ARTIST: Alice in Chains
ALBUM: BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE
RATING: 4 out of 5
Generation X readers of this magazine may recall Alice in Chains, the often forgotten or overlooked Seattle-based metal group who emerged around the same time as grunge spearheads Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, though established themselves as different by shunning some of grunges shall-we-say less appealing aspects, and embracing vocal and guitar harmonics as one of the cores of their songwriting.
ARTIST: La Roux
ALBUM: LA ROUX
RATING: 3.5 out of 5
You could be forgiven for thinking that the synth-pop sound had died an honourable death in the early 1990s, following the virtual demise of Neil Tennants’ the Pet Shop Boys and Annie Lennox going into more rock-centric territory with the Eurythmics.
Like everyone, I’ve been following the news of pop star Michael Jackson’s death closely, trying to figure out exactly what happened to one of the most talented, most gifted musicians to ever walk the earth.
ARTIST: Grizzly Bear
ALBUM: VECKATIMEST
RATING: 4 out of 5
Back with their third full length album, Brooklyn-based indie act Grizzly Bear have released one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year with Veckatimest.
ARTIST: Eskimo Joe
ALBUM: INSHALLA
RATING: 2 out of 5
From the distant shores of Western Australia comes the latest from critically-acclaimed, award-winning rockers Eskimo Joe.
ARTIST: Midnight Youth
ALBUM: THE BRAVE DON’T RUN
RATING: 4 out of 5
When it comes to over-played pop music you can hear on every station from Kaitaia to Invercargill, the general rule of thumb is that it isn’t usually lifted from a great album.
ARTIST: Gomez
ALBUM: A NEW TIDE
RATING: 3.5 out of 5
It’s been nearly three years since Gomez last hit stores with their fantastic album How We Operate – an album this reviewer described as “songwriting at its best” (Investigate Magazine, July 2006) – so it was with high anticipation that I popped A New Tide into my CD player and sat back for a listen.
ARTIST: U2
ALBUM: NO LINE ON THE HORIZON
RATING: 4 out of 5
One of the biggest bands in the world releases one of the most anticipated albums of the year this month, amid many questions around whether they’ve still got it, and whether they can continue to deliver 30 years into an extremely distinguished career.
ARTIST: Lily Allen
ALBUM: IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU
RATING: 4 out of 5
Lily Allen – the unconventional British diva responsible for catchy hits “Smile” and “LDN”, that hit big in 2006 – returns this month with the followup to her debut album Alright, Still.
ARTIST: The Mots
ALBUM: THE MOTS
RATING: 4 out of 5
When it comes to Kiwi rags-to-riches stories, it doesn’t come much more intriguing than The Mots.
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