Franz Ferdinand - Tonight (Domino) 26/01/2009

N: This album starts in such a positive and quite different manner. The single "Ulysses" is an eloquent and quite progressive lo-fi number, that displays the band's experience as songwriters. Saying this, as the album progressed, I found thst this didn't appear to be sustained, and we seemed all too quick to slip in to the previous two albums.

T: I can see what you mean, but you can't deny that these are decent pop songs. The problem is, despite Franz Ferdinand being "there first", so to speak, the inroads made by bands like Kaiser Chiefs have kind of minimalised the impact made by any further releases. It's a good album, but nobody's listening, which is a shame. 7/10

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Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (Domino) 12/01/2009

T: They're one of those groups that divides people's opinions of them right across the spectrum, Animal Collective. Take our sometime, freelance writer, Robbie Blake. He counted himself as a huge fan for the first seven albums, whereas you became enamoured with them on the following release, "Strawberry Jam", which, in turn, Robbie hated. By way of complete contrast, I've always "quite liked them". They still sound like they always sounded to me - like the Beach Boys on one almighty trip, perhaps taking a ride on a waltzer at the same time. This is no exception, and "Merriweather Post Pavilion" is littered with woozy soundscapes and retro vol-au-vaunts.

N: "Merriweather Post Pavilion" - a state of mind or a musical folly? Well in all honesty, I think a little of both applies. Their music appears choc full of ideas that come bursting out fully formed, sometimes in such a hurry to meet the listener that I think this is where the general audience misunderstanding of this group comes from. But in this case, let's ignore these doubters and just enjoy what has been served up.

T: You mean a box of musical truffles, but instead of having the stale nutty ones left at the end, they've added extra caramel?

N: And white chocolate ones, thank you. 8/10

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Various Artists - A Very Cherry Christmas (Cherryade) 01/12/2008

T: We'll have to give praise where it's due, as those fine folk at Cherryade are the first ones of 2008 to bother sending us anything for Christmas. Always entertaining, their selections range from the alarmingly twee to the downright confusing, but somehow always seem to keep that ethic of originality intact. Some of these tunes make you laugh (for example the total trashing of Mariah Carey's perennial "All I Want For Christmas Is You") and some of them just make you want to party like it was 1999. Although having said that, the party I had in 1999 was shit.

N: Or put another way, Cherryade Music's Annual Christmas Massacre, with songs both original and somewhat second hand. Put it this way, don't stop your kids from experimenting vocally on Christmas Day, they could well prove to be your retirement pension, now that the bottom has fallen out of the economy.

T: Hmmm....I wouldn't bet my house on this compilation making any money, to be honest, but it's tremendous fun. I think they should have called it "Now It's Christmas Kids, It's Snowing, Glory At Yuletide".

N: How immature. Do you really think I can't see what you've done there with the first letters of each word? Bastard! 7/10

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Tom Jones - 24 Hours (Parlophone) 01/12/2008

N: King of the velvet codpiece...

T: It might sound a strange thing to say, but this sounds exactly like Tom Jones. Do you understand what I mean? Ok, he's trying his damndest to sound like Talking Heads on the album's opening track "I'm Alive", but the fact is, it's got Sir Tom stamped all over it. Then he reverts back to his old sixties persona for "If He Should Ever Leave You". Um, Nick...I don't think I've ever seen him in a velvet codpiece (thankfully) - do you know something I don't?

N: Not really, but I wouldn't be surprised. That feeling of utter luxury next to his...

T: ENOUGH! Please!!!

N: I don't think we could - or even should - talk ill of this national treasure.

T: Not even if he put out a record of himself farting?

N: I think, before even that happened, the record company would have something to say, and practise their own form of censorship.

T: Pah, what substance do record companies hold these days anyway?

N: Good point. But we are reliant on what they send us.

T: Bearing this in mind, I guess he at least made our reviews section this Christmas, unlike the 24 other CDs we binned.

N: Not exactly binned, but deemed too terrible to even share with our readers. Anyway Tom Jones, I am in fact surprised he's still with us. That pacemaker is obviously doing its job.

T: You don't want to review the Whigfield comeback album then?

N: Now actually that WOULD be something worth talking about (irony). 7/10

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