Review: Three studio albums in, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds have managed to distance themselves from their frontman's legacy enough to become a household name in their own right. 'Who Built The Moon' sees Gallagher continue to assert his famed song-writing prowess whilst pushing his band in new directions with bluesy-rock anthems, smoky and atmospheric interludes and the satisfying electronic pop of tracks like 'She Taught Me How To Fly'. It's this willingness to explore and experiment that makes this album his most ambitious to date, and the finest post-Oasis work that either of the Gallaghers have produced.
Review: A new Bruce Springsteen album is always exciting. The Boss' hardworking and hard-done-by fables, touching on the politics and socio-economics tearing America apart, still resonate. If anything, they have become more relevant in an age when class struggles have created deep cultural divides, meaning any reminder of the real enemy is a welcome release.
Save for 2014's collection of covers and alternative versions, High Hopes, Letter To You is Springsteen's first full length since 2012, and will delight die harders - this is what they've been waiting for. Opening with 'One Minute You're Here', gruff rock 'n' roll set among the railroad tracks of Nowheresville, post-industrial decline, sets the tone. This is the artist on full power, an orator of broken dreams and heartfelt promises, a guy who will always be there for us because it feels like he's one of us. The king is back, long live the king.
Review: For anyone thinking that title might be a tad self-deprecating, it's worth noting that Noel Gallagher isn't one to rest on his laurels-there may be material here that'll satisfy the old-school Britpop fans in the house, such as the first single 'Lock All The Doors', yet elsewhere 'Chasing Yesterday' is notable not only for Gallagher's midas touch with indelible melodies but for experimentation that takes in such unlikely ingredients as saxophone-abetted jazz and funk even whilst maintaining his love for the classic pop and rock of the '60s and '70s. On this evidence, this tunesmith's well of inspiration isn't running dry any time soon.
Review: New Orleans funk outfit The Wild Magnolias were active in the mid 70s, releasing two albums and then regrouping in the 90s. Their sound is in step with their more renowned Louisiana peers, but certainly running hotter than the likes of The Meters. "Handa Wanda" is a stirring, effervescent call and response epic that shows the band at their best, rocking a wall of sound approach that keeps the pressure up the whole way through. "(Somebody Got) Soul, Soul, Soul" is a more fluid track, but it's certainly no slouch in the energy department either. This is hi-octane funk to get people shaking and sweaty.
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