Nobody's Coming To Save You Artwork

Here is a low-quality version of the cover of the Sunshine Underground's second album, Nobody's Coming To Save You.

If a better quality version comes up, I'll post it.

Tear The Signs Down Pushed Back

Apparently the new Automatic album has been pushed back to March 2010.

Best Of 2009

The complete collection!

#25 to #21
#20 to #16
#15 to #11
#10
#9
#8
#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1

Have a happy New Year!!! See you in 2010 for more music madness!

Best Of 2009 - #1

And the winner of 2009 is...

Editors - In This Light And On This Evening
10/10

Original review here.

Updates: The Automatic

The Automatic's third album will be Tear The Signs Down.
Not sure if I want to buy this. I didn't like their second album but loved their first.

Known songs are:
Interstate - first single, released December 6
Parasol
Run And Hide - second single, to be released in February
Cannot Be Saved
My Time
Something Else - free download from mid-2009

Preview For The Masses

Jesus Christ this sounds good. Preview it here.

Best Of 2009 - #2

White Lies - To Lose My Life
10/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #3

Pet Shop Boys - Yes
10/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #4

Muse - The Resistance
9/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #5

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
9/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #6

The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms
9/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #7

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
9/10

Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #8

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
9/10

I cannot call myself a proper Biffy Clyro fan, as I am not too keen on their first three albums, but their fourth attempt (Puzzle) and this new one have blown me away. The Captain opens the album fantastically, as guitar meets brass band to create an odd new sound. That Golden Rule is one of the best here, especially when it turns into a massive instrumental at the end. Bubbles deserves to be a single, with its catchy guitar riff, and when the solo comes in, it's awesome.
My first thought about God & Satan was that it sounded a lot like Machines from their last album. Except I prefer this one. A much quieter tune compared to the first three, but good nonetheless. Born On A Horse is the oddest song on this relatively inconsistent album, but still is very catchy. Mountains, the band's single from summer 2008, turns up here, and manages to fit nicely in, with its anthemic chorus "I am the mountain! I am the sea! You can't take that away from me!"
Then we move into the second half of the album. Shock Shock starts off with the lyric "Well you scratch and you scratch, til your face comes away..." which is an interesting choice for the opening lyric. But that aside, this one has a chorus that'll have you singing along, and the guitar riffs in here are fantastic. Many of Horror comes next, and is not the one I would have chosen for the next single. It's a slow song that slowly builds up, and when it gets there, it sounds magnificent and can pack a powerful emotional punch towards the end. Then we come to Booooom. Blast & Ruin, my least favourite on the album. It's a fast, guitar-driven affair with a catchy chorus, but parts of it just don't get to me like the rest of the songs do.
Cloud Of Stink is led by fast-paced drums before a powerful guitar riff smashes its way into the song. This is a very fast song and is also one of the best. Know Your Quarry is a slower one, with the great chorus "Because tonight, we raise this sun, and we shine it over everyone.." Fantastic stuff. Whorses is the final track, and builds up slowly. The best bit is when the drums come in. And when you think it's over, they come back for one final chorus before the song fades away.
Overall, brilliant. A few minor problems for me here and there make me give this album a 9/10, but it's brilliant nonetheless.

Best Of 2009 - #9

The Enemy - Music For The People
9/10

Original review here.

TSU Change Single Release Date

The new single from The Sunshine Underground, We've Always Been Your Friends, has been pushed back for release on February 15th, according to the description of a YouTube video they put up (of the acoustic version of the single). Here is the video.

Best Of 2009 - #10

The Horrors - Primary Colours
8/10

I didn't like the Horrors' first album (Strange House). Hardly anything worked for me there. But I thought I'd give this new one a chance since everyone was calling it a masterpiece. And I was not disappointed. The new psychedelic sound really works well, and the band have ended up creating some of the best songs I've heard all year: Who Can Say, New Ice Age, Primary Colours are my favourites, but the others are also brilliant. Not to mention the album closer Sea Within A Sea, which is nothing short of epic.

Hadouken! Album Teaser

Sunshine Underground - New Track On MySpace

The new single from upcoming second album "Nobody's Coming To Save You", namely "We've Always Been Your Friends" is now on the band's MySpace page. And it's awesome.

Twitter

Music Madness on Twitter here.

This will be for when I have problems getting onto Blogger. I will update from Twitter then.

Best Of 2009 - #15 - #11

Jack Peñate - Everything Is New
7/10

His debut was one of my least favourite albums of 2007, but this new album is a welcome change in direction. It sounds great; I like all the songs bar Give Yourself Away, but songs such as Be The One and Tonight's Today are very good indeed.

The Twang - Jewellery Quarter
7/10
Original review here.

Metric - Fantasies
7/10
I discovered this album quite recently, even though it was released in spring. From the moment I heard the opener, Help I'm Alive, I knew I was going to like this. I was very happy to prove myself right. Sick Muse and Gimme Sympathy are perhaps the best on the album, but every song is good. The closer, Stadium Love, is also another favourite, along with Gold Guns Girls.

The View - Which Bitch?
8/10
Original review here.

Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
8/10
Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #20 - #16

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
6/10

Invaders Must Die, Omen and Warrior's Dance are all absolutely fantastic tracks, however the second half of the album is much less so for me.

OneRepublic - Waking Up
6/10

Even though I have only listened to the tracks on YouTube (the album doesn't come out in the UK until 18th January), I wasn't very interested by this album. However, All The Right Moves, Secrets, Everybody Wants Me and Good Life are standouts. The others, not so much.

The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant
7/10
I think I was wrong to give 6/10 in my original review. I have listened to it a lot more and it has grown on me. City of Bugs has become a personal favourite now, and I appreciate the slower numbers such as Save Your Secrets and Stick To Yr Guns. I still don't like Last Year's Snow though.

Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
7/10

Jetstream and Kingdom Of Rust start the album off brilliantly, but then to find that brilliance again, we must go to Compulsion and the best song on the album, House Of Mirrors. The others are not bad songs, but the aforementioned tracks do cast a shadow on the rest.

The Hours - See The Light
7/10
Original review here.

Best Of 2009 - #25 - #21

And so begins my top 25 albums of 2009. I got a total of 29 albums this year.

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
4/10

I wasn't impressed by this new Franz Ferdinand album. The first three tracks sounded good to me, but the rest is mostly below average for me. But I've never been an avid Franz Ferdinand fan.

Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
5/10

Whilst I was instantly drawn in by fantastic single Last Of The English Roses, the album was a bit of a disappointment. There is the occasional brilliant song, such as Arcadie or Salome, but nothing really strikes me as genius here.

La Roux - La Roux
5/10

In For The Kill and Bulletproof are catchy enough, but when it comes to the album, again, nothing strikes me as fantastic. I'm Not Your Toy and Armour Love are the only other ones that interest me here.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
6/10

I like pretty much all of the first act, it's Green Day being their usual brilliant selves. But beyond that, I only took a shine to Murder City and the best song on the album, 21 Guns. There are some songs here that sound good enough, but it all averages out to a 6/10 for me.

Pull Tiger Tail - PAWS.
6/10

Having been introduced to this band when they released their first load of singles: Animator, Let's Lightning, Hurricanes..., I have long been anticipating an album. So I was glad when they finally got past the problems and got this out. However, apart from the singles, For No One and It's About Destruction, I couldn't really get into this album.

Best 25 Albums of 2009

The countdown will begin on 19th December.

19th: #25 - #21
20th: #20 - #16
21st: #15 - #11
22nd: #10
23rd: #9
24th: #8
25th: #7
26th: #6
27th: #5
28th: #4
29th: #3
30th: #2
31st: #1

Updates: The Sunshine Underground

The Sunshine Underground will release their second album, Nobody's Coming To Save You, on 1st February.

The album will be preceded by the single, "We've Always Been Your Friends" on 25th January.

Two tracks (A Warning Sign and Here It Comes) are available for listening on their Myspace page.

Tracklist:

1. Coming To Save You
2. Spell It Out
3. We've Always Been Your Friends
4. In Your Arms
5. A Warning Sign
6. Change Your Mind
7. Any Minute Now
8. Here It Comes
9. One By One
10. The Messiah

Updates: Hadouken!

Hadouken!'s second album is "For The Masses"

The artwork is:



The tracklist:

1. Rebirth
2. Turn The Lights Out
3. M.A.D.
4. Evil
5. House Is Falling
6. Mic Check
7. Ugly
8. Bombshock
9. Play The Night
10. Lost

Turn The Lights Out will be released on 18th January.
The album will be out on the 25th.

Why I Haven't Posted For A Month

I cannot get onto the Internet for most of the time. So I will have trouble bringing you info as soon as it happens. However, I will be here until early January.

News to follow.

Album Review: Editors - In This Light And On This Evening

Album: In This Light And On This Evening
Artist: Editors
Singles: Papillon
This new album from Editors is a very interesting change of direction from their usual stuff, embracing the sound of synths for a fantastic new album. There are huge anthemic moments, there are beautiful moments, and there are some really catchy songs on there.

In This Light And On This Evening
From the first note of this album, you can tell it's going to be huge. The album sounds like it knows where it wants to go, and this song is a great starting point. It is a very dark, intense song, and it builds up slowly while Tom Smith repeats a weirdly poetic lyric ("I swear to God, I heard the Earth inhale, moments before, it spat its rain down on me. I swear to God, in this light and on this evening, London's become the most beautiful thing I've seen.") a few times before the song launches into an insane instrumental where all the synths crash wonderfully into one another. A very strong opener.

Bricks And Mortar
It's only the second track and we're already onto six minute epics. This is my favourite from this album. It is led by a fantastic synth riff repeated throughout the song. This is another build-up song - first come the drums, then the bass, then the synths, then the vocals, then some backing synths... etc. The best part is when the drums get going about a minute in. Then two and a half minutes in, it launches into a huge chorus backed by a choir, as Tom tells us "this home is more than bricks and mortar." The song then adds some odd instrumental noise before it calms down for a story about a boy becoming a soldier, before launching into one final chorus, and then it keeps up the synth riff to the end. Absolutely fantastic stuff.

Papillon
The first single, clocking in at five and a half minutes, is another long song. Its synth riff is a stroke of absolute brilliance. The line "it kicks like a sleep twitch!" is odd, but guaranteed to get some crowds chanting along live. It seems to be the song with the most simplistic song structure on this album, but is catchy and keeps up the amazingly high standard the album has set so far.

You Don't Know Love
"You don't know love like you used to. You don't feel love like you did before" opens this song, rumoured to be the second single (a well-chosen one at that). The song returns to a dark mood that shows the band making full use of their synth sound. And just before you were getting bored of having no guitar, in comes a fantastic guitar solo that, despite its repetitiveness, perfects the song for its final two minutes.

The Big Exit
The most raw song on this album. It pretty much only features drums, an odd mechanical noise that crops up every so often and vocals for the first couple of minutes, save for a chorus backed by one lone synth. It is very much an album track, unlikely to make it as a single, but will work (and has worked) well live. Towards the end it turns into a massive crash of vocals chanting "They took what once was ours" with drums and synths that sounds incredible. Odd, but brilliant.

The Boxer
This is my second favourite song from this album, and builds up slowly with synth noises and piano before a beautiful synth riff joins them. A very downbeat song, but with a massive chorus that manages to pack a lot of emotion into it. It sounds huge, particularly the second time round, when Tom continues to sing in tune with the synth riff. It reminds me of some parts of the band's previous album, An End Has A Start, particularly The Weight Of The World. The ending of this song, with Tom singing "dazed in the final count" with a fantastic mix of synths, is absolutely staggering. Brilliant song.

Like Treasure
Very much an album track, and in my opinion the weakest song on the album, but still very good indeed. It really sounds good when it gets to the random instrumental synth bits at the end. But it's not as memorable and instant as most of the tracks on this album. I'll be amazed if this becomes a single (despite its popularity amongst a lot of Editors fans (at least, amongst ones that I know))

Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
Interesting title. Slightly disturbing, and the only song I've ever heard that has an equals sign in it. Inventive. But regarding the music, the song is another brilliant, raw, anthemic masterpiece. The drums, at first, seem a bit weak, but then they smash in for the massive chorus, that sounds quite poppy, particularly with the seemingly uninventive lyrics "I give a little to you, I give a little to him, I give a little to her." One final anthem before the deep beauty of the final track, which is...

Walk The Fleet Road
"A winter wind blows, in from the north" opens this final song. The humming throughout the song sounds great, and this song is another indication of how well Editors can use their synths to full effect. Like The Boxer, it manages to pack a sense of emotion into its chorus. It's unusual that this is the shortest song on the album; usually the last song is quite long, but this one is the only one under four minutes on the entire album. It does feel like it ends too quickly at the end, but shows that the band can tinker with their normal formula and still make it sound completely stunning.

Overall, the new sound is a welcome change of direction. Of course, I wouldn't complain if they went back to guitars, but they seem extremely comfortable with this new synth sound. They have used it to make an absolutely brilliant album. Despite having only nine songs, the album flows wonderfully. There are little bits here and there that don't sound perfect, but that's just me nit-picking and doesn't spoil the enjoyment of the album. As such, I don't feel as though there's anywhere I can knock points off. Therefore, I give this album:

For the record, their previous albums: The Back Room (8/10), An End Has A Start (7/10)

Album Review: Muse - The Resistance

Album: The Resistance
Artist: Muse
Singles: United States of Eurasia (free download), Uprising, Undisclosed Desires

The band who were recently voted "best act in the world today" fully deserve the title with an album like this. Although the band explore a new direction (in fact, several) on this album and let their creativity run wild, the results are wonderful.

Uprising
Immediately we are thrown into the wonderful new world of Muse with synths and chants of "oi." A wonderful opener to the album. Catchy and upbeat, this song was a well chosen first single and shows off Muse at their best.

Resistance
An ethereal synth opens this track, before a piano and drums join in to start the song, and also the build up to a great chorus, as Matt Bellamy declares "love is our resistance." It is odd that although this song is six minutes long, it doesn't seem like it, and it feels like it's all over too quickly.

Undisclosed Desires
Muse stray far from their usual sound in this song. It's amazing, though, that they can still make it brilliant. It is catchy and has a great chorus, and is definitely one of the highlights of this album.

United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage)
When this launched as a free download back in July, I thought that this would be one of the weakest on the album. And I was right. I think it is the weakest on The Resistance. It still sounds good, but some moments you can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, especially when Matt's singing about "Eurasia! Sia! Sia! Sia!" And I know this has been said a hundred times before, but there is definitely the sound of Queen in there, particularly when the song gets going (listen to "When there can be only one!!" for an example). The second part of the song, the (+ Collateral Damage) part, for all its calmness and peacefulness it has, seems rather pointless. I won't say it's out of place, because this entire album changes its sound every single song, but it just sounds like something tagged on the end. Well, that was a long rant - shall we move on?

Guiding Light
The plane sounds from the end of the previous song flow nicely into this song, as a powerful drumbeat starts up. This song sounds like it came from the eighties, with its synth sounds in the background. There is a rare guitar solo (at least from this album it's rare) that, unfortunately, is really short, but while it lasts, it's good. There's no moment here that gives you shivers or makes you go "Wow!" like most Muse songs, but it is a fantastic song nevertheless.

Unnatural Selection
My personal favourite, this seven-minute epic reminds us of the usual Muse sound, with its magnificent guitar riff and chorus. Halfway through, it becomes slower and allows for some more great guitar, before launching into the chorus for one last time. It is one of the best songs Muse has ever written, in my opinion.

MK Ultra
"The wavelength gently grows, coercive motions re-evolve..." Eh? What are you singing about now? That aside, this is another brilliant song from the album. The guitar at the start sounds epic, and it only takes a minute and a bit to change into a quieter part where all we hear is "they're breaking through" and "we are losing control" before the song comes back for a second verse and the final chorus. One of the shortest on the album at four minutes, and worth every second.

I Belong To You (+ Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix)
Another example of Muse pulling off a new sound that before now, I wouldn't have thought possible. I was gladly mistaken. It is catchy, and Matt's singing is great - though his French accent in the middle of it all is a bit off. But nit-picking aside, this is a good song as well as the rest of this inconsistent album.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1: Overture
The moment the first violin came in, I got goosebumps. It is that good. The strings are wonderfully arranged, and Matt is back to singing in a very high voice - one of the very few singers who can actually do that (and make it sound good). The moment the guitar came in, I got goosebumps again. This song sounds absolutely epic, but then it is the first (and the best)part of a three-part, thirteen-minute, Muse-written symphony. My only criticism is that this song ends far too early. It takes three minutes for the guitar to come in and you expect they're going to really get going on this song, but no, it's over a minute later.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2: Cross-Pollination
Piano opens this part with some strings backing it, then the singing comes back, before it turns to a heavier sound (a heavy sound for the symphony, that is) before returning to piano again. This part, to me, doesn't seem to be anything special.

Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3: Redemption
A peaceful and beautiful ending to a fantastic album, leaving you feeling relaxed, particularly when it fades out towards the end. Funny that five songs ago, we were listening to a massive rock anthem, and that ten songs ago, we were listening to a catchy piece of synth-led rock.

Whilst this is one of the most inconsistent albums I've ever heard, it is one of the greatest. I think it may be Muse's greatest. I know many Muse fans who loved Origin of Symmetry may not enjoy this album, and some will. Unfortunately for them, Muse may never make an album like Origin of Symmetry ever again. Just so you know, I was never too keen on their second album. (Or their first, come to that), but I loved Absolution and Black Holes & Revelations.

For the record, their previous albums: Showbiz (4/10), Origin of Symmetry (6/10), Absolution (9/10), Black Holes & Revelations (9/10)

Preview Only Revolutions

You can hear previews of Biffy Clyro's fifth album on iTunes now. I love the sound of the first half. Not too sure about the second half though - Shock Shock and Cloud of Stink seem good, but that's about it. Hopefully, I'm proven wrong.

Waking Up Stuff

OneRepublic's second album, Waking Up, will be released 17th November. Tracklist:
01. Made For You
02. All The Right Moves
03. Secrets
04. Everybody Loves Me
05. Missing Persons 1 & 2
06. Good Life
07. All This Time
08. Fear
09. Waking Up
10. Marchin On
11. Lullaby

Artwork:

Back

Thanks to some computer repairs that took eight bloody weeks to complete, I haven't been able to update this site. Since then, Muse and Editors both released some fantastic albums, which have been on my speakers endlessly since their releases. My (amateur) reviews will be up soon.

Any news about other bands that I have heard about will be put up first though.

All The Right Moves Artwork

This is the artwork for OneRepublic's new single, which will appear sometime next week. Release dates are not known yet.

Only Revolutions Tracklist

Of course, when I found the artwork for Biffy Clyro's new album, I didn't look down - for the tracklist. Anyway, it's here now.

1. The Captain
2. That Golden Rule
3. Bubbles
4. God & Satan
5. Born On A Horse
6. Mountains
7. Shock Shock
8. Many Of Horror
9. Booooom. Blast And Ruin
10. Cloud Of Stink
    
11. Know Your Quarry
12. Whorses

Only Revolutions Artwork

This is the artwork for Biffy Clyro's fifth album Only Revolutions, to be released November 2.

Sunshine Underground EP

The Sunshine Underground are releasing an EP featuring what will be the first single release from their upcoming second album (Coming To Save You) along with non-album tracks. The EP is titled "Your Love, Your Hopes, Your Fears." It will be out November 2.

The album has been delayed to January 2010.

In This Light And On This Evening Preview

The new Editors album is up for previewing on iTunes. It sounds absolutely amazing.

And now some lyrics, as far as I can make out.

IN THIS LIGHT AND ON THIS EVENING
I swear to god
I heard the Earth inhale
Moments before
It spat its rain down on me

BRICKS AND MORTAR
No one understands
The way you found your god
There's a bullet in your hands
Give a dog a bone

PAPILLON
It kicks like a sleep twitch!
Darling...

YOU DON'T KNOW LOVE
With the moles and the CIA
They say more than you ever say
Headlights in your rear view mirror
A panther's eyes as he preys on fear
You'll hunt for love, you electioneer

THE BIG EXIT
Take and you shall receive
No need to ask, you already know
The way I feel inside
Once, crowd among the shadows
See how much our love grows
Reflected in...

THE BOXER
A bruiseful moon
Playing fights with the stars
This place is our prison
Its cells the bars
So take...

LIKE TREASURE
...meat
You'll become digested
Well, love, it isn't felt
Well, love is tested
Yeah...

EAT RAW MEAT = BLOOD DROOL
I give a little to you
I give a little to him
I give a little to her
I give a little to you
I give a little to him
I give a little to her

WALK THE FLEET ROAD
But you're a long way from home
Through the dark we tiptoed
The hospital looms
As we walk the fleet road
Hold your tongue...

BONUS TRACKS
THIS HOUSE IS FULL OF NOISE
All that noise
There in your brain
Won't give you peace
It says I won't let you go
Where there's rivers or townfolk
I won't let you see
Because you're safe here, safe here with me
Baby, don't go

I WANT A FOREST
Too fast to see
The shapes they make
Or how they run
Our little world right round
Aaaahh....
I'm in your garden
But I want a...

MY LIFE AS A GHOST
Get out of this house now!
Head for the horizon
Tonight we take a...

HUMAN
In your TV, human yet

FOR THE MONEY
Make to the fields
That are neighbouring your town
Take all you can carry
Play with the fire
And let the money burn
It only bought a laugh
(?) sincerity...

Album Review: The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant

Album: Ignore The Ignorant
Artist: The Cribs
Singles: We Were Aborted (free download), Cheat On Me

"The New Fellas" and "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever," the previous two albums from the Cribs, were both works of genius. But even with a master guitarist, Johnny Marr of the Smiths fame, this album does not reach the heights their previous efforts reached.

We Were Aborted
The opener is brought in with a powerful guitar riff, starting things off with a bang for this album. It's one of the better songs on the album, and a well deserving opener.

Cheat On Me
When I first heard this song, I hoped there would be better songs than this on the album. Nevertheless this is still a great track, with some great guitar parts and a chorus that makes you feel like singing along as Ryan Jarman screams "cheat on me..."

We Share The Same Skies
This song has one of the best choruses on the album, and is quite catchy. The album is still upholding high standards here.

City Of Bugs
A long track at over six minutes. It doesn't drag on, which is a good thing. It features an almost military drumbeat, and is a very new sound for the Cribs. A successful part of the album.

Hari Kari
This has to be the second single; it is full of greatness on all accounts, and the chorus is another great. "It was years ago, it was years ago..."

Last Year's Snow
At this point, the album looks great. But from here on in, it just drops in quality (bar one or two songs). This is not a memorable track at all, and I think it is the weakest on the album.

Emasculate Me
Except for a quick beat, this song doesn't leave a great impression. Nothing stands out as amazing here.

Ignore The Ignorant
The title track has a catchier feel to it than the rest, and the chorus is another sing-along affair, but the album hasn't picked up enough to be a success yet.

Save Your Secrets
A slower song, and a slightly better one than the previous three, but still there's nothing to excite me enough to want to play it over and over.

Nothing
There is a more powerful guitar part on this track, and that's the only really good part of this song. Parts of the chorus remind me of early Cribs tracks.

Victim Of Mass Production
This one returns to former Cribs glory. It flows fantastically, it was great live and they've made it great here.

Stick To Yr Guns
Well, at least they know how to end an album. A slow, five minute song rounds it all off, and it's one of the slightly better sides of this mostly unexciting album.

Generally, I'm disappointed with this album. There's nothing that excited me as much as when I first heard songs such as Mirror Kissers, Martell, Men's Needs or Don't You Wanna Be Relevant? But there are some good songs here, such as the opening quintet and Victim of Mass Production. Other than that, nothing grabs me instantly, and nothing shows signs of growing on me.

For the record, their previous albums: The Cribs (6/10), The New Fellas (8/10), Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever (10/10)

Hear Ignore The Ignorant Now

You can hear the new Cribs album in full here.

First Single From Waking Up

The first single from OneRepublic's second album, Waking Up, will be called All The Right Moves. More details to follow.

Second Single From Only Revolutions

Biffy Clyro's second single from their fifth album, called The Captain, will get its first play sometime next week. It is the opener to their upcoming album Only Revolutions. According to various sites, it will be released on October 26.

One Night Only Are In The Studio...

...working on their second album. You can look through some of their "ONO Wednesdays" videos on YouTube to hear some of the new songs. Sounding great.

Album Review: Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Album: Humbug
Artist: Arctic Monkeys
Singles: Crying Lightning

The long-awaited third album from Arctic Monkeys has finally landed. And it is not a disappointment. Some fantastic dark, brooding rock mixed in with some lighter elements, with some odd but interesting ideas here and there.

My Propeller
The album kicks off with an innunedo-filled dark-sounding rock song. It's the way an opening track should be, drawing you in to the wonders of the rest of the album. The first half of the album seems to follow this heavier sound that what we have heard from the Monkeys in the past. But no worries, it's great.

Crying Lightning
The first single fits in well here, with its odd lyrics - first sexual innuendos, now Pic 'n' Mix? What the hell inspired this? (Please note: The lyrics are great, just... odd.) It was a well deserved choice for first single; it seems to show the better parts of the album.

Dangerous Animals
A creepy start with the words "Pinned down by the dark..." as we are led into another heavy-ish new track. The guitar parts are great, the chorus is great, the song is great. And just as a note for those who think he's singing dangerous without the E, listen carefully after the G. The song turns into the first example of some fantastic drumming from Matt Helders. More of which to come.

Secret Door
A quieter start here, but soon settles in with a great rhythm and a heartfelt chorus, reminiscent of the brilliant closer 505 from their second album. It shows a far more mature Arctic Monkeys.

Potion Approaching
This song is not them at their best, and is the weakest on the album. It sounds juddering, and features a rather uneventful first couple of minutes before it gets into a slow, bouncy rhythm, before ending with some more juddering guitar and the line "Would you like me to build you a go-kart?"

Fire And The Thud
A beautiful song, with some eerie voices going "oooh..." before Alex Turner comes in with some of his best lyrics yet. The ending is amazing, with some brilliant supporting vocals that makes it sound so epic.

Cornerstone
You can tell this went with Secret Door when it was recorded. It's another slower track, and it builds up very slowly and subtly, before launching into a brilliant finale: "I saw your sister in a cornerstone...." before fading out, leaving you wanting more.

Dance Little Liar
A slow, eerie beginning, the darkest on the album, but equally as brilliant. It sounds like a song for the desert (whatever the hell that is - I just can't really describe it) and features some great guitar riffs at the end.

Pretty Visitors
My favourite. A slow organ intro can fool you into thinking that's the premise of the whole song, but then it bursts into some super-fast rock, with lyrics spat out at lightning speed (I'm surprised he could remember all those) before launching into the best chorus of the album, as it slows down the speed and Alex sings "All the pretty visitors came and waved their arms and cast the shadow of a snake pit on the wall" while Matt smashes the hell out of the drums (it's him by far at his best), establishing him firmly as one of the greatest rock drummers ever.

The Jeweller's Hands
What? Final song already? - my first thoughts on realising where I was on the album. It sounds a bit like a hip-hop track at first before it launches into arguably their best closer yet. (It goes up against A Certain Romance and 505, both great closers themselves). It's brilliant.

This album sounds mature and wonderful. It is a well-conceived departure from their old material. I am only critical of two things. One is "Potion Approaching", which costs the album the full marks, the other is how fast the album goes by! (It shows it's a good album, but it's all over too quickly.) However, this just might be their best one yet, although many fans will disagree.

For the record, their previous albums: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (8/10), Favourite Worst Nightmare (9/10)

A Lot Of Editors News

1. Papillon artwork; the most colourful artwork they've ever done!


2. A listening session of the album confirms No Sound But The Wind is not on the album. :(
3. Papillon will be played on Radio 1 at around 1930 GMT tonight, and will feature an interview with Tom about the new album.
4. The Cuttings 2 disc coming with the album will feature these five tracks:

• This House Is Full Of Noise
• I Want A Forest
• My Life As A Ghost
• Human
• For The Money

5. And finally, the lengths of the album tracks (I don't have the Cuttings 2 lengths)

• In This Light And On This Evening 4.23
• Bricks And Mortar 6.23
• Papillon 5.26
• You Don’t Know Love 4.41
• The Big Exit 4.46
• The Boxer 4.42
• Like Treasure 4.54
• Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool 4.55
• Walk the Fleet Road 3.47

Total Time: 43:57 (if my maths is correct)

Now all we need is 30 second previews from iTunes....

Preview Ignore The Ignorant

You can hear 30 second previews of the Cribs' new album, Ignore The Ignorant, on iTunes now.

OneRepublic Album Title Revealed

The band's second album is to be called Waking Up, rumoured to be released September or October 2009.

Potential tracks:

• All The Right Moves
• The Other Side
• Missing Persons 1 & 2
• Today
• Everybody Loves Me
• Secrets
• Waking Up
• Fear
• Good Life (last song on album)

The first single will be put on their MySpace page soon.

Single Review: Editors - Papillon

Single: Papillon
Artist: Editors
Album: In This Light And On This Evening

Incredibly catchy, an unforgettable synth riff, a completely unexpected yet at the same time wonderful departure from their old stuff. Probably the best song I've heard all year. This new album can't come fast enough. (55 days until it comes out as I type this.)

10/10

Preview The Resistance

Listen to 30-second samples of Muse's new album, The Resistance, on iTunes now.

I am loving the sound of it. Undisclosed Desires and MK Ultra sound bloody amazing.

And I really really can't wait for Exogenesis.

Editors News... Again

I seem to be full of Editors news recently.

• First, the artwork.
• Second the first play of Papillon was moved... which leads me to item 3 on the Editors agenda:
• Papillon was played [:)] but I didn't hear it [:(] and it wasn't on Radio 1, it was on Irish radio station Phantom. Well, it's out there so maybe radios will start to properly play it.
• Item 4: For those doubters complaining that the album's too short, there will be an extra five tracks on a bonus EP called Cuttings 2. (The Back Room had Cuttings 1)

Well, that's a lot. What next? A free download? (Hint, hint...)

Single Review: Hadouken! - M.A.D.

Single: M.A.D.
Artist: Hadouken!

This new single starts off very promising, with a very catchy beat, and the line "bring it on, you can bang the drum..." sounds like they are prompting you to sing along. Same story at the end of the song. But the middle section seems a little out of place, as it all slows down for a bit. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that the band still seem up to making a good tune.

7/10

Papillon's First Play Moved

Damn. The first play of Editors' new single, "Papillon", has been moved back to 24th August.

In This Light And On This Evening Artwork

Editors' third album, In This Light And On This Evening, will be released 12th October.

Well This Was Unexpected...

For those who like Pull Tiger Tail, they are releasing their debut album... TWO years after it was finished. Due to overcoming ridiculous legal problems, they are finally getting it out!

It will be called PAWS.

Tracklist:

1. For No One
2. Mr. 100 Percent
3. Loki
4. Let's Lightning
5. Hurricanes
6. Animator
7. Even Good Kids Make Bad Sports
8. Eugene
9. I Call It It
10. Air Born
11. It's About Destruction

Artwork:

The album will be out 14th September.

The band has put out four singles already from this album: Let's Lightning, Hurricanes, Animator and Mr 100 Percent. It's about time we had a full album!

New Track From Hadouken!

The new release from Hadouken! will be released on 14th September.
It is called M.A.D and will feature the following tracks:

1. M.A.D
2. Something Very Bad
3. Ugly (Dub Mix)
4. M.A.D (Detboi Remix)
5. M.A.D (Plastician Remix)
6. M.A.D (Phace Remix)

The track M.A.D. will be available as a free download from the 14th September for one week only.

M.A.D. stands for Mutually Assured Destruction.

The track will feature on the band's upcoming second album, details of which are currently unknown.

And finally, the slightly disturbing artwork.

The Resistance Artwork

This is the artwork for Muse's fifth album, The Resistance, which will be released 14th September.

Single Review: Muse - Uprising

Single: Uprising
Artist: Muse
Album: The Resistance

I couldn't imagine a better lead single from Muse. Their recent download of United States of Eurasia was good enough, but it pales in comparison to this monster of a song. The Doctor Who-esque synths and the powerful drums are immensely catchy, and the chanting and the chorus will sound awesome live. If this standard is kept up, the band's fifth album will be album of the year.

10/10

Cheat On Me Surprise Release

Cheat On Me, the first single from The Cribs' fourth album, has surprisingly been made available to download four weeks before the physical release.

Album Review: The Twang - Jewellery Quarter

Album: Jewellery Quarter
Artist: The Twang
Singles: Another Bus (free download), Barney Rubble

The Twang's first album, Love It When I Feel Like This, was good, but far from perfect. Catchy songs such as Either Way and Two Lovers were standout tracks, but there were bad songs such as The Neighbour and Loosely Dancing. Here, unfortunately, is pretty much the same story. But that is not to say the band have completely flunked their second album.

Took The Fun
Maracas launch the second album. It's less than epic, but this first song is catchy enough, with a good piano accompaniment. It makes you want to sing along with the "la-la-la-la-lo..." bit.

Barney Rubble
Whilst it's not the best track on the album, it was a good choice for first single. It's catchy despite its simple guitar part, and it grows on you after a few listens.

Twit Twoo
The Twang and synths, if you asked me before I heard this, would not work. I'm glad to see I was wrong. Powerful drums join the synth opening before a soft "oooh..." joins the fray. The chorus keeps up the catchiness of the start of this album.

Put It On The Dancefloor
"Ah..." begins the song, before a good rhythm begins. They seem to like to abandon lyrics in favour of ahs and ohs etc. Never mind, it's great. This song should be a single in future.

May I Suggest
Ah, that's where the brilliant, dare I say beautiful, songs like Two Lovers from album one went. This is another great track, slower than most on this album, but wonderful nonetheless.

Encouraging Sign
A quick, catchy guitar part leads this song in. The chorus is one of the best things on this album.

Got No Interest
At this point, after six great tracks, you expect a seventh. Unfortunately, this is where the album begins to sag a bit. This one's not very memorable.

Back Where We Started
This one is another bad one. The chorus isn't as catchy as others on the album, and they've copied their Either Way trick of talking in their song. Difference is, on Either Way, it worked.

Answer My Call
And now, my least favourite. An attempt to slowly build up to a great ending fails. You can hear the build up, but the song seems too much like filler on this album. It drags on for too long as well. At least the previous tracks knew to stop before four minutes.

Live The Life
Placing the worst track before the best track (this one) just makes this even better. Another simple yet great guitar part opens this song, before some more great drums and a brooding bassline. These all lead up to the greatest chorus of the album: "So live the life you love, and your life will love you..." Immensely catchy.

Williamsburg
I don't know what to make of this track. It sounds good when I'm listening to it, but afterwards I don't feel as though it was good. It has grown on me a bit, though, but it's certainly not the best.

Another Bus
Well, at least after a generally bad second half (save for Live The Life) the band close with another beautiful ending, released as a free download in May. A suitable closer.

Well, in general, this is about as good as their debut. Two differences, though; firstly, on Love It When I Feel Like This, the bad tracks were spread out (The Neighbour at #3, Loosely Dancing at #7 and Got Me Sussed at #10) whereas here they're all next to each other, which can take away some of the greatness built up in the first half.
Secondly, there is not much that you want to play over and over again (for me, only Barney Rubble and Live The Life) whereas their debut had me listening to Ice Cream Sundae, Either Way, Two Lovers and Cloudy Room over and over. Still, it's not better than their debut but not worse. So I'll give it the same score.

I'm assuming you can guess I gave their debut 7/10 as well.

A New Single From Muse

Uprising, the first single and opening track from Muse's upcoming fifth album, The Resistance, will get its first play on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show on August 3.

The single is out 7th September, and the album is out the following week.

OneRepublic News

The band's second album, rumoured to be called Today, will be released around September or October. It will feature 9 or 10 songs, possibly including the following five songs:

• All The Right Moves
• The Other Side
• Missing Persons 1 & 2
• Today
• Secrets

First Single From Editors Album

The first single from Editors' third album, In This Light And On This Evening, has been confirmed to be Papillon.

Biffy Clyro - Fifth Album

Biffy Clyro's fifth album, "Only Revolutions", will be released 26th October. It will be preceded by the single "That Golden Rule".

Listen To The Twang's New Album

From Monday, we7.com will be streaming Jewellery Quarter in full, a week before release.

Arctic Monkeys Web Transmission

On the 30th July at 21:00 (GMT) the band will play a live set of songs from their new album in a broadcasted event through their website. The event will be braodcasted from the Chapel Studios in London.

In This Light And On This Evening Tracklisting

Editors' third album, In This Light And On This Evening, will be released on 12th October. Here is the tracklisting:

01. In This Light And On This Evening
02. Bricks And Mortar
03. Papillon
04. You Don’t Know Love
05. The Big Exit
06. The Boxer
07. Like Treasure
08. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
09. Walk the Fleet Road

And some info:

• "Papillon" is suspected to be the first single.
• "Papillon", "Bricks And Mortar", "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool", and "The Big Exit" have been played at recent Editors gigs.
• "Walk The Fleet Road" may be older song "No Sound But The Wind" but renamed. The older version has been played live. EDIT: This is wrong.
• "Like Treasure" has been played to NME.
• Since there are only nine tracks, the songs may be longer than normal. EDIT: All tracks bar the final track are over four minutes. The longest is Bricks and Mortar at six minutes.

Ignore The Ignorant Artwork

The standard edition will look like this:

And the limited edition will look like this:

The album is out 7th September.

Single Review: Friendly Fires - Kiss Of Life

Single: Kiss Of Life
Artist: Friendly Fires

Whilst the crazy drums and Brazilian theme the band have taken for this one-off single are quite catchy, it is nothing absolutely outstanding. It is not bad, but I just find it hard to get into, and it hasn't grown on me.

5/10

It Is With Great Sadness...

...that I announce Editors' third album, In This Light And On This Evening, will be released three weeks later than expected. It is now due out on 12th October.

Jewellery Quarter Previews

You can hear 30 seconds of all Jewellery Quarter tracks on iTunes now.
The album will be released on August 3.

Opening Track From Jewellery Quarter

The Twang have released the first song from Jewellery Quarter onto their their MySpace page. It is called "Took The Fun". It's quite catchy - their second album's set to be great.

And what's more... there'll be new tracks each Monday until the release of the album on 3rd August. This means two new songs on the 20th and the 27th.

Little Man Tate Split

Little Man Tate have announced they will split up. The band had two albums, About What You Know and Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy.

New Friendly Fires Song On Radio

Tune in to Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show tomorrow at about 19:30 to hear "Kiss Of Life", a new single from Friendly Fires.

Let The Countdown Begin

Editors have put two countdowns on their official website. One seems to be for Wednesday 15th July, at 12:30 (if my maths is correct). I am assuming this will be a single announcement / first play, or might be something as simple (yet oddly exciting) as the album artwork or tracklisting.
Who knows, there might even be a free download. (Fingers crossed)

The other countdown is for 12th October, at midnight. Unfortunately, I think this means the album has been pushed pack three weeks. But it could mean that's when the single's set to drop. But it's more likely to be the album's date changing.

Oh well, I'm looking forward to Wednesday.

Single Review: The Cribs - Cheat On Me

Single: Cheat On Me
Artist: The Cribs
Album: Ignore The Ignorant

It's good to have the Cribs back, particularly when they have a new member, and that member was one of The Smiths. Johnny Marr is making his presence known with his great guitar work, and Ryan Jarman's voice rules the song as always, and the sheer power of his voice when he sings "cheat on me, cheat on me" sounds great.

7/10

Single Review: Biffy Clyro - That Golden Rule

Single: That Golden Rule
Artist: Biffy Clyro

Wow. From the heavy start that is incredibly catchy to the insane mix of guitar and strings at the end, this song is amazing. The vocals are catchy, as is the tune in general. Will definitely be brilliant live. Having only discovered Biffy Clyro from the Puzzle era (and loving it, by the way), I can't comment on how this compares to any of their other work, but ultimately it sounds as good as anything on Puzzle (and even better). Good expectations for the album.

9/10