Klaxons - Myths Of Near Future (Rinse / Polydor) 29/01/2007

T: A band with a bright future if ever there was one, if this "new rave" bollocks that they jokingly bestowed upon themselves doesn't get TOO blown out of proportion by the gullible media. The most noticeable feature of the album for me was the astonishing, almost celestial vocal harmonising, from the more restrained and accessible top ten hit that was "Golden Skans" to previous single, the demonic "Magick", the boldly exciting "Atlantis To Interzone" or the clever wordplay of "Isle Of Her". An impressive debut that may just see these guys crowned as the champions of whatever tag they want to give themselves.

N: From the outset, I don't find this album to be as immediate as some we've heeard recently. Lyrics appear lost in the arrangement, but in some ways, that may sustain the listener's attention. On the other hand, musical arrangement's strong, served with chaotic overtones that cannot be ignored. The single "Golden Skans" is undoubtedly at the top of the tree to start off, but the covered dance number - Grace's "Not Over Yet" - is a brilliant reworking.

T: I'm glad you're coming round to my way of thinking. Klaxons are a great band, and you've never had a good word to say about them before this album!

N: Perhaps the truth is in the eating, and this cake is certainly big enough to cater for any appetite. 8/10

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Benjy Ferree - Leaving The Nest (Domino) 29/01/2007

T: Starts off like a bizarre hybrid of Small faces, The Hollies and Supergrass, as well as a whole host of other sixties bands. Fascinating that he is from the other side of the pond, having been born in Maryland, as he sounds so typically English. This sound soon gives way, however, to one more reminiscent of the previously mentioned Oxford three piece than anything else. Not that Benjy is a pale pastiche or anything, there's enough here to suggest a major talent, with sudden bursts of classic rock guitar and some thunderous compositions that can't help but put a smile on your face. "A Little At A Time" on the other hand sounds like a folksy, early incarnation of Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is a varied muddle of songs and I have to say, what a GREAT album.

N: The respectively mature (at 32) Benjy ferree forms hard fashioned rock with the avan-garde vision of a babysitter (or as it has been said, "hairysitter") once employed by David Lynch. These solid sounds found on this album clearly take influence from that era Tone previously mentioned, with the slightly tarnished edge of a psychedelic summer in the sixties. 9/10

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Piskie Sits - The Secret Of Darkness (Wrath Records) 29/01/2007

N: Ok, I'll come clean. I've just hit play and barely 30 seconds in and WOW! A good sign? Well I certainly hope so, Tone?

T: Well yeah, but then, we HAVE reviewed stuff by Piskie Sits before, and it's always been favourable, so it should come as no surprise, especially as they hail from the Wonderful Stable Of Wrath. For the record, you could lump Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Pavement and early Flaming Lips together and come up with something like this. Hugely appealing from beginning to end.

N: Well said, I'd add nuff, but I'd also like to say perhaps not quite to the standard of the earlier mentioned, although certainly heading in the right direction. After all these might only be considred a "fledgeling band" at this point, but sounds like they have the "balls" to go all the way. 8/10

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The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America (Vagrant) 22/01/2007

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