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Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson

The Mandrake Project

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BRUCE DICKINSON – THE MANDRAKE PROJECT – ALBUM REVIEW

Nearly two decades have passed since iconic Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson dipped his toes in the waters of his solo career. The Iron Maiden machine keeps turning but following outside adventures from bandmates Steve Harris and Adrian Smith, Dickinson is once again ready to dive into the deep end with new opus ‘The Mandrake Project’!

Previous solo outings have seen Dickinson broadening his horizons away from the Maiden mould and genuine excitement seems to have broken out for this release. The pre-release singles, ‘Afterglow of Ragnarok’ and ‘Rain on the Graves’, certainly managed to further whet appetites and as the record finally arrives fans appear ravenous.

So, has this album got enough to feed the fans and meet the lofty expectations? Spoiler alert – you’re damn sure it has! Dickinson has always demanded ambition from all of his musical projects and ‘The Mandrake Project’ may be his most ambitious yet.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘AFTERGLOW OF RAGNAROK’
Bruce Dickinson – ‘Afterglow of Ragnarok’

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Partner in crime Roy Z helps to provide an expansive metal powered soundtrack allowing for Dickinson’s dexterous vocals to soar. The duo have had success together in the past, but with both older and wiser this project feels perplexingly both refined and extravagant in equal measure.

The ten tracks sprawl over nearly a full hour but the album never lags, with each track adding something meaningful to the overarching masterpiece. Going back to that earlier question, there is certainly plenty for fans to sink their teeth into. Each listen will highlight new textures and moments of majesty.

Ten minute opera ‘Sonata (Immortal Beloved)’ brings the record to a powerful conclusion and acts as the final course of a mighty feast cooked up by Dickinson and co. The long wait for a solo expedition has been proven worthwhile and Dickinson proves that even at this late stage of his career he can still astonish!

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Yard Act

Yard Act

Where’s My Utopia?

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YARD ACT – WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?

The post-punk revival of the past half decade helped to thrust Yard Act into the mainstream, seeing them score a number two charting debut album and getting to play bigger and bigger shows. Now the band are ready to unleash their sophomore record as they ask the pertinent question… ‘Where’s My Utopia?’.

The shackles of labels are thrown off this time around as the band produce a genre-less collection of danceable self-aware bops. Whilst the aura of their debut album remains, the swagger is ramped up and the aspiration of sonic brilliance is grasped as tightly as a dropped winning lottery ticket in the wind.

The bands experience of becoming successful runs throughout the threads of the record and ensures that the lyrical themes are not simply a continuation of their political observations on ‘The Overload’.

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Yard Act – ‘We Make Hits’

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What also becomes apparent as the album progresses is the quality of the songs themselves which somewhat ironically are more accessible then their previous work. The likes of ‘Petroleum’, ‘Dream Job’ and the paradoxically titled ‘We Make Hits’ are highly infectious, and throughout the album, the song craft is superb.

The preposterously excellent ‘Blackpool Illuminations’ helps to conclude the record in typically poetic fashion and really showcases just what makes Yard Act a special creative force. Each track feels like it adds something and ‘A Vineyard for the North’ is a fantastic finale to what is an outlandishly good collection.

Yard Act continue to mesmerise and ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ is a truly stunning way to follow up on their initial success. You just can’t help but wonder just what this band is capable of in the future!

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Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chief’s Easy Eighth Album

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KAISER CHIEFS – KAISER CHIEF’S EASY EIGHTH ALBUM – ALBUM REVIEW

As Kaiser Chiefs push into their second decade as a chart-topping entity they find themselves in a holding pattern of sorts. They’ve got a strong back catalogue and can fill decent venues, but they’ve not released anything earth-shattering in over a decade and aren’t likely to reach any higher levels of stardom.

The harsh reality of the music industry is 99.9% of other acts would kill to be in their position, whilst Kaiser Chiefs will likely feel some degree of frustration at their own stagnation. On their new eighth album, cringingly called ‘Kaiser Chief’s Easy Eighth Album’, you feel that the band are trying hard to deliver something fresh.

Unfortunately it really just sounds like they are trying too hard. Heavily influenced by the disco funk of Nile Rodgers who works with the band on opener ‘Feeling Alright’, you have to give the band credit for being willing to try and deliver a new sound. But, and it’s a big but, what they achieve sounds just like you’d expect Kaiser Chiefs playing Nile Rodgers to sound.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘FEELING ALRIGHT’
Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Feeling Alright’

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The songs are all very safe, middle of the road indie funk standard stock. It’s frustrating because Kaiser Chiefs come from the harshly titled landfill indie boom. It’s harsh on the band because they always stood out from the pack with their inimitable sound. Alas this record simply lacks that unique charm. It all feels very by the numbers, when the band made their career on being special.

At just shy of half an hour the album thankfully doesn’t take up much time and these songs shouldn’t eat up much space on their setlists on tour. There just isn’t anything here that stands out, nothing that makes you stick your head up and take note, but the band already have plenty of songs that do that for them.

All in all the Kaiser Chief’s easy eighth album is easily forgettable and will probably be an easy target for reviewers. In its defence, it is far from the worst album ever released, it’s just probably the worst album that Kaiser Chiefs have ever released which is a testament to the previous seven albums!

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Blackout Problems

Blackout Problems

RIOT

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BLACKOUT PROBLEMS – RIOT – ALBUM REVIEW

German rockers Blackout Problems have been slowly building their reputation over the past decade and have been threatening to breakout for at least half of that time. Impressive recent support slots and memorable festival performances have perhaps created the highest level of anticipation yet for a new album.

Well, that album has now arrived in the shape of ‘RIOT’. The record is their fourth studio release and is an anagram of trio, signifying their first release as a three-piece. Line-up changes and heightened expectations may surround the album but it’s the band’s continued ambition which shines through.

Originally writing music for a potential solo project, singer and guitarist Mario Radetzky is on record as saying that these songs “sounded like Blackout Problems” and attention soon turned to creating the next chapter of the Blackout Problems story.

Sonically these songs do share the essence of the band’s sound but they feel more expansive and have a greater sense of purpose. Whilst there are many personal themes running through the lyrics on this album, the overarching spectre of something bigger looms large.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘GLOFS’
Blackout Problems – ‘GLOFS’

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The chaos of the current world landscape is explored in cohesion with Radetzky’s own personal discovery and the band shows that they aren’t afraid to get political when needed. It’s perhaps fitting then that current tourmate Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari features on one of the standout tracks, ‘GLOFS’.

There are a number of tracks which push the album forwards and ‘PUZZLE’ and ‘WHALES’ are both also good introductions for new listeners wanting to test the waters. Ultimately though, ‘RIOT’ has been crafted to take you on a journey of sorts, so it’s worth taking the time to enjoy the full album in all of its majesty.

Whether or not this is the release to take the band to the next level or not, only time will tell but ‘RIOT’ is certainly a solid album which further establishes them as a band worth taking a punt on!

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The Snuts

The Snuts

Millennials

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THE SNUTS – MILLENNIALS – ALBUM REVIEW

‘Millennials’ marks the third studio album from The Snuts in as many years – quite the exceptional work rate for any band these days. Work ethic isn’t something that this group have ever lacked though and their grind has seen those first two records reach number one and three respectively upon release.

You’d instantly think then that there is a level of pressure for ‘Milliennials’ to emulate that success? Well, that pressure intensifies when you consider that ahead of this release, dissatisfied with their major label, the band branched out on their own setting up their own independent label Happy Artist Records!

That decision would be enormous for any band but in this day and age it’s an incredibly brave decision. The Snuts are clearly happy to bet on themselves though; and why not? Those first two albums produced an endless stream of indie rock anthems and lead single, ‘Gloria’, instantly demonstrated that their knack for creating festival ready sing-a-longs remains very much intact.

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The Snuts – ‘Gloria’

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With ‘Millennials’, the mould is unbroken and fans will feel safe in the familiar sound that the band have perfected in the past five years. There isn’t much in the way of evolution here, which is the smart play by a band taking giant leaps on the business side of things. ‘Milliennials’ may be The Snuts playing it safe, but that’s exactly what they needed to do with this album.

The record is short, sharp and on point. With ten tracks and a run-time of almost exactly thirty minutes, ‘Millennials’ feels like it is something of a statement from the band. They may have moved house but they have decorated their new house in the same sonic colours.

This is fantastic news for lovers of sun-soaked indie anthems and this album produces more sure-fire live favourites like ‘Millionaires’ and ‘Dreams’. The rise of The Snuts continues and they will continue to climb those festival bills and play bigger shows until they are recognised as one of the biggest indie bands on the circuit. After all they have already created a strong community around them and as per the lyrics of ‘Millionaires’ – “if love was money, we’d be millionaires”!

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Gen and the Degenerates

Gen and the Degenerates

ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA

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GEN AND THE DEGENERATES – ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA – ALBUM REVIEW

Gen and the Degenerates have been infecting music lovers with their striking live shows in recent years. The band have appeared on many a festival bill, winning over fans instantaneously and garnering a fair amount of hype.

Now it’s time for the band to show just what they can do on record as they share their debut album, ‘ANTI-FUN PROPAGANDA’. The tone was set with the record’s lead single, ‘BIG HIT SINGLE’ and tongues are firmly planted in cheeks throughout much of the album.

It’s not all laughs though as the socially conscience group tackle some big topics with the overarching theme that being a human in 2024 is tough. Their response to that darkness though is to introduce light. The concept that fun is the best medicine for the toxicity of modern life isn’t necessarily new (after all we’ve just reviewed an album from a band who popularised joy as an act of resistance), but the way that Gen and the Degenerates deliver that fun is refreshingly uplifting.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘KIDS WANNA DANCE’
Gen and the Degenerates – ‘Kids Wanna Dance’

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These songs are incredibly contagious and the likes of ‘Kids Wanna Dance’ and ‘Famous’ will have you bopping away all night long. This new bubblegum-punk sound is ferociously catchy and these songs will excel in the live environment.

On the penultimate track ‘Post-Cool’ singer Genevieve Glynn-Reeves proclaims that “cool is dead – this is post-cool”, and that term is a perfect description of how Gen and the Degenerates fit in the punk landscape. At a time when it’s cool to be punk, Gen and co take the brooding out of the scene and inject it with a heavy dose of fun!

Gen and her degenerates have made a truly fantastic debut album, and by the time that the band show off their musical dexterity with the six and a half minute slow burning album closer ‘Jude’s Song’, you are left wanting to do one thing and one thing only – hit play again!

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Watch Episode 63 of our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast with guests Gen and the Degenerates!

‘Discover’ New Music Podcast – Episode 63 – Gen and the Degenerates
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IDLES

IDLES

TANGK

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IDLES – TANGK – ALBUM REVIEW

IDLES have made an indelible mark on the UK music scene with their ferocious, foot stomping, punk frenzy. They’ve led a wave of acts into the mainstream consciousness and they’ve been praised and shot at in equal measure.

One regular criticism is a perceived lack of evolution both sonically and thematically. Well, welcome one and all to a giant middle finger of growth in the shape of their ostentatious fifth album, ‘TANGK’. We recommend that you leave all preconceptions and reticence at the door, and strap yourself in for one hell of a ride!

To lay it out bluntly, ‘TANGK’ is quite unlike anything you’ve experienced from IDLES over the past decade. The essence of the band is very much intact, it isn’t a complete reinvention, but it’s undoubtedly the biggest leap that the group have taken between releases thus far.

There is a powerful message of love sewn throughout the record as the band fully embrace their ‘All Is Love’ motto. Announcing the album, singer Joe Talbot eloquently proclaimed, “I needed love. So I made it”, and there is certainly a different listening experience present; one of positivity and yes, of love!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘DANCER’
IDLES – ‘Dancer’

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If you need to release some anger, then you’re perhaps best served by their earlier work, because as this album evolves all you’ll want to do is dance! That’s by design of course and the likes of ‘Dancer’ are naturally going to get crowds moving when the band play these songs live.

Changing their methods up, ‘TANGK’ has been produced by Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats alongside the bands own Mark Bowen, and the trio have unified to create something uniquely special. Managing to both harness the focussed passion and energy that gained the band their following whilst simultaneously embracing a broader and more ambitious sound, the trio guide ‘TANGK’ towards being the fullest IDLES experience yet.

What is for sure though amongst the feeling of change present on the record itself, is that these songs will sound just as massive live as all your favourite IDLES tracks. And there within lies the mastery of what the band have achieved on ‘TANGK’!

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PET NEEDS

PET NEEDS

Intermittent Fast Living

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PET NEEDS – INTERMITTENT FAST LIVING – ALBUM REVIEW

‘Intermittent Fast Living’ begins with singer Johnny Marriott gently asking, “alright? how are you?” as he welcomes us into the chaotic world of PET NEEDS. The band have been living a full throttle life since signing with Xtra Mile Recordings, with this being their third album in as many years.

What this album represents however is the balance between life on the road as a touring, recording artist and the quiet family life that separates the chaos. Whilst the subject matter is autobiographic, the themes are purposefully relatable and as Marriott asks us how we are, we are instantly engaged into a conversation of sorts.

The album bursts to life with lead single, ‘Separation Anxiety’ which digs into the juxtaposition of two distinct realities further. The enriching experience of touring is paralleled with the angst of leaving loved ones, whilst there are jabs at bands preaching one thing whilst practicing something quite different with Marriott observing, “I’ve been trying to love myself, because I’ve been told to love myself by every single self-destructive indie band”.

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PET NEEDS – ‘Separation Anxiety’

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Each track develops on the overarching themes whilst clearly establishing the bands appreciation of their current situation and their gratitude for the community that surrounds them. There are plenty of tongue-in-cheek easter eggs in amongst the lyrics and the fans will revel in dissecting each gem.

Sonically the album follows the path laid by ‘Fractured Party Music’ and ‘Primetime Entertainment’, whilst offering an expansion on their uniquely catchy punk sound. The band somehow manages to once again create a mighty noise whilst harnessing some truly pop sensibilities.

‘Fingernails’, ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’ and ‘The Optimist’ will be live favourites for years to come, but the real magic comes from the more off-piste moments such as the superb album closer ‘Buried Together’ which ends the album on a note of acceptance and love.

Over the course of the eleven tracks, PET NEEDS are able to connect with the listener and share the struggles and joys of modern life. ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ continues the group’s insatiable momentum and is undoubtedly their most well-rounded collection yet.

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Watch Episode 44 of The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests PET NEEDS

The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 44 – PET NEEDS
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Normandie

Normandie

Dopamine

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NORMANDIE – DOPAMINE – ALBUM REVIEW

Normandie have been drip-feeding their prescribed sonic doorway into a dystopian future in the shape of their monthly single releases in the lead up to this album. Indeed, seven of the eleven tracks are already out there but now their full vision is upon us.

‘Dopamine’ is the follow up to 2021’s ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’ which saw the band entrenching themselves into the consciousness of modern rock fans. This release seemingly picks up that mantle once again as the band look to establish themselves as a vital artist in the ever growing landscape of the music world.

Thematically, ‘Dopamine’ is the opposite of its predecessor which explored frontman Philip Stand’s past. This new collection sees the band examine what a future would look like where humanity has burnt themselves out and rely on dopamine fixes much like our existing vices. It’s an interesting concept and one which might even feel all too real.

While we continue to push ourselves harder and further, you have to ponder what we lose along the way; be it relationships, aspirations or something more tangible. Life these days is relentless and it’s in our nature to do whatever is necessary to push on through the struggle, so the themes on ‘Dopamine’ may feel all too relatable!

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Normandie – ‘Sorry’

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Musically the album does follow nicely on from ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’ as the melodies soar higher and the riffs hit harder. The ambition is clear and Normandie have again created something instantly accessible and capable to capturing the hearts of all strains of rock fan.

There are harder hitting highlights such as the Dani Winter-Bates featuring ‘Hourglass’ interspersed with softer moments such as the very next track, ‘Sorry’. The juxtaposition demonstrated is sublime and the album as a whole flows superbly. The band really does seem to have an incredible talent for catchy hooks and the amount of sing-a-long inducing choruses on this album should be illegal under laws against monopolies!

You certainly have to feel sorry for their competition, because it hardly seems fair that Normandie can create such elegance with such apparent ease. ‘Dopamine’ is just the latest example of their ability to deliver something special.

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The Last Dinner Party

The Last Dinner Party

Prelude To Ecstasy

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THE LAST DINNER PARTY – PRELUDE TO ECSTASY – ALBUM REVIEW

Any self-respecting music aficionado will have clocked the name The Last Dinner Party filling ‘next big thing’ and ‘one to watch’ lists over the past year. In fact, the name seems to have become somewhat inescapable with the band topping the BBC Sound of 2024 poll and taking home the Rising Star Brit Award.

The previous winners and nominees for that BBC award in particular read like a who’s who of post-2000 music. Some winners like Adele, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, HAIM and Keane have gone on to fill arenas around the world. Others however haven’t fulfilled the early promise. Does anybody remember The Bravery? They won it in 2005!

So whilst these prestigious awards can be an enormous launchpad, they can also be a millstone around your neck. One of the hurdles that these awards actually put in the way of the winner is the distrust of certain music fans. The Last Dinner Party have already been accused of being ‘industry plants’, ‘flashes in the pan’ and other derogatory terms used to belittle their success.

The most important next step for any new band though is the release of their debut album; and with ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ that moment now arrives for The Last Dinner Party. One hugely successful single and a handful of well received tracks have built anticipation ever higher, which really begs the question of the moment – can the record and the band live up to the hype?

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘CAESAR ON A TV SCREEN’
The Last Dinner Party – ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’

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Well the instrumental opening title-track instantly sets out the incredible ambition of the album before ‘Burn Alive’ and ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’ really commence the journey that the listener is about to engage in. At twelve songs and forty plus minutes this isn’t a mere introduction to the band, it’s their magnum opus being unfurled and implanted into the subconscious of British music!

As the album progresses and you take in all of the subtle influences, the majesty of their sound really elevates with each listen. The aesthetic of the band ties in with the sonic expression found on this album to create a grandiose experience that is hard to shoot down. Indeed the self-fulfilling prophecy of topping major awards has provided an opportunity that on the smallest percentage of artists get, but, and it’s a big one… The Last Dinner Party have delivered an album that fully justifies every accolade.

So, does ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ live up to the hype? In our humble opinion, absolutely it does and anyone arguing otherwise are clutching at some rather thin straws. Whether the band (or any act) can reach Adele levels of success will remain to be seen but we’d expect them to last longer than The Bravery!

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