Music Review: Latest Album Releases

Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Returning for the third time, the new offering from Leicester lads Kasabian represents a more measured approach to their song writing finishing with a good, if slightly unspectacular, record. Rather than aim to blast the listener with thumping anthems as they did previously, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum sees the band mash together indie and electro influences creating a subtler and more considered listen. ‘Fast Fuse’ provides a momentary and fantastic blast of shocking electricity in an album that thrives with slower burning feel to it, and while it may not end up being to everyone’s taste it is refreshing to see a band step out of their comfort zone a bit and write something which embraces a bit of change.7/10

Little Boots – Hands

With Lady Gaga becoming the irritating sound of last year, Little Boots may become the unwitting casualty of any backlash against the ‘Poker face’ idiot. This would be a shame, because Hands is a damn good album packed with excellent songs throughout and deserves success. The album combines pop, electro and synth influences to excellent production values and Victoria Hesketh’s soft but melodic vocals to create a highly varied album. ‘Meddle’ is a pumping pop attack, ‘Remedy’ is reminiscent of one of the occasionally good songs from Eurovision and ‘Stuck on Repeat’ is the ambient and serene moment on an album loaded full of danceable singles. Hands is a complete success, with numerous highlights, while remaining a coherent listen as a whole. It suggests that the hype behind her is not unwarranted and that high energy pop still has a place in this cynical world.9/10

Datarock –  Red

The Norwegians return for another throw of the indie pop dice, and the result is slightly underwhelming. In no sense is Red a bad album, far from it, but there appears to be a major lack of any real originality within the music throughout the album. ‘The Pretender’ is  a great tune, while ‘The Blog’ samples interviews about social networking websites to great effect but the general feeling has to be that somewhere along the line we’ve heard it all before. It is not an album that fails on every count, but it isn’t an album that thrives with any real conviction and is destined to end up on most Itunes accounts as a one listen wonder. A disappointing album, but will probably provide some excellent remix fodder.6/10

Kissy Sell Out – Youth

You may remember this guy from when he performed at Soul Tree a few months ago, but while it might have been worth the entrance fee on that night the album is worth avoiding. It’s an album that you could work through if it was left in the background playing away, but any concerted effort to listen will reveal how clichéd it is. Faux indie accents, jaunty Kate Nash piano chords and lyrics that scream the idiotic ‘real life’ (Essex girl the particular culprit) that seems to exist in the current scenester climate. The beats on the album suggest that a decent live act exists and the playful sound that runs underneath suggests some potential to succeed properly, but until this is harnessed listen to the Go! Team instead and forget about this album.5/10

Spinnerette – Spinnerette

Brody Dalle’s new side project displays the same rough and heavy rocking sound that served her so well in the Distillers and the debut album by Spinnerette suggests a highly promising future. Evoking Queens of the Stone age, Metric and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the band successfully create a garage like unharnessed rock noise while still retaining tightly controlled song writing. ‘Ghetto Project’ feels like a long lost Nick Cave track while’ Geeking’ successfully hooks a Charlotte Hatherley-esque vocal pattern and reins it to a visceral riff. Good as they are, the folk/rock sound of ‘Impaler’ shows the most promise, grasping different influences and forming it into a coherent stomp-a-long.  It isn’t the most original thing you’ll hear all year, but it is an impressive start and well worth checking out.8/10