Review: Somehow summoning the chutzpah and spirit to go bigger-better-faster-more on each one of their albums thus far, Muse here dish out another feverish, histrionic and mightily compelling collection of widescreen art-rock stompers. With the help of none other than 'Mutt' Lange in the producer's chair, the Teignmouth three-piece make a record with an epic scope and grandstanding aplomb that could put it in the ring with any of the stadium acts he's worked with in times of yore. With an anti-war theme surrounding ditties that loom large in the imagination, 'Drones' is another bold step for this unlikely trio.
Review: Oxford's Foals, now ten years old and some seven years on from their debut, have pulled the neat trick of elevating themselves to dizzy heights without essentially compromising their kinetic mixture of art-driven experimentation and widescreen melodic grandstanding. Yet 'What Went Down', their fourth salvo thus far, shows a band newly reinvigorated, and somehow managing to be both heavier and more danceable in turn. As angry and inventive as ever, the howls of mainman Yannis Philippakis have lost none of their cathartic charge, the chime of their guitars remains as seductive, yet so vibrant and vivacious is this collection of songs that their elevation to festival headliner status seems a foregone conclusion.
Review: Legend has it that David Bowie was so lost in a vortex of cocaine and ego during the making of this record to such a degree that he now can't remember anything about its creation at all. Typically of the Dame though, in the midst of all this madness he created a masterpiece, and arguably his greatest album of all. With a hint of the funk of influence of 'Young Americans', yet filtered through a glacial European sensibility, it's a genre-transcending tour-de-force of boundless scope and imperious swagger. Forty-one years on, this record still sounds like the future.
Review: Royal Blood's debut was a smash hit, and its globe-conquering success notably hasn't led them to make an avant-jazz record for this follow-up, nor to stray too far from the amp-abusing template it set out. Nor indeed does this record live up to its title, despite spending much of its 35-minute duration chronicling the downfall of a relationship, Nonetheless, the Brightonian duo remain possessed of testosterone-driven power and brass-knuckle boisterousness to slay ten lesser bands, and 'How Did We Get so Dark?' is another masterclass in the creation of riffs big enough to fill a canyon.
Review: We've had more Neil Young compilations thrown our way over the years than many of us care to remember, but only one really sticks in the mind, and it's this one. Originally released in 1977 and chronicling the period in which Young went from being a simple member of Buffalo Springfield to one of the most heralded North American songwriters of the late century, and comprising work from that band alongside Crosby Stills Nash and Young, it's studded with delights aplenty. From the extended guitar sprawl of 'Down By The Ocean' and 'Cortez The Killer' to poignant balladry like 'After The Goldrush' and 'Helpless', no-one captured the dreams and hopes of the hippie generation in quite the way Young did, and this collection is a magnificent testimony to his most fertile and heartwarming era.
Review: After Beady Eye split in 2014, Liam Gallagher appeared conflicted about whether he would pursue a solo career, resolving in 2016 that this year's album was set in stone. Fans of previous work will undoubtedly be contented with solo debut 'As You Were', with it channelling the British pop influence, singalong riffs and the classic anthemic writing that Oasis were famed for. As expected from a Gallagher brother, the album is drenched in hubris, but Liam lets his guard down with surprising and rare moments of what seems to be vulnerability. Aside from the cocky rock and roll swagger, it's these moments that give 'As You Were' a little more depth than people were perhaps expecting.
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