Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark - Architecture & Morality (Virgin/EMI) 30/04/2007

N: Orchestral Manouvres In The Dark's greatest album and one which reads like a greatest hits, is once again given a shot of adrenaline and brought to life in the form of this "Collector's Edition". This time around though not content with including "Bonus Tracks" aplenty, the record label have provided a bonus DVD on which we find not just video promos of these OMD's most enigmatic video memories, but (and this is where it gets interesting to the point of ejaculation) a concert video where the band can be actually seen and heard performing at London's Theatre Royal in 1981, a thoroughly worthwhile and dizzying performance which will find viewers stripping away the years quicker than an adolecscent removes their cloths, that first time. Electronic art from an album that sold in excess of 8 million copies [pause for breath] now go and buy this album, again!

T: It's worth remembering that OMD, in their heyday, were not particularlt favourably looked upon by the music press, and their sound was considered to be overly twee. If anything, this album dispels that myth completely and proves they had a right to the success they achieved. And Andy McCluskey went on to prove his worth when he wrote "Whole Again" for Atomic Kitten, who DEFINITELY aren't twee (I AM joking here, you understand...) 9/10

Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes reunite in May 2007 to perform 4 UK dates where the quartet will play all of "Architecture & Morality" live for the first time ever.

web site - downloads

The Mission - God Is a Bullet (Cooking Vinyl) 30/04/2007

T: Stalwarts of the mid-eighties Goth movement after Bauhaus had paved the way, The Mission have now been treading the musical boards for 21 years, yet their sound seems to have become a lot less dark over that course of time. In fact, "Keep It In The Family" has more in common with latter day Bunnymen stuff than Sisters of Mercy. Dig a little deeper though, and you realise the subject matter of these compositions is incest, animal cruelty, war on terrorism and er...premature ejaculation. This is all the more surprising when you note the feelgood factor of much of the arrangement, in total contrast to the cutting edge melodies of, say, "God's Own Medicine"...it's all good anyway.

N: The Mish are back. A band whose dark attire and even darker attire fed my soul when the band were at their height. Alongside Andrew Eldritch and his Sisters of Mercy, a black leather jacket and black rimmed hat was my torch for a period in my life. Thankfully I left the clothes behind, but the music still remains in my collection, and this is a welcome addition. The band still have the ability to write weighty tunes and cast a shadow over the landscape, whilst at the same time lighting up the distance with a rainbow, at the end of which we'll hopefully find Hussey and crew knocking out the latest album. God Is a Bullet, knockout. 8/10

web site - myspace

Hanson - The Walk (Cooking Vinyl) 30/04/2007

T: Whether Hanson would ever recover from the indignity of their major worldwide smash "MmmBop" was a question on everyone's lips. Well, actually to be fair, it was probably asked by a few people in their record company anyway. Still, the brothers did enough to answer the question when they returned with a UK top ten single in 2004, cracking number 2 on the Billboard chart with the same single, "Penny and Me", which was a far more mature sound and won a legion of new fans. This has been continued with the new outpit, which twists and turns from being like Michael Jackson one minute to Hootie and the Blowfish the next. Basically "The Walk" is littered with references of bands that I never particularly liked, nor disliked, and as a result I'm unmoved either way. I think you have to say fair play to the band though; after splitting from their major label, they struggled for 3 years while seting up their own 3CG label, all of which has been captured on a documentary entitled "Strong Enough To Break", which is available in free episodic form on iTunes. In summary, if you like American AOR, this may well be for you. Otherwise, it'll pass you by, like it does me, with little offence nor incident.

N: Why am I reminded of The Osmonds whenever I hear this band? Their schmaltzy look? Or maybe it's the songs? But I can't deny this outfit has developed strong arrangements, turning what they have written into catchy numbers. Still too schmaltzy for my tastes, but I can't deny their talent and drive. 6/10

web site - myspace

Sparta - Threes (Anti Records) 30/04/2007

An erie hum bleeds from my speakers and like the phoenix risen from the flames, Sparta (an American post-punk story) a new label acting as the vessel from which the band can offer this 3rd album, ingeniously titled 'Threes', begin to make calm from this chaos. 'Untreatable Disease' is the route into this epic 13-track volume, a place where rock meets their contemporaries, most notably U2 in an earlier guise, principles not far away.

Reading those words "post-punk" at first fed my soul with dread. Argh, not another group of adolescent wannabies, a guitar at hand and time on their side, knocking out sharp, razor tipped piles of trash, but reading the first lines of the introductory number; "Hope is unborn memories, untreatable disease...." it was clear my initial reaction may've been undeserved. The fact that Sparta had already created two earlier full length releases; their debut 2002's 'Wiretap Scars' and 2 years later the highly praised 'Porcelain', should've been more than a passage, but to me this 4-peice were strangers. Yet the eloquence of their songs and the solid nature of their compositions soon made a friend.

Closer to the truth was the fact that two of the band's line-up were ex-At The Drive-In members Jim Ward (vocs./guitar) and Tony Hajjar (drums), so perhaps this may've been why I had found this medicine such an easy one to take. Completing the line-up are Keeley Davies (guitar) and Matt Miller (bass), who as this quartet have gained inspiration from the degradation of society in our modern times (how many times have we heard Bush get the rap he deserves?). The album had been a solid and very enjoyable one and again I find myself in the position of changing my initial view point, from one stood on the side lines, to another emphatically believing in what I was hearing. 9/10

Nick James

web site - myspace

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) 23/04/2007

When Arctic Monkeys introduced their debut album 'Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' in the January of last year, it certainly turned more than a few heads at just how much of a revelation it was, or as we said at the time; "...the album's a near masterpiece". Now as we prepare for the release of their follow-up, 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' I think the band have worked this time on the theory of "if it 'aint bust don't fix it" for this twelve track affair. Now that's not to say that they have just played it safe in producing a long player that is almost a "colour by numbers" copy of what the first album was, no, far from it, had this been the case then I'm sure they would've had their critics who would've come forward and told of how their first album had been a fluke, but truth is, it wasn't.

This album is again filled with more of that Sheffield wit and although this time I may not have exactly been "champing at the bit" as was refered to in our first meeting of this band's debut full length work, it has certainly come as a welcome meeting. This album is certainly not a copy of their earlier outing, although the feel is one that is unmistakable, the band seem to have filled the jug with more, much more than ever thought possible. The sound is fuller and even more engaging, the lyrics again like a book whose story you cannot wait to get a hold on and from begining to end they have paced this to perfection.

From the outset and 'Brianstorm', a fast paced offering whose velocity is close to running away with the words, is totally danceable and a perfect introduction to what may just be another album worthy of praise and 'silver-ware' come the end of the year awards. 'Teddy Picker', a number whose introduction and bass line rings of Prefab Sprout's 'King Of Rock'n'Roll' is another well written story worthy of a novel, characterisation high on the authors list. 'D is for Dangerous' is most certainly an Arctic Monkey's tune, the band's inclusion in the vocal is so familar it's scary, but not repelant. 'Balaclava' is just disgusting, but not without its place. It's here that I reach 'Fluorescent Adolescent', only track 5 and I realise that 'Arctic Monkeys' are again telling 'our' story, well observed lyrics that fit any number of people, that even if the places may not be quite the same, it won't take a great deal to imagine.

'505' is the culmination of an album that really has been paced to perfection. Only the second tune to exceed 4 minutes in length, with its erie chords and tank recently filled with fuel, I'm happy. This certainly has been that album I hadn't expected and yet at the same time had hoped for. With its short sharp running time and songs that on the most part are the same, Artic Monkeys have certainly proved themselves artists of the decade and having not got "carried away" when we first heard their debut, this time I think I can and quite rightly so. 10/10

Nick James

web site - myspace

Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir (Regal) 16/04/2007

T: Did I mention Belle & Sebastian as a reference for Tiger MCs? Well take that comparison and multiply it by fifty and you get something resembling Loney, Dear. The only snag is that the sound is so reminiscent of the Scots that it becomes almost a pastiche of them. There's nothing wrong with any of these tracks, but do we need a Swedish version of the aforementioned band?

N: Is it a pastiche, or is it a tribute? A tribute would suggest that Belle & Sebastian are no longer with us...

T: So you're agreeing with me then?

N: That's about the measure of it. Perhaps if it comes out that this is the "new Belle & Sebastian album", we might all realise that we've been tricked. Perhaps Loney, Dear is an anagram of Belle & Sebastian. If I were dyslexic, this might hold watre, but a bucket might provet betterer. 7/10

web site - myspace

Tiger MCs - We Go Out (Cherryade) 09/04/2007

T: I think it's telling that we've both sat here pretty much in silence since this album began, with neither of us suggesting to "flick on to the next track". It's a very fragile, pretty sounding album, which throws you on the wrong track from the off, by starting like a Wedding Present instrumental on "Job Job Giraffe". The closest reference is without doubt Belle & Sebastian, but Tiger Mcs are anything but copyists, sounding more like the folksy arrangements of Nick Drake at some points and maybe even Jose Gonzalez at others. Whatever comparisons you wish to throw at this albums, the superlatives will always trump them. This is a mesmerising record that is dreamily seductive and beautifully produced.

N: Scarcely produced album. As I sit here listening to the fruits of Tiger MCs full length release, it's as if the band are stood here performing live and in front of my very ears. C'est la vie Alan Partridge, Norwich has a new hero, and their name is the Tiger MCs. 9/10

web site - myspace

Hayseed Dixie - Weapons of Grass Destruction (Cooking Vinyl) 09/04/2007

T: See, the only problem here is one that isn't hard to put your finger on - you already know what these songs are going to sound like before you press play. Perhaps a better way to hear this album is just to not read the tracklisting, and see how long it takes you to work out what the songs are. It's more of the same hillbilly covers we're already accustomed to, and they are undoubtedly a "must see" prospect live, but whether the translation from those smoky venues to CD is quite as successful as it once was I'm unsure. There is, at least, a handful of original songs on "Weapons...", perhaps indicating that the band is well aware of their limitations where time is concerned.

N: As each album is passed from the lips of Hayseed Dixie, I keep asking the question "When will this madness end? How much longer will the record buying public endure bluegrass reworkings of some of their favourite songs?" and each time, the strength of this band proves "just one more time". This 14 track third album shows that this band still have a wealth of material to plunder, as these dungaree clad farmers' boys show they are modern day pirates of the airwaves. 7/10

web site - myspace

Bright Eyes – Cassadaga (Polydor) 09/04/2007

It’s a brave and rather audacious move to begin your album with a two minute telephone call, but that’s the kind of risk that the multi-talented Conor Oberst seems to like taking, and the music world is all the richer for it. The number in question is 'Clairaudients (Kill Or Be Killed)', a number which is soaked with dramatic strings, which eventually subside to make way for an astonishing and spriritual lyric. It should come a no surprise then, that “Cassadaga” is named for a spiritualist community in Central Florida, so full of gargantuan uplift is the bulk of its content.

Latest single “Four Winds” is a perfect example, modernising the guitar riff from Tanita Tikaram’s “Good Tradition” and sauntering along like it’s the first day of Oberst’s life (hmmm where have I heard THAT before?). “If The Breakman Turns My Way” proves that the Nebraskan genius has been studying his Dylan and Young collections. In fact, this album is so richly steeped in seventies Americana that you can almost feel the prickle of cacti and the wind in your hair as you cruise down the highway.

That’s not to say the core members of Bright Eyes have neglected the other end of the pond with their musical stimuli; indeed “Hot Knives” recalls an innocence – at least temporarily – reminiscent of the earliest work of Floyd, before turning into a majestic mass of swirling strings that is as exquisite as music gets.

In fact one premise that seems to recur throughout “Cassadaga” is the band’s confusion with the American government’s policies, and perhaps this is why they’ve chosen to incorporate a quite enigmatic sleeve which would, on first glance, appear to be the equivalent to a fuzzy television screen, but use the accompanying “Spectral Decoder” and hey presto, it becomes a kind of map, “Da Vinci Code” style. I feel like Christopher Columbus already. Or perhaps it’s Oberst’s way of saying “Nothing is what it seems. Dig deeper and you’ll find the truth”. Whatever it is, this is one heck of an album. 9/10

Tone E

web site - myspace

Marillion - Somewhere Else (Intact Records) 09/04/2007

Described as "one of the UK music scene’s best kept secrets" Marillion since the band's earlier vocalist; the inimitable Fish left their fold, have seemed to disappear into the folds of time and perhaps because popular music has become rather superficial, to my mind would appear to have been forgotten, or have they? Well looking at their discography to date and their forthcoming tour itinary, I conceed that I must have been mistaken. Since vocalist Steve Hogath joined the band, although less prominent noting chart success, the band have certainly continued to attract a large and loyal fan base, recorded more albums and enjoyed greater live success, so I guess that "one of the UK music scene's best kept secrets" have in no way suffered.

'Somewhere Else', the groups new album is musically somewhere between the feel of early Genesis or another of the early 70's rock giants. So for a group who it has been said were responsible for inventing the "New Wave of Progressive Rock" this journey is perfectly fitting. Setting off with 'The Other Half', a song which takes influences from Terry Bickers' Levitation in a setting of both timing and rhythm, you would be forgiven for mistaking as such. It is clear as we progress from here that the band want us to feel as if we are looking across a vast landscape, from a perfect vantage point as guitars soar throughout compositions like a bird might carried upon the currents.

There are times when Hogath can be heard perhaps influenced vocally by later Thom Yorke, although it is clear with a less complicated pallette at hand. Altogether this album is a wonderful work from accomplished musicians. On first listen I was overwhelmed by what I was presented and as such thought differently than the conclusion I finally drew. Live with this album, immerse yourself in the compositions I felt were more than just songs, where vocals and instruments created something engaging, somewhere I was able to find something new each time I listened. From a band who might just have well been ghosts from the past, this was an experience that was more than just supernatural. 9/10

Nick James

web site - myspace

Grant-Lee Phillips - Strangelet (Cooking Vinyl) 02/04/2007

N: From the outset of this, Mr Phillips evokes interest in this latest journey from a well versed artist. Good sound staging and Grant's characteristic warbling and great vocal phrasing suggest that so much is available here.

T: It's amazing to me that Grant Lee Buffalo was such a long time ago. The band existed only yesterday in my eyes, and there's no doubt that Mr. Phillips has matured well, although he clearly favours the minimalism of a JJ Cale composition than the relative grunge of his former outfit. This is more evident on the oddly titled "Killing a Dead Man" than anywhere, and the alt. country feel of "Johnny Guitar", like the film of the same name, is warmly effective. The man needs little introduction, and little needs to be said except that this is a dreamy album full of tender compositions that have evidently come straight from the heart.

N: Grant Lee Buffalo's "Fuzzy" was, and still is, an eloquent reminder of this artist's strengths. This album shows these strengths are still clearly audible, although some 14 years on, he's toned down the music's weight whilst still remaining true. 8/10

web site - myspace

Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures (Warp) 02/04/2007

T: I'll level with you - I was expecting them to fail. I mean, how long will it be before Paul Smith's heavily emphasized Northern accent becomes tiresome? Then again it never hurt David Gedge or Mark E Smith, so maybe that point's redundant. Anyway, the crux of the matter is that they've triumphed where I anticipated a stumble. True, it perhaps needs a few spins before you can fully embrace it, but there are many tracks on "Our Earthly Pleasures" that get under your skin and infect you with a new found admiration. Kicking off with the jangly and prettily nostalgic "Girls Who Play Guitars", the Park then proceed to thunder through latest single "Our Velocity" and the instant spontaneity of the intense "Russian Literature" and the obvious future hit "Karaoke Plays" right through to the tremendous uplift of finale "Parisian Skies". This is a classy album that actually surpasses its predecessor, much to my surprise.

N: Love the artwork from this Warp Records outfit who compliment their driven output with electronic stabs and fascinating lyrical content. I'm pleased to report that this album has finally broken my indifference toward Maximo Park, and the name has become more than "just a name". 9/10

web site - myspace

Various Artists - Something I Learned Today (Dance To The Radio) 02/04/2007

T: Dance To The Radio is, thankfully, a label that dares to be different, and if you need clarity on this, just listen to this, their 3rd such compilation. Admittedly some of the tunes here don't work as well as others but when they do, they're admirable slices of modern day pop like Sky Larkin's belter "Summit". A worthy collection of tunes. of which at least half are thoroughly enjoyable.

N: The album kicks off like very much like those moments I hear before I meet the Sandman sailing by and the Radio Four shipping forecast. Sublime, but Leeds indie rock quintet Grammatics break the silencewith their own shipping forecast. This collection of the label's very own indie rock collectives leaves you experiencing highs and lows with numbers available to suit all tastes. Foreign Born was my personal favourite here, but the whole album should be heard before making a judgment. 7/10

web site - myspace

Electric Soft Parade - No Need To Be Downhearted (Truck) 02/04/2007

N: 'The Electric Soft Parade', I think the band worked genius when arriving at this moniker, I would mark the album always on this consideration alone, but on this occasion I listened to the album and regrettably the album's opening track leaves no such feeling of warmth. The album does however warm up and subsequent songs leave a lot more with which to take a bite.

T: ...especially when we get onto the woozy "Woken By a Kiss". which is more like the stuff we were alerted to by their marvellous "Holes In The Wall" album from way back when. ESP create some magnificent dreamscapes with which to hypnotise the listener and send a warm tingle down your spine. Great stuff, and nice to know they're still around. 8/10

web site - myspace

Thirteen Senses - Contact (Vertigo) 02/04/2007

T: The melodramatic title track opens this album and there seems to be a running theme from this point, where promising sounding tracks full of bravado suddenly break down to disappointingly tame basic mellow pop songs. The band are obviously quite fond of ballads, and when they start sounding like Foreigner it's a cause concern, but you can't really knock them TOO much because they're good at what they do. The only time I'd ever put this on is if I was lying bored on a settee, or perhaps on a long car journey after the missus has complained about the loud music once too often.

N: A wonderfully rich album filled with eleven positive numbers. Well written songs, but in the form of solid songwriting rather than a superficial one, but Foreigner?!!! Really! Track 6 was Chris De Burgh for me. Yes, slow, maybe even dirgy, but listen to this with time on your side and I think the listener will gain the most from this album. No outstanding moments, just a constant, but is that a bad thing? 6/10

web site - myspace