Category: Pop rock
-
Blancmange: Unfurnished Rooms
It’s always amazing that, no matter how forgotten the band, there are people who still love them. As far as we were concerned, Blancmange had a couple of hits way back — Living On The Ceiling was the biggest — but at the time we just thought “Meh”, even with that song’s attempt at getting a…
-
Simon Webbe: Smile
Webbe is an English singer-songwriter, best known as a member of Blue, with whom he sold 15 million records. This is his third solo album. He’s done other stuff: appeared in Sister Act the musical at the London Palladium, represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest (came 11th) and managed some bands we’ve never…
-
Re-TROS: Before The Applause
Re-TROS were formerly known as Rebuilding The Rights Of Statues and, for entirely sensible reasons, have shortened it for this new album. They’re one of those Chinese bands (or Korean, or whatever) we sometimes get to review, copying Western rock but with the addition of quirkiness — something always gets lost in cultural translation. The…
-
Liam Gallagher: As You Were
All the boy Liam has got to do to stay in the game is turn out stuff that’s not actually bad. He’s got the name and everyone likes him; the career is his to lose. But his post-Oasis output has been patchy. Even mad-for-it Oasis fans who’d buy any old rubbish Oasis released (and did)…
-
Michael Malarkey: Mongrels
Malarkey is an American actor and musician though he sounds English: his father is Irish American, his mother British and he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is best known for playing the role of Enzo in the series The Vampire Diaries (apparently). Some actors make terrible musicians, but Malarkey…
-
Reverend and the Makers: The Death Of A King
While listening to the dub reggae-tinged Boomerang, we were able to place this album: The Rev (aka Jon Mclure) is the white middle-aged Rastafarian you see down the pub. Nice bloke, intelligent, knows a lot of stuff, but while you half think he’s cool, you’re never going to want to look, or live, like him.…
-
The War On Drugs: A Deeper Understanding
It’s not often that we agree with the national critics, whose albums of the year are always works we never thought much of, while our favourites never feature in anyone else’s top 50 CDs. This new The War On Drugs album, their fourth, has been universally praised and analysed and, for once, we’re on board.…
-
A-ha: Acoustic Hits
It’s 30 years since A-ha were massive and, satisfyingly, Morten Harket is older than even the oldest member of the Review Corner. Take On Me is the big hit and presumably the song everyone wants, and it’s first on this collection of acoustic covers. It doesn’t really work without the driving synth, either, perhaps why…
-
The Barr Brothers: Queens Of The Breakers
The Review Corner are huge fans of The Barr Brothers (brothers Brad and Andrew, and harpist Sarah Page) and after their last album saw them at a small venue, Page’s massive harp squeezed onto a tiny stage. They’re a class act; slick songs expertly put together but with an appealing DIY / live feel, and…
-
Scott Matthews: Home Pt2
A bit like the Mounties we always get a CD reviewed, even if the sounds of the launch party and the promotional tour are long forgotten. We’ve got all Scott Matthews’ CDs — one we even bought — and always found him a little frustrating. Clearly a talented songwriter, he always seemed to hide his…
Review Corner 