Grunge veterans Staind have had a colourful history. From the guttural power of the debuting Tormented to the eclectic charm of The Illusion of Progress, the Massachusetts quartet have proven to the globe that they are a songwriting force to be reckoned with. In 2010 the group vouched to “return to their roots” for the…
In what has become a rich and diverse array of conscious hip-hop artists to have emerged since the 1990s, The Roots have always held a strong position with both critics and fans. Since their self-released debut Organix! in 1993, the Philadelphia group has responded to the violence and misogyny of gangsta rap with creative instrumentation and…
Probably the best record we’ve seen from an X Factor contestant.
I took over this review from someone else who was having trouble articulating their views on this album. I thought I would easily manage to put my thoughts into words, and assumed the mantle of reviewing Kate Bush’s first album of original material in six years (or so) and her third since the year of…
As an accompanying single to Rammstein’s upcoming best-of album Made in Germany 1995–2011, ‘Mein Land’ does a good job of summing up their musical power and ‘oomph’. Rammstein’s wonderfully humorous style is put to good use in a video which contrasts the dark, industrial metal Germans with a sunny beach setting, parodying Baywatch and The…
Is the X Factor’s annual charity single actually any good this year?
Last year’s X Factor runner up returns in style.
Does house still work in the context of art rock on In the Grace of Your Love?
The W Factor; The Wombles re-release their single “Wombling Merry Christmas” to fight x-factor for the Christmas number one.
Lady Gaga takes on a Christmas classic and succeeds.
Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber team up to rework the 1994 Christmas classic ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’.
Bias should have no place in objective journalism so I apologise if some does creep into this review, for Bloc Party are one of the groups (if not the group) that first exposed to me a new music genre and helped build on my musical interests. Silent Alarm is the dramatic debut from the band,…
From its explosive introduction to its Generation X-aping refrain of “Here we are now/Entertain us”, the stage is set for Seattle grunge trio Nirvana to have a huge hit this Christmas. Despite some hardcore fans of the band accusing Nirvana of selling out by releasing such a commercial tune, bookies now pitch ‘Smells Like Teen…
Little Justin Bieber makes it easy to hate him, doesn’t he? In this disgustingly sugary festive number that mixes references to everyone’s favourite day with focus-group level ‘gangster’ language (see “Shawtee with you”), the little spawn of Satan proves that he can even ruin Christmas. The formulaic and catchy nature of the chorus will guarantee…