Category: Pop rock
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Yeasayer: Amen and Goodbye
You know what you’re getting with the surprisingly long-lived Yeasayer — catchy dance / pop with that hippy vibe that seemed to surround them and bands like MGMT, who emerged at the same time. The last couple of Yeasayer albums have been a bit Bombay Bicycle Club: you knew they’d be good and you knew…
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Phil Collins: No Jacket Required
This was a massive album back in the 80s: the third solo studio album by drummer Collins, it sold 10 million copies in the US, 1.8 million in the UK and 20 million worldwide. No wonder Phil has such nice houses. It won the Grammy for album of the year in 1985. It bit like…
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The Posies: Solid States
We’ve heard of The Posies but never anything by them. They’re from Bellingham, Washington — also hometown to Death Cab For Cutie — and been going since 1987, so we’ve either missed them or they’ve managed to remain cult. They play clever power/pop that reminded us most of Fountains of Wayne; they’re better than FoW,…
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Meilyr Jones: 2013
It takes some time to get into this adventurous, bold and frankly difficult pop album from former Race Horses frontman Meilyr Jones. It’s a mix of soul/dance music in the style of Dexy’s Midnight Runners and all manner of orchestral instruments: one comparison is early ELO — but far more the debut Electric Light Orchestra…
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The Heavy: Hurt and The Merciless
We’ve heard people raving about The Heavy and can see why: they’re basically the best wedding band you’ve ever heard, and they’ll keep you awake and happy on the drive to work. If “the best wedding band you’ve ever heard” seems harsh, it’s not meant to: fans of the Blues Brothers, particularly the live touring…
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The Coral: Distance Inbetween
The Coral were about 12 (ok, 16) when they started and by 20 were big stars. Their first two albums were very good but they tailed off a bit, presumably while they grew up and got their heads together; they’ve keep popping up on other albums and we’ve lost track of the number of relations…
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Just Great Songs 2016
This is so not aimed at the Review Corner. We believe in democracy but this collection’s five number ones, seventeen top fives and 24 top 10s doesn’t mean the record-buying public is right. Forty songs that all sound similar with Autotuning clear in places. Still: it opens with Justin Bieber, and damn, the boy is…
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She Drew The Gun: Memories Of The Future
You may well be hearing more of She Drew The Gun: they have won Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition, coming out on top of the live finale and seeing off competition from thousands of other acts in the free-to-enter annual contest. The prize is a slot on one of Glastonbury’s main stages and £5,000 to help…
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The Feeling: The Feeling
According to Wikipedia, The Feeling were the most played band on UK radio in 2006: their four singles received a total of 97,436 plays, which meant that, on average, a song by The Feeling was played 267 times every day, or once every five minutes. Golly. They passed us by — Jamie T, Arcade Fire,…
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