MusicRiot.co.uk

Pet Shop Boys - Yes

The Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance two-some who have been together since 1981 and are still going strong today. They have enjoyed world wide fame with hits such as ‘West End Girls,’ ‘Always on My Mind’ and ‘Heart.’ Their tenth album ‘Yes,’ produced by Xenomania, was released on 23rd March in UK stores, and reached an impressive number 4 in the UK album charts.

‘Love etc,’ the first track on the album and coincidentally the first track to be released, does not disappoint. Familiar funky electro beats, and the trademark lead singer Neil Tennant’s airy, breathless voice, with a chanting crowd over the top ensure that ‘Love etc’ is catchy, repetitive, and mesmerising. I’m not sure I could imagine it being an instant hit, but it’s good enough to catch on after a while, especially with the cool chorus “Don’t have to be a big bucks Hollywood star, don’t have to drive a super car to get far, don’t have to live a life of power and wealth, don’t have to be beautiful but it helps” and drumming keyboard beat.
Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments | Posted in » Album, Reviews

Gary Go - Gary Go

Gary Go hit the music press headlines when he was confirmed as the official opening act for Take That’s UK tour this June - a dream opportunity for any new artist (at least one who doesn’t mind Take That).  And now, with perfect timing, comes his self-titled debut album.

I feel bad about knocking it - it’s a good first album, but not much more than that.  It’s very commercial, the comparisons made by Q magazine calling Gary Go ‘a one man Coldplay’ are justified, and I thought I detected a hint of Snow Patrol in there as well. 

The first half of the album has a fairly routine selection of songs with slow build-ups to punchier choruses, the second half  seems a little more downbeat, but then after “Wonderful” little else could be more upbeat.  I was able to catch some intelligent lyrics in there, but generally the whole album is not a long laster.

Self-taught, self-produced - you’ve got to hand it to him, he’s made it a long way through his own persistence.  Fingers crossed he can get to a more interesting second album.  It’s an assured first album, and hints at great potential.

No Comments | Posted in » Album, Reviews

Morrissey - Something Is Squeezing My Skull

The press release accompanying this single is interesting;  the single itself barely gets a mention while the latest tour and all of the well-known Smiths tracks used as additional tracks on the various versions all get heavy coverage.  So what’s that all about then?

What it’s all about is that the single just isn’t very good and none of the attempts to polish it with rare tracks are going to make it any better.  Although I was never a Smiths fetishist in the ‘80s, I always thought there were loads of good songs and a few great songs in there.  Even with Morrissey’s solo material I’ve heard songs that I thought were truly outstanding; and then this came along.
Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments | Posted in » Reviews, Singles

Stone Gods – Start of Something EP

Each and every day I exist on this planet, my musical scepticism is being slowly whittled away by bands who I have never heard of showing me that there is reason to have faith in newly released music; Stone Gods are one of those bands. There I was, slipping the CD into my stereo ready for another Guns N’ Roses disappointment, and before I know it my socks are clear across the other side of the room and my brain is leaking out of my right ear.

The single “Start Of Something” off their latest album “Silver Spoons and Broken Bones” consists of one truly inspiring classic rock and roll track (“Start Of Something”) and three classic rock and roll tracks with an acoustic tang oozing out of every strum (“Don’t Drink The Water”, “Things Could Be Worse”, and “Where You Comin’ From?”); this four track CD alone has already out played 90 percent of albums currently topping the charts for me. My favourite was definitely “Don’t Drink the Water”, plenty of sweet, meaty acoustic goodness, and even better was totally unrelated to The Dave Matthews Band.
Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments | Posted in » Reviews, Singles