Album Reviews

Kingdom Of Fear - Kingdom Of Fear (YNR Records)
Perhaps you are familiar with the idiosyncratic works of Hunter S. Thompson; perhaps you are not. But ask in any circle that knows and you'll find hefty praise for a man of both a singular and uncompromising style, simultaneously appearing to be autobiographical and by turns completely fantastical and absurd. Ask in hip-hop circles about Jehst, and chances are you'll find a fairly similar set of responses.
Posted on Oct 29th, 2012
Neil Halstead â€“ Palindrome Hunches (Sonic Cathedral)
Rightly venerated as one of the most important figures of the shoegazing era, former Slowdive/Mojave 3 mainman Neil Halstead demonstrates the continued strength of his songwriting on Palindrome Hunches, his third solo album.
Posted on Oct 29th, 2012
The Jim Jones Revue - The Savage Heart (Play It Again Sam/Punk Rock Blues)
The Savage Heart is the 3rd studio album from The Jim Jones Revue, and at times it attempts to pitch itself as a more accessible and poppier record than its predecessors. The edition of Henri Herbert as a permanent member of the group on keys has contributed to a slight shift in the complexion of the bandâ€™s sound, although the production from Jim Sclavunos and mixing from Jim Abbiss has left this record feeling a little cleaner than previous efforts.
Posted on Oct 29th, 2012
Danny Toeman - Life Blood Soul
Having lost his band The Lost Souls to other commitments, budding soul performer Danny Toemanâ€™s first solo outing is still under the iron fist of perfectionist control which he exercises on all of his creations. Opening with â€˜I Still Get That Feelingâ€™, Toeman doesnâ€™t hold back one bit. Production value is huge and the track instantly tells us that Toeman hasnâ€™t ignored any influences from his neo-soul contemporaries with bouncy beats and scratched records juxtaposed with sweaty New Orleans brass-chant reminiscence. Continuing strong, Danny moves on to yet another hit with â€˜Feel My Soulâ€™. This track exercises his expert ear for dynamics (louds and quiets) that runs throughout the album and provides an unorthodox chorus that leads in and kicks off with a full orchestration before dropping to a bass-free plea.
Posted on Oct 29th, 2012
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs (Superball)
Trail of Dead preach to the converted on eighth LP, albeit in some style
Posted on Oct 22nd, 2012
We Are The Physics - Your Friend, The Atom (This Is Fake DIY)
For the uninitiated, We Are The Physics are probably Scotlandâ€™s most demented bundle of science, history and sporting icon infused manic punk rock energy. Not that itâ€™s a huge category, but We Are The Physics have the market pretty much cornered â€“ particularly with the release of their second album, Your Friend, The Atom.
Posted on Oct 22nd, 2012
Martha Wainwright - Come Home To Mama (V2)
Born into a Canadian musical dynasty, Martha Wainwright was never short of inspiration growing up â€“ her elder brother Rufus (whom you've surely heard of), her actor/singer father Loudon Wainwright III and her folk songwriter mother, Kate McGarrigle, all have had their own impressive careers. Martha's turn would come in 2005 with in her instantly classic eponymous debut. Living in the shadow of producing your best work first is never easy, and always being compared to that album is surely demoralising â€“ that's not to say her following work wasn't good, it just wasn't the same calibre. Inspired by her familial relationships, motherhood, her marriage and the passing of her mother in 2010 have all made their mark on Martha's fourth LP, and with a veritable goldmine of material, can she woo us again with another instant classic?
Posted on Oct 15th, 2012
Castrovalva - You’re Not In Hell, You’re In Purgatory My Friend (Brew)
Castrovalva are flippin' loud. The self-proclaimed noise-hop group cart about the intensity of Fall Of Troy, The Mars Volta and Sleigh Bells all melded into one, wielding a penchant for caustic guitars and demonic vocals laced with rabid lunacy. The sounds they make are hellish and violent, a potent concoction of loudness which is a jolt of electricity into the spine of Britain's rock scene. The third effort from the Leeds based screwballs is lengthily titled You're Not In Hell, You're In Purgatory My Friend, and based on the noise emanating from their new record, you might be inclined to disagree with them.
Posted on Oct 8th, 2012
Gonzo Morales â€“ Gonzotown: Prologue- The End Of Gonzo Morales (Self-release)
Seemingly non-existent in the deep vortex of information that is the Internet, Gonzo Morales are a concept-driven five piece, from erm... Gonzotown. Their debut LP seems to arrive on the wind, a mere messenger of this blistering hellhole of insanity, a place steeped in fantastical folklore and placed somewhere in North America- presumably it's a little desert town somewhere near Texas, home to a few cacti and a lone tumbleweed. They've clearly put in a ridiculous amount of effort into conjuring up a backstory for this, the first part of what appears to be a rock saga.
Posted on Oct 7th, 2012
WIntersleep - Hello Hum (Roll Call)
Canadaâ€™s Wintersleep are a hard-working and prolific band, who unfortunately just donâ€™t seem to get the press. Five albums into their career and Wintersleep continue to amble just under the radar, waiting patiently to break through at any moment. Some have boldly compared them to Band of Horses, and having toured with Pearl Jam and Paul McCartney, they have certainly had their share of opportunities to become a household name and play to large mainstream audiences. But it seems that Wintersleep are yet to make a definitive album like Cease to Begin. However, having won a Juno award in 2008 and also having made appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, itâ€™s clear that Wintersleep have made some impact on the indie world, even if that impact is yet to resonate deeply with its audience.
Posted on Oct 7th, 2012
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