Alternative music reviews http://soundblab.com/ http://soundblab.com/images/soundblab.png http://soundblab.com/ editor@soundblab.com (Rich Morris) Copyright 2012 Soundblab Ltd support@soundblab.com (Nick Honer) http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4508 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:07:00 GMT 'Love' and 'death' might just be the basic elements Lana Del Rey's (aka Lizzy Grant) second album, Born to Die. It's a combination of something oh-so-lovely yet oh-so-fatal. The female alternative pop artist du jour has already made a name for herself by consistently delivering deep and dark vocals, and... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4508 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4500 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:14:00 GMT Errors are back with their third album Have Some Faith in Magic and have seemingly grown some big balls and manned up, as musically it's much more muscular and braver than 2010's Come Down With Me. Keeping with their post-electro sound with a light smattering of ethereal vocals throughout, it's... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4500 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4505 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:44:00 GMT Cry Along With the Babies is not a new full-length album but a short, six-song EP of lo-fi home recordings. The songs are simple and the result is a slightly dull, albeit charming, bridge for their next album. Throughout, the guitars sound like they're being played through treacle, they're sticky... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4505 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4506 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:16:00 GMT Former Sunny Day Sets Fire lead Mauro Remiddi first caught my attention in his solo guise as Porcelain Raft towards the end of 2010, performing an excellent, intriguing set at Manchester's In the City conference. He followed this with 'Tip of My Tongue', a charming simple song which left the... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4506 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4498 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:47:00 GMT Initially, it's a disappointment. You mean to tell me that this London via Edinburgh four-piece aren't a tribute act to jazz-guitarist Django Reinhardt? Well, that would explain why they're in the NME. Then you listen to the record and you can see why they chose to name themselves after such... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4498 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4503 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:36:00 GMT Having garnered considerable critical acclaim for their work in synth-prog duo Zombi, Steve Moore and musical partner Majeure, aka AE Pattera, have decided to explore their solo options together with a split release - kind of like OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below for people who love listening to slowly undulating synth... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4503 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4501 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:52:00 GMT Listen to 'Sidewalk Safari', the opening track on Something, and you might think you've stumbled upon 2012's greatest band in double quick time. Ping pong rhythms, monolithic John Carpenter synths, female singer giving it the full Siouxsie Sioux, effortless confidence oozing out of the speakers. Surely it doesn't get any... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4501 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4499 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:13:00 GMT There's something brilliantly rough-around-the-edges about Sumack Ecks' music, his signature shaky, untrained singing voice mixed with clean electronic mastery makes music that's both mystical and welcoming. He's been in the business a while, making tracks with his Masters of the Universe crew, and his current incarnation as Gonjasufi has seen... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4499 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4485 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:47:00 GMT You have to wonder if Joe Goddard and Raf 'Daddy' Rundell are starting to wish they'd gone with another name for their house-plus-whatever collaboration. Two lads named after the gay bear phenomenon (if you don't know what that is, you can Google it - but you might what to put... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4485 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4495 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:44:00 GMT Wales has been a great stomping ground for all things left-field and psychedelic, with Man, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Ankst Records leading the way, and Cardiff based four-piece Islet continue this long tradition with their debut Illuminated People. 'Libra Man' sets its stall with treated guitar shreds and... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4495 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4496 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:23:00 GMT There seems to be millions of ska compilations, but a lot of them contain filler tracks unfit for inclusion. Fortunately, there's no excess baggage on Ska Madness 2, a 22-track (including bonus tracks) collection compiled by former Bodynatchers lead singer, Rhoda Dakar. Opening with perhaps the ultimate ska tune, 'The Israelites'... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4496 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4493 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:12:00 GMT Ah, good old reliable Rough Trade. You know where you are with a Rough Trade compilation - usually just a tiny bit underwhelmed but generally content because you know you're in safe hands. This compilation includes a very brief track called 'Pop is Dead' by Anne-James Chaton which basically makes... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4493 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4492 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:29:00 GMT For some it has been a long wait, for others, agonising. Finally, The Shins are back with a new line-up and a slightly new direction. The first single from their new album Port of Morrow is 'Simple Song'. According to James Mercer it is a much more personal effort than... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4492 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4491 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:41:00 GMT If you're familiar with last year's Everything Could Be Fine LP from Luxembourg's Victor Ferreira, aka Sun Glitters, then you'll know exactly where you are once the lush, syrupy synth textures of this EP's title track swell from your speakers. There's no great reinvention here: Ferreira's music is more like... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4491 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4490 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:49:00 GMT Guided By Voices don't need much of an introduction. Twenty-five years in existence and 18 albums safely banked, the 'classic' line up have reformed for new long player Let's Go Eat the Factory. Throughout the life span and rotating band members, the omnipresent Bob Pollard has continued to deliver his... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4490 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4488 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:25:00 GMT Without wanting to sound as though hunting for the musical equivalent of Superman: is it prog, is it stoner rock, is it light-doom, psych or shoe-gaze goth? It fits all the categories anyway, it being the new 42 minute five-track long-player from Rhyton. Five tracks, over 40 minutes - fabulous.... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4488 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4487 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:27:00 GMT Springing from the depths of the New Forest, brothers Chris and Pete Boakes have assembled their debut album, written over several years, and have chosen to give it away for free to budding music fans. They say the best things in life are free, don't they, so does Fawn live... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4487 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4465 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:00:00 GMT Mike Marlin returns with a new cut from his second album, Man on the Ground (Feb 13), a throwback to 80s pop which tosses in Marlin's growly voice, an infectious chorus and some catchy melodies. "It's better than it's ever been but I'm never gonna leave this town again," Marlin... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4465 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4486 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:26:00 GMT For a Swedish duo, First Aid Kit do folky Americana very well, and don't let the name of the band put you off. The Lion's Roar is one of the early contenders for album of the year. The Söderberg sisters tap into a rich harmonic understanding of both the genre... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4486 http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4484 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:16:00 GMT The rough guitars and raw vocals of Too Tough to Live instantly conjures images of The Ramones. It's a really noticeable change of direction from the rockabilly and blues sound of his last five albums, but it's still very recognisably the work of Dan Sartain. There is still the occasional... http://soundblab.com/content/content/view/id/4484