February was a cold, cold, bitter month. With little choice but
to sit at home with a large cup of bovril, Pro Evolution Soccer 4 and a
bunch of tabs, it was a good time to listen to a whole slew of records. And
blimey, weren't there a whole bunch... big rock, live post rock, disappointing
comebacks and crazy TNT mogo rawk, we had the whole gammut. With so
many reviews passing through these pages though, it could be quite easy to miss
something special, or avoid making a poor purchasing decision.
DiS
gives you the ten records that aren't necessarily the best, nor the most
high-profile, but arguably the LPs which have raised the most eyebrows or sent
people limp with disappointment.
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Doves - Some Cities
The
Manchester trio return full of ashen-faced detachment and
bloodied-yet-unbowed pride. It could have disappeared up it's own
derriere, but thankfully 'Some Cities' is a bit of a
triumph...
read Michaela
Annot's full article |
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Death From Above 1979-
You're A Woman, I'm A
Machine
Mike Diver is a demanding man; he insists on
full-on, balls out, nose to the floor rock. Yet even he's weeping in a vain attempt to get a grasp on quite how balls out this is. Five
Stars rock, he reckons...
.read Michael
Diver's full article |
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The Silent League - The
Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused
Simply quite, quite lovely
stuff from the New Yorkers most likely to take the now-redundant crown of
Best Neo-Psychedelic Americana-ists. Throughout ‘The Orchestra, Sadly,
Has Refused’ runs the coherent theme of creeping, haunting lullabies,
and that furrow which sees The Silent League ultimately master their own
unique beauty.
read Gareth
Dobson's full article |
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Various- Rough Trade Shops:
Counter Culture 2004
Having cemented their position as
THE UK's premier record store, Rough Trade have decided to release their
third 'Best Of The Year' collection. Which is all good and proper as long
you remember that their personal best may not necessarily be yours.
Regardless, their best of the year is a damn sight more interesting, fresh
and innovative than nearly anybody elses...
read Dom
Gourlay's full article |
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Bloc Party - Silent
Alarm
Probably the most eagerly anticipated indie record
since the Franz one - there we said it - Silent Alarm will only disappoint
the most demanding of all perfectionists. And it's certainly more than
enough to offer a wider perspective on the band and blow away any
post-punk pre-conceptions.
read Gen
William's full article |
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The Arcade Fire -
Funeral
We've w*nked on enough about the majesty
of 'Funeral' so we will add little here apart from that it's
the must have record of 2005 so far, and it's quite
amazing...
read J.Burrows'
full article |
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The Broken Family Band- Welcome Home,
Loser
Album no.2 by the criminally underrated BFB still
blows chunks of country rock spirit, but listen out for some sweet new
Hammond-heavy hints of Seventies MOR soul... needless to say, it's an ace
record, whatever it does...
read Toby Jarvis'
full article |
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Slowdive-
Anthology
Sway your head gently.
Stare at your feet. Worry about your complicated, depressing life. And
celebrate an anthology by the over-looked and hopefully not forgotten
Slowdive. Ignore the fact that the cover is crap.
read Dom
Gourlay's full article |
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Ben Lee- Awake Is The New
Asleep Two-and-a-bit years on, ‘Hey You. Yes
You.’, Ben’s last album, seems like a bit of a disappointment. Sure
it had it’s highpoints, but the sonic experimentations sounded rather
forced, truth be told. While ‘Awake…’ has its fair share of moments
that make you blush on first listen, each of the 14 songs sink in after a
few spins and what’s left is the impression of a young man finally growing
into himself both musically and emotionally.
read Tom Edward's
full article
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Mogwai - Government Commissions (BBC
Sessions 1996-2003)
Dedicated to early champion of the
cause, John Peel, 'Government Comissions...' Is a
near-fautless pick n' mix of the band's decade-long career
in the quiet/loud industry. Ageless music, and utterly, one hundred
per cent essential. .
read Mike Diver's
full article |
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DiScuss: What are your albums of the month? Which are the
best/worst?
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