Category Archives: Music

The White Stripes, Elephant. 10th Anniversary Retrospective.

The distinctive and dramatic style of The White Stripes was probably captured at its very best on the 2003 album Elephant. Full of damning  humour, musical trickery, agitated fidgetiness, dirty bass lines and a band at their creative peak, Elephant stands out as one of the real highlights of 2003, a moment where the rock rule book was not just taken to task but publicly admonished, berated in front of its peers and finally told to get a life.  Dedicated to the death of the sweetheart, the music is all consuming and leaves the listener breathless, as all good sweethearts should.

The White Stripes, Elephant. 10th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1170 words, estimated 4:41 mins reading time)

Benea Reach, Possession. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

No matter which branch of the Metal enclave you try to put in Norwegian band Benea Reach into, in the end it doesn’t matter as they, like their fellow Nordic musician’s Amaranthe, are a new wave of Metal that justifies themselves by the way they reach their ever-growing fan base and not by the small boxes a lot of the bands find themselves placed within.

Benea Reach, Possession. Album Review. full post

(445 words, estimated 1:47 mins reading time)

The Wonder Stuff, Oh No It’s…The Wonder Stuff. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Sometimes people neglect or worse forget the music that calls The Midlands its home as if the area never produced anything of note. There is no rhyme or reason to this as whether it is the Black Country streets of Wolverhampton, the gentle market town of Stourbridge, the old industrial heartlands of Birmingham or to the East Coventry and every port of call in between, The Midlands is responsible for arguably the best popular music to come out of England that doesn’t have the Mersey River feeding its musical life blood. Whether it is E.L.O., Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, The Specials, Jeff Lynne, Duran Duran, Magnum, Black Sabbath or Dexy’s Midnight Runners, The Midlands has contributed so much to music and so have one of the finest out of the region, The Wonder Stuff.

The Wonder Stuff, Oh No It’s…The Wonder Stuff. Album Review. full post

(561 words, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

The Union, The World Is Yours. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Three albums down the line and The Union have hit a stride that will be difficult, if not impossible slow or indeed stop. As in the early days of the 70s a band has been given the time to develop their music and come up with a recording that sits comfortably in amongst some of the greats of the genre. In The World is Yours, The Union, comprising of Thunder stalwarts Luke Morley and Chris Childs stand aside Peter Shoulder and Dave McCluskey as they breathe new life into the harder edged side of Blues/Rock that seems to have vacated over the last few years.

The Union, The World Is Yours. Album Review. full post

(427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Roddy Woomble, Listen To Keep. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

For his third foray into the world of solo albums, Roddy Woomble of Idlewild liberates and musically  distances himself from the band that many still suggest was one of the great Scottish acts of the last 20 years and delivers a genuinely astounding wonderful piece of work. Whilst Idlewild may not have released a new album for four years, Roddy has plugged away at creating a sound that whilst indicative of his time as the band’s frontman, doesn’t echo and repeat old glories. Listen To Keep goes that little bit further and plays like a dream.

Roddy Woomble, Listen To Keep. Album Review. full post

(367 words, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

Kate Nash, Girl Talk. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It wasn’t that long ago that Kate Nash was thought of quirky, a new voice to enjoy whilst it possibly lasted and more than likely she would do well to get a couple of albums under her belt but gradually fade away. Something then happened to make that possibility a mere inconsequence, she became a female voice of a generation and for that music lovers should be grateful.

Kate Nash, Girl Talk. Album Review. full post

(405 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Pink Floyd, The Final Cut. 30th Anniversary Retrospective.

It seems slightly ironic that at a time when the Falklands debate rages once more between the U.K. and Argentinian Governments, an album that uses the conflict between the two countries as a focus for an anti-war message should be celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is almost with bitterness and a shaking of heads that Pink Floyd’s 1983 album The Final Cut should still resonate across the many thousands of miles between Buenos Aires and London. Even after the Falkland Islanders have had the unprecedented and historic vote in the last few weeks on where they see their future, the echoes of a conflict that was born in the spring of 1982 but had its genesis over a period of a couple of hundred years, still rages and the thoughts of the people caught between two ideologically opposed governments might in the end not matter.

Pink Floyd, The Final Cut. 30th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1304 words, estimated 5:13 mins reading time)

Billy Bragg, Tooth And Nail. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

For the first time in five years, one of the beating hearts of musical radical social truth releases an album. Whilst Billy Bragg’s overt dynamism may have mellowed with age, the fire in conviction, the words he wants get across to those that sometimes won’t or can’t listen has never been more acute and on Tooth and Nail, he still uses the power of the ideas running through his head to great effect.

Billy Bragg, Tooth And Nail. Album Review. full post

(373 words, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Joe Bonamassa: An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House, Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

To capture someone in all their glory live can be a laborious and sometimes self sacrificing work, an effort of near epic proportions is needed by a lot of people to make sure that the magic that is heard is portrayed correctly and doesn’t become a fuzzy after thought in the listener’s minds. In Joe Bonamassa, there really is no need to ever question what the end result will sound like as his unique personality and guitar playing are always top quality and when the music is within the confines of the Vienna Opera House then it’s an experience to savour.

Joe Bonamassa: An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House, Album Review. full post

(391 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Amaranthe, The Nexus. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

They may be the best kept Metal secret that Sweden and Denmark has been able to keep under cover, especially from U.K. fans, in many years. The time though has come for Amaranthe to come of age and claim the crown of Nordic Metal Gods one and for all with their brand new arse kicking, Metal munching/pop infused release The Nexus.

Amaranthe, The Nexus. Album Review. full post

(383 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)