Sypmtoms – Elliot Sphinx 2009 – LoFi Kabuki Hip-Hop He raps well and spits with an entertaining sense of rage, but still I couldn’t seem to take him seriously. Perhaps it’s because his flow consists of little more than emphasising sibilants over the top of the heavier beats. On the upside, the floating future-techno beats…
Death Chorus – Polar Bear Club Released 12th November on Rise Records Post-Hardcore/ Alternative/ Rock Heavy, but not too heavy. It’s probably won’t piss off your parents. Really, post-hardcore has turned into a heavy brand of pop. Most of the music is fine and the vocals have some great harmonies worked into them, but it’s…
FIXX – The You And What Army Faction 2009 – Independent Post-Punk/ Industrial/ Experimental/ Goth The music is fine, but the relentlessly out of tune drone that passes for vocals just makes this whole album rather unpleasant. Also the obsession with the wettest echo effects you’ve ever heard tends to distract the listener from the…
James Arthur – James Arthur Released 4th November on Syco Pop/ Rock/ R’n’B Sure, he can sing. I guess that’s why he won X-Factor, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that the entire record is just a mess of derivation, unoriginality, and hollowness. I mean, there’s just no feeling behind the mindless pap…
Never EP – HR 2013 – Independent Post-Punk/ Post-Rock/ Industrial Cold, eerie, deliciously spacious, and immaculately produced HR’s Never shifts effortlessly between Clan Of Xymox occult whispers and NIN churn. It doesn’t instantly grab you by the throat, but there’s a lot to sink your teeth into with this EP. A mass of texture and…
Avril Lavigne – Avril Lavigne Released 1st November on Epic Pop/ Rock/ Punk/ Electronic Well, punk it ain’t no matter what she says, but for catchy hooks and singalong choruses you can’t fault the hangaround poseur. She sings with gusto even if I don’t believe her when she sings Rock n Roll. The young’uns will…
Fishbowl Sessions EP #1 – Little Fish 2011 – Independent Alternative/ Rock/ Acoustic Fish Bowl’s little acoustic EP is a great rock based collection of powerful ballads and gentle strums. The music itself isn’t anything I have’t heard before, but that doesn’t really matter much when the vocals come in and hit you square between…
Fishcat – Catfish 2013 – Independent Folk/ Rock Soft, sweet, and simple: lyrically and musically this EP has a wonderful feeling of craft perfected just for fun. It harks back to some of the music from the sixties and seventies, but, unlike many of their contemporaries, aren’t a simple derivation. There is something music that…
Prism – Katy Perry Released 22nd October on Capitol Pop/ Dance More hooks than you can poke a stick at, but that’s okay because the hooks are catchy. You’ll be singing along in no time. It’s melodramatic, which irks, and Perry’s vocal style is still as boring and overblown as ever, but the real thing…
Live From The Banana Stand – The Titans Of Industry 2011 – Independent Alternative/ Rock Nerd-rock, geek-rock, indie-hipster, call it what you will, but The Titans Of Industry certainly are catchy even if their music is a bit of a mess and I’ve heard it before. Their songwriting effortlessly blends nineties pop-grunge with the dishevelled…
Lachlan J. Faces The Music 