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

Still most peoples choice for best U2 album ever (opening four track salvo ‘Where The Street’s Have No Name’, ‘I Still Haven’t Found...’, ‘With Or Without You’ and ‘Bullet The Blue Sky’), this was the U2, Eno, Daniel Lanois axis in full flight. Not an easy album to make apparently – at one point Eno contemplated ‘accidentally’ wiping the tapes – the end results are nonetheless still astonishing, and whilst this is an album which needs no extra out-take/b-side padding fans will find plenty of fascinating extra material on the limited edition box set which boasts a book, pictures and an extra CD and DVD of material.
Ruby Palmer

buy this album

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

As most of their contemporaries have bitten the dust Underworld deserve points for just hanging in there, plugging away in the UK’s ailing dance scene, but this isn’t a story of grimly hanging on but one of reinvention, of moving forward, of proving their trademark trance-esque sound sculptures are as inventive now as they were back in the day. Tracks like ‘Beautiful Burnout’ and ‘Glam Bucket’ are easily as atmospheric as anything they have ever recorded and ‘Ring Road’ (a typically barmy stream of Underworldian consciousness) even sidles into Mike Skinner and Kate Nash territory.


buy this album

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

Once home to notable beat merchant DJ Shadow nowadays James Lavelle and Richard File’s UNKLE tend to work with whoever takes their fancy which, given previous link ups with Thom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft and Ian Brown, would suggest they’re adept at enticing cool singers into the studio. Which explains Josh Homme’s inclusion but adding Ian Astbury to the list is surely not a smart move? Actually it is, lest we forget in his pre ‘I’m Jim Morrison’ days Astbury’s band the Cult made some great albums and his efforts here positively crackle with attitude, as Lavelle keeps the beats heavy, the vibe rocky and the guitars widescreen.


buy this album

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

‘I’m A Big Sister, And I’m A Girl, And I’m A Princess, And This Is My Horse’ is the third instalment in the download only Riverrun Project created entirely from new material and instigated to allow Karl Hyde and Rick Smith to get new material out to listeners almost immediately after realising it. The darkest of the three instalments to date ‘I’m A Big Sister...’ nonetheless builds up a fair old head of steam to kick off it’s thirty minute lope before dropping into moody pulses, ambient washes and spooked piano interludes. Download all three pieces and you’ll get a free ‘Misterons Mix’ of the entire series later this month.


buy this album

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

The second in the duo’s groundbreaking series of releases they say should be viewed as listening experiences as they are neither singles nor albums (basically the guys dip into their huge great pulsating hard drive and pluck out, generally totally new and unheard, tracks which they then mix into a thirty minute-ish aural montage and then add loads of pics to a download package which you can pick up for just £5.00). The first release, Lovely Broken Thing, was typically hypnotic and upbeat, this release far more down-tempo and recreational tobacco friendly, both are well worth downloading, and there's more to come.


buy this album

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

Although largely unknown in the UK this is actually the fifth album by this Florida based post hardcore outfit (let’s not get into the whole emo debate) who have in the past exhibited a penchant for shedding members like a snake sloughing skin. Having not heard any of their previous albums it’s hard to say whether this is a stylistic leap in any new directions but, aside from being practising Christians who sound like they recorded this in the very pits of hell, Define The Great Line really is an exhilarating mixture of throat shredding hardcore, full on melody drenched choruses and prog style convoluted riffing.


buy this album

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

U2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Island)

Another year, another U2 album and - the occasional lapses of momentum and mad over-reaching rock star behaviour (and Bono is nothing if not a mad over-reaching rock star) aside – yet another classy effort from the only genuine ‘gang’ left in rock (go on, you name a band that’s been around this long, share song-writing credits and still have the same line-up?). Naturally the parlous state of the planet is addressed, but How To…is also full of references to Bono’s recently departed dad and is… hell let’s stick our necks out, the best thing they’re recorded since Joshua Tree.

Buy this album

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

The Unisex
White Days (Shifty Disco)

The splendid Oxford based Shifty Disco label have never made any secret about their love for proper ‘pop’ music as this collection of long deleted EP’s by criminally overlooked five piece The Unisex proves – indeed their increasingly impressive and diverse download singles club (more here) prove they are a particularly open minded lot. If you are enamoured by Coldplay, Athlete, Travis et al then you’re gonna love the Unisex, but this is no exercise in bandwagon jumping as The Unisex display equal parts gorgeous melodic pop nous and Roses/The LA’s swagger. Sod the Magic Numbers THIS is the sound of the summer


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