A God-awful Small Affair

Next stop with the hype train is at Clare Maguire, a 23 year old chanteuse with vocal comparisons to the rather dizzying heights of Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks. With a producer and songwriter behind some of pop's most recent big hits (Fraser T Smith - the man behind "Broken Strings", "Break Your Heart" and much of Adele and Kylie Minogue's recent efforts), we're almost guaranteed a dance-pop record full to the brim with energy. The intro, 'Are You Ready?', is a minute of Lennox-esque oohing increasing in volume and intensity over some dark synths - before launching into 'Shield and Sword', a song so perfectly crafted towards those of a poppy disposition. There are some shades of Beth Ditto about it - in that it's a throaty assault on breakups ("You and I are working on burning bridges now" ; "I no longer love you") over some arms-in-the-air backdrops. Next is 'The Last Dance', which has been co

Blahblahblah hype blahblah critics choice blahblahblah. On the release of her two hit singles I was still unconvinced of the buzz about her; a few decent vocal performances on Jools Holland and various website promotions were far from exceptional, not to take away from her talents. We're all familiar with current chart-botherer 'Price Tag', a pop song so perfectly crafted to embed itself in your subconscious and days later present itself in the form of your own hums. B.o.B. makes an entirely pointless appearance to cement her very current appeal, being the "featured rapper with minimal input" du jour. 'Nobody's Perfect' is somewhat endearing, showing off her vocals with a few obvious confidence lyrics. In 'Abracadabra' there's pop-synths that the Saturdays would be proud to adorn, with a chorus with the same rhythm as 'Tik Tok' and all sorts of other current monoliths, but without the variety to prevent it from going stale quickly.

It's fair to say I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the prospect of a new Avril Lavigne album. There were a fair few cynics, of which I was one, of her new image - which seems to have cast aside her breakthrough girl-next-door-with-a-guitar niche in favour of corporate mainstream sluttitude. But enough of the visuals; the music declined pretty sharply too. I don't think it's fair to deny that 'Girlfriend' was catchy, but nonetheless she seemed to have expired her best before date. There's then a brief glimmer of hope in the new album's opener 'Black Star', all twinkling pianos and soft delivery to ease you in. But don't be deceived, 'What The Hell' follows and you're probably familiar with it - all brash careless shtick and a rather unrelentingly catchy, if not obvious, pop tune. The lyrics are shockingly bad ('You say that I'm messing with your head, boy, I like messing in your bed') but it's a hell of a hook. Th

Leaks seem to be in negligible supply lately so I thought I'd get around to reviewing some of the albums of 2011 I haven't yet had a chance to. 'Valhalla Dancehall', the fourth studio album from British Sea Power, was released in early January but I've been enjoying it too much to go through the year ignoring it. Their brand of raw alternative rock has been one I've enjoyed for a long time, particularly the track 'Waving Flags' from their Do You Like Rock Music? EP - and their sound places them somewhere between Elbow, Doves and Arcade Fire; three bands I'm rather fond of indeed. 'Who's In Control?' starts off VD (unfortunate initials) with vocal delivery rather reminiscent of Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil - backed up with a solid rock song, all drum-fed choruses and background chants that seems to be their secret weapon. Such drums are the focal point in 'We Are Sound', which slows down around the 3rd minute mark for a pleasant l

In 2011 it's not exactly difficult to go out and find yourself an alternative, dark-pop influenced female. Enter Anna Calvi. Although released mid-January, to me it's a relatively new album. I listened once and ignored it. Then a friend gave it a rather generous review. Well here we are. Introducing herself with 'Rider to the Sea', a guitar instrumental plausibly suited to a Tarantino moment, it's slightly reminiscent of the great country Western scores commanded by Moriccone and Co. There are understated yet tense glimmers before introducing her voice in 'No More Words', and it's a rather seductive one indeed. Evoking some shades of PJ Harvey and Siouxsie Sioux, she purrs. However it really kicks off with 'Desire', a Springsteen style guitar anthem full of excitement and a great chorus. 'Suzanne and I' demonstrates her throatier vocals with an almost Bond-theme backdrop, pausing around the 2 and a half minute mark for some unusual moanin

I wasn't particularly a massive fan of her debut. It struck me as too alternative, too focussed on trying to weird the listeners out and whilst there were certainly some interesting elements (the unusual vocal delivery, as seen on 'I'm Good I'm Gone'), it just didn't click. And so she returns with the difficult second album. From the get-go there're obvious rock'n'roll influences that help to create a more musical, more cohesive and structured environment. Rather than sticking in avant garde revelrie, there's an Amy Winehouse quality to the follow-up: drafting in heavy retro influences to direct her more clearly. Opener 'Youth Knows No Pain' kicks off with majestic drums and a 60s-inspired organ hook that grabs you by the horns and immediately shakes off all preconceptions about her musical direction. The second single from the project, 'I Follow Rivers' follows the rhythmic stylings but swaps for a more echoed, sexier ("Dark

I must point out that I have a horrific toothache at the moment and as such might be prone to exaggerate any criticisms with this album. It is lucky then that I've decided to go ahead and review something I've been fond of for a few months now - the debut LP of 'Yuck', a band apparently from London, New York and Hiroshima . Someone less tactful than I might make a coarse 'this album is explosive!' joke. Um...anyway. Two of the founders were in Cajun Dance Party, a band I wasn't particularly a fan of. The immediate impression I got from opener 'Get Away' was Strokes. Stroke stroke strokes. It's got that New York vibe about it that's propelled Casablancas, not to mention Sonic Youth, The Drums and Velvet Underground. It's got that same attention to detail, fetishizing killer riffs and subtly distorted sounds aimed at the hearts of indie fans worldwide. 'The Wall' has a noticeably weaker chorus and it has to be said isn't particu

I can vaguely recall a time when I would have said "I hate Radiohead". I was young, I was foolish, I lived off the radio. Today I'm still a bit of a middle-of-the-road fan. I love The Bends and OK Computer, but consider Kid A a bit patchy and haven't had much time for anything else. So this is the first time I've looked forward to a new release from the band. And my initial impression is that I've picked up a Thom Yorke solo record. Of course always the main focal point of their music with his signature emotive vocal deliveries, there's something very personal about this record that I can't place my finger on. Perhaps it's the quietness of the record; there're no opportunities for air guitars here. There are strange piano loops and an unusual drum rhythm to kick us off in 'Bloom' which is possibly the most signature of the album to their usual sound. Some have said it reminds them of '15 Step'. Synths soar in overhead like cacop

Just to test the water: WELSH INDIE ROCKERS. AN 8-MINUTE OPENING TRACK. To the rest of you still reading, thank you. Because whilst these might scare off a few, the Joy Formidable are worth your (however brief) attention. They tick a lot of positive boxes too - female vocalist, Bloc Party-style rock-euphoria sounds, stadium filling anthems. They've been compared to Arcade Fire and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They had a free iTunes single of the week spot and landed in at #39 in the album chart. It's a slow but exciting debut, for sure. Ambitious monolith opener 'The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie' is tense, epic, brusque kickoff with a frenzied crescendo almost leaving them with the need to start anew, somewhat reminiscent of Snow Patrol's "Open Your Eyes" calibre. It's coincidentally followed with 'The Magnifying Glass' and an intro of riotous laughter. Um. Well the music that follows is fast, bold and would please virtually any festival-goer ever. T

Hype is a dangerous thing. It can be misattributed wildly - remember Little Boots? It can set someone up to fall majestically before you've even begun, and that could very well be the case here. James Blake is described a neo-soul dubstep-lite musician who's arrived on a platform of minimalism recently revived by the XX's mammoth success. But minimalism doesn't say enough. Whilst there are numerous technological tricks and gadgets employed (he provides his own backing vocals on a number of tracks) I feel they've been put to better use by many other artists around and waiting to break through (Jamie Woon is a good example). Onto the album. 'Unluck' gets the ball rolling with his soulful voice echoing and autotuning itself into an exciting vine around a Massive Attack 'Teardrop'esque beat and ever-changing synths providing climactic opportunities almost chaotically. The result is a disjointed, confusing soul song. 'The Wilhelm Scream', a cover

I'm not going to do a 'Q' here and fill you in on an incredibly well-documented and soap-operatic backstory to Beady Eye. There's going to be a lot of expectations about 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' - will they ever match up to Oasis? Should we judge this completely independently? The latter's always going to be difficult given such a legacy. There is certainly an unmistakable air of retro about the record. From the first single's uncanny resemblance to John Lennon's "Instant Karma" to song titles referencing the Beatles and Stones, this is very much a celebration of the great British songwriters - a league that Liam Gallagher sits comfortably in. Opener 'Four Letter Word' is already a favourite of mine - brash, exciting, it kicks off the show impeccably. "Nothing ever lasts forever" is spat over bold brass backdrops and dizzying guitar solos whilst violins and drums try to compete. 'Millionaire' is comparative

So there's something for everyone this week. Arguably the most anticipated release of the year, Gaga's back. Whether that's to your chagrin or delight is irrelevant and probably as ever-changing as mine. Upon the release of her lyrics a few weeks ago, I winced a little. It's cheesy, it's false and whilst she may be tolerant and all that jazz - it's not going to change anything in gay rights other than perhaps give them attention. So the track was released today. And it's...overwhelmingly disappointing. Within minutes there were fans and critics alike citing an uncanny resemblance to Madonna's "Express Yourself" and I can't help but agree - the sheer tune of the song is more past-it than pastiche. But this aside, there's a glaring lack of tune that I was hoping would blur out the corny lyrics. Have I given up on GaGa? Not even close - here's hoping for a much better album. 3/10 On a similarly internet-shattering note, The Strokes rel

For someone only previously acquainted with their hits "Young Folks" and "Nothing to Worry About", one would expect an album of theirs to be full of twee little tunes to whistle and tap your feet along to. Whilst the latter is still retained, it's a bit of a culture shock. Guitar riffs that would make the Strokes blush, vocals slightly reminiscent of Pete Doherty - this is an entirely new side to Peter Bjorn and John. Dodgy choice of artwork aside, it kicks off with 'Tomorrow Has to Wait' - an anthem packed with energy and throwing off British Sea Power or Doves vibes, that kind of raw, almost primal sound. 'Dig A Little Deeper' could've blossomed as a hit in the 2003-2006 era of British indie, thriving off quickfire riffs and casually sneering vocals. 'Second Chance' was released as the first single merely weeks ago and appears to be something of a surprise hit - judging by the public reaction to their YouTube video. Adhering to the

'Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea' is the only other album of PJ's I've heard - it struck me as pretty ballsy for an alternative female artist, and whilst it never really entranced me fully, it was a solid, good album. Much of the same can be said for Harvey's 2011 venture - she seems to continually wow critics: 5 star reviews for Let England Shake are rolling in. The opener of the same title blends cute vocals and The Cure-like tunes but lyrics of England's "indifference won", signalling a worrying mix of inertia and death. Add to this the "Goddamn Europeans!" that kicks off 'The Last Living Rose' and you might just have the Daily Mail's favourite album. But rather than going into meticulous detail about inconsistent refuse collection, the album rather poetically and frighteningly tells tales of war. 'The Glorious Land' hauntingly ends with the line "What is the glorious fruit of our land? Its fruit is orp

firstly a quick apology for being so infrequent with my reviews - I've been trying to rank all of my older material rather than new stuff lately, and my internet being cut didn't help. But life goes on. Strange band name. Strange album title. I discovered these courtesy of a friend who'd spotted them on an NME 'oooh nudge nudge watch out for them in 2011' feature, and rather liked what I heard. However, until recently I was unaware their album was released late 2010. However, the hype appears to be catching up with them. At time of writing they're Popjustice's Song of the Day (not always a coveted title), free iTunes single of the week and were nominated for a J Award (the Australian equivalent of a Brit for Best Album, I suppose). They've since moved base and followed a rather long recent string of Australasian electronic/indie acts - Empire of the Sun, The Naked and Famous, Sneaky Sound System to name a few. But enough of their cohorts. Let's liste