Born This Way
4.5/5
So the wait is finally over. The much, much, much anticipated full-length sophomore album Born This Way from American pop singer Lady Gaga is finally here. The album arrives at the height of Gaga's popularity, which has been on an extreme uphill rise since her debut 3 years ago, which on course has sculpted Gaga as a cultural icon. Gaga's debut album The Fame and its accompanying EP The Fame Monster have been two of the most sought-after pop albums in recent times--combined sales tallying over 15 million copies worldwide, and remains in most charts around the world still. Not too shabby for a debut--the last time I can re-call a female pop singer making such an impact was Britney Spears, 11 years ago at the pinnacle of her career or perhaps Madonna in the '80s.
Helplessness Blues
4/5
Seattle folk band Fleet Foxes' eponymous debut was an enduring and eclectic mix of old fashioned but contemporary folkish pop, so it only makes sense that the sound on its follow-up begins to venture into more left-field territories. The distinctive subtly in their sound, wrapped in enchanting backdrop atmospherics and fibrous harmonies and of course the obligatory soft acoustic guitar melodies is spine-tingling.
The Decemberists - The King is Dead (4/5)
The Modern Glitch
4/5
British rockers The Wombats finally release their follow-up to 2007's debut A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation. I have never really familiarized myself with the band (I enjoyed the muffled melodic rock of their biggest hit so far "Moving to New York" but that's about it) but their sound is very much accessible dance-rock with fetching hooks, almost re-calling the similar joyous rock of Blur, nicely demonstrated on the instant opening track "Our Perfect Disease" which cooks up the perfect recipe for striking alternative rock/pop; laying down heavy drum rhythms, blustery electronic guitars and throbbing synths piercing through the undercurrents. The haunting keyboard solo is a nice touch too.
Jamie Woon - Moonwriting (4/5)
Gorillaz - The Fall (3/5)
Wasting Light
4.5/5
Seven albums deep into their career, American rock band Foo Fighters remain at the pinnacle of fine rock music. On this thrilling set, their sound is as refined, consistent and anthemic as ever. Could this be their best album to date? Well, they haven't rocked out this hard since 2002's much-heralded fourth album One by One which delivered the electrifying, muffled guitar-chugging rock of "Low."
Last Night on Earth
4/5
Last Night on Earth, the third album from British indie-folk band Noah and the Whale is my first exposure to the band, however I have heard of them before, primarily due to former-band member Laura Marling who released her much-acclaimed second album I Speak Because I Can last year. Their sound is predominantly sculpted with an expected rootsy, folksy bearing but there’s also something more interesting here beneath the heavy layer of folk-rock—such there heavy indulging in corpulent electronic flourishes—which surprisingly isn’t burdensome—but feels at home in a set like this.
Gimme Some
4/5
Swedish indie rock band Peter Bjorn and John emerged in 2002, often described as a trio of wimpy rockers, who could barely pick up a guitar let alone rock out. Their sixth album Gimme Some is my first real exposure to the band—although I have heard of their work before—they landed their first UK top twenty hit in 2006 with the fun, downbeat, tuneful whistling of “Young Folks” backed with prominent drum lines that they use in numerous different adverts now.
Angles
4/5
Is This It? The much acclaimed debut album from American rock band The Strokes represents an extraordinary height of '70s influenced new-wave rock revival that would take more than a re-hash of sound to reach again. Their charm has always been simplicity and their minimalist approach to rock, which they demonstrate nicely on Angles, the bands fourth album--almost recapturing the same rock simplicity that made It? such a winning set, but not entirely.
What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
3.5/5
So what did I expect from the Vaccines? Well, from the fun, light tuneful rock of "Post Break-Up Sex" I wasn't expecting anything particularly new within the confines of that standard post-punk rock sound and the debut album from the British band doesn't try to establish any new ground--in fact the sound they pursue has been driven into the ground by just about every other British rockers you can name, but that's fine--while it becomes tiresome for some, I quite enjoy it--there's quite a few belters on here.
Jessie J - Who You Are (3.5/5)
Nicole Scherzinger - Killer Love (3/5)
Femme Fatale
4/5
Britney's last album, Circus, saw the pop singer re-establish a presence at the top of the charts; appropriately landing her first #1 single in 9 years (“Womanizer”)—since then, Spears has embarked on a successful world tour and landed two more #1's (“3” and recently “Hold it Against Me”) and now returns with her highly-anticipated seventh album, Femme Fatale; weaning together the enthralling pop of 2003's genre-hopping In the Zone and the thrilling electro-pop of 2007's acclaimed Blackout, plus its own engrossing edge—possibly amongst her best work.
Build a Rocket Boys!
4.5/5
British alternative rock band Elbow's last album The Seldom Seen Kid was an undeniable breakthrough for the band—winning the 2008 Mercury Music Prize, becoming one of the most acclaimed rock albums of the year, with critics applauding the record for its bracing balance of the early dispirited rock of Radiohead and the more pop-friendly rock of Coldplay.
The People's Key
4/5
American indie rock band Bright Eyes have been around for quite a while, however this seventh album, The People's Key, is my first exposure to them. Their sound is very refined melodic alternative rock with fluorescent pop-studded undertones. It's a little hard to compare, but they remind me of a stripped down, more rootsy Editors or an unconventional Killers—it's a bit of a misguided comparison, since they were established way before those bands existed.
James Blake - James Blake (3.5/5)
Chase & Status - No More Idols (4/5)
The King of Limbs
4/5
Often cited as one of the most influential and consistent bands of their generation, English rock band Radiohead release their eighth album, The King of Limbs, an extension of their highly-regarded moody, electronic coated, atmospheric musical experimentation, which all began with 2000 and 2001's fan-dividing Kid A and Amnesiac, which saw the band indulge into more experimental and unconventional approaches to rock, channelling heavy electronic, eccentric and outlandish influences. However reigning in the atypical was In Rainbows, their last album which saw the band take Kid A's experimentalism and The Bends' songcraft to assemble a could be described as a sonically aspiring set.
Mission Bell
4/5
Mission Bell, the fourth album from American singer-songwriter Amos Lee, is an album I saw myself getting into quite a bit after listening to and loving his 2001 self-titled début—an acoustic-driven album that perfectly embodied soul, soft-rock with pop shadowed melodies. This album on the other-hand swaps sweet soul for a more contemplative, rootsy folkish sound with a darker bearing. I considered giving it a miss but it's gotten quite good reviews and it's selling well (it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200).
Adele21
4.5/5
Booming vocal acrobatics perfectly matched with her deep bluesy tone; British singer Adele definitely struck a soulful chord with her soulfully enchanting début 19; remaining a cohesive set while experimenting with '70s inspired soul and modern pop with an expressive rhapsodic twist, which earned the singer numerous Grammy nominations for the albums biggest hit “Chasing Pavements,” including Record of the Year.
Ritual
4/5
English alternative rock band released their début album To Lose My Life... early 2009, a time where that '80s induced new wave indie rock sound had been done to death. To say the blackening set was heavily inspired by the likes of Interpol, Editors, The Killers and Elbow would be quite the understatement—and ultimately, not quite matching the level of critical acclaim of those that came before, however commercially it was a hit, earning the band a first #1 album.
