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Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun

Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun

Colour

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JIM LOCKEY AND THE SOLEMN SUN – COLOUR – ALBUM REVIEW

It’s over a decade ago now that Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun released their two stunning albums, ‘Atlases’ and ‘Death’. At the time the band seemed to be on the cusp of much bigger things following a series of big support slots and important festival appearances.

Then in 2014 the group rebranded simply as Solemn Sun and tweaked their musical output for a new EP. When this change was met with apathy from their fans though the band soon disappeared into the ether and it appeared to be the end of a group that had shown so much promise.

A hero’s return under the full Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun name occurred at 2000trees in 2019 but then the pandemic hit! Now the band make their full-scale return with their third album, ‘Colour’, following another huge set at this year’s 2000trees.

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Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun – ‘Reno’

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The album starts with fantastic recent single, ‘Reno’ and quickly gathers pace with the euphoric ‘Medicine’ and ‘Conditional Love’ following. It’s soon evident that their sound has evolved greatly from both their first two albums and their 2014 EP.

This may be Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun but this is a splendid new version that takes the best elements of their past and combines them with a gloriously pop-tinged new sonic palate.

As the album progress through its ten tracks, it becomes very clear that the band are operating on a level way above anything they’ve done before, and given the quality of those early albums that is quite astonishing!

‘Colour’ is a truly remarkable return for a band that always felt like it had unfinished business. Well, the ten year wait has been more than worth it because this masterpiece of an album deserves to take the band to highest echelons of the industry. Simply magnificent!

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Album Reviews

PVRIS

PVRIS

EVERGREEN

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PVRIS – EVERGREEN – ALBUM REVIEW

The last few years have proven to be a highly transitional time for PVRIS. Pandemic navigating releases, line-up changes, record label moves and expansions of their sound have all compounded a period of tumultuous change.

Throughout all of this Lynn Gunn has steered the ship through stormy waters and PVRIS remain on a steady course towards delivering on their enormous early promise. Now with the release of their fourth studio album, ‘EVERGREEN’, it feels like PVRIS are ready to show the truest form of themselves.

This candid and refreshing record is a stunning journey of sonic exploration across eleven tracks, all of which add something significant to the album as a whole. That said, it’s worth noting that this may be the most cohesive collection from the band yet.

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PVRIS – ‘GODDESS’

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Whether delivering heavy rock hooks, serenading us with delicate moments of melancholy or exploring recent EDM influences, ‘EVERGREEN’ sees Gunn at her creative peak. Gunn has always shown great ambition musically and that shines through intensely on this album.

Having caught PVRIS live at Slam Dunk Festival this summer, we can attest that the likes of ‘ANIMAL’ and ‘GODDESS’ sound absolutely huge live and you feel listening to this album that plenty of other tracks will also excel in the live setting.

After a period of upheaval, ‘EVERGREEN’ is the perfect statement needed from Gunn that the project remains not just viable but also striving for greatness!

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Queens of the Stone Age

News Report

In Times New Roman…

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QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – IN TIME NEW ROMAN… – ALBUM REVIEW

With a global pandemic, a divorce, a bitter custody battle, the loss of friends, a rehab stint and a recently revealed cancer diagnosis to contend with since the last Queens of a Stone Age album, it’s fair to say that Josh Homme has had a turbulent few years.

Rumours of a new Queens of the Stone Age album had first emerged prior to the pandemic in 2019, but it’s certainly understandable given the above that it has now been the longest period of time between two QOTSA albums.

Self-produced over a couple of years and studios, you might fear that an extended and unsupervised creative process would lead to a disjointed outcome but that is thankfully not the case here on ‘In Times New Roman’.

The bands eighth album is a dark and groovy collection of heavy blues numbers which sonically tap into some of the bands finest earlier work. There is clearly less of the over-polished shine produced by working with Mark Ronson on predecessor ‘Villains’. This is a plain and honest sound from a band settled in their skin.

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Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Carnavoyeur’

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The overall cohesiveness of the tracks mean that there aren’t really any standout tracks but the catchy patter of pre-release single ‘Carnavoyeur’ is undeniably infectious. This though is a record for the album connoisseurs rather than those with short attention spans.

The well established fan base of the band have another great album in their collection, but those not already on the Queens of the Stone Age train are unlikely to be enticed onboard, which is a shame as with most QOTSA albums this is an elegantly thumping ride!

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Demob Happy

Demob Happy

Divine Machines

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DEMOB HAPPY – DIVINE MACHINES – ALBUM REVIEW

Over the past eight years Demob Happy have quietly released two solid albums which have seen the bands stock rise but not necessarily to the levels they deserve.

The same though could be said about many bands in the oversaturated market these days. Sadly quality isn’t always enough to reach the levels of success needed to make music a sustainable career.

Whilst we lose far too many talented bands around the position that Demob Happy find themselves in, the Brighton-based trio aren’t one and have now delivered a stunning statement of a third album!

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Demob Happy – ‘Token Appreciation Society’

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Yes, ‘Divine Machines’ is an album that instantly breeds a sense of the supermassive. Be it the thumping bass, solid rhythm, elegant guitar work or transcendent vocals, everything about this album exudes a band elevated to a higher level.

Each song is packed with mesmerisingly delicious psychedelic grooves and leaves an indelible mark on the conscious of the listener. Yes, the likes of ‘Voodoo Science’, ‘Super-Fluid’ and ‘Run Baby Run’, will be stuck in your head for days after absorbing this record.

In short, this third album is very good indeed and if all is right with the world will be the album that pushes Demob Happy further up the echelons of the musical hierarchy.

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Rancid

Rancid

Tomorrow Never Comes

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RANCID – TOMORROW NEVER COMES – ALBUM REVIEW

Punks rejoice! Rancid are back with their first new album in six years, ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’.

Pre-release singles ‘Don’t Make Me Do It’, ‘Devil in Disguise’ and the title-track, all hit well and let listeners know exactly what to expect upon release of the album.

Packed full of typical short and punchy punk rockers, this is actually the bands shortest album at just shy of 29 minutes, yet it still contains 16 tracks of fun filled, foot kicking, head banging joy.

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Rancid – ‘New American’

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The album once again finds the band working with producer Brett Gurewitz who again helps them deliver another solid and true Rancid record.

You aren’t looking for anything earth shattering if you are hitting play on a Rancid album, and the band know that. By now they have the formula down to a tee and ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ will give the listener exactly the experience that they are after.

What does stand out on this album though is the band do what they do very well indeed. Whilst it may be unfair and a stretch to call this a fabled return to form, it must definitely be said that this is probably the best new Rancid album this century.

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Tigercub

Tigercub

The Perfume of Decay

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TIGERCUB – THE PERFUME OF DECAY – ALBUM REVIEW

A decade into their career, Tigercub release their third album, ‘The Perfume of Decay’, which sees the band in melancholic mood whilst embracing an ostentatious sonic aura.

Yes, the themes of the album may be dark and moody but the musical ambition is extraordinarily theatrical and grandiose. The juxtaposition of the two helps to embellish the album into an absorbing anthology.

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Tigercub – ‘Show Me My Maker’

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The subtlety of the experimental expansion of the band’s sound is what helps to ensure that the record stays on point and harnesses its gloomy visceral roots to great effect. Whilst the band have clearly sought to reach new heights musically, they’ve managed to control the narrative of the album well.

Tigercub have long been a band that have offered glimpses of their full capabilities but perhaps lacked the final touch. With ‘The Perfume of Decay’, the band have found that touch and delivered the stunning collection of their very best work.

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Rival Sons

Rival Sons

DARKFIGHTER

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‘DARKFIGHTER’ is the first of not one but two new Rival Sons’ albums expected this year. Perhaps they are making up for lost time as this marks the longest gap between albums in their albeit short career with their sixth album, ‘Feral Roots’ arriving back in January 2019.

The wait is evidently worth it though as straight out the gates the album promises a little bit of everything that has made the band such an important part of the new wave of classic rock bands. ‘Mirror’ for example sees the band swapping elegant guitar riffs and delicate melodies in the way that they do so well.

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Rival Sons – ‘Nobody Wants To Die’

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The lead single and shortest track on the album, ‘Nobody Wants To Die’, then reminds us of their ability to create short succinct rockers as well as longer sonic voyages (of which this album gets a couple).

The eight tracks on this record all stand on their own merit and collectively represent another stunning snapshot of a masterful band. When they are at the peak of their powers, nobody quite does it like Rival Sons. ‘Bird in the Hand’ and ‘Guillotine’ here being two tracks that encapsulate the majesty and the force present in the band.

Fans of the band will surely feel that this album ranks amongst the best that they have put out, which is saying something! With ‘Lightbringer’ expected to arrive later this year alongside a UK Tour, it would appear to be a very good time to be a Rival Sons fan.

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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Council Skies

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NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS – COUNCIL SKIES – ALBUM REVIEW

Upon the split of Oasis, not many would have pegged that come 2023, Liam Gallagher would be the more successful brother. That certainly wasn’t the case in the immediate aftermath with Noel launching Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds to great success and Liam faltering with new group Beady Eye.

Over the next decade though Liam would offer a resurgent defiance whilst Noel would disappear down a rabbit hole, but now Noel is back with new album, ‘Council Skies’, hailed by the man himself as “going back to the beginning”.

Recent work has seen Gallagher experimenting with elements of his sound (scissors anymore?), and this has coincided with waning interest in his new output from fans. A back to basics approach then would make some commercial sense for Gallagher.

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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – ‘Council Skies’

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What you get instead on this album is a mixture of the two. You can see that Gallagher has taken a simplified approach to the creative process, but there are still remnants of his more recent direction in here.

Gallagher does appear stuck in a hole, whilst his brother continues to attract new younger audiences, Noel doesn’t seem to have that appeal. So whilst he probably has the bigger desire for sonic exploration, he has a fanbase just craving another ‘Definitely Maybe’.

Those fans will enjoy this album, but they’ll also be unlikely to return to it all that often. ‘Council Skies’ may be Gallagher hitting the reset button having felt the stagnation of recent years, and if so it will likely do the job well. That said at this point the only thing that fans are really waiting on is the reunion of all reunions. Gallagher though seems relatively happy in his current safe position.

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Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold

Life Is But a Dream…

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AVENGED SEVENFOLD – LIFE IS BUT A DREAM… – ALBUM REVIEW

New Avenged Sevenfold albums are becoming rarer entities these days (it’s seven years since ‘The Stage’!), but it’s becoming tradition for them be polarising on release and subsequently embraced.

2013’s ‘Hail to the King’ was too mainstream, ‘The Stage’ was too progressive, and now many will write off new album, ‘Life is But a Dream’ as too weird and “out there”! Ultimately though, many look back fondly on those last two albums, and that will likely be the case once again here, but that may take some time.

The band have always been ambitious in their songwriting and been willing to push boundaries. This album certainly does that from the System of a Down-esque thunderous opening to ‘Game Over’ through various other influences both heavy and light.

In many ways it feels like the band have thrown paint on a wall and seen what it looks like once dry. The reality though is the opposite, clearly the band have spent considerable time (some would argue too much) working in all their ideas.

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Avenged Sevenfold – ‘We Love You’

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One thing for sure is that this is an album that warrants repeated listens. There is so much depth here that it’s impossible to take everything in first time around. By design it’s also an album that is greater than the sum of its parts. Songs that individually may feel too quirky like pre-release singles, ‘Nobody’ and ‘We Love You’, take on new life as part of the collective.

Often certain music is described as ‘marmite’ – you either love it or hate it. With ‘Life Is But A Dream’, Avenged Sevenfold have perhaps given the best example yet for that statement. Fans are either going really hate this, or they will really, truly love it. There will be no in-between!

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Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

But Here We Are

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FOO FIGHTERS – BUT HERE WE ARE – ALBUM REVIEW

We all experience grief at some point in our lives, thus we can all relate to what the members of Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl in particular have experienced over the past year. The tragic passing of beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins shocked everyone, and Grohl, suffering the loss of a bandmate and friend not for the first time, also sadly endured the loss of his mother with whom he shared a deep bond.

This album therefore should come with a warning that you need to have a box of tissues at the ready. You’ll work through a range of emotions over the ten tracks, but feelings of loss and love will really tug on your heartstrings.

This is naturally a different album than what would have followed much maligned 2021 release, ‘Medicine at Midnight’. One constant though is that new album, ‘But Here We Are’, sees the band again work with producer Greg Kurstin for the third time. Despite the recent news of Josh Freese taking up the sticks for the band, it’s Grohl who handles drum duties for this deeply personal record, which feels very fitting.

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Foo Fighters – ‘The Glass’

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Clearly a lot of love and care has gone into the creation of this album and that shines through on every track. This is a statement of love for those lost but also an opportunity of catharsis for the band.

Lyrically the album is a brutally honest insight into Grohl working through the events of the last year. Sonically though the album is somewhat of a throwback to past glories for the band as they exorcise the demons of their previous album, which didn’t quite hit the spot for many fans.

You can say this album musically goes back to basics, and that fits the raw subject matter very well. This is in many ways the best Foo Fighters album in a decade or more. The themes behind the album will likely be the thing most remembered about this album and that should be the case, but it’s important that we don’t neglect the fact that this is a damn good album at the same time.

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