A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Back to main page

If, like many, you have no idea who the hell Jamie Lidell is, vocally he’s pitched somewhere between Prince, Beck and Jamiroquai (no, come back it gets better!), musically somewhere between Funkadelic, Little Axe and the sort of left-field electronic puddles you find the majority of other Warp artists paddling around in. He’s been trying to sew all these disparate entities together for some time now and he’s only gone and done it. This is a tremendous album, which wafts and wanes from squelchy funk to clanking blues, from beautifully bent ballads to wheezing Waits-ian electronica, and is easily the best thing he's done.
Drew Bass

buy this album

******************************************************************

If you haven’t ever heard of Living Colour then you are, sadly, in good company as they are one of the truly great overlooked bands of the late 20th century. Fortunately, having called it quits back in the mid-‘90s, they reformed at the birth of the new century, and whilst their creative fusion of metal, funk, jazz, punk and hip hop is seldom given the recognition it deserves at least a new young audience can now experience this fine band in action and we’d suggest this live show is a great starting point as it includes both classic old material alongside the newer tracks and is also available on DVD.
Ray Harper

buy this album

******************************************************************

Now Lick-less (that would be a reference to Ms Lewis' previous backing band, not a lack of intimate attentions – Ed) this is Juliette Lewis’ first solo album, also her first with the Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez twiddling her production buttons and the results are largely excellent recalling the more bug-eyed lunacy of PJ Harvey’s outings (this is a good thing), in fact it seems the move away from a group dynamic has freed Lewis up and allowed her to be far more experimental, something Lopez is eminently well placed to encourage and help realise. Not entirely sure why she’s dragging a cow around on the cover mind.
Ruby Palmer

buy this album

******************************************************************

On holiday from his day job with The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez Lopez clearly has so much going on in his bonce he needs a band, a solo career and all manner of collaborative side projects just to get it all out (this is just one of three solo albums he is currently promoting) and if occasionally you do find yourself yearning for TMV's Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s vocals to help lighten the positive onslaught of instrumentals here - Lopez seldom uses one idea if he can cram in fifteen – the mind-bending mixture of jazz, funk, Latin and psychedelic prog rock seldom leaves you feeling anything less than wholly gobsmacked.
Ruby Palmer

buy this album

******************************************************************

Formed in 1986 by Robert Hampson Loop never really became music press darlings in the way other psychedelic bands of the era like Spaceman 3 did (perhaps because Spaceman 3’s Sonic Boom was so quotable, insisting Loop were nothing but pale Spaceman 3 imitations), but retrospect allows us to view thing dispassionately and, to these ears at least, reveal Loop to be vastly superior to Sonic Boom and Co. and the newly remastered and expanded Heaven’s End is perhaps their finest feedback drenched hour – although there are fans who will insist Fade Out (also released in expanded form), is the release of choice.
Ruby Palmer

buy this album

******************************************************************

Arctic Monkey Alex Tuner’s side project (with fellow northern type, Miles Kane from The Rascals), based around a love of Scott Walker and Turners bonce full of ideas that won’t fit the sparky spunky Arctic template. Remarkably, given that the people involved are barely old enough to qualify as embryos, several of the tracks here sound genuinely like authentic Walker style outtakes, although quite what the average Monkey boy or girl will make of this ‘John Barry’ style string swathed effort remains to be seen. However lovers of Walker, hip 60s soundtrack music and adventurous Monkey fans are advised to check it out.
Ruby Palmer

buy this album

******************************************************************

Beautifully packaged (and excellent value) 4xCD box-set – with extensively researched notes by writer Alyn Shipton - celebrating the 80th birthdays of Cleo Laine & John Dankworth, stretching all the way back to Dankworth’s first recorded output in 1944 and taking us right up to 2005 (touching on trad, bebop, big band and soundtrack work) alongside link-ups with artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Dudley Moore, Julian Lloyd Webber, John Williams and of course each other (and their equally gifted children). If you want a jazz history lesson you really can do no better than start right here with the royal family of UK jazz.
Paul Riley

buy this album

******************************************************************

A collection of perennial sideman cranking out (mainly) cover versions, shouldn’t really be of interest, but when Ozzy Osbourne re-issued The Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman in 2002 replacing original co-composers Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake's original performances with new bass and drum tracks - both men having sued the singer for non-payment of royalties - they decided, not unreasonably, to re-record the tracks themselves. Roping in Deep Purple’s Steve Morse and Don Airey and ludicrously underrated vocalist Jimmy Barnes, the results are actually pretty damn entertaining, especially now that you get their only live show as a bonus DVD.
Ray Harper

Buy this album

******************************************************************

Part of the underrated Big Dish in the 1980s, Steven Lindsay spent many years away from music prior to his return in 2004 with the sparse, elegant Exit Music. Three years on, and the predominantly piano-based arrangements of that album have been augmented by horns and strings for this equally refined follow-up, although never at the expense of Lindsay’s haunting vocals and simple but effective lyrics. The title track is a euphoric invitation to turn off depressing TV news and go fly a kite (well, why not?), while mini-epic ‘Giving Up the Ghost’ should send more than a few shivers up an unsuspecting spine.


Buy this album

******************************************************************

James Murphy, a man who goes one step further than nodding heftily towards his influences musically by actually naming them in song (check the list on ‘Losing My Edge’ more) and on tracks like ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’ returns with his second (physical) long playing release, this time sounding not unlike an electronic gumbo of Eno period Talking Heads being played by The Strokes in Studio 54 – with flavours of David Bowie, Sweet, Tom Tom Club, Sparks and Kraftwerk chucked in for good measure - he then winds up the whole shebang with a woozy Lou Reed/Steve Malkmus style epic ballad. Demented but great fun.


buy this album

******************************************************************

One of those irritating buggers who seeks out a career making music and then promptly begins performing in the dark, refusing to talk about his music and generally coming over all enigmatic. Still, irritation aside, there’s no doubting the quality of his work and this, his second album, sees him add horns and strings to the mix whilst that much touted voice (and it is a lovely voice) is reigned in to almost whispering pitch in places – hmm, whispering and playing in the dark? At this rate he’ll disappear altogether – the end result is far more rounded and polished than his debut but will certainly still satisfy his fan-base.


buy this album

******************************************************************

Recent print coverage would have us believe JLL is the last of the great white superstars (Elvis gone, Cash gone, Roy gone etc.). By simply staying alive Jerry Lee has apparently proved something, but in all honesty has the man left a legacy even a tenth as good as Johnny Cash or Roy Orbison? He has not. His moment in the worldwide spotlight was blindingly bright but mercifully brief given the fact that he’s obnoxious. Still, a positive who’s who of country and rock (and Kid Rock), lend a helping hand over twenty odd tracks, the results ranging between likeable enough and downright bloody pedestrian.


Buy this album

******************************************************************

The boy Moby may well have managed far more conspicuous chart success with his melding of old blues standards and modern chart moves but Skip McDonald, for Little Axe is he - with help from, amongst others, buddies Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbush and producer Adrian Sherwood - is far more entrenched in the bare bones of the blues and gospel. Consequently the results have a far more genuine ring of truth about them, channelling the spirit of blues greats like Leadbelly, Son House, and Howling Wolf directly into a more bass heavy reggae and hip hop environment, and immensely powerful and moving it is too.


buy this album

******************************************************************

Tuneful and inventive, Into the Sun – Sean Lennon’s 1998 debut – was distinctive enough to ensure that it was not judged simply in the shadow of his late father’s considerable legacy. Apparently disillusioned by the music industry (and who can blame him?), it has taken a full eight years for the sequel to emerge. Largely recorded live with gifted accomplices including multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, the harmony-laden Friendly Fire variously recalls the work of Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Fountains of Wayne, Selling England-era Genesis (okay, just the once) and, yes, the old man, while somehow remaining its own quirky self.

buy this album

*****************************************************************

London listings magazine Time Out sponsored mix CD which is pretty damn good on two fronts, the first being the delightfully glitchy Damien Lazarus mix CD side which squishes the likes of Roots Manuva, Squarepusher, Yazoo and Gruff Rhys into a most entertaining 1:13:39 minute blast, the second being the interactive DVD side which offers up a batch of the current coolest shops, markets, restaurants, bars etc to pop along to – very useful for a visitor keen to hit all the right spots on a short visit. Of course it will be out of date by Christmas, but you still have the mix CD and Paris and New York versions are also available.


buy this album

******************************************************************

Kathryn Dawn Lang’s career has taken so many stylistic turns since her 1992 breakthrough album Ingenue that it can be easy to forget her early records were almost entirely country-orientated. Indeed, it’s a bit of a shock to hear the suave and finessed crooner of ‘Constant Craving’ battling it out with “good time” fiddles on this compilation of tracks drawn from her first four “cowpunk” albums. ‘Pay Dirt’ and ‘Turn Me Round’ are the hoedown-ing highlights of this sometimes unrecognisable lang, although the gorgeous ballad ‘Curious Soul Astray’ does offer a tantalising hint of what was to come.


buy this album

******************************************************************

It’s very late and this is the last CD in the review pile, it’s been a long, generally disappointing evening but things are about to pick up as this Belfast four piece, who have been wowing punters on the emerald isle for some time now – even landing the No 1 slot in Hot Press’s 2006 'most promising act' poll – have successfully married the soaring beauty of Sigur Ros to the stadium thunder of U2. Comparisons with Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Muse have also been bandied about (and with some justification) but for us this is the album everyone hoped Coldplay would make last year. Definitely ones to watch.


buy this album

******************************************************************

Drawing comparisons with Belly, The Breeders and The Bangles – which given they are a female trio is pretty much inevitable – The Like definitely bear comparison with those acts, but tracks like ‘Under The Paving Stones’ have just as much in common with the Clash’s ‘London Calling’. And whilst most of the press seem obsessed with the possibilities of nepotism - Z. Berg (guitar/vocals), Charlotte Froom (bass) and Tennessee Thomas (drums) are the progeny of A&R man Tony Berg, producer Mitchell Froom and Attractions drummer Pete Thomas – this is actually an assured, impressive, melody driven collection of indie-centric pop.


buy this album

******************************************************************

A mere six years in the making, Liverpudlian duo Loka (Karl Webb and Mark Kyriacou) are nothing if not meticulous, and given the convoluted future jazz on offer here perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Fans of those other Ninja Tune mainstays Cinematic Orchestra or recent signings Jaga Jazzist will be in familiar territory, the unlikely press release claim of ‘Miles Davis jamming with Carl Craig and the Kronos Quartet’ actually not that ludicrous a starting point (if only to prompt the listener to expect the unexpected) By turns sinister, uplifting, funky and beautiful Fire Shepherds is living breathing sound of jazz circa 2006.


Buy this album

******************************************************************

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins
Rabbit Fur Coat (Rough Trade)

Compiled of songs written in the Rilo Kiley tour van and recorded last year in the San Fernando Valley and Portland, Oregon with the Watson Twins (a honey-voiced pair of identical singering sisters), Lewis digs into her past, including looks at her star-struck pushy mother and failed love affairs, wrapping the results in a very low-key mixture of folk, country, gospel and straight up pop, which may possibly alienate the odd indie-centric Kiley fan but frankly shouldn’t. Ignore the plethora of girlie singer-songwriters clogging up the charts and pick up this and the recent Cat Power album The Greatest, you won’t be disappointed.


Buy this album

******************************************************************

Lemmy
Damage Case (Castle)

We’re big fans of Ian Fraser Kilmister here at TM-Online, not least because this 60 year old rocker makes most of the current crop of metal-heads sound positively lightweight - whilst watching his peers grow grey and flabby. This career spanning collection includes top notch clatter from his time in the Rockin’ Vicars, Hawkwind and of course Motörhead. Collectors will also be delighted to find his link ups with Girlschool, the Plasmatics Wendy O Williams, The Damned, Dave Grohl, the Ramones various Stray Cats and Pirates axe man Mick Green spread over the two discs. Just don’t imagine that he’s gonna gracefully retire now.


buy this album

******************************************************************

LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem (DFA)

Lauded in chin stroking mags like The Wire as the intellectual saviours of disco-punk - LCD head honcho James Murphy wear’s his influences like a big flashing neon suit (check early single Losing My Edge or Fall homage Movement) - but also on the dance-floors of New York by those fond of cutting a rug to cracking bum shakers like Daft Punk Are Playing In My House. LCD Soundsystem are in fact equal parts knowing winks, punk attitude, stuttering krautrock, clipped white funk and serious Studio 54 dance-floor dynamics. Get in quick and you’ll also get a second CD of equally frazzled early material

buy this album

******************************************************************

John Lydon
The Best Of British £1 Notes (Virgin)

The path from nationally reviled tabloid villain to nationally treasured tabloid icon is not one often travelled with any degree of success, but that’s exactly the route John Lydon has followed, none of which has anything to do with the fact that he’s also been behind some of the greatest music ever recorded. Not content with fronting two of our finest rock and roll bands (the Sex Pistols and PiL) Lydon’s subsequent link ups with the likes of Leftfield and Afrika Bambaattaa then resulted in several all time classic dance tunes. It’s all here, including a cracking new tune 'The Rabbit Song', proving there’s clearly more to come


buy this album

*****************************************************************

John Lennon
Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon (Parlophone)

It’s always going to be a subjective business creating a ‘definitive collection’, summing up an artist like John Lennon over a mere 38 tracks is something of an impossible task (like who the hell thought 'Intuition' was definitive?), but given these limitations - and briefly skipping over exactly who the hell might want this that hasn’t already got everything here - this is a pretty cool stab at covering all the bases from gentle ballads, through primal workouts, visceral sniping and onto those big ol’ sing-a-long-a- Johnny moments. If you have a young music fan in your household do ‘em a favour and pop this in their Christmas stocking

Buy this album

******************************************************************

Shelby Lynne
Suit Yourself (EMI)

Have you ever dismissed something simply because of what you assume it sounds like? Are you someone who believes themselves to be completely out of step with the new breed of US crossover country stars? Then do yourself a favour, listen to this and see if you still feel the same way. Sounding a little like Rickie Lee Jones in places, and with production values that can best be described as, erm, frayed around the edges – although let’s be honest all the best country is stripped of surface gloss – Suit Yourself doesn't sound at all like you might imagine and, more importantly, far better than you might believe


buy this album

*****************************************************************

Bill Laswell
Dub Massive - Chapter One (Trojan)

One of two dub collections put together by Bill Laswell after being let loose in the Trojan Vaults, Dub Massive is billed as a set of re-interpretations but in reality proves to be more of a lick of paint and spot of sanding than a full blown restoration job as an extra production sheen is ladled onto the likes of King Tubby, Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo, Scientist, Sly And Robbie and a good many others (hell, if it ain’t broke eh?) and if doesn't exactly reinvent any of the classics found here it does at least prove Bill Laswell has impeccable taste and proves to be a very satisfying first outing for his new UK label Sanctuary.


buy this album

******************************************************************

John Lennon
Acoustic (Capitol)

Bit of a curio this Lennon unplugged outing as it seems to have been cobbled together from the dusty nether regions of Yoko’s tape cupboard - including seven unreleased recordings - and ranges from the pretty pointless sub minute snippet of Woman Is The Nigger Of The World and pedestrian instrumental So Real to the painfully heartfelt My Mummy’s Dead and splendid clatters through Working Class Hero and God. It even includes all the chord charts for all you budding axe victims, so expect to hear dreadful karaoke versions of Lennon classics in a front-room near you very soon.

Buy this album

*****************************************************************

Little Axe
Champagne & Grits (Real World)

This has been out for a while now but as it isn’t clogging up the charts we felt we should give you all a nudge and point you at one of this years - soon to be lost if everyone doesn’t get their bloody finger out – little gems. The recipe is simple, take the blues, courtesy of Sugarhill/Tackhead mainstay Skip McDonald, dub, tweak, sample and process them (courtesy of On-U dub legend Adrian Sherwood) sprinkle on a little Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbish, add guest vocals from Junior Delgado, Shara Nelson and Chris Difford and bobs yer uncle. Top smart.

buy this album

******************************************************************

Lemon Jelly
’64 – ’95 (XL)

This reviewer has to admit to having failed to fall for Lemon Jelly’s charms to date, Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen’s constructs, to these ears at least, being so much style over content. Which is why I approached this with little in the way of expectations, and got something of a subsequent ear boxing by an inspired collection of tracks built around samples whipped from the Jelly boys massive vinyl collection (the album title referring to the dates of the samples used). From Gallagher And Lyle snippets to Masters Of Reality heavy metal lifts LJ have created something altogether sublime

Buy this album

******************************************************************

The Levellers
Truth & Lies (Eagle Records)

Regularly reviled in the UK's music press and about as popular with the nations radio stations as someone with a very itchy skin complaint in a crisp factory, The levellers, rather like previous social outcasts Ozric Tentacles, carry on regardless, continuing to make music, release albums, play gigs to many thousands of devoted fans and were in fact the best thing on the recent live Glastonbury Anthems album by a sodding mile. This, their latest, sees no real change in their punky folk direction, but you can almost hear the choruses being belted out by a field full of happy revellers this summer already.


buy this album

******************************************************************

Amos Lee
Amos Lee (Blue Note)

Discovered whilst touring with Norah Jones on her European tour last year (she supplies guest vocals on Colors) this US born ex-elementary teacher was snapped up by Blue Note, and the resultant album can best be described as a collection of self-penned soulful jazzy folksongs, pitched vocally somewhere between Seal and Daryl Hall. Given that most majors have an Amos Lee on their books nowadays there’s a good deal of luck involved in whether he sinks or swims, certainly there’s no lack of talent on show here as Lee can both write and sing beautifully, but if that alone is enough remains to be seen...


buy this album

******************************************************************

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Back to main page