ALBUMS REVIEWS
Hanni El Khatib - 'Head In The Dirt'
With Grammy-festooned producer and Black Keys man Dan Auerbach riding sidecar, it comes as no surprise that Los Angeles art-greaser Hanni El Khatib's second album is an engine-revving dose of filthy, leather-clad blues. For the most part, his...
George Pringle - 'Golfo Dei Poeti'
George Pringle released her debut album, 'Salon des Refusés' in 2009, a collection of largely spoken-word, stream-of-consciousness tales about London, Audrey Hepburn and the films of Zeffirelli set to a GarageBand backing. It's been a while in...
Jaws - 'Milkshake EP'
Laziness is underrated. What a lot of people see as an undesirable character trait can, in fact, be good for you. Chill out more, live longer. Say no to a 10-mile run, stay up later. Sleep more, yawn less. Life-affirming mottos that bring us to...
The Phoenix Foundation - 'Fandango'
By the sounds of it, The Phoenix Foundation have been heavily packing the bong during the making of fifth album 'Fandango'. The Kiwis just about keep their eye on the ball with another set of all-killer no-filler songs that sees their...
Daniel Johnston - 'Space Ducks'
There's been a dearth of concept albums about ducks recently (a gap I'd hoped to fill with my 'Quack My Bitch Up' EP featuring Drake), but despite the surreal subject matter Johnston's soundtrack for his own comic book is romantic and deeply...
Darren Hayman And The Long Parliament - 'Four...
Rebranding from indie pop to alt.folk, Darren Hayman follows 'The Violence' – last year's magnificent treatise on the Civil War-era Essex witch trials – with more historical lilting, this time about queens. 'Henrietta Maria' lathers lounge...
Ice, Sea, Dead People - 'If It's Broken, Break...
Ice, Sea, Dead People's second album is overloaded with malevolent guitars, silly screamed lyrics and mild fury, in a Mclusky kind of way. Such qualities are nothing without good ideas, and ISDP have plenty. These include repeating the title at...
Charli XCX - 'True Romance'
There's no nice way to say this: Charli XCX makes goth-pop for Tumblr nuts. Thing is, it seems to be working for her. Charlotte Aitchison had a dodgy start to her career in 2008, hawking tracks called 'Art Bitch' and '!Franchesckaar!', but a...
Fall Out Boy - 'Save Rock And Roll'
When any band heads back into the studio after a lengthy hiatus, it's often accompanied by a burning desire to return to their roots. So, be warned, anyone hoping for Fall Out Boy's reunion to see them ditch the slick radio-pop of divisive 2008...
Golden Grrrls - 'Golden Grrrls'
When your shtick is all about sounding like you've written all your songs in five minutes and recorded them in a shed, the only way to do it well is to keep the tunes short. Glaswegian trio Golden Grrrls (exxxcellent name) know the rules. Few of...
