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Placebo

Placebo

Never Let Me Go

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PLACEBO – NEVER LET ME GO – ALBUM REVIEW

It’s been over eight long years since the last Placebo album, but they are finally back with their eighth studio album, ‘Never Let Me Go’. The band has always been a law upon themselves and operated on their own terms, and that’s a right that they’ve well and truly earned. But after such a long break, can ‘Never Let Me Go’ do their legacy justice?

Pre-release singles such as ‘Beautiful James’ and ‘Surrounded By Spies’ were promising, and as the album starts with ‘Forever Chemicals’ you already sense that this is definitely the Placebo that we know and love.

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Placebo – ‘Surrounded By Spies’

We aren’t that far from then bands 30th anniversary, and over that lengthy career they’ve mastered their own iconic sound. Able to effortlessly switch from melancholy to inspiring, from mellow to rampant, Placebo have become an influence to many that followed in their footsteps.

The first thing to note is that ‘Never Let Me Go’ is that sound at its truest. Close your eyes, listen, and you’re back in time to when you first fell in love with the band. For me that’s the hedonistic days of high school, which then makes me feel rather old!

Secondly, it’s clear that during their time away, Placebo have lost none of their quality. Whilst it’s somewhat easy for a band to rinse and repeat their sound, ‘Never Let Me Go’ is that classic sound in the modern era. As the album progresses there are many highlights that emphasise these points such as ‘Hugz’, ‘Try Better Next Time’ and ‘Sad White Reggae’.

Listen to ‘Try Better Next Time’ on our Spotify Hot List!

After such a long period away, the transition to a duo and just the general mystique around the band, there was a worry that this album could fail to live up to expectations. Thankfully those worries were completely misguided and Placebo in 2022 remain an extremely prosperous proposition.

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Read our review of ‘Torpedo’ from Feeder

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Album Reviews

THUMPER

THUMPER

Delusions of Grandeur

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THUMPER – DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR – ALBUM REVIEW

If there is a rule book for the music industry to follow then THUMPER took one look and threw it out the window! The band has slowly been gaining traction over the past couple of years with a string of complex yet catchy singles and chaotic live shows.

Ironically titled debut album ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ arrives as a statement of intent from a band determined to do things their way. The norms of simple three minute radio friendly songs is brazenly ignored, the idea that one drummer is enough is laughed at and any road map for success is torn up. Yet, the outcome is a stunning record that should propel the band to much bigger things.

Another industry standard these days is a genre. Everything needs to have a label on it. Well, good luck choosing what you want to plug THUMPER as. There are touches and glimpses of everything here from punk to psych to pop and so much more.

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THUMPER – ‘Fear of Art’

Opening with latest single ‘Fear of Art’, and early release ‘Ad Nauseuem’ the album is hypnotising from the very start. You’ll find yourself getting lost in the sound of a band stretching their musical legs, and then lose your inhibitions completely as they hit their stride with the likes of ‘The Loser’ and ‘Topher Grace’.

Listen to ‘The Loser’ on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist

Perhaps the most ambitious moment however comes at the end of the album with a trilogy of tracks written and recorded as one long piece. ‘Overbite’, ‘The Ghost’ and ‘Down in Heaven’ provide a stunning finale to a masterpiece of a debut album.

Yes, it’s worth remembering that this is the first album from THUMPER. There is no playing it safe, no parking the bus; this is a remarkable magnum opus which leaves you wondering where the band will go next!

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Feeder

Feeder

Torpedo

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FEEDER – TORPEDO – ALBUM REVIEW

Feeder are a band who have experienced most of what the music industry has to offer; the highest highs and the lowest lows. Their endurance has to be admired and here they are with their eleventh studio album, ‘Torpedo’!

Part of their staying power has been fuelled by a proficiency of stability. They’ve never really attempted to break the mould or reinvent the wheel. But, and it’s an important but, they’ve also shown enough evolution to avoid becoming stale.

So, they’ve never put out a dance album and they’ve avoided a paint by numbers formula! What does that mean for ‘Torpedo’? Well, you guessed it more of the same!

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Feeder – ‘Torpedo’

Yes, ‘Torpedo’ is instantly recognisable as a Feeder album, but this time around there are darker, murkier undertones both thematically and sonically. The band have proven their ability to play heavier styles in the past and this record certainly leans in that direction frequently.

The title track together with ‘Magpie’ and ‘Decompress’ exude this whilst there are more standard Feeder offerings in ‘When It All Breaks Down’ and ‘Hide and Seek’. There are ambitious moments such as album opener ‘The Healing’, and there are classic single compositions like ‘Wall of Silence’.

Listen to ‘Wall of Silence’ on our Spotify Hot List!

If you are already a fan of the band, then this album is a fantastic addition to your collection. If you are somebody just discovering the band then ‘Torpedo’ is a nice little sampler, but you’ll need to further explore for the bands highest moments.

At the point in their career, ‘Torpedo’, does exactly what Feeder needs it to do and it will ensure that their endurance levels are well maintained.

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Read our review of ‘Oochya!’ from Stereophonics

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Von Hertzen Brothers

Von Hertzen Brothers

Red Alert In The Blue Forest

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VON HERTZEN BROTHERS – RED ALERT IN THE BLUE FOREST – ALBUM REVIEW

Finnish rockers Von Hertzen Brothers have always been progressive in nature, but new album ‘Red Alert In The Blue Forest’ is surely their most ambitious work to date.

I’ll admit that seeing a runtime of well over an hour appeared daunting at first, but as the album progresses any fears prove unwarranted. There is plenty of experimentation, lots of expansive musical exploration and countless grandiose rock moments, but at no point does the album drag or lull.

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Von Hertzen Brothers – ‘All of a Sudden, You’re Gone’

Listen to ‘All of a Sudden, You’re Gone’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist!

In fact, the reverse is true and time actually flies by whilst listening to the bands epic creation. From the towering opener ‘Day Of Reckoning’ through to tender finale ‘Disappear There’, the album is packed full of mesmerising melodies, stunning solos and valiant vocals.

All the aspects and genres that make up the traditional Von Hertzen Brothers sound are here at various points, with folk and prog moments intertwined with classic and modern rock. On ‘Red Alert In The Blue Forest’, the band take us on a musical journey, but as mentioned not a trek!

This is a very digestible effort from a band potentially reaching the peak of their powers. This perhaps is summed up best on the remarkable ‘Northern Lights’ which incredibly features samples of sounds of the actual Aurora Borealis.

Yes, there is certainly a lot packed in the 11 tracks that comprise the album. ‘Red Alert In The Blue Forest’ therefore deserves your full undivided attention, you won’t regret it.

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Read our review of ‘IMPERA’ from Ghost

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Album Reviews

H.E.R.O.

H.E.R.O.

Alternate Realities

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H.E.R.O. – ALTERNATE REALITIES – ALBUM REVIEW

In a very short period of time Danish rock band H.E.R.O. have established themselves as purveyors of soaring anthemic pop rock. Despite the disruptions of the past few years the band are now releasing their third album since 2019.

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H.E.R.O. – ‘Gravity’

That album is entitled ‘Alternate Realities’ and shows no easing off the throttle. Bursting straight to life with the ambitious ‘Gravity’, and ‘Lead The Blind’ which features Philip Strand of Normandie. That certainly feels like a match made in heaven with H.E.R.O.’s sound following a similar path to that band and many others.

Listen to ‘Lead The Blind’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist

Whilst those singles set the tone very much for what follows on the record, there is no lull over the following eight tracks, either in terms of intensity or indeed quality. The likes of ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Made to be Broken’ particularly maintain the albums energy levels.

Whilst the fusion of rock and pop is far from a new concept, the likes of Bring Me The Horizon have broken ground and engaged new audiences for the genre hybrid. Many acts have since attempted to follow in those footsteps with many feeling forced and disjointed; that can’t be said of ‘Alternate Realities’, with H.E.R.O. surrounding natural and polished.

Perhaps the best example of this is the Melissa Bonny featuring single, ‘Monster’, as the track lives up its name with its monstrous chorus and thunderous riffs!

The album closes out with the tender ‘Heavy Heart’ which really showcases the softer side of the band, and neatly puts the icing on the very delicious cake that is ‘Alternate Realities’.

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H.E.R.O. feature on Episode 8 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with the episode debuting on Monday 21st March 2022! Be sure to subscribe to Full Pelt Music wherever you watch or listen to your Podcasts so you don’t miss out!

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Album Reviews

The Ninth Wave

The Ninth Wave

Heavy Like A Headache

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Glasgow’s The Ninth Wave released their debut album, ‘Infancy’, to much critical acclaim in 2019. That album arrived as the band were building upwards momentum with a string of impressive support slots. They’ve since released another acclaimed EP, ‘Happy Days’ and can boast numerous sold out shows.

It was somewhat surprising therefore when the band recently announced their imminent indefinite hiatus. That break arrives as they release their second album, ‘Heavy Like A Headache’, and play a farewell run of shows.

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The Ninth Wave – ‘Maybe You Didn’t Know’

The question on our mind as we dive into the album consequently is – can the album do their career justice? Well, instantly as ‘Maybe You Didn’t Know’ segues into ‘Heron On The Water’ you feel yourself getting absorbed into a dark, moody yet somehow upbeat world.

This is an emotive and stylistically diverse album that pulls from various influences and genres and refuses to settle. The Ninth Wave take us on something of an sonic rollercoaster over the course of ‘Heavy Like A Headache’.

Listen to ‘What Makes You A Man’ on our Spotify Hot List!

Standout moments include ‘Hard Not To Hold You’, ‘What Makes You A Man’ and ‘Piece And Pound Coins’, but the album as a whole is more than able to deliver that justice.

If this is to be the last hoorah for the band then they go out on a high with a stunning album punctuating a short but impressive career.

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We recently caught up with Haydn from The Ninth Wave to discuss ‘Heavy Like A Headache’, their final shows and much more. Watch the video below or find audio options here.

Read our review of PET NEEDS live in Norwich

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Ghost

Ghost

IMPERA

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GHOST – IMPERA – ALBUM REVIEW

The evolution of Ghost over the years has been fascinating to watch. The imaginary around the band, their stage show and importantly their musical output have always evolved and grown in majesty with each incarnation.

With the band at their commercial and creative peak and with the revelation of Papa Emeritus IV coming just days before the pandemic took a grip on the world, I was worried that their momentum could die.

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Ghost – ‘Hunter’s Moon’

In September as the band emerged from the darkness once more with the single ‘Hunter’s Moon’, I again considered whether the band would be able to pick up where they left off. This apprehension may of translated across to the way I received their pre-release singles, ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ and ‘Twenties’.

Ahead of the release of ‘IMPERA’ I will admit to having my doubts that the band would be able to continue their hot streak. All of that however quickly dissipates when the opening fanfare of ‘Imperium’ takes hold. Soon thereafter ‘Kaisarion’ and ‘Spillways’ suck me straight into the magnificence that is Ghost!

Listen to ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Playlist

By the time we have passed through ‘Hunter’s Moon’ and ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ to ‘Twenties’, which I’d initially bulked at, this incredible band has once again hypnotised me. It’s a magical place under the mesmerising spell of Ghost at their pinnacle, and by the time the album closes out all my doubts and worries have disappeared.

‘IMPERA’ may not instantly standout as a masterpiece as its predecessors have done, but it burns slowly into your conscience and enthrals you with the unparalleled glory of Ghost. How, just how could I have ever doubted this band?

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The Mysterines

The Mysterines

Reeling

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THE MYSTERINES – REELING – ALBUM REVIEW

The Mysterines have been busy building a solid reputation over the past few years and anticipation is high for their debut album. Thankfully the wait is over and ‘Reeling’ now belongs to the world, but can it live up to the hype?

Spoiler Alert, it can! Yes, upon hitting play you are instantly struck by the quality on offer. Opening track ‘Life’s a Bitch (But I Like It So Much)’ sets the tone immediately for what’s to follow. That is a very polished, fast paced explosion of cataclysmic rock.

As the album continues with ‘Hung Up’, ‘Reeling’ and ‘Old Friends / Die Hard’, you can hear a massive sound that you sense will feel equally at home in stadiums as it will in small venues. That’s a credit to the versatile sound that the band has struck upon.

The Mysterines have featured on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist – Listen here to discover more incredible new artists!

It’s hard when listening to debut albums not to try and picture what the future may hold for the artist. Trajectories can be difficult to predict with many variables on the way, but with ‘Reeling’ you can’t help but picture this band taking over the world.

The album is that good; in fact it is an early contender for Album of the Year. Instead of listing highlights on the album I could probably just copy and paste the entire tracklist. The likes of ‘Dangerous’ and ‘In My Head’ however are particularly noteworthy.

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The Mysterines – ‘Dangerous’

Something that helps to elevate the record is that each song has its own identity. Whilst some bands strike gold and try and make carbon copies of that success, The Mysterines have clearly allowed each track room to breathe whilst ensuring enough cohesion to hold the album together.

Hype can be dangerous in the music industry and has suffocated many promising acts. Only time will tell what the future truly holds in store for this band, but with ‘Reeling’ they have cleared an enormous hurdle on the road to major success.

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Stereophonics

Stereophonics

Oochya!

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STEREOPHONICS – OOCHYA! – ALBUM REVIEW

Longevity and relevancy in the music industry don’t always go hand in hand. There aren’t many acts that can realistically claim the relevancy of Stereophonics who are now in their 30th year as a band!

While many contemporaries have either split up or faded into the nostalgia scene, Stereophonics are still going strong, still putting out hit albums, still selling out arenas and still headlining major festivals. The staying power of a band written off many times over the years is indeed incredibly impressive.

Their creative output is equally as impressive, both in terms of quality and quantity. New album ‘Oochya!’ is their 12th album and continues their streak of realising an album roughly every two years since their 1997 debut.

So, we’ve established that nobody can really argue their work ethic, but let’s look at that quality point now as we hit play on ‘Oochya!’.

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Stereophonics – ‘Hanging On Your Hinges’

Kicking off with lead single, ‘Hanging on Your Hinges’, and latest single, ‘Forever’, there is a familiar start to the album, with another single, ‘Do Ya Feel My Love?’,  sitting at track 4. This is obviously a very good start but the album clocks in at over an hour long, so can the rest keep up the pace?

I do find these days that bands with good levels of longevity and relevancy sometimes become over reliant on a couple of good singles to sell albums which in reality lack any real substance. With their release schedule, I’m always half expecting Stereophonics to fall into this category, and in all honesty you’d argue they’ve earned that right.

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They never have appeared to be willing to settle on their laurels however, and once again as ‘Oochya’ progresses there is plenty to enjoy. Be it rockier numbers like ‘Running Round My Brain’ and ‘Don’t Know What Ya Got’ or slower tracks such as ‘You’re My Soul’ and ‘All I Have Is You’, that proven Stereophonics quality is here in spades.

You’re never going to get much in the way of experimentation, this is Stereophonics doing what Stereophonics do, but it sounds modern enough to maintain that aspect of relevancy.

To answer the overriding question here, ‘Oochya’ is good, it does exactly what it needs to do for the band and will continue their place in the musical eco-system.

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Album Reviews

Daytime TV

Daytime TV

Nothing’s On But Everyone’s Watching

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Daytime TV’s existence is an interesting evolution from past musical lives, but with their debut album, ‘Nothing’s On But Everyone’s Watching’ they shed that past like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

There is little left of their previous caterpillar life as they unfurl their wings and fly into the wide world with a stunning debut album that enthrals from the very opening notes of ‘side effects’.  

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Daytime TV – ‘side effects’

‘Nothing’s On But Everyone’s Watching’ is lyrically thought provoking and sonically diverse with a range of influences evidenced as the album progresses through the likes of ‘little victories’ and ‘hush’, which set a high standard early on.

At their heart, Daytime TV are a rock band but they encompass a much further reaching sound then any standard rock act. As the album progresses you are treated to huge guitar hooks, tender moments, euphoric synth-laden tunes and everything in between.

The singles put out in advance teased the quality of this album, and the record in its entirety manages to maintain those standards. Stand out moments include ‘zombie’, ‘ugly’ and ‘side by side’ which we recently featuring on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist.

We set up that Playlist because we love new music. Is there any better feeling than discovering your new favourite act? Perhaps the bragging in the future when they are superstars, and you can claim you championed them early on? Well, it certainly feels like Daytime TV fit that bill!

With ‘Nothing’s On But Everyone’s Watching’ the band has put the world on notice with what will no doubt go down as one of the year’s best debut albums, if not one of the best overall albums.

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