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Album Reviews
This Et Al - The Figure Eight EP
This Et Al - The Figure Eight EP
'The Figure Eight' EP is an unashamed and stylish portfolio of what the band are capable of, and judging by what's on show here, rightly so.
The Loose Salute - Tuned To Love
The Loose Salute - Tuned To Love
This really is made for lazy summer days, a collection of mellow, sunny tracks to lie in a hammock and drink lemonade to.
Lykke Li - Little Bit EP
Lykke Li - Little Bit EP
She's more in common with the earthy Camille or Feist than anyone from her motherland.
The Shortwave Set - Replica Sun Machine
The Shortwave Set - Replica Sun Machine
You have to admire the man-hours Danger Mouse has put into arranging and producing 'Replica Sun Machine'.
Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon
Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon
'The Last Tycoon' is a pleasing diversion until the PB&J follow-up to 'Writer's Block'.
Speck Mountain - Summer Above
Speck Mountain - Summer Above
This is a complex debut album, but a promising one. There's definitely enough here for Speck Mountain's 'unrelenting hope' to remain.
The Alps - Something I Might Regret
The Alps - Something I Might Regret
The Alps sit between Hard-Fi and The Ordinary Boys like the middle layer of corrugated cardboard: sitting there, serving a purpose, but ultimately impossible to get excited about.
Billy Bragg - Mr Love And Justice
Billy Bragg - Mr Love And Justice
Hopefully he'll realise that staying relevant doesn't mean dueting with Kate Nash, ever again.
Drive-By Argument - Drive-By Argument
Drive-By Argument - Drive-By Argument
Their debut may not have entirely escaped the received musical approach of their background.
Navvy - 4 Songs
Navvy - 4 Songs
The lyrics make no sense, but once the call-and-response shared girl/boy vocal duties kick in, it's not going to budge.
Track Reviews
The Presets - This Boy's In Love
The Presets - This Boy's In Love
As is standard procedure with The Presets, it's all keys and synths, but they manage to capture the strange ethereal nature of the emotion and all things that come with it.
Jacob Golden - On A Saturday
Jacob Golden - On A Saturday
It's hard to tell what there's more of: generic indie rock bands peddling rubbish about their jeans, or singer-songwriters peddling rubbish about their feelings.
The Ruby Suns - Kenya Dig It?
The Ruby Suns - Kenya Dig It?
Even bearing in mind that we've quite a weak spot for names and jokes with puns in them, 'Kenya Dig It?' may have pushed the boat just that little too far.
dEUS – The Architect / Slow
dEUS – The Architect / Slow
Let's not waste too much time here. dEUS have been around for what seems to be an eternity, but this double A-side effort is unlikely to win over any new fans.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Who Built The Road
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Who Built The Road
A timely reminder that their previous album was far from a one hit wonder.
iLiKETRAiNS - We Go Hunting
iLiKETRAiNS - We Go Hunting
Isolated vocals married to careful strumming make this an introspective counterweight to the lead track, and is the perfect tune to listen to on the night bus home.
Pull Tiger Tail - Mary Jane
Pull Tiger Tail - Mary Jane
With the use of echo-heavy vocals and backing vocals, it all sounds a little (gulp) U2, and this just wasn't what we thought Pull Tiger Tail would become.
Ladyhawke - Back Of The Van
Ladyhawke - Back Of The Van
'Back Of The Van' is one of few tracks which can place you in two minds.
The Brightlights - 3
The Brightlights - 3
This font will literally save your band and get you two stars single-handedly. Font-tastic! Font-tabulous! Font-cellent! You get the picture.
Spiral Beach - Voodoo
Spiral Beach - Voodoo
A cross between the 'oompah' ending of a musical and the theme of a spaghetti western, all the while staying the right side of ridiculous.
Live Reviews
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Hammersmith Apollo, London
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Hammersmith Apollo, London
Tonight's Hammersmith audience are treated to a selection of the finest Seed material.
Her Name Is Calla, Bardens Boudoir, London
Her Name Is Calla, Bardens Boudoir, London
With their slow ups and downs, Her Name Is Calla deliver epic ballads of modern times, in a totally original manner.
We Are Scientists, Octagon, Sheffield
We Are Scientists, Octagon, Sheffield
Throughout the set it's apparent that it's the songs from the debut album that the crowd really want to hear.
V Festival, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
V Festival, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Bathed in flashing strobe lights, the Sydney duo deliver pulsating beats, pumping bass-lines and electronic bleeps.
The Long Blondes, Octagon, Sheffield
The Long Blondes, Octagon, Sheffield
Band, crowd and everyone leaves very happy, and they manage all this without using biggest hit 'Weekend Without Makeup'.
Be Your Own Pet, Scala, London
Be Your Own Pet, Scala, London
This is a hardcore punk gig. From the first song to the last, it's a breakneck pace where the tempo of every song is cranked up over fifty percent.
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, The Luminaire, London
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, The Luminaire, London
If we can just find ourselves somewhere in a voice on a beat-up keyboard, and hold that note and listen...
Tegan and Sara, Koko, London
Tegan and Sara, Koko, London
The idea that they might dedicate a song to Hillary Clinton is hilarious. Until they do. Bananas.
Future Music Festival, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Future Music Festival, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Having burst onto the dance music festival scene last year, Future Music Festival rolls into this city once more.
Youthmovies, Scala, London
Youthmovies, Scala, London
In a way, their unpredictability is their strength, because whenever one starts feeling bored, there is a risk to be taken aback by a sudden turnaround, generally for the better.