2014 albums

Anyone gave the Jungle album a go? Wasn't really impressed on first listen but it's a real grower and I'm diggin' it now.

Manics - Futurology

Very solid album, and a great companion to last year's Rewind the Film. The variety of musical styles across these two albums is astounding, especially for a band that's been going for over 20 years, and have released 12 albums.

The strength of Futurology lies in the second half though.

Title track - a bit Coldplay, and Nicky takes the vocal on the chorus
Walk me to the bridge - lead single, a bit dull on the verses especially
Let's go to war - sounds like a Soviet marching song
The next jet to leave Moscow - lyrics by James, a short, pretty song similar in sound to their cover of "We are all bourgeois now" - key lyric: "So you played in Cuba did you like it brother? I bet you felt proud you silly little fucker"
Europa geht durch mich - Glam, industrial, stomper
Divine Youth - some bird delivers guest vocals and harp playing, slow and chiming - "And I sing to myself, My civil wars within, The victories and failures, I daily lose and win"
Sex Power Love and Money - as close to humour as we get. It's an admittedly silly, campy OTT song that harks back to the Manics of Generation Terrorists
Dreaming A City (Hughesovka) - an instrumental, but one worth listening to. Sounds like... an 80s Sci-Fi TV show theme tune, or the closing credits of a retro video game.
Black Square - fantastic melody on the verses, solid lyrics - "Let us wipe the slate clean let us dig our own graves, Let us choose our own wars and make our own mistakes, Free yourselves from the tyranny of objects, Purged of all colour the purest abstraction"
Between the clock and the bed - some bozo guest vocals on half the vocals but the song still stands tall. Very 80s, folks are saying Simple Minds - I'm thinking Tears for Fears. "I’m well aware of happiness, And what it takes to get to it. But the simple struggle of survival - transforms itself into betrayal"
Misguided missile - clunky title notwithstanding, a stand-out - the intro! "I am a self obsessed fool - self centred and bruised. I am a misguided missile, consumed with denial."
The view from Stow Hill - not the best.
Mayakovsky - instrumental closer. Not bad for what it is.

Anyone got high hopes for the new Weezer album this year? Seen lots of teasers on YouTube with bits of music from it, and it does sound like it could be a return to form.

The lead single (Back To The Shack) ain't too shabby but the first 11 seconds is really misleading; I'd like more of that riff throughout the song.

The first line in scandinavia is better than everything on the actual album.

ive learned to give up completely on weezer now. would still love to see them live one day but the last few albums have been poor and that song doesnt suggest any different for the new one.

Yeah, I'd love to see them live tbh

"Today The Raveonettes have not only announced details of their seventh studio album Pe’Ahi, but the Danish duo have released it too"

Will give that a listen on spotify in a bit then

seen em.

supporting guns n roses in 2002.

fucking hate em.

After a few days, I actually quite like this.  The intro riff is totally bitching and the solo 3/4 of the way through is a bit of a shredder.  Plus, there's a break where Rivers sings "If we die in obscurity, oh well / At least we raised some hell"
which actually sounds a little bit like the Weezer I loved on their first album.


The lyrics are nothing ground-breaking but at least they have the balls to poke fun at themselves for some of the terrible stuff they have release, and the decency to apologize to their hardcore fans for those embarrassments.

The main criticism I have is the production on Rivers' voice; it's just a little too clean.  He sang it perfectly well on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the vocal actually suited the track more than the studio version does.

It's possibly a little naive of me but I think it's possible the new album could be a slight returns to form.  I don't mean Blue Album / Pinkerton form, but at least better Red Album / Raditude / Hurley.

For the record, Red Album / Raditude / Hurley have good tracks spread amongst them but as albums, they're gash.

New Drums!! YESSSSS

goat leaked

Also that Beck song writer thing with people like Jack White, Jeff Tweedy, Norah Jones, Juanes and Beck himself. He forgot to add any track by mahoney though.

Jack White and Jack Black in the same album, this curio is worth if only for that reason.

Looking fordward to the new Spoon, it's nearly my first contact with them bar their most known songs and I'm quite digging the advances

the Kan Wakan album is bloody excellent and the new Ty Segall is the best i've heard this year.

It leaked, and GA GA GA was one of my favorite records last decade.