Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
‘Crash Love’ is the eighth studio album from alternative rock back AFI and features their latest single ‘Medicate’, which was released in October 2009.
The new album, which was two years in the making, is quite different to their previous ‘Decemberunderground’ and while it isn’t as strong as it’s predecessor, it’s still a great listen and will be huge with AFI fans everywhere.
Lead vocalist, Davey Havoc said: “Honestly I’ve never been more proud of an AFI record. We are thrilled to hear it come to life.”
The single ‘Medicate’ is a really catchy and memorable song with a good sound and lyrics; it’s easy to see why it was chosen as the first release from the new album. (more…)
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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
The title to Kasabian’s 3rd album (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum) certainly has the skill to intrigue, and from a personal view, it has the music to support it. It seems that after two relatively good albums from the band and 3 years work, Kasabian have finally found their ‘niche’ with tracks such as ‘Underdog’ and ‘Fire’ catapulting the band into ‘Headline’ material.
Serge Pizzorno (guitarist) certainly comes out from the dark on this record, with a variety of different rifts that grab the audience from the moment they hear them. ‘Fast Fuse’ for example, tricks the listener into thinking a raucous hammering of a guitar will confront them when instead a quite hearty and jumpy melody follows, this emphasising how this new album not only excites but also interests the listener.
Tom Meighan’s role (lead vocals) is also elevated on this album, with his voice having to adapt to the new approach Kasabian have undergone. He pulls it off well. On ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ Meighan really exerts a matter of feeling through his voice, bringing the track together to create a deep moving sound. (more…)
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Thursday, December 10th, 2009
When I hear a lot about a band in the music media, there’s always the niggling question of how much of is hype and scene-following and how much is about the genuine qualities of the band. “Union” is one of those albums which sets all my alarm bells ringing.
The press release accompanying this album focuses heavily on the novel partnership between the band and HMV and the digital pre-release of the album and the single “Evacuate” earlier this year, while saying very little about the actual music, which is an interesting indicator of the content of the album. (more…)
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
When someone has had serious praise (and a sackload of songs) from Bruce Springsteen and he’s described by Jon Bon Jovi as the reason he got into music, you know there has to be a story there. The man in question is John Lyon, or Southside Johnny, and he’s aided and abetted by the Asbury Jukes. The band, with many personnel changes, have been around for 35 years with a current line-up which has been fairly stable for the last 10 years (stick with me, it’s all relevant).
Despite the long lifespan, this isn’t a nostalgia gig; Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (shortened to The Jukes from now on) have released 4 albums of new material in the last decade and his audience expect to hear the new songs as well as the 70s classics. The audience at the Buxton Opera House were mainly the expected glad to be grey generation with some notable exceptions, including the teenager behind the mixing desk applauding the solos and singing along to songs recorded around 2 decades before he was born. (more…)
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