Review: Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost

What's most noticeable about "Yeah Ghost", Zero 7's fourth studio release, is the absence of long-time guest vocalist Sia Furler. Sia, who by some is seen as the band's third member, didn't make an appearance as she is currently working on her next album "We Are Born", due April 2010. Although Zero 7 had initial plans to record something less vocal-dependent, obviously they have decided to stick to their collaborative projects the band is best known with. "Yeah Ghost" is somewhere in between the downtempo vibe Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker transmitted through their first two albums and a more up-beat clever electronica with a pinch of various genres brought together by the ensemble of guest vocalists.

"Yeah Ghost" easily distinguish itself from Zero 7's previous releases, as it incorporates a more club-orientated sound with a jazzy twist. I don't consider this a stylistic shift, but more of experimenting in new directions. The presence of new guest vocalists allows the band to explore other fields of interest, thus the variety of songs. "Ghost Symbol" reminds me of a Fever Ray outtake, "Sleeper" and "Medicine Man" could easily be mistaken as under the Basement Jaxx umbrella, and "Everything Up (Zizou)" could pass as a softer Calvin Harris. I am not saying that the duo ran out of ideas and decided on patching up material from other musicians. Not at all, more like they needed to step out of their comfort zone and make a few steps out of line, no matter if they tripped over or even flopped down to the bottom. After all music has to be defying, bold and constantly evolving and "Yeah Ghost" is the challenge that Zero 7 have to face themselves.

Songs to hear: "Ghost Symbol", "Mr McGee", "Medicine Man" and "Everything Up (Zizou)"

Personal rating: 8/10

Review: Paloma Faith - Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful

Joining Britain's soul music forces, new addition Paloma Faith had to go through plenty of criticism, often being downsized to an Amy-Winehouse-wannabe or an Adele-copycat. Faith admits that she has always had awed rich soul voices and has occasionally tried to imitate them, but after some time she actually found herself in the wide music field. Despite critics opinions Paloma's debut album "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" deserves your attention, unless you are not all fed up with the whole wave of white chicks spilling their guts out to sound as black as they can.

If you give the album a chance you'll realize that Paloma has put a lot of effort and it would have actually sounded pretty damn good, if it hadn't been the year of 2009. Sadly, as it may be, Faith has got on the train a bit too late and what her fellow Brit gals had already done, she was just about to do. It's not that the album sounds as if it was recorded in the 50s, that perhaps is it's best trait, but it's awfully reminiscent of several debut albums from the last 4-5 years and you could easily fail to notice that "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" is not by Duffy or Adele. The whole record is elegantly structured, flowing from one song to the next one, leading through topics like faithfulness, loneliness, love and disappointment.

"Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" seems to suffer of poor promotion, as for the time being Faith lacks all the media attention Duffy-alikes got some time ago. Don't get me wrong, everyone for themselves, but Paloma's debut release may come out with a bit of a delay and still it gets to blow off tops, which seem to feel annoyingly secure about their careers. Looking forward to a next release, unless she changes careers again.

Songs to hear: "Stone Cold Sober", "New York", "Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?" and "Play On"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Basement Jaxx - Scars

Three years ago I thought that "Crazy Itch Radio" was my biggest Basement Jaxx disappointment, set myself ready for a better album next time. The only thing that came after so much waiting was a bigger disappointment, more dissatisfying than ever. Not that "Scars" is a poor product of contemporary electronic music, but it just misses out a few fundamentals for a successful dance album. Obviously Basement Jaxx have been walking along the wrong path for several years already and with this pace of weak production a major flop is on its way.

"Scars" contains everything that you ought to expect from a Basement Jaxx album: plenty of guest vocalists, danceable house tunes and witty lyrics with a certain touch of exotica. Apart from everything listed the album has nothing more to offer, it sounds so painfully familiar that you might mistake it for a re-release of "Kish Kash" with some additional b-side tracks. The whole album lacks the disco thrill that Basement Jaxx were so fond of. "Scars" is somewhere in between mediocre and satisfactory, failing to create originality of its own.

Despite the guest appearances of hyped performers like Santigold, Sam Sparro and Paloma Faith, the majority of songs easily pass the ear by without causing any specific attention. It seems as if the duo Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton has run out of genuinely good ideas and desperately needs a push forward to a more comprehensive and intriguing dance reality. If no visible stylistic change is to come and another Kish Kash-alike is to be released they'd better have the decency to break up. Please!

Songs to hear: "Scars", "Saga", "What's a Girl Got to Do?" and "Feelings Gone"

Personal rating: 5/10

Review: Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us

Blamed by some fans for going way too commercial with their last few albums, obviously Paradise Lost took a serious note and offer a heavy slap on the face of all haters. "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" is what many fans have expected for over a decade, after Nick Holmes and co explored the fields of synthrock, alternative rock and lighter gothic metal. Considered by many as Paradise Lost's big come back their latest album will rock your socks and leave you wanting more.

Enough with the faith! Paradise Lost kick ass big time and are here to unites us all, even in death. Metaphorically speaking "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" is livelier and more emotional charging than the band's eponymous from four years ago and "In Requiem", out in 2007. Although not based on fast-paced tracks the album grabs you from the opening track, leading you from this great divide to the long anticipated unification of music and soul, leaving far behind those useless shells called bodies. Actually, you might need that bodies a little bit more if you want to physically experience the whole album with all those amazing riffs, Holmes' deep vocals and the constantly changing mood.

Paradise Lost subtly incorporate a few elements of their earliest doom/death material material that give additional heavier sound to the album. Still, they remain true to the gothic metal genre, of course, with a few slight stylistic detours that are left to you to be discovered.

Tracks to hear: "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us", "As Horizons End", "Living with Scars" and "I Remain"

Personal rating: 7/10

Skunk Anansie officially reunited

Recession is an evil bitch leaving musicians penniless and hungry (figuratively speaking). After a few reunions this year Skunk Anansie buried the hatchet in order to reform the band and play a few gigs, as well as releasing some new material. Honestly said I am not surprised at all, when money is short you just have to swallow the pride and do a few things you might have never expected to be committing. Anyways, Skin and company are back on track after a 9-year break up and they promise to be even better. An European reunion tour names "Greatest Hits Tour" is planned to start on 9th October this year with most gigs across the UK.

Here is the video to the single "Tear The Place Up" taken from their future album "Smashes and Trashes":

Review: VV Brown - Travelling Like the Light

VV Brown's success is virtually travelling with the light after the release of her highly anticipated debut album. Vanessa, of course VV is not a real name, offers an intriguing combination of electronica, funk and dance with a few strings of alternative and soul. A debut that easily could be among the best ones for 2009 and deserves your attention. Brown's major plus is the fusion of club friendly rhythms with the vibes of underground, which is brought to life with the distinctive use of various instruments and backing on plenty of styles.

Seen as a refined combination of Grace Jones and Erykah Badu, wrapped up in her own originality and stage presence VV Brown is virtually one of the next-best-things to storm the commercial sphere. Nevertheless, Brown's post-modern influences could be considered as both flaws or advances. To me, "Travelling Like the Light" is a fresh attempt to be apart from the mass and still sound accessible and friendly. Sadly, Brown's determination to swing back to the 50s-70s reminds me painfully too much of Duffy and Adele, exceeding the recommended retro dose.

Although often put somewhere in the indie niche, VV Brown is anything but indie. As soon as Island Records, which is part of Universal Music, becomes an independent label VV and alike can proudly call themselves indie-pop. Island being annoyingly cautious take Brown's promotion step by step that keeps her still criminally unknown. Probably under the label's pressure "Travelling Like the Light" deliberately allowed styles to flow into one another creating an idiosyncratic structure for every taste. Of course, even a fifth grader knows that this is a big load of nonsense. Brown proves to be an excellent funk/doo-woop/R&B singer, but she most certainly lacks that electronica vibe that makes you wanna go to every club eager to boogie to her tracks.

Tracks to hear: "Shark in the Water", "Back In Time", "Travelling Like the Light" and "Crying Blood"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Florence and The Machine - Lungs

Tori, Regina, Fiona, Kate and all the rest beware! Florence Welch, best known as Florence and The Machine, is on the roost and she happens to be amazing! "Lungs" is virtually one of the best indie-pop albums I have ever heard, as well as one of the best to come out in recent years.

"Lungs" is the balanced mixture of folkatronica, pop, alternative and experimental with the fine pinch of Welch's witty and highly original lyrics. This debut is so breathtaking, that it's almost disturbingly unreal and only after a few thorough listens assures me that music can still have a meaning over the obvious. Don't get me wrong, Florence is not heavenly talented and unreachable, she just manages to offer something that has been missing on the whole UK/American singer-songwriter scene for quite a long time. While Tori Amos bores me to death with her recent endless piano whining or Fiona Apple's stylistic uncertainties and struggles, Florence hops up in the right moment with a fresh breath straight from her lungs.

Smoothness, freely flowing tracks from one to another, stylistic diversity and originality make "Lungs" one of 2009's must-haves. Apart from the whole technicality Florence and The Machine go further deeper in developing the concept of an odd world where things that seem regular are irregular and notions tend to take particularly unusual forms and ways of expression. Received by both critics and fans with a critical acclaim after the release of the band's first single releases "Lungs" lives up to their expectations with flying colours. Such a strong debut for a 22-year old singer-songwriter, who was once labeled as dyslexic and dyspraxic, could only give us high hopes for an outstanding follow up to cause further competition in the rather stale indie genre.

Songs to hear: "Dog Days Are Over", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "Drumming", "Between Two Lungs" and "Kiss With A Fist"

Rating: 9/10

Review: La Roux - La Roux

Lucky me! June is my pop month and a few new releases made it exceptionally good. After the amazing debut by English singer-songwriter Little Boots, on my door was already knocking another UK-export: La Roux. Behind the duo are vocalist Elly Jackson and the producer/songwriter Ben Langmaid, who have been cooking new material for almost an year now. Their eponymous debut album could easily pass as the most mature and elaborate pop release of the first half of 2009 and I am certainly not joking nor exaggerating. The Britons have done a great job and an album like "La Roux" is a must-hear in this year's album list!

Drawing inspiration from 80s new wave bands like The Human League and Yazoo, La Roux have their own visions and rely entirely on their very own originality not annoyingly being dependent on good old stuff, which supposedly should do them a few tricks. No, not at all, cause Jackson/Langmaid obviously know how to use the security of the old sound being given a few new improvements. La Roux are far from the idea of being copycats, but let's say that they didn't just discover America, but might leave you with the impression that you just learned about the island of Cuba. Backing themselves on the security of the numerously tried out formula for an electronic act, their debut effort is not a pathetic attempt to bring together loads of memories under the same roof, but an intelligent music provocation that explores new depths and tangles some old stuff with a gentle touch.

"La Roux" surprises abit with the balanced integrity it demonstrates, although at some points you might lose yourself somewhere in between the classy synthpop sound and the rough electronic experiments that are patched together in a rather crude manner. Fillers are virtually left out of the album, which gives an additional exceptionable quality of the product and a definite two-thumbs-up praise for the duo itself. Lyrical themes variate from personal hardships, through finding the meaning of life, to messing around on the battlefield called love. I have to say that I am bored to death to listen to love mishaps and broken hearts, but Elly Jackson with her distinctive quirky voice knows how to tell stories in a way that makes you stay till the end of the track.

Songs to hear: "In for the Kill", "Bulletproof", "Colourless Colour" and "Quicksand"

Rating: 8/10

Review: Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

Paolo Nutini until just a few days ago was nothing more than a familiar name to me, but after being recommended to me a few times I decided to hear his new album "Sunny Side Up" to hear what's the whole fuss about. I can only say: Interesting! I didn't expect for a man of his age to have such a powerful voice with which he actually tells stories of here and there.

Getting back to the album itself, "Sunny Side Up" despite being in the folk-rock niche explores various styles, favoring blue-eyed soul, bluegrass and neo-folk. Nutini draws inspiration directly from his music upbringing in Scotland and to some extent demonstrates his fascination from American folk music, which has most certainly played a major role. Don't worry "Sunny Side Up" is no country album, released by a Scott dying to be out there on a rodeo. The record is more of a tribute to Americana with the strong fundamentals of the European neo-folk scene.

I just can't agree with the annoying comparison to James Morrison, who despite all the efforts is nothing more than a mere copycat of James Blunt. Gosh, are they brothers or what? "Sunny Side Up" is the final proof that the two don't share the same music bed! Back to Nutini, although his sophomore effort is seen by some as a disappointment and the singer himself blamed for losing track of his own style, "Sunny Side Up" is a melodic experiment curving in fresh wood with the final accomplishment visible only in your mind.

I personally don't see this album as anything close to failure or waste of talent, as it is a manifestation of diversity, emotional landscapes and stories of sadness and happiness, of the strive for a pastoral life deep in the bushes of love. Apart from the few flops here and there "Sunny Side Up" is easily a fine folk piece with hopes and despairs, with maturity and childishness, with Europe meeting America for a dance under the stars.

Songs to hear: "Ten Out of Ten", "Growing Up Beside You", "Tricks of the trade" and "Pencil Full of Lead"

Personal rating: 7 out of 9

Recommendation Weekly: VV Brown

Ladies and gentleman, I give you one of the brand new and hottest names for the summer: VV Brown! The Northampton, UK, native with real name Vanessa Brown is a young and very promising singer-songwirter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who has released three singles up to date and right now is cooking her debut "Travelling with the Light", which is going to hit stores on 20th July. Brown has been compared to Santigold, Ladyhawke and Lily Allen and stylistically she has been put in several niches among which indietronica, alternative pop and dance-punk. Vanessa has already been listed as one of the hottest breakthroughs of 2009, but I warn you, she has just began! So watch out for VV Brown playing on your TV/radio stations and crashing for a long time in your hearts.

Review: Little Boots - Hands

I've already lost faith in pop music when I got to hear Little Boot's debut album "Hands", which is a splendid combination of various electronic manners and pop tunes. Victoria Hesketh who is behind the moniker Little Boots has done the pop album that I've been waiting six months already. Probably some of you would definitely disagree with time, but for me pop music has more to offer than Britney whining like a dog in pain or Mandy Moore, who just couldn't let go off the whole bubbly dingy.

"Hands" is an album that deserves a good load of praise, although it has its flaws, but they are less than a pain in the ass. Little Boots is part of the fast growing new electro movement and competition is definitely big, but playing with the right cards get you straight to the top of the ladder just a hand away from the crown. Hesketh's story could easily pass as a dream come true and her late success is the proof that even quality music can wide open doors. "Hands" is the sum up of all of her music experiments throughout the years going from jazz, electro, disco, experimental, indietronica, punk and power pop, thus the astonishing stylistic variety and the loads of elements used in the songs. That actually is a good reason why some of the tracks sound like they have been taken out of different releases.

Victoria has been given quite a lot of freedom as experiments flow from one into another, diversity spreads all over the album and extended list of music influences back up every single track. The mere fact that she is no new to the music business has given her the opportunity to spend enough time working on the style she wants to introduce and develop a lyrical concept, which has something to say and is not trying to be over the top. What I like about her attitude towards the whole fuzz surrounding her right now is the fact she is less than impressed and doesn't really give a damn about media attention just for her to promote herself.

"Hands", of course, is not lacking some flaws, like repetition of several lyrical ideas and the use of some annoying electronic elements, as well as a couple of songs could easily pass as fillers. This shouldn't keep you off from giving a full listen to one of the most promising pop releases of 2009 and soon to be big Victoria Hesketh aka Little Boots.

Songs to hear: "Stuck on Repeat", "Remedy", "Meddle", "New In Town", "No Brakes" and "Hearts Collide"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Review: Placebo - Battle for the Sun

"Battle for the Sun" is Placebo's sixth proper studio album, a strong follow up of their rather poppy album "Meds", which was received by both fans and critics with mixed feelings. Their new album is a departure from the more electronic based sound and a fine return to the classical alt-rock style for which the bands has been numerously praised.

This is the first album to feature new drummer Steve Forrest, who took the place of Robert Schultzberg, and which some fans considered as a sign for an eminent change in Placebo's style. For good or for bad Forrest has really brought a change, which to me is quite positive. "Battle for the Sun" sounds as a whole, with clear structure, adequate emotional balance and almost no fillers. The album demonstrates a heavier sound with the prevail of loud and emotional drumming and the fast and determined guitar riffs back and forth.

Molko has done some improvements of himself demonstrating more complex lyrics with a clearer message in them. Of course, the puns and the riddles are present and nothing is ever to be understood to its fullest when Brian is the one responsible. The topics are various from substance abuse to emotional battles through personal doubts and search for new experiences. He has done quite a fine work with the writing and the majority of songs are thoughtful, clever and provoking with a pinch of wit and playfulness.

"Battle for the Sun" definitely surpasses "Meds" by quality and easily matches by diversity and complexity "Sleeping with Ghosts" and "Without You I'm Nothing". The chosen up to now singles "Battle for the Sun" (promotional) and "For What It's Worth" (official) are not the best pick-ups but demonstrate the exquisite variety offered by the 13-song track-list.

Songs to hear: "Kings of Medicine", "Ashtray Heart", "Breath Underwater", "Julien" and "For What It's Worth"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Lady Sovereign - Jigsaw

The biggest white midget in hip-hop found all the parts of a jigsaw and came back to life with a new album, which is a confusing mixture between electronica and grime. "Jigsaw" is Lady Sovereign's sophomore attempt in the music bizz, following a series of professional misfortunes in the last year, topped by being kicked out of Def Jam run by Jay-Z, but immediately went under the wing of EMI.

"Jigsaw" is your regular party album with plenty of dance tracks and good beats. You have Sovereign with her sarcastic lyrics, you have the spirit of grime, and still the whole product lacks distinctive originality. At several points it sounds so desperate for freshness that it virtually cries out for ideas. What surprises me is the fact that Sovereign did actually have troubles in the past few years and still nothing brought the light to this record. As soon as she released "Public Warning" critics started comparing her impeccable talent with The Streets, although she received a heavy support from the American hip-hop scene rather than England's.

Sovereign is more electronic than ever before, which could be a big plus if the whole electro stuff didn't sound out of place and order. Most of the tracks are a havoc of grime, electronica and rap beats, which would have been great if this was M.I.A. new release...but it's not and it just doesn't suit her. As a whole Louise, the rappers real name, has tried to sound more accessible and commercially acceptable, thus giving "Jigsaw" a lighter and cleaner structure. Big mistake! "Public Warning" was relatively positively met by the critics due to its satire, loads of sarcasm and witty texts, bringing a new light to the skills of female rappers. This time you have a less confident record, which explores too well-known thematic spheres like relationships, trust, entertainment and similar.

The major controversy in "Jigsaw" is caused by sampling of the song "Close To Me" by The Cure for the single "So Human". Underground MC Thomas Jules already had the rights to use the original version. The idea to use this song as a backing track was given to Sovereign by an Island Records execute after hearing Jule performing his version. Robert Smith, The Cure's frontman, has stated that he prefers Jules' song to Sovereign's track, despite the last being worldwide distributed.

Songs to hear: "So Human", "I Got You Dancing", "Bang Bang" and "Jigsaw"

Personal rating: 5 out of 10

Review: IAMX - Kingdom of Welcome Addiction

Chris Corner made my day! Actually he made my whole next week with his new amazing album called "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction", which is among the must-listens of this year. An elaborate work projecting the inadequacy in a pretentious life where emotions are plastic and we are all fake and empty. If you thought that "The Alternative" was a good album, that you still haven't heard Corner's new release, which to me is his best up to this very moment.

"Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction" is Corner's answer to the growing simplification of the music business, the complexity of the problems we surround ourselves with and the gloomy future we are supposedly going to dive into. The great variety of lyric topics range from the philosophical perception of life, the obscurity of feelings, the sexual ambiguity, the relations between friends and the modern frustration. As Corner's says for the album it could be seen "like Disney world but with lipstick, cynicism and wit" and after a few listens you get to understand what he means and it's kind of disturbing when you give it a decent thought.

Once again Chris Corner is upfront to his maximum, bringing out his hypersensitivity and painful sincerity, which may be too harsh to those used to lovey-dovey tracks set in a galaxy far far away, where love is the universal painkiller. IAMX has no medicine for your broken heart or teary eye, but "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction" is his foray into the soul-healing, which has so many wounds and none of them seem to heal, despite all the promises in this Disney-alike world. Of course, the album is no easy listen and is not suitable for commercial use, which distinguish it from the majority of electro-indie material coming out lately. This shouldn't discourage you from spending some quality time with IAMX and explore the fascinating world of his newest work.

Songs to hear: "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction", "My Secret Friend", "An I For An I", "Think Of England" and "You Can Be Happy"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Review: Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor

I have never had faith in the whole singer-songwriter thing, but these days I get to hear some excellent representatives of this genre and slowly, but surely my appreciation grows. A few days ago I posted a list of albums to be released in May and June. Patrick Wolf was among those listed, but honestly I had no plans to check out his new album. Not until today when I was browsing for some probable leaks and I stumbled upon "The Bachelor". Wolf is no new name to my music library, although I have never been fond of his music and I had almost no interest in him. "The Bachelor" made me realize I have ignored such a talent way too long.

Although the album is officially going to be out on 1st June you can already hear the leak version and decide for yourself whether to buy the album. If I had the money to put aside I would have immediately bought it in advance. Anyway, getting back to the album itself it is a very balanced combination between folk, electronica, alternative and indie songwriting. There is a fine structure supporting every single track and placing it in the exact spot, creating a next to perfect lyrical-instrumental combination.

"The Bachelor" was intended to be part of a double CD album called "Battle", but Wolf decided that this would overload people too much, this separating them into two albums, which will exist independently and still preserve a strong connection. "The Bachelor" explores such topics as the atrocities of life, the inadequacies of our emotional perceptions and the eternal battle between the inner being and the outer world. The album contains 13 tracks and none plays the role of a filler and all of them have their own purpose in the whole concept, which is quite a plus having in mind the loads of crap destined to be there for the count. An addition plus is the use of the voice of Tilda Swinton who appears as The Voice of Hope on the tracks "Oblivion" and "Theseus".

Songs to hear: "Vulture", "Hard Times", "Count of Casualty", "Oblivion" and "Battle"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Discoveries: Little Boots & La Roux

New music! Yay! This time I am posting three of my newest discoveries, which I hope will soon grow on me. They are both British, both female and both are promising.

Little Boots

Little Boots is the stage name of Victoria Hesketh, a British electronica musician born 1984. Her music career began at the age of 18, when she took part in Pop Idol, but never made it through round 4. After that she formed a jazz trio, toured Europe and afterward formed the electro-pop all-girl band Dead Disco. She was named Little Boots after watching "Caligula", which is little boots in English. Hesketh has worked with the British band Hot Chip. In January 2009 she won the BBC Sound of 2009 award, which had previously been granted to Adele, Mika, Keane and others.



La Roux

La Roux is not your typical synth duo as it actually isn't a duo, but the collaborative work between singer and synthesizer player Elly Jackson and the co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. La Roux is French for "red-haired one" and it is a direct reference to Jackson's typical hair style, thus the projects name. They draw inspirations from such bands as Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Eurythmics and The Human League, interpreting the music of the 80s in the electronic world of the 00s. La Roux is expected to release an album in June on Polydor, although an EP has already been made available.

Embedding has been disabled, which is why I am posting only the links:
Quicksand
In For the Kill

Discoveries: Hadouken!

There is nothing better than browsing some new music and from time to time you get to find some good stuff...similar is the case with my newest discovery and love: Hadouken! The band name is spelled with an exclamation mark, which adds more genuine essence to the whole project.

Hadouken! is an electronic grindie project which hails from Leeds, UK. Until couple of day ago I had no idea what "grindie" means, but after a full check up on the band it turned to be a contraction from grime and indie, which is a direct reference to the genre crossover they create. It all began as a self-financed project of James Smith and Daniel "Pilau" Rice, who met at Leeds University. Fortunately their efforts were not in vain and very soon they were discovered by MTV2 and gained fame after the song "That Boy That Girl" became number one at the weekly NME chart.

Just a year ago Hadouken! released their first studio album, after a successful EP and a growing fan base. The album received predominantly positive reviews, which boosted the bands image. Stylistically they are situated in the new rave/indietronica niche, although they could be considered as the godfathers of grindie (it is still a subject of discussion).

Somehow they are both similar to Klaxons for their electro-rock influences and to Lady Sovereign for the grime lyrics. Of course, Hadouken! is not an entirely grime act, they vary from alternative to indie-pop, but they stay true to the electronic sound garnered with guitars.

Enough talking, time for music! Enjoy!

Review: Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Bat for Lashes (real name Natasha Khan) is among the fresh names in the British indie scene, although she has already established herself as one of the most promising names of the new alternative wave. I, personally, have never been interested in the whole singer-songwriter stuff, but being influenced by the few that I have ever listened to I decided to check her out. I started from the single "Daniel", which happens to be quite a nice song. The quality of "Daniel" made me believe that "Two Suns" would be quite an experience. Let's say that my expectation were just a bit higher that the album turned out to be and still it deserves your attention.

I am not very experienced with the music of Bat for Lashes, but as soon as I heard her voice I just couldn't stop thinking of Sinead O'connor. Is it me or Khan has really got the voice of O'connor? Even after I listened to "Two Suns" several times I couldn't take this idea out of my head. Anyways, this was just a plus for me as I am an avid fan of Sinead's works.

"Two Suns" is the journey in a world of emotions of Khan's alter ego Pearl, who according to the official press-release is "a destructive, self-absorbed, blonde, femme fatale of a persona who acts as a direct foil to Khan's more mystical, desert-born spiritual self." The name of the album is a direct reference to the duality of live, which offers two sides of almost everything. The content of "Two Suns" is lyrically rich and stylistically various stretching from more downtempo to up-beat alternative tracks.

One of the major flaws of "Two Suns" is that it lacks genuine originality. Despite all the efforts put in the creation of the album it perfectly sounds like a compilation of songs made by various singer-songwriter artists, among which Tori Amos, Cat Power or Regina Spektor. It is admirable that Khan draws influence from prominent singers, but she has to try out to sound a but more distinctively or people might mistake her constantly and her music image to stay vague in their minds. Still Natasha is young and has her time to find herself in the music world...if not...well...

Songs to hear: "Daniel", "Glass", "Moon and Moon" and "Peace of Mind"

Personal rating: 7 out of 10

Placebo with a new album, free stuff and tour dates

"Battle of the Sun" is Placebo's sixth studio album, which is going to be released on 8th June 2009, after three years of silence. This time Placebo have worked with the Canadian producer David Bottrill, who has produced bands like Tool, Silverchair, Coheed and Cambria and Muse. The eponymous first single can be downloaded for free at placeboworld.co.uk. On the 1st June the second single "For What Is Worth" is coming out officially, although it already made its radio/TV premiere on 20th April. I am not very impressed by their new stuff, but I guess I have to spend some more time listening to it before having a final opinion.

The new album will be supported by a tour, which includes 28 dates in 19 countries. Japan is the only country out of Europe to have a concert. For Bulgarian fans information the nearest gigs are in Romania, Greece and Turkey. For more information check http://placeboworld.co.uk/tour/index.html

Stuck in my mind: Klaxons - Golden Skans

Klaxons is one of the hype new bands to emerge during the "new rave" wave in the UK, which took over Europe by storm in no time. For less than three years the London-based project managed to draw enough attention and gain popularity among electro/indietronica fans, who were just getting over after the downfall of the electroclash scene. Klaxons may not offer something unheard and still be one of the most important factors for the development of the new rave music culture, which brought to light other names like Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Shitdisco, Hadouken! and Late of the Pier. Anyways, time will prove the quality of this new music generation, which draws influences from electro, punk, indie and alternative, thus creating a style, which no one can tell what it will turn into...sooner or later.