Album review
Heavy Load Blues
Gov't Mule
Heavy Load Blues makes a strong case for letting Gov't Mule work within a narrower frame. The band have always carried blues through their rock music, but this set puts the st…
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Reviews
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Album review
Kingfish
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Kingfish introduces Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as a blues musician with more to offer than a quick display of guitar speed. His debut has plenty of strong playing, but the so…
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Album review
Visions
Haken
Visions asks for a considerable amount of time, then makes a good case for taking it. Haken's second album is full of long songs, changing rhythms and detailed instrumental pl…
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Album review
A Hero's Death
Fontaines D.C.
Fontaines D.C. remove much of the hurry from their music on A Hero's Death. The band sound heavier and more thoughtful, with extra space between the guitars and a clearer plac…
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Album review
La Di Da Di
Battles
Without a singer, La Di Da Di puts all the attention on Battles' instrumental interaction. Guitar and keyboards borrow each other's sounds, short figures repeat, and John Stan…
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Album review
Wired
Jeff Beck
Wired puts Jeff Beck's guitar inside a more forceful, keyboard-rich version of jazz rock. The playing has plenty of speed, but the rhythms and contrasting arrangements give it…
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Album review
As You Please
Citizen
As You Please gives Citizen's heavy alternative rock a wider range of textures. Piano, electronic details and changes in vocal tone sit around the guitars, while the band take…
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Album review
The New Faith
Jake Blount
Old songs face an unsettled future on The New Faith. Jake Blount uses spirituals, blues and traditional instruments to tell the story of a community trying to survive after a …
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Album review
Severed Survival
Autopsy
The bass receives unusual space on Severed Survival. Steve DiGiorgio does more than follow the guitars: he moves between them and pushes songs in different directions. That gi…
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Album review
Outside Child
Allison Russell
Outside Child gives Allison Russell's personal stories a musical setting full of warmth and possibility. The writing addresses a difficult past, but the record is equally conc…
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Album review
Violate Consensus Reality
Psychonaut
Violate Consensus Reality gives Psychonaut's progressive metal a sharper attack. Heavy riffs and forceful singing arrive quickly, but the Belgian trio leave room for patient b…
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Album review
Heirs
And So I Watch You from Afar
Heirs looks for a balance between And So I Watch You from Afar's busy guitars and their increasingly accessible melodies. The Belfast band still play with infectious force, bu…
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Album review
Never Before Seen, Never Again Found
Arm’s Length
Never Before Seen, Never Again Found gives Arm’s Length a strong introduction. The Canadian band combine emo and pop-punk with a softer, reflective side, using clear melodies …
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Album review
Back to the Water Below
Royal Blood
Back to the Water Below gives Royal Blood's bass-and-drums sound more room around its edges. There is still plenty of distorted weight and direct rhythmic force, but piano and…
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Album review
Much Love
Microwave
Much Love takes Microwave's rough melodic rock into more flexible territory. Nathan Hardy can sound gentle and inviting before the same song turns towards a strained shout. Th…
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Album review
Birth, School, Work, Death
Hyro The Hero
Birth, School, Work, Death places a firm band around Hyro The Hero's rapping without removing the words from the centre. Music moves between hip-hop and punk-like guitar parts…
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Album review
Prelude to Ecstasy
The Last Dinner Party
Prelude to Ecstasy is built to make a large impression. The Last Dinner Party fill their debut with strong voices, bright guitar parts, piano and orchestral detail, moving fre…
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Album review
Suckapunch
You Me at Six
SUCKAPUNCH brings a useful restlessness to You Me At Six's melodic rock. Guitars remain important, but electronic beats, R&B touches and dance rhythms change the surroundings.…
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Album review
Feel Something
Movements
Feel Something gives Movements a clear purpose: make the singing and the instruments carry the same emotional weight. Patrick Miranda moves between melody, rougher cries and s…
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Album review
Effloresce
Covet
Effloresce makes technical guitar music feel light on its feet. Covet build these six instrumentals around Yvette Young's detailed playing, with bass and drums adding movement…
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Album review
The Agent Intellect
Protomartyr
The Agent Intellect gives Protomartyr’s dark guitar music a strong physical shape. Greg Ahee moves between sharp, dissonant figures and heavier waves of distortion. Alex Leona…
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Album review
Bright Green Field
Squid
Bright Green Field is restless music with a surprising amount of pleasure in it. Squid connect angular guitars, danceable rhythms, electronics and jazz-like sounds without smo…
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Album review
Neon Blue
Joshua Hedley
Neon Blue takes a familiar country sound seriously without making it feel stiff. Joshua Hedley works with clear melodies, steel guitar, fiddle and a warm, steady voice. The re…
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Album review
The Romance of Affliction
SeeYouSpaceCowboy
The Romance of Affliction makes the contrast between chaos and melody central to SeeYouSpaceCowboy's sound. The guitars are sharp, the rhythms change quickly and Connie Sgarbo…
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