by Ed Biggs and Matthew Langham R.E.M. called time on their nearly thirty-year recording career in September 2011. During that time, they displayed a longevity, consistency and dedication that has eluded almost everybody else: they never went on hiatus or pursued solo projects and, with the sole exception of the gap between Around The Sun and Accelerate in their final decade, never waited more than three years between studio albums. The story of their career and the way
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by Matthew Langham The brainchild of US super producer Diplo, Major Lazer are probably most well-known for their hit track ‘Pon De Floor’, which featured on Beyonce’s hit ‘Run The World (Girls)’. Their blend of Jamaican dancehall made them an overnight success on their 2009 debut, Guns Don’t Kills People…Lazers Do and the trio have brought the dancehall style back to prominence. With an ever-changing line-up of guest stars Major
by Matthew Langham Kentish punk duo Slaves, appropriately straight out of the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, the nerve centre of Tory England and the home of the habitual Daily Mail letter writer ‘Outraged’, should be brilliant. I’ve followed their career with interest, listening to their shards of vitriol on numerous occasions, they’re the sort of band I ought to love – but I’m not buying the hype. They’re a perfect
by Matthew Langham The third release from the American-New Zealand group Unknown Mortal Orchestra marks a distinct shift in style in comparison to their guitar-driven debut and its follow-up II. As the album title suggests, the concept behind the record is that of relationships and their constant anxieties that can often unfold. The listener gets more of an insight into the mind of lead singer Ruban Nielson on this album and
by Matthew Langham Thee Oh Sees have become one of the US’s most consistent indie acts over the last five years. They have consistently put out great, stripped-down records and now onto their ninth record, lead singer John Dwyer return with his unique blend of fuzzy psych-rock. After a very brief hiatus that lasted all of a month, the San Francisco-based band returned with 2014’s Drop which featured yet another line-up
by Matthew Langham The elaborately named Australian psychedelic rockers King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard have approached their new record with a different variation of psych-rock following the success of 2014’s I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. The four-track album Quarters! owes much more to jazz-psych sound in comparison to their all-out drug-inspired previous effort. The brakes are off for King Gizzard and, at ten minutes and ten seconds long per track
by Matthew Langham Cards on the table here – I’ll be the first person to admit that I’ve never really taken to electronic artists who solely use laptops – particularly in a live setting. I’ve often thought the physical art of making music and mixing has instead been removed by the laptop. For all I know they could be doing anything while pretending to DJ – I guess I just like
by Matthew Langham Paul Weller; ‘The Modfather’; the changing man – he’s back with his twelfth solo album Saturns Pattern, and it’s pretty far removed from the classic Weller sound. So much so that this literate and passionate artist has forgotten to include an apostrophe in the title, which refers to the persistent hexagonal cloud formation around the planet’s north pole. The nine-track album encompasses the experimentation taken from records
by Matthew Langham L.A.’s stoner-surfer rock duo Best Coast deliver their third record California Nights three years on from The Only Place, seeking to rehabilitate themselves from a classic case of disappointing second album syndrome. Most well-known for their sun-drenched 2010 debut album Crazy For You, its clusters of languid indie-rock nuggets and frontwoman Bethany Cosentino’s Twitter updates about her cat Snacks, their new record sees them take a now-familiar trip
by Matthew Langham Welsh noise-pop quintet Joanna Gruesome return with the follow-up to their 2013 debut Weird Sister. At just over twenty minutes long, it packs a lot into the record and certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of content. Produced by MJ of Leeds outfit Hookworms, Peanut Butter has an element of urgency and anxiety about it also reflecting the angst rock of their debut.
