NEW MUSIC EAR : Album Reviews

OLIVIA RODRIGO  "SOUR" 2021   BRUTAL - Olivia Rodrigo's debut album opens with a scorching 90s Brit Pop Punk track, reminding me of Elastica and Sleeper in its female angst ridden vocals. It also has me thinking of Wendy James and Transvision Vamp in its brash style.  The former Disney star shows she has left that way behind with great Indie Pop Rock album with a few expletives thrown in for good Punk measure! TRAITOR - A slowed down tempo for this track, a beautiful, soft and melancholy Indie Rock track similar to Avril Lavigne in style with maybe a little nod to Kate Bush or Tori Amos in the atmospheric vocals? Love this track. DRIVER'S LICENSE - Perrfect Pop break-up ballad, Taylor Swift, Sophie B.Hawkins and Michelle Branch spring to mind on listening to this.  Beautiful heartfelt vocals over a sparse, orchestrated style moody backing.  Really nice and accomplished composition from 18 yr old Olivia and her debut single. 1 STEP FORWARD, 3 STEPS BACK -  Another

WET LEG "WET LEG" 2022 BEING ALONE - The opening track to this debut album by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers is a quirky mix of 90s Grunge and Alternative Pop.  Add a little Psychedelia, funky drums and some flirty, panted vocals this is a great track. CHAISE LONGUE - The debut single by the girls only reached number 74 in the UK chart but had massive play on all platforms and got the band noticed.  It is mostly spoken tonge-in-cheek flirty vocals but its incredibly catchy, reminding me of Elastica and Sleeper in the 90s.  Got me hooked to the girls' music. ANGELICA - A cool, hypnotic slice of early 70s Psychedelia Pop Rock.  Another catchy song that once it hits your head it becomes memorable.  Love it. I DON'T WANNA GO OUT - An Alternative Rock track similar to Garbage with a slow, atmospheric style.   WET DREAM - The second single is a mish mash 90s Pop Rock mix of Grunge, Elastica-style vocals and backing but also a little Alanis Morissette.  It's a

DEL AMITRI "WAKING HOURS" 1989     KISS THIS THING GOODBYE - I only heard this single after I had bought the album and instantly loved it.  It has a real live sound like every Del Amitri song, that pure sound where you can hear every instrument and vocal clear.  It was very like a Scottish folk song but rockier.     OPPOSITE VIEW - A kind of Genesis/The Cars hybrid.  Uptempo and twangy guitar solos and crashing drums abound, this track proved that the band could Rock out if they felt the need. MOVE AWAY JIMMY BLUE -  Was a gorgeous ballad in the style of hit single, "Nothing Ever Happens", minimal backing once again for Justin Currie's emotive, throaty vocals. STONE COLD SOBER -  A slower tempo ballad.  It reminded me a lot of The Police and The Cars, half British, half American 80s Pop Rock. YOU'RE GONE - A dark and mysterious track, based around guitar and drums, a slight Country Rock feel and again hard hittin

THE MONKEES "MORE OF THE MONKEES"   1967     SHE - The opening track sung by Micky Dolenz is a mix of Progressive, Psychedelic Rock and Beat Pop.  Great opening track, mid tempo and punchy and a memorable chorus.     WHEN LOVE COMES KNOCKIN' (AT YOUR DOOR) - Typical 60s Pop track sung by Davy Jones.  Written by superior songwriters Carol Bayer Sager and Neil Sedaka.  Its chirpy and bright and radio friendly. MARY, MARY - One of my favourite Monkees' tracks again sung by Dolenz.  Great guitar Pop Rock, simple hooks and chorus but it packs a punch. HOLD ON GIRL - Eerie and experimental, almost Folk Pop track sung by Jones with off key backing vocals and a Psychedelic keyboard solos. YOUR AUNTIE GRIZELDA - Another experimental tune, the first released song with Peter Tork taking on the lead vocals.  A persistent Rock keyboard leads the way through the song.  Its humorous, quirky and Tork makes a variety of sounds during the instr

CHASING INFINITY "INACTION" 2015     GROUNDED - This album Pop Rock opener reminds me of a raw early version of Bangles, some great guitar work and really eases you into the album with a swagger. DANCE WITH THE ONE THAT BROUGHT YOU - Laid back Pop with Adele Halsall's pure, bright vocals making this an absolute gem.  The half Acoustic momentsand big chorus are awesome. CRIME OF THE SCENE - Red Hot Chili Peppers with a female vocalist! Love this track, chugs along at a pace and its funky. HELL WOULDN'T HAVE YOU - Chili Peppers meets Blondie here. It's funky, rocky and frenetic.  Sheer class. TAKE ME BACK - Not as catchy as the previous tracks, its pure "live" cut back sound sounds cool but its a lesser Pop track, more like a demo for me. GATEWAY - Very much reminds me of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, it's quirky, sweet and rocky enough to keep you engaged.  One of my favourites with is catchy chorus.   DEBRIS -

THE ICICLE WORKS "THE ICICLE WORKS"   1984     CHOP THE TREE - Opens the album with a fast tempo drumbeat with lots going on in the background.  Guitar chops, electronic whirrs and atmospheric leanings which actually give you the feeling of being in a forest.  A very emotive song again hidden in the uptempo music, clever composition. LOVE IS A WONDERFUL COLOUR - From the start it had that anthemic, almost gothic, medieval sound.  The lyrics just sounded so intelligent and as a lyricist I just thought it was brilliantly written.  The song was so powerful with an emotive background that just sounded so uplifting.  One of my all time favourite songs.  I played this song on a loop for weeks!     REAPING THE RICHEST HARVEST - A kind of Gothic Rock love song.  This is almost like what The Mission would be doing in another five years time.  A beautiful emotional chorus that gives a good feeling inside. AS THE DRAGONFLY FLIES - Has a

ALANIS MORISSETTE "JAGGED LITTLE PILL" 1995   ALL I REALLY WANT - With elements of Classic Rock, post Grunge and Pop this was an ear opening unique track.  The first song that I heard from Alanis and its still a classic.  Angst ridden vocals with her own distinct quirky style make her an original artist. YOU OUGHTA KNOW - Another classic Alanis track.  This has a harder 90s Grunge feel and more Alternative Rock style.  Enlisting the aid of Flea and Dave Navarro from Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass and guitar respectively gave this a funky feel as well.  Class.     PERFECT - A hybrid of Pop Rock balladic melancholic moments and Classic Rock segments make this an unusual track.  A really great song. HAND IN MY POCKET - Yet another outstanding track, this is a mainstream Rock song with Acoustic and almost Folk sections with a Bohemian feel. RIGHT THROUGH YOU - This is a straight up Rock track with pumping drums and screeching guitars.  One of

TURIN BRAKES "THE OPTIMIST LP"   2001     FEELING OBLIVION - Simply lovely opening track.  Reminiscent of The Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel in its really sweet melodious harmonies.  Acoustic Folk Pop at its best. UNDERDOG (SAVE ME) - Slightly more leaning to a rockier sound with its chug-a-chug guitar strums.  Also a brilliant solo towards the end.  Love this song, one of the tracks that got me interested in the band.  It is chirpy, bright and makes you feel good, almost reminds me of The Monkees when they were serious about their songs.   EMERGENCY 72 - A kind of Jazz crooner-esque start with the vocals ahead of background music.  Then the music comes to the fore and and it turns into a 60s/70s style hippie sounding ballad. FUTURE BOY - Mystical and Asian influences here as well as a little Country Folk.  Not one of my favourites, this still fails to grab me for some reason. THE DOOR - 70s style Acoustic Classic Rock bal

ONOFF "REBORN" 2017   KEEP THAT FIRE BURNING - The first track is a little New Wave Punk with the power and angst ridden vocals of The Clash.  Awesome Hendrix-like guitar parts at around the 2 minute mark.  A rockin' Punk masterpiece to open the Irish band's second album.  Its brain busting maddening pace give you a mindblowing intro to this album.  Parts also remind me of Foo Fighters and Green Day.     HAYLEY - A throbbing drumbeat reminding me of Iggy Pop, with vocals from lead singer "Paulie" sounding very much like Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.  A frenetic pace continues throughout the song with slight hints to Foo Fighters and snippets of Classic Rock.  A little funky Rock Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens Of The Stone Age influences too I suspect too.  Brilliant track with super guitar solos.         INNOCENCE - New Wave Punk, sounding a little like Goo Goo Dolls.  Well crafted track that is becoming a favourite of min

RED HOT CHILI PEPPER S "CALIFORNICATION"   1999     AROUND THE WORLD - A frenetic start to the album with the usual Rap Funk Rock as is the Chilis well known style.  With the searing guitar riffs, pumping percussion and Anthony Kiedis' variety of vocal styles this is the perfect beginning. PARALLEL UNIVERSE - With its unusual Europop throbbing Electro beat merging into the blasting Hard Rock chorus.  Clever, experimental and top stuff. SCAR TISSUE - One of my favourite Chili's tracks.  A laid back almost Acoustic Blues Rock track with a little Folk style vocals.  Awesome anthemic guitars.     OTHERSIDE - A classy Alternative Rock track, almost Grunge style of the 90s.  This apparently deals with addicts' problems with their previous addictions.  A dark meaning but a great song. GET ON TOP - Classic Chili Peppers simialr to "Give It Away", hard Funk Rock with Rap interludes and exquisite funky bass from Flea.

YUNA  "YUNA" 2012 LULLABIES - Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna opens her first international debut album with a laid back ballad.  Yuna's gentle, soothing voice echoes eerily over a slow tempo Trip Hop style beat.  Lovely introduction to this lady. FAVOURITE THING -  An engaging, captivating vocal drifts through a slow melodious Synth Pop styled backing .  Dreamy Pop. REMEMBER MY NAME - This track has a delightfully quirky and sparse backing but reminds me of the style of Simon and Garfunkel.  A little upbeat and uplifting Folk Pop for your ears. DECORATE - Another soulful slow Pop ballad with stunning vocals.  This was also the title of her debut Malaysian album. PLANES - Straight forward Pop this time, almost Acoustic backing and a really catchy chorus.  One of my favourites. BAD IDEA - An unusual switch after the Pop of the previous track.  This is a jazzy, chanteuse styled track that has a "musical" feel to it.  Yuna is no one trick pony and even on thi

  ECHOBELLY  "ON" 1995   CAR FICTION - The opening track of this second album by the band has a distinct Punk vibe and very similar to a Blondie track.  The thumping, crashing rhythm of the guitars and drums back up singer Sonya Madan's unique vocals brilliantly. KING OF THE KERB - The second single from the album is predominantly Brit Pop with hints of Blur and Supergrass and the Gothic arena style guitars.  Great track with a catchy chorus, it reached number 25 in the UK chart. GREAT THINGS - The track that got me hooked on the band and the debut single from this set that reached number 13 in the UK chart and remains their highest chart hit to date. It is Pop, Rock and has a little Bangles style vocals and guitars.  Chirpy, catchy and brilliant.   NATURAL ANIMAL - A little more harder than the previous tracks.  This is a Grunge Rock style, big guitar driven stadium rocky song.  Has some nice, softer Acoustic moments but then hits it with the big noise.  Top track. G

  THE THE   "INFECTED"   1986 INFECTED - The second album by Matt Johnson's The The following "Soul Mining" opens with this brilliant track.  Kicking off almost with a gospel intro before hitting an infectious Synth Pop style beat, add some snarling Billy Idol-like vocals and it's already reaching "hit" status.  An infectious (no pun intended) chorus emerges into a Synth Rock/New Wave hybrid.  Just a class track.  Criminally ignored only reaching 48 on the UK chart. OUT OF THE BLUE (INTO THE FIRE) - An engaging Punk Pop ballad, the musical intro reminds me of The Pretenders but quickly kicks into a track Iggy Pop would be proud of.  Another gem merging New Wave with classic Punk elements.  HEARTLAND - This single release reached number 29 on the UK chart.  It is a beautifully composed track with an orchestral style backing.  Add an awesome piano solo, some Soul driven vocals from Matt and a lovely harmonised chorus it makes for a great listen.

JOANovARC "JOANovARC"   2019     BURNING - An almost Iron Maiden style opener to this second album by the female Rock quartet.  The vocals are akin to an angry Pat Benatar, it meanders along a little and doesn't have the great melodious Rock that previous songs have hinted at. WAITING FOR - This is more like what I expected from the band, a pumping Rock masterblaster, great riffs, elements of Classic Rock and a very slight leaning to Pop Rock, this is just awesome. DOWN BY THE RIVER - A slower tempo, almost Progressive Rock to start, before entering into a great chorus, reminding me of Joan Jett and a little early Heart.  Searing guitars and great vocals, another stomping rocker. PEOPLE COMING UP - The girls give us the Funk. simple in composition with a "whoah" chorus repeating but it hits the mark, you can't help but sing along and enjoy! TAKE IT OUT - This reminds me a little of early Bangles tracks.  It's catc

KEVIN NOLAN "LET'S ALL GET NERVOUS" 2020 THE DEAD-BEAT - An eerie, atmospheric, effects laden opener to the album.  A basic robotic style intro picks up pace behind a spoken narrative.  Elements of Iggy Pop, Tom Waits and Kraftwerk with a little Gothic Rock influence make this sparkle.  At the 3 minute mark the tempo and depth increases with a funky upbeat segement with reverb echoed effects to the end.  Hard to define a genre when it incorporates so many in one song! Interesting experimental start to the Irish star's second album.     HUMAN STORY (Stet) (featuring Mick Pyro) - Intro reminds me a little of INXS backing and Michael Hutchence vocals or maybe Matt Johnson's The The.  A kind of funky Rock opening merges into an Electronic Punk style with interspersed effects.  Another song breaking a few genre boundaries.  A little 60s/70s Progressive and Classic Rock, with late 70s, early 80s New Wave Electonica.  It shouldn't work but i