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The Rolling Stones

‘Foreign Tongues’

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THE ROLLING STONES – FOREIGN TONGUES – ALBUM REVIEW

Over sixty years and twenty-five albums into their career, is there really anything left that can be written about The Rolling Stones. Arguably the greatest band of all time. Undoubtedly one of the most iconic. Truly the stuff of legend.

Equally, what is left for The Rolling Stones to write and release? They’ve released some of the biggest songs ever, the greatest albums, hit after hit. With the youngster of the group Ronnie Wood starring down the barrel of his eightieth birthday, you’d forgive the trio from enjoying a well-earned retirement.

But that has never really looked a realistic prospect. It always seemed the band would go for as long as possible and here we are with new album, ‘Foreign Tongues’!

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The Rolling Stones – ‘In The Stars’

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Produced with Andrew Watt and featuring guest appearances from the likes of Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Chad Smith, Steve Winwood and Bruno Mars – this is a star-studded affair all around.

At fourteen tracks and a run time of over an hour, it’s no meagre offering either. Fans therefore get their moneys worth with this collection which the band are adamant won’t be their last.

The album features new compositions and a handful of recycled ‘Hackney Diamonds’ leftovers. Specially it also features one of the last recordings of the late Charlie Watts. Regardless of how each song formed though, throughout you are left in awe of the enduring songwriting skills of the iconic duo Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

After all of these years, the fact that the band can conjure songs as good as ‘Jealous Lover’, ‘Side Effects’ and lead single, ‘In The Stars’, is truly remarkable. So what is left to write about The Rolling Stones, everything and nothing all at once!

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Album Reviews

Jack White

‘Frozen Charlotte’

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JACK WHITE – FROZEN CHARLOTTE – ALBUM REVIEW

Jack White seems at the peak of his powers at the moment. Acclaimed live performances, a hall of fame induction and a run of increasingly well received albums.

It will soon be thirty long years since White formed The White Stripes alongside Meg. He has remained a constant presence since their conclusion, be that his solo work or with the likes of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. In fact, new album, ‘Frozen Charlotte’, is his nineteenth significant studio album across these different platforms.

He has never been afraid during this time to experiment and test himself, but good solid blues rock has always been the bedrock for his sonic exploration. It’s not surprise then that this sound is at the very core of this latest album.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘G.O.D. And The Broken ribs’
Jack White – ‘G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs’

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White doesn’t go for a large deal of fanfare and is instead content to quietly go about his business. The build towards this album hasn’t therefore seen any of the usual circus that follows releases from major artists.

What this does though is allow listeners to fully ingrain themselves into this new release with any pre-conceived notions beyond the fact it’s Jack White and Jack White is going to do Jack White things.

What they will find is a solid collection which stands up against his best work, albeit probably without some of the mainstream appeal of his bigger hits. This is instead Jack enjoying himself and playing for him and that’s always going to produce quality!

So regardless of which career touchpoint you picked up on the talented Mr White, here’s another enjoyable release to get teeth stuck into.

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 143

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The XCERTS

‘i think i want to go home now.’

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the xcerts – i think i want to go home now.’ – album review

The XCERTS are back with their sixth studio album, and the band again move in a different direction on ‘i think i want to go home now.’.

Following the success and acclaim of ‘Hold On to Your Heart’, the trio offered something much blunter with follow-up ‘Learning How to Live and Let Go’. The album probably didn’t make the impact that the band desired however and now they are returning with a sound more reminiscent of their early work.

Raw, emotive and engaging, these songs are instantly going to hit a home run with long time fans of the group. The XCERTS exude a heartfelt passion that is hard to come across in the age of hyper-produced songs designed for superficial likes.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘SINKING FEELING’
The XCERTS – ‘sinking feeling’

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Instead, each of the tracks burrows itself under your skin and roots itself in your consciousness with a sense of cathartic release. Nobody can make you feel the way The XCERTS can and it’s so good to have them at their evocative best.

The album has been created at a time when the band have experienced loss and turmoil and that has driven them to explore the type of songwriting that connected them to fans in the first place.

For that reason this record is an absolute must for fans and can also act as a great hopping on point for anybody just discovering the magic of The XCERTS!

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 142

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Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 141

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Album Reviews

The Pretty Reckless

‘Dear God’

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THE PRETTY RECKLESS – DEAR GOD – ALBUM REVIEW

The Pretty Reckless have been part of the rock scene for so long now that its easy to forget how young Taylor Momsen was when the band arrived. Having already experienced fame as an actress prior to the band, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Momsen grew up in the public eye.

That can’t be an easy thing to navigate and the often-perilous journey that Momsen has been on has been packed with highs and lows. Throughout all of her varied career however music has been her escape, the place she feels most able to be herself.

New fifth studio album, ‘Dear God’, may just be her most vulnerable and intense collection as Momsen explores mortality and redemption on a record rooted within self-discovery.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘FOR I AM DEATH’
The Pretty Reckless – ‘For I Am Death’

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Musically her bandmates help bring these themes to life with a further expansion of their polished yet raw rock n roll bombast. Bluesy yet radio rock smooth, these tracks resonate with a band at the peak of their powers.

The fact that the band have been touring with AC/DC over the past year or so isn’t lost on our ears either. This is classic rock done with modern ingenuity and it works incredibly well.

The album itself is paced well to offer the full effect of an album rather than just a bunch of singles. That said the likes of ‘For I Am Death’, ‘When I Wake Up’, ‘Love Me’ and the title-track do standout.

It’s remarkable that Momsen is still in her early thirties yet presents with such maturity. In music, she has certainly found her calling and The Pretty Reckless will surely now go on to assert themselves at the top of their profession.

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Muse

‘The Wow! Signal’

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MUSE – The Wow! Signal – Album review

Four years on from ‘Will of the People’, Muse are back with their milestone tenth studio album, ‘The Wow! Signal’!

Over the course of three decades the trio have taken themselves from local battle of the bands competitions to the biggest stages in the world. Stadium megastars with a reputation as one of the greatest live bands around, it’s incredible the journey that they’ve been on.

In recent years however you could argue a little of the shine has dissipated as the industry has continued to shift. Despite being a solid effort, ‘Will of the People’ failed to generate the usual levels of excitement for a Muse album and that seemed to translate to a slightly blasé anticipation for this new collection.

If we’ve learned anything about Muse over the years however its that you really can’t afford to sleep on them. Just when you think perhaps they’ve peaked, they deliver something to remind you just how special they are.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘CRYOGEN’
Muse – ‘Cryogen’

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This new album is just that. A reminder that when the band strike the right balance with precision riffs and over the top production, they are simply unstoppable. You want flamboyance from Matt Bellamy; you want Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme to breakdown expectations of what a rhythm section can be. But you want it all to mean something.

We know that musically their skills are unparalleled, but we want music that we will want to come back to time and time again. The inclusion of producer/live member Dan Lancaster in the recording of this album feels pivotal. Whilst Bellamy and co still let loose, they feel kept on course.

With grand themes around cosmic mystery and astronomical possibilities it could’ve been easy to go overboard with the atmospheric soundscape of the album but instead this feels more like a modernised take on their classic sound.

Each element of their sound is on point, and they sound bigger and bolder than ever. Forget then any feelings of Muse fatigue because just when you needed them to, the trio have once again captured the right magic.

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Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 140

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Hard-Fi

‘Sweating Someone Else’s Fever’

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Hard-Fi – Sweating Someone Else’s Fever – Album review

Hard-Fi were always a band that stood out from the pack during the noughties indie boom. Their debut album, ‘Stars of CCTV’ shot them to the forefront of the movement and brought them huge success and acclaim.

Their sound incorporated a more expansive palette then their contemporaries but this would also then lead to them getting lost in the shuffle as the industry began to move on to its next genre-kink. Whilst charting well, ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ and ‘Killer Sounds’ didn’t resonate the same way with fans beginning to look for something different.

Many weren’t surprised when the band entered into a lengthy hiatus in in the early 2010’s. For fans though they were left with a nagging thought of ‘what if’. The band arriving with such promise, then disappearing with nothing more than a whimper.

As the inevitable hooks of nostalgia began to revisit that golden generation of indie rock success however, the band were ready to test the waters. The response to their initial reunion was phenomenal and generated a pro-longed return that now culminates with their first studio album in fifteen years, ‘Sweating Someone Else’s Fever’.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘DIGO NADA’
Hard-Fi – ‘Digo Nada’

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Now older and endowed with the associated wisdom that comes with navigating this troubled world for so long, it’s an album that tries both to show who the band are in 2026 whilst also dialling into what brought them their original success.

Sonically this again means that Hard-Fi are happy to bring a wide-range of influences into the mix, creating a record that simmers, bubbles and boils. The sound brings back their distinctive blend melancholia and euphoria, which again provides the springboard for their direct and grounded lyrics.

These songs lyrically look at the state of the world and deliver observations in a way that feels relatable and accessible to the average listener. This is one of the skillsets that made the band stand out, no pretence, no superiority, just a group of friends from Staines being themselves.

Fans and the band can now get a little closure with this return being undeniably successful both on stage and on record. Hopefully there is more in the tank, and their return will be a long-term investment. But whatever the future holds Hard-Fi have accomplished something worth recognising with this solid return.

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