David Holmes - The Holy Pictures (Canderblinks/Mercury/UMC) 08/09/2008

T: The beautiful single, "I Heard Wonders" is a perfect way to open Holmes' new album, and makes you wonder whether the inimitable genius has been scouring his shoegazing records and marrying them with the mid eighties sounds of The Stranglers. Whether or not this is the case, this works perfectly, and what follows is a remarkably warm record, full of depth and swirling cascades of sound. It feels like you've been whisked off to another world and serenaded by sirens and Utopian love devils. Ummm....whatever they are...

N: Reading the story of this album is alost as enthralling as the album itself. A record steeped in personal themes, of influences that originate from the sixties - the Velvet Underground, Soft Machine and The Jesus and Mary Chain...

T: Yeah, that well known sixties band, eh?

N: I'm talking about their sound! Again, Holmes has managed to capture that first moment that his music splashed onto the scene, and 1995's "This Film's Crap, Let's Slash The Seats". This time though, it bears all the experience of over a decade and more of working in the field. An album that, at times, appears more contained, whilst at others, still bearing a youthful exuberance.

T: Just another great album, really. One of the many gems that September has thrown up. 10/10

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Bryn Christopher - My World (Polydor) 08/09/2008

T: This is not what you were expecting at all, was it?

N: In no way at all. Was that what you were after?

T: No, I was hoping you were going to reply with a rhyming couplet.

N: A "rhyming couplet"? No I'll tell you how it is, a British soul singing sensation from Birmingham, he sure has one set of lungs on him.

T: Well I was listening more to the voice. Men's chests just don't do it for me. Anyway, when you see the cover of "My World" and hear the words R&B being bandied about by way of a lazy description, alarm bells start ringing in your head, but then you hear it and it's actually very well done. Hit single "Smilin'" reminds me of Gnarls Barkley, and the majority of the album follows this lead, rather than being the oversaturated, over produced style favoured by US producers. And his cover of Portishead's "Sour Times" is actually very impressive, rather than making me want to tear clumps of my hair out.

N: No don't do that, hang on to it for as long as you can. Trust me...

T: Good advice from a man whose hair looks like Krusty The Klown, kids. Anyway, do you agree?

N: This man is a sensation, and without a brummie drawl to his dulcet tones. This album really is very, very good and yes nothing like that I was expecting, sounding in places like the soulful Terrence Trent Derby. Although perhaps the graphic artists responsible for the cover artwork should've let creativity rein, in this case it looks like a Friday afternoon job! But let's say this again, Bryn really is going to be one of the greats and on an album that really does defy all expectations. 9/10

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dorp - Humans Being (Caned And Able) 15/09/2008

N: Well, after only having recently reviewed their current single, to great acclaim, their debut album shows signs that this was no fluke.

T: Indeed. It positively drips with the fat of attitude, maintaining the intensity of a Dario Argento film and burrowing its way into the darkest recesses of your brain. Impulsive beats, angry sounding lyrics and majestic, apocalyptic tunes make this a corking album.

N: And that has to be got across. This is a great album, bursting of all the fruits of Flood's studio, at which it was recorded. It bears the greatness that the relative involvements of this producer brought to acts such as Nine Inch Nails, U2, PJ Harvey and many others.

T: Best debut album I've heard in ages.

N: I'll second that. 9/10

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Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics (Hassle) 22/09/2008

T: Starting off with the rather creepy sounding intro of "Oh, Hello Ghost", Rolo Tomassi proceed to explode like spacedust in your mouth, letting their demons possess you nastily until you can take no more. It feels like being beaten to a pulp and being kicked to within an inch of your life. Self mutilating attention seekers will love this. I think I'll stick to sitting in an armchair with a hot chocolate though.

N: To hear the NME refer to them as "hardcore heroes" does somewhat dowse my enthusiasm, but remembering that drawing my own conclusion is best, I persevered. Yes, they do possess a penchant for creating what can only be described as a racket, but in between, theirs can be quite an eloquent score, punctuated with moments that descend into jazz fusion, niiiice. 6/10

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AC/DC - No Bull DVD (Sony/BMG) 08/09/2008

T: Nick, you know more about sweaty, ageing men in school uniforms than I do, so I'll let you go first...

N: What exactly are you on? But certainly these Aussie rockers are known the world over, and following their original frontman, Bon Scott, Geordie Brian Johnson was chosen to step into his shoes...

T: Why the history lesson? Doesn't everybody know that already?

N: I think it was your earlier quip that threw me. I'm sure readers know all this already and I don't wish to insult their intelligence, anyway Wikipedia is always there for those who like to know more. Let's cut to the chase shall we, 'No Bull' is a hard rockin' selection of their hardest numbers, presented in a slick package of both video and animations. Tone particularly likes the bull back riding girl, mind you wouldn't we all, who provides the backdrop to the individual numbers on the DVD.

T: I think it's worth pointing out that this is actually a live performance, rather than a "selection" of their tunes, having been recorded at the Plaza De Toro De Las Ventas in July 1996, a venue usually reserved for bullfighting (which makes me like it a lot less, to be honest). Watching Angus Young doing that duckwalk type thing that only celebrities over the age of fifty pull out of the bag, and listening to Johnson's distinctive squawl, it's easy to see where Guns 'N' Roses took their influences from. But then again, GNR were shit. There, that's alienated half our audience, but never mind. I personally much prefer our antipodean friends, who are clearly talented musicians and probably a lot more fun to hang round with. Having said that, I'm not really a huge fan of either...

N: Whichever way you choose to take your music, it has to be conceded that these musicians are hellish performers and there's something of a comedy when watching Angus, stripped to the waist, performing numbers that will surely be his pension in later years. 8/10

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Fujiya & Miyagi - Light Bulbs (Full Time Hobby) 01/09/2008

T: Interesting start -"Vanilla, strawberry, knickerbocker glory/ I saw the ghost of Lena Zavaroni". I wasn't even aware that Lena had left this mortal coil at all. Or is there something I missed? (Actually yes, Zavaroni died in 1999 after a long battle with anorexia - Ed) Anyway, after "Knickerbocker" comes a tune called "Uh" which could have been lifted straight from the Fun Lovin' Criminals sleazebook, a theme which is continued with "Pickpocket", all the while sounding like you've visited the seedy underbelly of a big city and wound up at some kind of extreme sex party. It's a most satisfying listen, and it feels like you're doing something very naughty, which is quite a buzz.

N: I think to say this is a most surreal listen is nearer the mark. The choice of words David Best (vocals) uses appear to be of a very freeform nature, and by adopting such a fashion, are indeed very satisfying in the paths these take. 9/10

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James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In (Domino) 01/09/2008

T: Some people I know find James a little too downbeat for their liking, but if only they'd listen deeper, they'd find a charm and an uplift in his songs that is absent from so many others. The lyrics are beautiful too, like the rural sounding "Tortoise Regrets Hare". He's clearly at one with nature. I think I might become a naturist as well...

N: ...that won't cut it you know, when you're arrested for exposing yourself again, that the economic downturn meant that you could no longer afford to buy underwear didn't work either.

T: Er...I meant naturalist actually. I don't think I'd get away with going to work in the buff. Unless you don't mind?

N: You can keep your meat and two veg to yourself!

T: It's more like a baby carrot and a couple of peas, to be honest.

N: Too much information, thankyou.

T: Anyway, were skirting around the issue here. The music. James has released another fine album of tunes that tug gently at your heartstrings and make you feel as though you're drifting out to sea on a summer's day, lazily lying on the deck of a cruise ship. What do you get from it?

N: I'm lying in the grass, under a huge oak tree. The sun is shining (so I guess I'm in a bygone English countryside). Anyway the weather is warm, rather than sweaty. This album is a fine way to pass the time). 9/10

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Eureka Machines - Do Or Die (Wrath) 01/09/2008

T: It's difficult to put aside the fact that one of this band's members, Steven Morricone, is also in two bands that have become firm Atomicduster favourites over the past few years - Being 747 and The Scaramanga Six. There's no denying Eureka Machines' impressive harmonies though. Having said that, this band's sound has far more in keeping with the classic rock of Queen than any of the edgy attitude of anything up to date. Perhaps this nod back to a bygone age is needed in a rather stagnant industry though, and it should be welcomed with open arms.

N: The opening number, "Scream Eureka", certainly gets across that moment of displacing the bathwater and running naked down the street, unawares of the gasps of passers by. Hmmm, obviously a big boy.

T: You can do wonders with elastic bands, can't you? Don't think I haven't seen you...

N: I don't know what YOU do with elastic bands.

T: I told you. I've SEEN you.

N: Anyway, this album is the melding of hard edged classic rock and harmonious songwriting, placed in a blender and seasoned to perfection. 8/10

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Little Jackie - The Stoop (Parlophone) 01/09/2008

T: Already riding high in the charts with the unashamed pop of "The World Should Revolve Around Me", Little Jackie release their debut album to a mass of critical acclaim. It's easy to see why they've been embraced, as their songs make no apologies for being remarkably catchy and effective. Not entirely my bag, but you can't really question their talent. If the All Saints had signed to Motown, it probably would have sounded something like this.

N: I tell you what, I'm hearing this album and its infectious vibe is in no way an annoying one. So many songwriters seem to find it difficult to bridge that gap.

T: Some of the lyrics are genius too. For instance, there's a song about how the vocalist is getting fed up with guys so she's going to start a lesbian relationship, which features the line "I don't mean to diss, I know I'll be missed, anyway, guys like when girls kiss". She's not wrong. I'm getting turned on just looking at the title.

N: Little Jackie do indeed deserve to be huge, and if hummability should act as a gauge, then this one's got it nailed. 8/10

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Motorhead - Motorizer (SPV) 01/09/2008

T: They may not be all that relevant anymore, but Lemmy and co can clearly still rock with the best of them. I'm unsure as to whether they'll ever make another "Bomber" or "Ace Of Spades", but they are at least always thoroughly entertaining. Opening track "Runaround Man" has a Kings Of Leon style hook if they'd muddied it up and shouted instead of singing. True, They're not going to shake the world up, but they are still absolutely impossible not to like at least a little bit.

N: An album that goes to illustrate that Motohead have lost none of their vervour or bite, although perhaps the band don't so much illustrate as they do demolish. 7/10

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Don-E - Natural (Dome) 01/09/2008

T: You were very quick to judge this album by its cover, weren't you? In actual fact, it often sounds like Michael Jackson performing the songs of George Benson after sucking the helium out of some balloons, after being hit with a tranquiliser dart. Easy enough to listen to, except for the warbly bits which appear once in a while.

N: Perhaps a little unfair, but not indifferent from a multitude of other similar releases.

T: Well DUH!

N: Ok, let's put it this way - other Soul led releases, you can see this album's tranquiliser effect is starting to play its part.

T: Just a fairly pleasant listen, that's all. 6/10

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The Verve - Forth (Parlophone) 25/08/2008

N: Ingeniously tiltled album to come from the band who emerged from the anonymity of Wigan in 1989. Why ingeniously titled I hear you say? Well because it's only the fourth album Ashcroft and cohorts have released during a shining career... Come to think of it, it's pretty obvious really. Scrub that...

T:...and it's a whole lot better than I was expecting. Wasn't impressed with the lead single at all, mainly because it sounds like Texas, but the majority of the other tracks on "Forth" sound like they've got a second wind from their legendary "This Is Music" period, and that moody instrumentation that the band made their trademark is back with great aplomb. Which is nice.

N: Yes, I think my initial remarks reflect my initial apathy, coupled with astonishment at first hearing the album. From a band many might have written off, this is indeed a stunning "second wind" and serves to show you should never dismiss a band of such enduring quality. 9/10

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