Review Corner

Category: Uncategorized

  • The Pigeon Detectives: Broken Glances

    The Pigeon Detectives were big more than a decade ago, and epitomised landfill indie: predictable guitar tunes, and uninspired, often sexist lyrics (“You know I love you / Take off your clothes / It’s alright”). We were never fans, the albums seeming to contain a couple of averagely radio-friendly tunes and then filler. Landfiller, in…

  • Every Time I Die: Low Teens

    This is one for metalcore/hardcore fans only, though it’s one of those frustrating albums where non-metalheads wish the band would stick to being melodic and avoid the screaming. On the plus side, it’s a varied album, with sounds from brutal metal to heavy rock and into grungier stoner rock, with bands including Kyuss and Black…

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    Bruno Mars: 24K Magic

    We obviously know of Mars but never realised how good he was (100m records sold can’t be wrong). This new album is so good it stops you dead. Some of the reviews we read referred to new jack swing as a reference, but Mars is no more or less than Michael Jackson; a couple of…

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    Two Door Cinema Club: Gameshow

    We bought Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album and saw them live supporting someone or other when they first started; they were a decent indie band. Next thing we know our pet teenager is a big fan and Two Door are selling out tour dates. So we were pleased to get this new one, and…

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    Tori Amos: Boys For Pele

    If you’d have asked, we’d have pretended to know about Amos, based on a recollection of a hit single or two and a woman playing the piano. We’d have been wrong: first time through we hated this 20th anniversary re-release of one of her classic albums, what with the Kate Bush-esque wailings and shoutings, and…

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    Alpines: Another River

    Alpines’ debut Oasis was released two years ago, well-made electronica pop/dance with an upbeat feel. Another River is similar but more downbeat in sound, with more slower tracks. There are no real standouts but it’s a nice mood album, good for late night or early morning. Rather than standouts there are nice moments: the charged…

  • Terry Wogan: A Celebration Of Music

    This is in aid of Children In Need and Sir Terry is a lately deceased national treasure, so it is impossible to say anything bad. It’s a double CD collection of Sir Terry’s favourite tunes. There are some proper classics on here, and some very talented people, but the tone of the songs is the…

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    Johann Joseph Fux: Concentus musico-instrumentalis

    This isn’t really a Christmas album but it’s baroque (with a feel of early music). It’s the kind of music you’d have playing while you imagined you lived at Chatsworth House, freshly-scrubbed  servants singing carols out in the hall and wood, gathered by minions that morning, burning merrily on an open fire on Christmas morning.…

  • Peter Hope: Wind Blown

    Hope is best known as a composer of light music — his Ring Of Kerry is palatable and easy to listen to, so easy that it was used as test card music back in the day (you can find anything on YouTube). Petit Point is similar, the kind of music Monty Python would use in…

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    Septura: Christmas with Septura

    Seven-piece Septura have played a blinder with this album, which presents classic Christmas music played on brass. Septura, a group that brings together London’s leading players “to redefine brass chamber music”, manages to sound both non-brass band-y and non-Christmas-y on an album that offers a brass band playing Christmas music. It’s a Christmas miracle. By…