Category Archives: Music

Manic Street Preachers, National Treasures-The Singles Collection. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 31st 2011.

L.S.Media Rating ****

Perhaps the best way to look at the career of the Manic Street Preachers is not by the albums the band have released, all in their own way a testament to triumph over adversity, but perhaps in the singles the Welsh group have notched up in the time that they have been going.

Megadeth, Th1rt3en. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 1st 2011.

L.S. Media Review *****

The number itself may unlucky for some but for Megadeth its proof, if any were needed, that they remain the best and most consistent Thrash Metal act of all time. Th1rt3en continues the excellent work by the band that in recent years has seen them deliver notable and in some cases exceptional pieces of work that to compare them to the so called appointed other Big three of Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer is to belittle the achievements of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick.

The Best Of Pink Floyd: A Foot In The Door. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 16th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *

Best of albums are subjective, sometimes boringly so. What one person says is the definitive list of a band’s finest moments of recording history, another will contest that songs A and B cannot be compared with tracks Y and Z and so the great musical merry ground goes round and it allows record companies to get the public to open their wallets once more in the name of having the one definitive list. This can be even more disturbing when the band already have a well presented and in some cases finer version available.

Jethro Tull, Aqualung. 40th Anniversary Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 16th 2011.

L.S Media Rating *****

There are concept albums and there are pieces of recorded music history that deserve celebrating in absolute and outstanding style. Aqualung by Jethro Tull is one such album that can be considered amongst the very finest Progressive Rock has to offer; now that it’s been re-released for its 40th anniversary, a new generation of fans will be able to hear the reason why is considered a genuine classic of our time.

Kate Bush, 50 Words For Snow. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 23rd 2011.

L.S. Media Rating ****

If there is an enigmatic enigma in music world then that title truly belongs to Kate Bush. It’s been years since the voice of Wuthering Heights, Cloudbusting and Running up that Hill released an album, now in the space of a mere few months, she produces and delivers a second one. This honest, charming and beautiful album, 50 Words for Snow is a bold and inspiring new direction for the woman whose voice broke a million hearts and has soared higher than any before or since.

Sound of Cancer, No Vampires in Gilroy. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 27th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

The name Alexx Calise might not mean a lot to the music lovers in Britain, yet. However this multi-talented woman who has had two critically acclaimed solo albums including the tremendous In Avanti has teamed up Dennis Morehouse to form the band Sound of Cancer and the result is astonishing. The combination of these two separate and maverick style musicians have produced an album of such daring and insanely good quality that it makes you wonder why it took so long to come up with No Vampires in Gilroy. 

Jo McCafferty, Overtaking On A Bend, Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 21st 2011.

L.S. Media Rating ****

No matter how many times you may think to yourself you’ve heard all the good albums of the year, there is always going to be one that you receive in a brown dusky envelope that adds just that little thrill down your spine when you hear it.

Dodgy, Stand Up In A Cool Place. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 9th 2012.

L.S. Media Review. ****

You only need one word to describe the Dodgy album, Stand Upright In A Cool Place, you could search through every edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, every thesaurus possible and spend hours looking for that one perfect platitude and it will all boil down to the same thing…stunning!

It’s not just the songs themselves that make up this exquisite album it’s the sound that seems to traverse musical boundaries whilst retaining the beauty of the band. Like last year’s awesome release by The Waterboys An Appointment With Mr. Yeats, by doing something against the grain has propelled the band into an area that their music will thrive and no doubt be remembered just as fondly as their Brit Pop era.

The Doors, L.A. Woman. The Doors, L.A. Woman.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 25th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

I admit my musical relationship with The Doors is not what it could have been. I didn’t appreciate the American band at all. The reason for this rather glib demonstration of lack of musical compatibility is down to a girl I used to date who had the most overpowering and dedicated crush on Jim Morrison. No not a crush, she lived, breathed and dreamt of him, not a problem, that didn’t bother me. It was being called Jim that got me down about the band…for the record my name is not Jim!

Lacuna Coil, Dark Adrenaline. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 26th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Lacuna Coil stands out as Italy’s finest export since lasagna, well…certainly since music from that country stopped being all about opera. The group’s sixth album, Dark Adrenaline is everything you could want from the band as it brings a lighter, even more enjoyable edge to their usual dark gothic style whilst retaining the ethereal beauty that encompasses their music.