Album review
Argus
Wishbone Ash
Argus gives Wishbone Ash's twin guitars a clear musical purpose. The leads can move together or follow separate lines, but they remain connected to the songs around them. Folk…
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Reviews
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Album review
Son of a Broken Man
Fantastic Negrito
Son of a Broken Man puts family, betrayal and survival at the centre of Fantastic Negrito's music. It is a deeply personal record, but the performances do not stay in a single…
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Album review
Purgatory
Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers makes familiar country forms feel immediate on Purgatory. Fiddle, banjo and guitar provide a clear connection to older music, but the people in these songs belo…
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Album review
The Cold Sun
Loathe
The Cold Sun makes atmosphere an active part of its heaviness. Loathe surround their low guitar sound with electronic textures, quieter interludes and sudden changes of direct…
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Album review
Destrier
Agent Fresco
Destrier finds a strong meeting point between delicate melody and restless rock. Agent Fresco use piano, shifting rhythms and Arnór Dan Arnarson's expressive singing to give t…
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Album review
Devil Ultrasonic Dream
Teen Mortgage
Devil Ultrasonic Dream wastes very little time. Teen Mortgage turn garage rock, punk and a rough grunge edge into eleven short songs with clear hooks and plenty of energy. The…
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Album review
Static Tensions
Kylesa
Static Tensions gives Kylesa's heavy riffs exceptionally lively movement. Two drummers provide more than extra volume. Their parts can take different paths while maintaining t…
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Album review
This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)
Chevelle
This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) keeps Chevelle's heavy, melodic sound close to its established shape. Pete Loeffler's voice remains the strongest point of focus, moving…
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Album review
Transilvanian Hunger
Darkthrone
Transilvanian Hunger chooses a direction and rarely moves away from it. The guitars repeat, the drums maintain pressure and the voice sounds hoarse and hostile. Darkthrone doe…
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Album review
662
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
662 gives Christone "Kingfish" Ingram more ways to make his mark than a powerful guitar solo. The blues remain the foundation, but soul, acoustic playing and a stronger focus …
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Album review
Haw
Hiss Golden Messenger
Haw brings country, blues, folk and soul into a sound that feels connected rather than neatly divided into styles. The traditional forms are familiar, but the arrangements hav…
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Album review
Design Your Universe
Epica
The guitars take a larger role on Design Your Universe without costing Epica their symphonic character. This 2009 album sounds heavy and active: riffs change direction, the dr…
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Album review
12 Stories
Brandy Clark
12 Stories finds Brandy Clark treating ordinary lives as subjects worth close attention. The songs follow people looking for relief from work, difficult relationships and the …
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Album review
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2
Joe Bonamassa
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 finds Joe Bonamassa sounding comfortable with the music that first shaped his playing. The record follows the broad idea of his 2003 Blues Deluxe album, br…
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Album review
A Mind Waiting to Die
Graphic Nature
A Mind Waiting to Die makes an immediate impression through its rhythmic force. Graphic Nature combine low guitars, harsh vocals and electronic interruptions into a sound that…
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Album review
Wheels Within Wheels
MEER
Wheels Within Wheels gives MEER's songs a bigger setting without losing their appeal as songs. The Norwegian band combine a rock rhythm section with keyboards, violin, viola a…
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Album review
Antifogmatic
Punch Brothers
A banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and double bass could make a very familiar bluegrass record. On Antifogmatic, Punch Brothers use that line-up to explore much more. A song ca…
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Album review
Birds of Fire
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Birds of Fire keeps Mahavishnu Orchestra's fierce playing while giving more attention to texture and contrast. Guitar, violin and keyboards can still push against one another …
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Album review
Only Revolutions
Biffy Clyro
Only Revolutions keeps Biffy Clyro's guitar music immediate and highly melodic. The songs are compact, the choruses large, and the production gives the performances a bright f…
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Album review
From A Room: Volume 1
Chris Stapleton
From A Room: Volume 1 keeps Chris Stapleton's country sound small enough for the songs to remain clear. The arrangements rely on a familiar mix of acoustic guitar, steady rhyt…
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Album review
Spirits
Nothing More
Spirits gives Nothing More's heavy rock a stronger electronic presence. Synth sounds and altered bass textures share space with the guitars, while Jonny Hawkins moves between …
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Album review
Birds in the Ceiling
John Moreland
Birds in the Ceiling places John Moreland's voice and guitar inside a more electronic setting. Piano, synthesizers and programmed rhythms create a softer, less familiar space …
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Album review
The 4th Album
The Record Company
The 4th Album brings The Record Company back to a direct blues rock sound. The playing has room to move, the hooks are clear, and the bass has a large part in making the songs…
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Album review
Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Spock's Beard
Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep brings a fresh vocal presence into Spock's Beard's familiar progressive rock. Ted Leonard sings with warmth and control, while Jimmy Keegan…
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