Album Review: Miles Kane - Colour of the Trap

Miles Kane has been around for a while now; however, he has yet to really make his mark on the music industry. His main claim to fame was as one half of the Last Shadow Puppets with his close friend, Alex Turner.

Many would consider the Arctic Monkeys frontman to be the main draw of the Mercury Award-nominated side-project, yet Miles was arguably as influential to the sound of the Puppets as Alex Turner, if not more. This is evident from the sound of his debut solo album, which evidences a similar sound in many ways to the Puppets album, The Age of the Understatement. Where Colour of the Trap differs though, is that it is an incredibly upbeat and rowdy album compared to the more laid back musings of the Puppets’ debut album.

What Does the Future Hold For Physical Music Releases?

In the last few months debate has been raging about the value of physical music, in an age where more and more of us are relying on internet downloads – whether legal or not – to satisfy our musical cravings.

In fact, there was recently a collective sigh at the news that Mercury Records - the label home to bands such as Arcade Fire, U2 and The Killers - announced it was to stop production of physical singles and vinyl records. Inevitable as this may be, what does it mean for the future of physical releases in the music industry? Well, not a lot really. Mercury has stated that they have only released physical singles when the demand has been there for the past two years anyway. When you take into account that physical formats now only account for just over 1% of the overall singles market and that Mercury made a loss on single releases in 2010, Mercury’s decision is simply straightforward business sense.

Album Review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

"THESE ARE MY FAMOUS LAST WORDS!" screams Dave Grohl, opening Foo Fighters’ seventh studio album in spectacular style.

Ex-Nirvana man, Grohl, stated that Wasting Light would be Foo Fighters’“heaviest album yet”, and the band certainly deliver. ‘Bridge Burning’ kicks the album off with chunking guitars and machine-gun drums, which quickly evolve into an insanely catchy chorus.

After the furious opening, follows the lead single from Wasting Light, ‘Rope’, which is a much more radio-friendly rock number, with its sporadic, stop-start guitars. Although Wasting Light is heavier than Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace, it remains a very accessible album.

Album Review: The Strokes - Angles

Almost 10 years on from its release, Is This It still manages to haunt every new release by The Strokes. The critical acclaim that greeted The Strokes’ debut album has followed them ever since, and the subsequent weight of expectation that met both Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth, led to both albums receiving fairly mixed reviews, despite being good albums.

However, four years on from First Impressions, can The Strokes cast away the lingering shadow of Is This It with their fourth album Angles?

The album opener, ‘Machu Picchu’, emphatically dispels any doubts about the five-piece being submerged under the expectation after such a long lay-off, with its surprising reggae hooks. The lead single from Angles, ‘Undercover Of Darkness’, continues to get better with every listen. Its light-hearted, jangly guitars, Albert Hammond Jr. staple guitar solo and irresistibly catchy double chorus, make it an instant Strokes classic.

Album Review: Alex Turner - Submarine EP

It was about time Richard Ayoade cashed in the favour owed to him by Alex Turner for the numerous contributions he has made to the Arctic Monkeys. Ayoade – who most will know as Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd – has directed three Arctic Monkeys videos, including the brilliantly surreal video for ‘Florescent Adolescent’.

He also directed the phenomenal live Arctic Monkeys DVD, At The Apollo, which won ‘Best DVD’ at the NME Awards in 2008. In return, Arctic Monkeys’ frontman created the Submarine EP – the soundtrack to Ayoade’s directorial debut film, Submarine.

This is Turner’s first foray as a solo artist, and he demonstrates a startling maturity on this EP - which consists of a short intro and five full songs. From start to finish Turner sounds very comfortable, with his voice purring over beautiful acoustic guitars. The first track is the melancholic ‘Hiding Tonight’, where the minimal acoustic guitar brings Turner’s vocals to the foreground.