Review: This reissue marks the vinyl debut of Alien Ant Farm's 2003 album, a record that captures the band's energetic blend of alternative rock and nu-metal. Produced by Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo, the album features a raw and powerful sound, with tracks like '1000 Days' and 'Drifting Apart' showcasing the band's heavy riffs and dynamic songwriting. 'Quiet' and 'Glow' offer moments of introspection, while 'These Days' and 'Sarah Wynn' deliver infectious melodies and catchy hooks. The album also includes a four-page booklet with lyrics, adding another dimension to the listening experience. This reissue is a must-have for fans of Alien Ant Farm and anyone who appreciates the raw energy and melodic hooks of early 2000s alternative rock.
Review: From the first notes of the Talking Heads-esque opening of the title track, which has none other than The Cure's Robert Smith as guest backing vocalist, this album by the great Scottish post-punk legends The Associates has you hooked. It's littered with standout moments, but the wiry bassline which underpins the offbeat guitar on 'Amused As Always' is high up there. It manages to pull off being belligerently repetitive by offsetting any sense of monotony with sheer style. Meanwhile, frontman Billy MacKenzie - who tragically died before his time in 1997 - has a voice to rival that of Robert Smith himself in terms of tone. The Associates may not be as readily cited in the typical indie record collection - but they're probably your favourite band's favourite band. regardless, this album is going to challenge why you've resisted so long in not putting it at the heart of your collection.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
The Affectionate Punch
Amused As Always
Logan Time
Paper House
Transport To Central
A Matter Of Gender
Even Dogs In The Wild
Would I Bounce Back
Deeply Concerned
A
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
From the first notes of the Talking Heads-esque opening of the title track, which has none other than The Cure's Robert Smith as guest backing vocalist, this album by the great Scottish post-punk legends The Associates has you hooked. It's littered with standout moments, but the wiry bassline which underpins the offbeat guitar on 'Amused As Always' is high up there. It manages to pull off being belligerently repetitive by offsetting any sense of monotony with sheer style. Meanwhile, frontman Billy MacKenzie - who tragically died before his time in 1997 - has a voice to rival that of Robert Smith himself in terms of tone. The Associates may not be as readily cited in the typical indie record collection - but they're probably your favourite band's favourite band. regardless, this album is going to challenge why you've resisted so long in not putting it at the heart of your collection.
Review: Au Pairs imploded shortly after releasing this terrific second and last album of theirs. The Birmingham post-punk band are said to have burned the candle at both ends after the success of their debut and rushed into the studio to make this album. Despite internal disputes, the band managed to take their Gang Of Four-esque sound to new levels. They are more adventurous than on the preceding record as there's saxophone and synth, making for a more textured and layered approach than before. Lyrically, Au Pairs are one of the most important bands of their era. Shockingly avant-garde in the early 80s when it was released, they tackled sexuality and gender politics with ire and wit. The standout on this album: 'Sex Without Stress' - a brilliant lampooning of the societal pressure around sex.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Don't Lie Back (4:50)
(That's When) It's Worth It (4:07)
Instant Touch (3:01)
Sex Without Stress (4:32)
Fiasco (3:48)
Intact (3:17)
Tongue In Cheek (3:03)
Stepping Out Of Line (6:01)
Shakedown (4:23)
America (5:21)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Au Pairs imploded shortly after releasing this terrific second and last album of theirs. The Birmingham post-punk band are said to have burned the candle at both ends after the success of their debut and rushed into the studio to make this album. Despite internal disputes, the band managed to take their Gang Of Four-esque sound to new levels. They are more adventurous than on the preceding record as there's saxophone and synth, making for a more textured and layered approach than before. Lyrically, Au Pairs are one of the most important bands of their era. Shockingly avant-garde in the early 80s when it was released, they tackled sexuality and gender politics with ire and wit. The standout on this album: 'Sex Without Stress' - a brilliant lampooning of the societal pressure around sex.
Review: Classic rock up there with the likes of Audioslave, Foo Fighters and Guns N Roses, Kentucky natives Black Stone Cherry write anthems that make you want to put your foot down on a vintage hotrod and blaze a trail through the desert. The guitar playing is supreme with flashy solos and a Led Zeppelin-esque ability to hone a riff. Singer Chris Robertson has a bit of Chris Cornell about him with a rich timbre and strength to be able to sing in front of a wall of stack amps without sounding drowned out. This is a reissue of their second album that originally came out in 2008 on the label that gave us Slipknot - Roadrunner. It's a critically acclaimed entry point to their oeuvre and went to number one in the UK Rock Album Chart when it was first released.
Review: New wave/synth pop artist Thomas Dolby is on extrovert mode here on his joyous, funky third studio album. Originally released in 1988, the album didn't fare particularly well commercially, at least compared to his 1982 hit 'She Blinded Me With Science', but the sheer inventiveness on display here makes it an underrated gem. The slap bass-laden single 'Hot Sauce' isn't shy in its use of light double entendre and when you think you have it pinned down musically, a Spaghetti Western interlude appears and there's a salsa outro. Elsewhere, on 'My Brain Is Like A Sieve' reggae and sophisti-pop collide to stunning effect and the tongue-in-cheek hit 'Airhead' shows off his David Bowie-esque pop baritone, whilst showering us in a stylistic stew.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Flying North (3:41)
Commercial Breakup (4:18)
Weightless (3:43)
Europa & The Pirate Twins (3:18)
Windpower (3:57)
The Wreck Of The Fairchild (3:34)
Airwaves (4:59)
Radio Silence (3:43)
Cloudburst At Shingle Street (5:30)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
It might cost a bit more to manufacture but 180g vinyl is much more satisfying to hold. There's something in your brain that tells you weight correlates to quality and it's best to trust it. This decadent cut of silver vinyl is for the reissue of synth-pop legend Thomas Dolby's joyous masterpiece of a debut album (originally released in 1982). From the moment the first notes strike on the technopop opener 'Flying North', it's assured and makes you want to strap in for the long haul and when you do you're rewarded with eclectic leftfield hits, such as 'She Blinded Me With Science', which is so groovy and trippy it make you feel like you're strutting your stuff in the crowd on Top of the Pops in the 80s. It's an album that's up there with anything from the likes of Soft Cell, OMD or Gary Numan.
Every Time We Live Together We Die A Bit More (3:36)
Out Of Sight (3:48)
Pink Fluffy Dinosaurs (3:50)
L'Odeur Animale (3:47)
Review: Marking the 25th anniversary of The Magnificent Tree, Belgian trio Hooverphonic release a special limited edition of their third album, available on translucent blue vinyl. This edition comes strictly limited to 1,000 numbered copies, each with a commemorative insert; its four core singles 'Mad About You', 'Vinegar & Salt', 'Out of Sight' and 'Jackie Cane' became career milestones for the ethereal band, clinging to the Flemish Ultratop 50 for 107 weeks as they continued to hone and plane their established blue noir, post-trip-hop sonic vernacular. Also marking their 30th anniversary as a band, The Magnificent Tree is probably the best touchstone to describe their coming of age, ripping up the the comparatively innocent sonic formula of Blue Wonder Power Milk.
Review: Released in 2000, Poison is the third studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Jay-Jay Johanson, having earned his place as a stalwart figure thanks to his melancholic vocals set to perspirant trip hop. From 'Believe in Us' to 'Colder,' not to mention the toxicologist's favourite 'Poison,' we're met again with Johanson's signature downtempos and experientially charged lyrics. Sophisticated atmospherics abound, bridging the all-to-intimate gap between sexuality and the unknown.
Review: Considering how much most modern rockers don't talk about the Melvins, or Melvins as the Washington staters should technically be referred to, it's insane how much influence they had on the development of late-20th Century guitar sounds. Without Dale Crover, Buzz Osborne and Steven Shane McDonald, we're not sure there would have been grunge at all. Kicking but not screaming out of the Pacific Northwest in 1983 (at which time Mike Dillard was playing drums, later replaced by Crover), Houdini is their fifth studio album and by this point they'd more than found that legendary groove. Sludgy, thick, stompy and a little bit swampy, these are the riffs that inspire limbs to move of their own accord, setting the tone for a range of bands from Soundgarden and Nirvana to Tool, Sun O))) and Slipknot.
Review: This reissue brings The Modern Lovers' eponymous debut album back to life, a record that captured the raw energy and poetic spirit of the burgeoning American punk scene at its earliest inception. Originally released in 1976, the album features a collection of iconic tracks, including the anthemic 'Roadrunner' - subsequently covered by everyone from the Sex Pistols to Sleaford Mods and Iggy Pop - the introspective 'Astral Plane', and the quirky ode to 'Pablo Picasso'. Raw and yet sophisticated, with influences ranging from the Velvet Underground to garage rock, this is a real treat.
Review: A fantastic new pressing of a band who were an important part of the grebo scene in the late 80s and early 90s. Having earned a loyal fanbase with God Fodder, which is their electronically-tinged grunge and pop-punk leaning debut album, this follow-up showed them buck the trend of the difficult second album and deliver the goods. The chart-bothering single 'Not Sleeping Around' is a banger with Stone Roses-y wah guitars, an infectious vocal melody and urgent, hard-hitting rock structure. The same year this was originally released they headlined the NME stage at Glastonbury and cemented their reputation as one of the best live bands in Britain of that time.
Review: The American gothic rock and post-punk band She Wants Revenge - formed by founding members Adam Bravin and Justin Warfield in 2004 - hears a reissue of their second album 'This Is Forever' from 2007. A fascinating continuation of the gothic post-punk sound in an era in which it wasn't exactly fashionable, Bravin and Warfield present a brilliant mashup of eerie, gamey electronica and eye-popping, authentic punk here. The record opens with the looming piano castellations of 'First, Love' - a boom-boom-pow instrumental intro that suggests every grim, bloodthirsty motif you need to know, without saying a word - then the real carnage ensues with the likes of 'Written In Blood', 'True Romance', 'She Will Always Be A Broken Girl' and 'Rachel', all of which together tell a fierce tale of high-stakes heartbreak and redded redress; electrified punk, fallen women.
Review: Originally formed in London in 1976, The Slits made major waves with the frenetic post-punk energy of their acclaimed 1979 debut LP Cut, whilst their 1981 sophomore follow up (aka "difficult second album") Return of the Giant Slits would arrive mere months before the group's initial disbandment. Highlighting the internal creative differences occurring at the time of recording, the material showcases a major expansion of sound, pulling from rhythmic afro-pop and dub, conjuring a unique "world music" approach to post-punk before the likes of Vampire Weekend were even a twinkle in their father's eyes. The album would also serve as their last output until their return with the 2006 Revenge of the Killer Slits EP followed by 2009's third full-length Trapped Animal.
B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
Slowdive (5:11)
Avalyn 1 (4:42)
Morningrise (4:19)
She Calls (5:30)
Losing Today (4:53)
Shine (5:15)
Albatross (4:52)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
First released in 1992, Slowdive's 'Blue Day' compiles the best of the band's earliest outings in the shoegaze genre, bottling them under a singly brittle, blue banner. Just seven tracks adorn its two sides, with the notable self-titled track 'Slowdive' signalling some hint of the band's origins (its wayward drumming getting at an especially happy naivete). Later moments on the record, such as 'Morningrise', are comparatively icier verging on frostbitten, with an overdriven crunch clipping off the most amped edges of the transient hits, suggesting an imperfect medium. On the B, the best of the lot is the slow colic of 'Losing Today', a song palpably packed with a sense of loss, most notably achieved via its soaring, cuspate guitar ogees, albeit ones which just about peek their heads above the shrednoise.
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