Things went quiet with Blur after their hugely successful 2009 reunion tour and it seemed that band members were resigned to new material not being released. Then there was a shock announcement earlier this year that the band would be back with their first album in 12 years –- and first album with guitarist Graham…
Record Of The Week: Alabama Shakes – ‘Sound & Color’
Alabama Shakes were one of the music success stories of 2012, with their debut album Boys & Girls getting a host of rave reviews and their retro combination of blues and soul topped off by Brittany Howard’s insanely powerful voice sending audiences wild and selling one million copies. Now comes the difficult second album, which…
Record Of The Week: Speedy Ortiz – ‘Foil Deer’
In the past, Bostonian indie rock band Speedy Ortiz have been constantly compared to Pavement, partly due to the band’s angular and off-kilter playing style. Singer/guitarist Sadie Dupuis’ unique phrasing and lyrics (she has a degree in poetry) have been likened to Stephen Malkmus (who Speedy Ortiz recently toured with). But with the release of…
Record Of The Week: Marilyn Manson – ‘The Pale Emperor’
The week of January 19th saw a host of big albums released. Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, Belle and Sebastian, Fall-Out Boy, Viet Cong and Bjork all brought out new records in one of the biggest weeks for new music in years. But one artist who brought out an album that week seems to have flown under…
Record Of The Week: Sleater-Kinney – ‘No Cities To Love’
“Part of this whole Sleater-Kinney 2.0 is breaking the rules.” – Corin Tucker If there ever was a reunion that need to happen, it was that of Sleater-Kinney. The Portland-based band, who went on hiatus in 2006, were one of the few bands that combined the personal and political to devastating musical effect. They were…