It's that Friday feeling all over again and we've got a whole new batch of reviews of the new releases from The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Rumble Strips, Nine Inch Nails, Macy Gray and The Shins. Click below for more...
Nine Inch Nails - Ep – Survivalism
Interscope Records
www.myspace.com/nin
Reviewed by Jessie
Good old singalonga, jumpalonga Nine Inch Nails!
Just what you expect it to be - and all the more welcome for that!
Bang that head baby!
4/5
The Rumble Strips - single - Alarm Clock
Island Records
www.myspace.com/rumblestripsuk
Reviewed by Josh Green
Fantastic brass, parp parp! A ska sort of sound, full of life and enjoyment, good time music with an infectious hook and super vocals.
Reminiscent of The Beat, or The Specials, with a magic all of their own.
4/5
The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Album - Baby81
www.myspace.com/blackrebelmotorcycleclub
Drop the Gun Recordings
Reviewed by Mouse
Yowdeeowow!!!
From the first blistering riff on that sublime and dirty, howly growly blues guitar, I just knew I was going to love this album, and, by crikey, I just did!!
This is simply a great album, and every single track’s a gem. I had it on my i-pod to listen to and was hard pressed not to dance my way along the busy street from the very first play - and when it had played right through, I put in on and listened to it right through again, and I don’t do THAT very often! This is blues, this is rock, this is psychedelia, with little touches of Strawberry Fields, Oasis and Neil Finn, in with that marvellous guitar driven sound, all beautifully in the mix, on the various tracks.
This album is stuffed full with great tunes in powerful songs, one listen and you’ll be singing them yourself! With superb vocals, and breathtaking playing, this band have more class and authentic rock and roll exhuberance, than I’ve heard in a long, long time time.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were recommended to me by the mighty bluesguitarman Jon Amor, and I have to say, you were right Jon. Now when’s YOUR next album coming out?!!
5/5
The Shins - Australia
On the first listen, The Shins’ new single sounds charming and cute with James Mercer’s distinctive melodic voice, but delve a little deeper and you’ll discover the bittersweet yet rousing and upbeat lyrics - “So give me your hand, And let’s jump out the window”.
3/5
Macy Gray - Big
Since the stunning I Try, Macy seems to have suffered a bit of a loss of direction. The lyrics here cover conventional romantic ground and a few reheated cliches including those about the singer’s children. The music’s not much better. A couple of tracks have glimmers of the old charm, but even the track with Justin Timberlake is nothing special...Disappointing
1/5