Author: Mike Rea Page 12
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson in Crime
Tokyo Police ClubA Lesson in CrimeAlbum ReviewYou may think 7 songs and 16 minutes is an EP, but actually it is a perfect statement from a genuinely exciting rock band. While many over-hyped bands claim...
Review posted on 31st July 2006
Dirty on Purpose - Hallelujah Sirens
Dirty on PurposeHallelujah Sirens Album ReviewIf you have been missing the dark and deep 80s indie scene for a long time now, Dirty On Purpose have your number. With lush, shimmering guitar and thick bass,...
Review posted on 31st July 2006
Powersolo - Egg
PowersoloEggCrunchy FrogThere must be something in the water in Copenhagen. Epo-555's 2004 release, Dexter Frog, was easily one of the most innovative, catchiest and most fun releases of that year, and labelmates Powersolo can barely...
Review posted on 24th July 2006
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
Secret MachinesTen Silver DropsWeaThe Secret Machines' debut EP in 2000 (September 000) was a remarkable homage to David Bowie and to the emerging New York punk scene - still fresh today, it is topped only...
Review posted on 24th July 2006
Bottle Rockets - Zoysia
Bottle RocketsZoysiaAlbum ReviewStraightahead bar band rock has its aficionados and the Bottle Rockets are at the raucous alt country end of the bar band spectrum. This is the band's 8th album (lead singer Brian Henneman...
Review posted on 17th July 2006
Sufjan Stevens - Avalanche
Sufjan StevensAvalancheAlbum ReviewSufjan Stevens' critically-acclaimed Illinoise was one of the albums of 2005, and what we have here are 21 songs that didn't make it onto that album. We should be grateful that Illinoise didn't...
Review posted on 17th July 2006
Some By Sea - On Fire! (Igloo)
Some By SeaOn Fire! (Igloo) Album ReviewPossibly the album that has most underdelivered on expectations for me in 2006, On Fire! (Igloo) is the follow up to one of 2004's Albums of The Year, Get...
Review posted on 17th July 2006
Charlie Dore - Cuckoo Hill
Charlie DoreCuckoo HillAlbum ReviewA British singer-songwriter, best know for her song Pilot of the Airwaves, Charlie Dore has also, ahem, written songs for Tina Turner, Celine Dion, George Harrison and Sheena Easton. That list might...
Review posted on 10th July 2006
Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
VetiverTo Find Me GoneAlbum ReviewSinger/ songwriter Andy Cabic is clearly hiding his light under a bushy bearded folkie. Writing this second album while a member of Devendra Banhart's band has led to a real 'road...
Review posted on 10th July 2006
Matthew Sweet - Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, Under The Covers Vol 1
Matthew Sweet and Susanna HoffsUnder The Covers Vol 1Album ReviewMatthew Sweet is one of those fantastically frustrating musical geniuses, whose ability to craft just the most gorgeous songs was taken as read for a long...
Review posted on 10th July 2006
Josh Rouse - Subtitulo
Josh RouseSubtituloAlbum ReviewThe sound of a songwriter treading water (probably in his swimming pool in Spain between glasses of Sangria), Subtitulo unfortunately comes from the same man who, earlier in his career, was able to...
Review posted on 3rd July 2006
Grant Lee Phillips - Nineteeneighties
Grant Lee PhillipsNineteeneightiesAlbum ReviewPhillips was responsible, in Virginia Creeper, for one of 2005's best albums - a lush, accessible diamond of the songwriting craft. Here, he covers some of his favourite songs from the 1980s,...
Review posted on 3rd July 2006
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
MidlakeThe Trials of Van OccupantherAlbum ReviewThis is the second album by Midlake, a band from Denton, Texas (Centro-matic's home town), and what a great build on the debut it is. Although the band are often...
Review posted on 3rd July 2006
LeAnn Rimes - Whatever We Wanna
Artist - LeAnn RimesAlbum - Whatever We WannaLabel - CurbSo, one of country's biggest divas heads into some middle of the road pop rock, a daring experiment only managed before by Faith Hill. And Shania...
Review posted on 26th June 2006
Mission of Burma - The Obliterati
Artist - Mission of BurmaAlbum - The ObliteratiLabel - MatadorMission of Burma have been around for some time now. Their first time around was between 1979 and 1983, and they then reformed in 2002, maintaining...
Review posted on 26th June 2006
The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
Artist - The WalkmenAlbum - A Hundred Miles OffLabel - Record CollectionThe Walkmen are the kind of band the Strokes would be if they has all the indie cred to go with their style -...
Review posted on 26th June 2006
Sandi Thom - Smile... It Confuses People
Sandi ThomSmile... It Confuses PeopleRCA Album Review While it is hard to believe that there really were ever 100,000 people tuning into a webcast from Tooting (and, at the time, Sandi Thom was already a...
Review posted on 19th June 2006
Living Things - Ahead of the Lions
Living ThingsAhead of the LionsRed Ink Album ReviewAnother hard rock band, but one whose inspiration is somewhat more recent. LA-based Living Things draw from bands like Jet and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as much as...
Review posted on 19th June 2006
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
WolfmotherWolfmotherIsland Album ReviewThis is what happens when you steep kids in their dads' Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Deep Purple albums for 20 years. Wolfmother is the debut album from this Aussie hard rock trio, and...
Review posted on 19th June 2006
Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In
Goo Goo DollsLet Love InWeaAlbum ReviewAs power pop goes, the Goo Goo Dolls were up there. Their album Dizzy Up The Girl is still a great listen, but this is so firmly in mediocre Jeremy...
Review posted on 13th June 2006
Gwyn Ashton - Prohibition
Gwyn AshtonProhibitionDixie FrogAlbum ReviewBlues guitar rock remains a healthy genre, with legends like Gary Moore still plying the trade that legends like Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan made their own. Here, award-winning Aussie Ashton...
Review posted on 13th June 2006
Jolie Holland - Springtime Can Kill You
Jolie HollandSpringtime Can Kill YouEpitaphAlbum Review The whole genre of so-called 'freak folk' has yielded some odd takes on traditional folk and jazz music, with Devendra Banhart and Antony and the Johnsons the best known...
Review posted on 13th June 2006
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
BeirutGulag OrkestarBa Da Bing Album ReviewThe Neutral Milk Hotel album In the Airplane Over The Sea is one of the all-time classics of intelligent anti-rock, and that band never followed it up. NMH's Jeremy Barnes,...
Review posted on 5th June 2006
M Craft - Silver and Fire
M CraftSilver and Fire679 Album ReviewMartin Craft is Britain's answer to Sam Beam of Iron and Wine - a wonderful songwriter with a glorious delivery that recalls Sufjan Stevens at his gentlest best. An Australian...
Review posted on 5th June 2006
Shearwater - Palo Santo
ShearwaterPalo SantoFargo Album ReviewIt is hard to define what makes beauty in music, but Jonathan Meiburg clearly has a feeling deep in his soul. This is Shearwater's fourth album, and moves the game on from...
Review posted on 5th June 2006
Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental
Pet Shop BoysFundamentalParlophoneThe ninth studio album from the iconic synth pop stars follows 2002's 'Release' and their 2005 soundtrack to 'Battleship Potemkin.' Fundamental promises so much, in being produced by pop supremo Trevor Horn, and...
Review posted on 30th May 2006
Clem Snide - Suburban Field Recordings II
Clem SnideSuburban Field Recordings IISpinARTEef Barzelay is a man who writes the most amazing songs of ache, and Clem Snide the band who deliver them. Suburban Field Recordings II is a follow up to the...
Review posted on 30th May 2006
Feeder - The Singles
FeederThe SinglesEchoWhatever the strengths of Feeder albums, there is little doubt that their brand of anthemic rock works particularly well on 4 or 5 songs per album. Those 4 or 5 songs, however, are...
Review posted on 30th May 2006
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili PeppersStadium ArcadiumAlbum ReviewWeaWhen bands say 'we couldn't throw away any of the songs, and had to release this as a double album,' those words should strike fear into the hearts of...
Review posted on 22nd May 2006
The Phoenix Foundation - Horsepower
The Phoenix FoundationHorsepowerAlbum ReviewCaravanHorsepower is a release that almost didn't happen. The Phoenix Foundation are a New Zealand band whose application to the NZ government to help support an international release was turned down, despite...
Review posted on 22nd May 2006
Suggested
Leisure Festival - Dreamland in Margate
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Pretty Fierce talk to us about collaborating with Doja Cat, emetophobia, arena tours and staying "true to yourself" [EXCLUSIVE]
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Will Varley & Jack Valero - The Astor Theatre Deal Live Review
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
WYSE talks to us about her "form of synaesthesia", collaborating with Radiohead's Thom York and the prospect of touring with a band [EXCLUSIVE]
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
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Bay Bryan talks to us about being a "wee queer ginger", singing with Laura Marling and being inspired by Matilda [EXCLUSIVE]
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Keelan X talks to us about staying true to "your creative vision", collaborating with Giorgio Moroder and being "a yoga nut" [EXCLUSIVE]
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
![Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]](https://images.contactmusic.com/images/home/homepage/luke-de-sciscio-abof-a.jpg "Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]")
Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Annie Elise talks to us about the challenges a female producer has to face and "going through a year of grief and sickness" [EXCLUSIVE]
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...
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