Cymbals Eat Guitars - LOSE

The lead singer for Cymbals Eat Guitars suffered a great loss seven years ago with his long time collaborator passing. This is his way of expressing his feelings about that.  Lose does a great job of making an album about losing something dear to you seem semi-fun. Of course their are going to be a lot of somber moments throughout the album there are also plenty of rollicking good times that just makes you feel like sitting in a dive bar with your best friend and drinking some whiskey.

Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary

Wolf Parade's debut album sounds exactly like that, a debut album, like a band still finding its feet. With many bands struggling to find their comfort zone in their debut album Wolf Parade have managed to find a comfort zone in that blurred space between rock and emo. This is a good album by all means but it lacks that one song that just makes you remember it even if it is for that one song. Apologies to Queen Mary seems very disjointed at times with none of the songs flowing nicely from one to another which makes for a sort of awkward listening experience with songs ending with a huge sound and the next song abruptly starting acoustically.

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Big. Thats what this album sounds like. Especially when you realise that it is just two blokes and not a standard quartet but boy can these guys rock. Every song on this album will make you want to jump up and down and dance. This could easily be the soundtrack to the greatest night of your life. The only real issue with this album is that it seems as if they cant decide if they are rock or punk which is fair enough it can be easy to blur those lines and it is only the second album but they are slowly finding their sound. 

Ex Hex - Rips

Have you ever stumbled upon an album that you found in bum fuck nowhere, you put it on and it knocks your socks off? That happened to me last night. I was searching for something to review and I found this buried in a list on some website and put it on. This is what The Preatures would sound like they took steroids. The female vocalist is commanding and has a perfect voice for the music. Songs are short and sharp with a ear bursting powerchords over frantic drums. This is a hidden gem that I implore you to listen to.

Kele - Trick

Trick is the Bloc Party lead singers second album branching off as a solo act. This album delivers much like the first album with a blend of electronic music and soul lyrics. Honestly it sounds as if Kele has been cheated on and this is the revenge of a scorned lover and the thing is it works. The beats are nice and soothing but there is no real "wow" factor in the album until the final song "Stay The Night" which sounds as if it were written for a 90's all girl RnB group is truly the stand out on the album. Perhaps Kele is finding it a bit difficult finding his niche when not in his group environment.

Jamie T - Carry On The Grudge

Five years. Jamie T had left his adoring public for 5 years before the release of Carry on the Grudge and let me tell you it was worth the wait. This is a fantastic album encompassing a variety of musical styles and manage to showcase Jamie's much loved songwriting. Jamie set the bar high after his first two albums being so popular and he took song selection seriously with only 12 out of 180 songs written in the five years making it on the album. The stand out track is the rollicking tune Zombie which you can't help but tap your feet to it.

Ice Age - Plowing Into A Field Of Love

Field of Love is a frenetic album however you get the sense that Iceage are restraining themselves for something fast and rawer to come later on in the album however it never comes. This all builds to an anticipation throughout the album that is dealt with in bursts rather then one all out punk extravaganza. Now on their third album Iceage seem to have gone for a sense of grandeur over their existing punk roots. With an ethos spouted by lead singer Elias Ronnenfelt "if it needs a piano, we will add a piano". In the end it all works out and this is a great album but it could of used more of the Iceage we are used to seeing.

Caribou - Our Love

Caribou's sixth album is a grown up album. He has a wife and kids now and it shows. This is not an out and out love epic but you can feel the love in the album though every sample or synth wave. Its quite majestic when you listen to it. Songs on this album lift you up rather then bring you down. It can almost be assured that you will be smiling while listening to this album. However don't think that it is all sappy loves songs this album also has some 'get up and dance' in it whether it be from the songs or just being so dam happy.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel hit a winner with this album. Not commercially but in what they wanted to create. This album was never a big success but critics loved it. Maybe because the public didn't understand it, who knows but it's a perfect coming of age soundtrack with the mood changing seamlessly every track . This is the sort of album you play at a dinner party and someone will come up to you after its finished and ask who they have just listened to because they liked it so much. It can however become a bit to deep if you don't sit back and enjoy the music because it is about growing up and the hardships faced along the way.

The Replacements - Tim

This album rocks. Plain and Simple. Its a good old fashioned rock and roll record and let it be said it is a classic. That's no misprint this album deserves to be up there with some of the best rock albums of all time. There is no weak link on this album because every song is well written, well played and well produced. The best part about this album is that not many people actually know about it as it was not a real commercial success. It starts with the rocking "Hold My life" and samples parts from various genres. Such as the slow dance inducing jam "Swingin Party". If you do not have this album I implore you please change that and download it or steal it from your parents it really is a treat for your ears. 

Childish Gambino - STN MTN/Kauai

If you are looking for the soundtrack to your summer holidays look no further then the latest Childish Gambino release. He has released two separate mixtapes about a character who is having a dream about going mainstream and so the first few tracks of the mix sound like they could be on a top 40 chart unlike his early eps. As soon as the dream is over however Gambino is back to his best making you laugh with his rhymes and making you dance with his beats. Every song is different from the last and that works so well for this mixtape given the concept behind it. This mixtape is a must have for any fan and some tracks such as “Sober” and “Late Night in Kauai” will be on high rotation at parties across the globe.