs in various guises and various artists over the last decade. It's not necessarily the most suitable combination, you get the impression it could be a clash of the indie darling champions eclipsing each other with style over substance. But Instead their debut is a astounding success, flipping in style from track to track, blissful summer pop which often settles to showcase the talents of just one of the duo but where their voices combine true magic is made...

May 2011- EMA- Past Life Martyred Saints

So I've been going around the USA so this blog has been obviously abused and left on the wayside during this time, but gradually getting back to the good news:

EMA- Past Life Martyred Saints is where I'll choose to begin and it's a stunning and brutal album, unsuited to reviews and genre tags because it is quite simply astounding... I guess it can be filed with Liz Phair, PJ Harvey and other 90s grunge inspired girls for simple lazy comparisons but Erika M. Anderson (formally of Amps For Christ and of Gown) effortlessly jumps all over the place from heavy beats to 4 track punked up rock. This album cannot be sampled as it should be engulfed by every listener, grab your headphones and take a step inside one of the best records this year has to offer. Mindblowing 9/10
Experience this sample of "California"

New Releases- Monday 30th May 2011

Weekly expose into this weeks New Releases, we try and not be genre or gender bias, but I like women and I hate country... so expect more women singers and less western.

 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE- CODES & KEYS

This week we start with a personal favourite Death Cab For Cutie's 7th full length album Codes and Keys, a band exposed to massive audience to some degree through a ill-advised teenage love triangle on (god that seems like a lifetime ago) teen drama The O.C. as Seth Cohen argued internally about whether he was destined to be with Hannah or Autumn... Let's say that Ben Gibbard and Co. were the only winners in that situation, and two albums down the line, Codes and Keys is the bands best record since Transatlanticism, as it seems to bid farwell to the major label nerves and reverts back to some of the experimentation of the first three albums. It's certainly the most daring album they have made, hich will certainly interest a few of those who have dismissed them previously but also a few who were shined on in the post-newport era. Highlights include the title track "Codes and Keys" "Doors Unlocked and Open" and the single "You Are A Tourist." Codes and Keys is a rich and warm emotion album which continues to highlight why Death Cab For Cutie made that crucial leap from Barsuk underground indie darlings to concert hall filling stars as it maintains the intimacy of the former and the impact of the latter. Most importantly very few bands this size have the heart and balls to attempt to re-write their own rules the 7th time around. 9/10