Artist: Muse

It's not really about the music anymore, is it. It's about the breadth and height of everything Muse do. It's about leaving a jet-stream in the sky. Any tune with a trajectory lower than the cosmos is presumably discarded, with arrangements generally sounding as expensive as battleships (intergalactic battleships, that is). Of course the music is not exactly incidental either; Muse's full-on fifth album The Resistance is packed hard with virtuoso musicianship, rigorous instrumental freak-outs and harmonies beamed between dimensions. It's simply what they do now, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Long gone are the days of the feisty yet formal English post-grunge band with a falsetto bolt-on. So let the madness commence; "Uprising" gives the Dr Who theme tune a stomping glam makeover, "Undisclosed Desires" is like a prog-rock Justin Timberlake, "Guiding Light" is the sound of Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love" being jettisoned into the ether in an escape pod and "Exogenesis Symphony Part 1 (Overture)" is ambitious equal parts 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Flaming Lips and a belting Brian May style guitar solo sent straight from the roof of Buckingham Palace. They...
muse at their finest, 2010-08-23
Fantastic album demonstrating Muse at their very best. Gives an immediate up beat, feel good factor, absolutely amazing.

Artist: Eels

Album of the year!, 2010-09-03

On this album E finishes his trilogy (three albums in the space of 12 months)El Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning all work individually however collectively they provide a broad canvass. IMO E (Mark Oliver Everitt) is the greatest American songwriter at work today. He is a much overlooked talent who can create loud lecherous Southern Rock a la ZZ Top on El Hombre, then sad broken music of heartbreak and despair (like an indie Leonard Cohen) on End Times and now Tomorrow Morning.
Tomorrow Morning is blisssful, inventive whole hearted, open eyed, uplifting music.
At times it resonates with life affirming warmth ( much like his previous opus "Blinking Lights and other revelations" and at times it's just fun with killer lyrics on "The Man" or the beautiful single " Spectacular girl".
If you have only heard Eels through singles from soundtracks such as Shrek this could be the perfect starting point for the interested listener. However I would heartily recommend all 9 Eels albums which are all superb. You could do worse than check out the DVD "Eels with Strings" (now greatly discounted on Amazon).
In any event this captures a truly brilliant talent at the top of his form. Go out there and buy it - then buy up his back catalogue!!

Artist: 30 Seconds to Mars

My favourite!, 2010-08-27
I didn't particularly like 30 Seconds to Mars - I found their music loud with unnecessary shouting. My opinion of them changed however when I heard Kings and Queens whilst flicking through the music channels. The song quickly became one of my fave's and made me appreciate their earlier work such as The Kill and Attack. After buying this album and A Beautiful Lie I can honestly say they are now my favourite band which is strange because I wasn't really into this genre of music before. This Is War was described as sounding like a movie and I think this is a perfect description, it's atmospheric and really gets you into a good mood. Jared Leto is an amazing singer and the sound is something I've never heard before. Anyway, I now totally adore them and am going to see them perform in Birmingham in December which will be totally amazing I'm sure :D Hope this helped! xx

Artist: The Pretty Reckless

Fresh meat, the fresher, the better, 2010-09-03
I spend a good deal of my time searching for bands of the future, it's a hobby and I think this is a well produced and performed first album, retaining the fresh taste of rock.

Lets hope they don't become too sanitized by the 'music industry'.

Listening to this CD, the band appear to be poised on a knife edge, they could either go pop and be one or two hit wonders, then dissapear from grace, back to the small street venues until they die!

But if they stick with the raw edge and keep it a little more brutal and think about introducing a little silence and variety of rythmn, they could make it big for a long time.

A pleasure to listen to the lead vocals work well, the drums are ok if a little dogmatic, but it's early days, the lead/rythmn guitar is well balanced, but a little predictable in the odd places. The bass has a very good sound, perhaps just a little more drive in some songs bringing in a funk/dance feel to the rock occasionally.

I will be watching these guys, and doll, for the future. Good luck to them.

Worth a listen, definately.

Artist: Klaxons

Much better than expected, 2010-08-28
Im not a fan of the band but when i read some of the reviews I was drawn to listen to the album and I love it.Its powerful rock with an alternative twist. The songs are well crafted,intelligent and creative. This is one of my albums of the year along with crystal castles II & MIA's MAYA. Unlike most people I think this is a positive step forward from the first album. Great stuff

Artist: Lissie

Brilliant!, 2010-09-01
I just downloaded this on the off chance today in dire need of some new music on my Ipod. It has been on loop since half nine this morning I love it that much. I had been toying downloading this for a few days as I'd not heard any of Lissie's songs before and thought she was probably one of those artists we're supposed to say we like when actually the album never gets played. The album is full of catchy songs and if you get chance, download the Cuckoo EP for her amazing version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance!

Artist: Various Artists

All the American hits on one album, 2010-09-02
Think the header says it all, what fantastic value for money and some great hits

Artist: Mumford & Sons

Well what can I say ......, 2010-08-25



SUPERB !! Best album that I have brought in a long time - Every song is great, love it love it love it !!

Artist: Brandon Flowers

Artist: Plan B

The Defamation Of Strickland Banks, the second LP from Forest Gate-bred singer/musician Ben Drew, will be a surprise for anyone who spent meaningful time with his 2006 debut Who Needs Actions When You’ve Got Words. That album cast him as a potty-mouthed rapper, threatening to stab you with a biro over choppy acoustic guitar. Now, following a quick makeover, he re-emerges as blue-eyed soul singer, fronting a suite of bittersweet love songs steeped in vintage Stax and Motown. What might seem a rushed rebranding makes more sense if you know a little about Drew's creative drive, though; obsessed with cinema and narrative, Plan B is a storyteller at heart, and …Strickland Banks' songs trace a tale through the London underworld, Drew playing a soul singer from the East End jailed for a crime he didn’t commit. It's a concept that works, thanks largely to Drew’s voice--surprisingly strong, and more than capable of handling everything from upbeat Northern soul to fraught numbers like "Welcome To Hell". The narrative never overwhelms the quality of the songs, though, and for anyone disappointed such an impressively angry man has gone a bit Paolo Nutini on us, the...
PLAN B THE DEFAMATION OF STRICKLAND BANKS, 2010-09-03
WORTH EVERY PENNY, REFRESHING NEW SOUND, GREAT FOR THE CAR WITH SOME FANTASTIC UP BEAT SOUNDS AS WELL AS SOME DEEP SING A LONG TUNES. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED