Originally published by L.S. Media. July 4th 2011.
Dedicated to Chaos is the new album from Queensryche, always touted as one of the finest bands to come out of Seattle, and unfortunately for the best Prog Metal band in existence the album actually describes the album perfectly. Coming on the back of the highly rated, imaginative and committed album American Soldier, Dedicated to Chaos seems a very poor and stunted relation.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 5th 2011.
For the first time in 10 years, Progressive Rock pioneers Yes have delivered an album onto the British Public and the outcome is nothing short of marvellous.
Fly from Here is the band’s first studio album since the release of 2001’s Magnification and even though the personnel has once more changed, it comes across as superbly arranged and decently produced and with none of the whispers of pretension that has dogged the band over the years. Whether this is down to the influence of producer Trevor Horn, who as a former Yes member, albeit briefly, understands the point that the musicians always try to get across or the band gelling superbly and rallying round to come up with a fine album.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 5th 2011.
The Kaiser Chiefs can never be accused of conforming or becoming stale. After the first three albums went top ten in the British charts and even did respectively well in the American market, the Yorkshire band have released their fourth album, The Future is Medieval.
The Future Is Medieval started out as one of the most unique promotional efforts in the history of recorded music. In early June the band put out over 20 tracks on their website with the offer of downloading the songs that you wanted, to create your own perfect Kaiser Chiefs compilation of new tracks, and even in these austere times the response was outstanding. On the back of that the band released a tangible copy for their fans consisting of 13 of those tracks.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 5th 2011.
Yorkshire born but most certainly Liverpool influenced Jo Bywater’s debut album, Cycle Grace Pulse Break may have been out for a short while now but it is an album of incredible maturity that deserves to be visited and enjoyed no matter how late or by what means you come to this very talented woman.
Liverpool has been blessed in recent years with the quality of recording artists that have either come here to study and stay and making their home in the city or by those that have been born and raised here, brought up on possibly the best and most diverse range of music to be associated with one area.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 17th 2011.
It is a sad fact, but Heavy Metal albums age quickly; they corrode and wither, some die of neglect after being hailed as the best thing to ever hit the market, some stagnate for a while before only selling to true fans of the genre. Not for them the security of say Progressive Rock’s Pink Floyds Wish You Were Here or the timeless musings of Soul legend Marvin Gaye’s seminal What’s Going On. There are so few examples of timeless quality pure Heavy or Thrash Metal albums that 25 years after the release date still sound fresh and exciting.
Originally published by L.S. Media. August 2nd 2011.
Jon Fratelli has spent the last few years watching his band The Fratellis come from seemingly nowhere to become terrace sing-a-long heroes with their catchy music and Vaudeville-like lyrics. Although they divided critical opinion with their two studios albums, their popularity has remained high with tracks such as the infectious Chelsea Dagger and the sleazy Cuntry Boys and City Girls turning up in clubs and its heavy rotation at football and N.H.L. matches.
Since 2009, Jon Fratelli has been working on new material which has culminated in his debut solo album Psycho Jukebox.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 1st 2011.
The longer the Red Hot Chili Peppers left it, the harder it could have been to get back to the stage the group were at when they announced they were taking time out after their gargantuan and gut busting double album Stadium Arcadium. The length of time to record the album, the subsequent drawn out success of the tour and the departure of guitarist John Frusciante from the fold would have all taken their toll and broken lesser bands.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 5th 2011.
If the mid seventies can be defined as the golden period of producing records of quality by Queen, then the period after their foray into the world of disco and their first adventure into creating music for a major film can surely defined as the re-birth of a legend. From the time that The Works came out till the untimely passing of charismatic vocalist Freddie Mercury, the band never put a foot wrong in the studio and brought out album after stunning album with songs that captured the imagination, courted controversy and broke the fans hearts when it was over.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 5th 2011.
A Kind of Magic was Queen’s second attempt at creating a film score and after the underachieving and almost disastrous attempt of Flash Gordon it would have been natural for the band to shy away from getting into bed with any film producer who wanted them to run the risk of ridicule again, however A Kind of Magic had all the ingredients, all the creativity and all the genuine pulling power that Flash Gordon was robbed of.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 5th 2011.
The Miracle was Queen’s 13th studio album and even though the band had been suffering internal turmoil with vocalist Freddie Mercury’s admission to the band that he was seriously ill and the breakdown of Brain May’s first marriage, the four members pulled out all the stops to recorded what could be considered the bands finest album of the 1980’s. It has tough competition from The Works and the group’s next album Innuendo.