Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
For the best part of a decade Magnum had been considered one of the finest melodic/progressive rock bands that had come out of Britain during that period and especially one of the best to ever come out of the Midlands area by the time Wings of Heaven came out in July 1988.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
From out of the cold realms of darkness comes something seriously fresh, an addition to realms of Metal…something new in Heavy Metal Music. Jason Newsted hasn’t sat around doing nothing since splitting apart from Metallica over a decade ago but he hasn’t quite hit the heights that he did during the period of which arguably Metallica were one of the highest rated and musically dominant groups on the planet. His tenure with the band coincided with the release of …And Justice For All and the so called Black Album/Metallica and in some respects he was the only person worth listening to during the groups torrid time between 1992 and his withdrawal at the start of the new century.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Although the first words out of your mouth when the album finishes might well be the breathless exclamation of wow, or perhaps something more akin to anything considered vaguely Anglo-Saxon, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Rachael Wright and The Good Sons new album Dig is nothing short of fantastic. It is roller coaster of supreme sound, unblemished and rigorous to the point that the listener is not just gasping for breath as if supremely exhausted by the effect but revelling in its mastery. A collection of songs that leave you consumed and overjoyed is a rare feat but Dig achieves it in spades.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Perhaps it is with deep regret that Julia Fordham was never as big or seemingly taken as seriously as she should have been. There are many women whose presence on popular music has kept them so entrenched in the British public psyche that even well into a new a century they are still spoken about with hushed reverential tones or outlandish and bullish feelings of near greatness, Julia Fordham and perhaps the great Sam Brown, daughter of the superb Joe Brown, are unfortunately only remembered when they bring out an album or one of their earlier songs deems play worthy on the radio…days in which seem too few and far between.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
If you are going to go out, leave them demanding more. A maxim that suits Yazoo’s second album You and Me Both right down to the ground. After the huge success of the band’s debut album Upstairs At Eric’s which reached the near unprecedented heights of number two in the U.K. album chart and breaking the U.S Billboard Hot 100, the creativity that Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke weaved together followed through in to the recording of You And Me Both and yet on the eve of the album’s release they announced their separation. Whilst they would eventually get back together for a series of gigs in 2008, the flow had been broken but at least fans have the debut and this excellent follow up to remind them of what exactly the pair bought to the table.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
When things are bad, the sensible thing is to turn to art and especially music to remind you of the beauty that once strode hand in hand with you. When a nation suffers as the Greeks have for the last few years, their world turning upside down as bail out after bail out by those with perhaps less altruistic agendas, then you would be forgiven to think that the mood of the people, let alone the young, can turn their ideas to being creative. Don’t mention that in front of Sorrows Path as they reflect on the 2010 release The Rough Path of Nihilism ahead of a new album this year.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * *
Neil Hannon divides popular opinion as if having to choose between two certain brands of cola or picking out a holiday destination in two rival but equally well thought of islands. There are those that love what he does, the clever intonation, lyrics that play with the English language in such a way that he has become a master of the baroque and ornate. However all is not that plain sailing the polarising view is that he too intellectual, not that this is a bad thing, just some for whatever reason find it irritating.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Stakes are raised and battle lines drawn as Sirenia release their new album Perils of the Deep Blue. What the Scandinavians do, the continentals especially in the newly emerging metal markets of Italy, France and further abroad try to outmatch and Britain’s Black Sabbath, still very much one of the Gods, tops with rightful fervor. It is the release of Perils of the Deep Blue that propels the Norwegian band into the realms that Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi have claimed that makes the album so intense and laden with open promise.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Some things are meant to be, a meeting of minds born out of frustration, the chance encounter which goes on to greater challenges and pursuits, such is life and the way of the world. For the two women who make up Deap Vally, Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards chance meeting and a shared disaffection with getting their music being played has led to the formation of the group and an interesting and attention grabbing debut album, Sistrionix.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
One listen to Bottle Cap Sky is all it takes to understand why Michael Ubaldini is called The Jack Kerouac of Americana. Even half way through the first track, Walk Through Fire, really is enough to wallow in the ensuing imagery and words that glide that through the air and smack you as if hit by the aftermath of water from someone dive bombing into a swimming pool.