Single Reviews - Athlete - Wires (Parlophone) By Steve Rudd

Athlete are back, and with a bang. This tune couldn't be any more beautiful or majestic, as the Athlete lads return to the forefront of the UK's indie-pop-rock scene in graceful style. Athlete's music, in its greatest moments as throughout Wires, is such a splendid treat in that the charming eloquence and heart-rending melodies of Snow Patrol and Coldplay are both present and correct. The marriage of vocals and music is tender, as melancholic piano wanderings, subtle guitar passages and drum beats, and a lovely string arrangement, all coalesce to make a truly wonderful song.

Taken from their second album, Tourist, their fresh material can only build upon the widespread acclaim the lads garnered on the back of their astounding Vehicles And Animals debut record of class. Athlete are truly masterful when it comes to writing mid-paced love songs of poignant reflection that verge on perfection.

Wires is perhaps their finest tune yet, being a subtly spellbinding web of musical magic that reaches out and stills your heart before you can say, Happy Valentines Day. Now there's a point, gents... your nearest and dearest might just fall in love with you all over again if you go out and buy a copy of this single for them. It's time to get into shape.

Album/CD Reviews 59 Violets - Prime Numbers By Daniel Laney
	It's always tricky to write about a group you know nothing about. You can't call upon your knowledge of the bands touring antics, nor can you compare previous stand out material to the CD you're reviewing, in short its just your appreciation of music Read more...

Album/CD Reviews Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - Life Begins Again (11-track album/ Sanctuary) By Steve Rudd
	Now then, here's one hell of an album to write home about, being one of the first masterpiece albums - somewhere alongside Athlete's fantastic Tourist beauty - to arise in 2005 The JC Complex (for short) is something of a super group Read more...

Album/CD Reviews Displacements - Pray For More By Daniel Laney
	If you were to take a quick glance at the members of Displacements you would instantly label them as emo wanna-be American punk kids; Atticus Black clothing, Mac Beth & Converse Chucks, skinnier than Ghandi, black hair draped over one eye, and Read more...

Album Reviews - Holly Taymar - Less Than Nothing (GenieCake Records) By Nick Quantrill
	Less Than Nothing is the debut release from York based record label GenieCake Records. GenieCake Records is an ambitious new project created by sisters, Catherine Cowan and Lisa-Marie Baker, with the intention of nurturing the talent Read more...

Album/CD Reviews The Sesh - Various Hull Heroes By Daniel Laney
	A long awaited Hull bands compilation CD can only be reviewed track by track. After listening to this really well compiled album by The Sesh's very own Mark Page, it was apparent that it had to be stripped down song by song to highlight a little Read more...

Album Reviews - Blind Frog Ernie - Live By Daniel Laney
	An absolute rock treat for the local area. If you're like me and are always on the look out for something new and original in the world of music, then Blind Frog Ernie may have come to the local music scene's rescue. Until this morning I hadn't Read more...

Album Reviews - Green day-Shenanigans (released 2002) By Jason Karlson
	This album is far better then it has any right to be. Considering what it is, which is, a filler album to go alongside there greatest hits disk International Superhits. A stop gap album to keep them in the public eye while they scurry off and make Read more...

Album Reviews - Confuzion - Extinguished (album sampler/ Criteria Records) By Steve Rudd
	Energetically benefiting from the refreshing and super-smooth vocal talents of Ashley Stone, this Reading-based band produces seriously poppy music of a hugely anthemic nature. These three songs provide the first evidence of Read more...

Single Reviews - Bastion 4 - The Tale of Gideon Strange (Single Marshco) By Steve Rudd
	Delivering bold and beautiful tunes in true style, this Portsmouth-based quartet sound set to take the country by storm with their supremely tuneful brand of indie-rock music. Here, presenting a tune from their second album (Modus Operandi) Read more...

Album Reviews - Rob McCulloch - Thoughts Alone (Clockhouse) By Steve Rudd
	Rob hails from Bolton and sings and plays very much in the style of ex-Verve mainman - and solo singer-songwriter in his own right - Richard Ashcroft. Wistful tunes such as Taking Off With You, Take Me Whole and Doing You Wrong are beautifully conceived Read more...

CD Reviews - Halflight - Subside (EP/My First Records) By Steve Rudd
	Packed with the endearing purity of The Corrs' music, Half-Light's musings are poetic, mature and utterly captivating throughout these four tracks. Front woman Sarah Howells has long been renowned for her quality, truthfully extraordinary singing voice (having been the Read more...

Single Reviews The Next Nine Years - You Live, I Learn (single/ Probation) By Steve Rudd
	Debut singles don't get much better than this double-A side belter from this kick-ass quartet. Lead track You Live, I Learn is ball-busting melodic rock, that sets a breakneck pace. Thankfully, all the guitars and lung-busting vocals are perfectly Read more...

Album Reviews - Sidewinder CD By Nick Quantrill
	With their high quality and energetic live shows, Sidewinder are regarded as one of the finer Hull bands. Looking as comfortable playing to a packed house at the Kingston Communications Stadium as they do playing in the local pub, Sidewinder have demonstrated their ability to capture the Read more...

Single Reviews The Concretes - Seems Fine (single/ EMI) By Steve Rudd
	If you want to feel refreshed and plain good about life, then it's imperative that Stockholm outfit The Concretes are checked out ASAP. Laying claim to almost as many band members as The Polyphonic Spree, there are eight of them, coolly fronted by sultry vocalist Victoria Bergsman. Read more...