Wretch 32

Wretch 32
new Blackout single, featuring up-and-coming star Shakka. 
The rapper can be seen standing in a forest as Shakka sings in a darkened room. 
There's some interpretive dancers, a mysterious woman who stalks Wretch and a topless man with a gong.
The video is subtle and classy, but will the song hit the right spot with Wretch fans when it's released on 15 May?This one for the high road

Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons

American indie rock band. They are based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their sound has been compared to that of such bands as The Killers and Arcade Fire. The group's name is an anagram, with the original words known only to the members of the band.Move with THE MOVEMENT
 Read more at Wikipedia...

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
 are two-for-two with The Heist singles. Following the platinum certification of "Thrift Shop," the Seattle, Washington duo's second single, "Can't Hold Us" has now reached platinum. RapRadar.com reported the benchmark for the gold-album-selling independent stars.
The single features Ray Dalton, and was actually released in August of 2011, over a year prior to The Heist's release Previoue Page

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The Child of Lov

The Child of Lov
 producer and multi-instrumentalist Cole Williams employs a restless mentality and calculated taste to slice apart D.N.A from the soul and funk genre.
The whole affair is wrapped up in a shroud of anonymity, half covering the identity of the man behind the project. Admittedly, Cole isn’t nearly as aggressive towards his secrecy as other, more notorious musicians, who have shown a preference to the secluded charm of publicity’s back alley. But that’s beside the point. Whether the motive lies in minimizing contact with sweaty palmed fans or boosting the excited chatter of speculation and admiration around his music, remaining a closed circuit seems like a no brainer in preserving whatever creative process seems to be working for him. Through his selectiveness and willingness to remain in the driving seat, the emerging producer has struck a perfect balance of help from established talent in the industry, preventing his vision from being hacked up in the process of adding big names and long standing legacies.
Masked hip-hop veteran MF Doom contributes a verse to the hypnotically off-kilter track ‘Owl’, fusing Middle Eastern strings with flickering vocal snippets, replicating the funeral march of a particularly sinister Disney villain. ‘Fly’ follows immediately after, and sounds like something spawned from the creative ooze of James Murphy. There are quite a few moments on this album where the contrast of neighbouring tracks make it clear how much variation exists here, almost every song sits awkwardly against its numerical counterpart.S
‘Give Me’ is whiskers away from being a doppelganger to the 2008 song titled ‘Deuces’,  from a project headed up by RZA and Shavo Odadjian (best known for his work with System of a Down). The two songs differ in the employment of Cole’s high pitched vocal and a Funkadelic style guitar riff. There’s a wide reaching sound on this record, echoing the space in which it was recorded.  Studio 13, constructed for the use of Damon Albarn and a number of his collaborators, was the origin of a number of Blur albums. In a previous Interview with Sound on Sound Magazine, Tom Gilbert, one of the studio’s creators, summarised the sense of experimentalism exploited by Cole, saying that “In our opinion, gear is built to be abused”Previous Page

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Beady Eye

Beady Eye.Be
It's blast off as Liam Gallagher and co get set to return with second album BE so we shot the band on the moon... well sort of. Here's a preview of our special effects special extended Q Magazine cover which will be in shops and on iPad next week.
We also speak to Primal Scream, Phoenix, Depeche Mode, Vampire Weekend and more, plus there's all the news and reviews you'll need for the month ahead.

Amelia Lily

Amelia Lily
  Amazon  asks on the chorus of her latest single. Given she's been taken under the wing of Girls Aloud's songwriting/production team Xenomania since her stint on The X Factor, could the now defunct group have in fact been the real inspiration behind the song's message?

Regardless, it's now up to Lily to fly the flag for colourful leftfield pop, and she does so here with assurance. "So it's over/ Wishing the stars won't fade tonight," she declares over a head-nodding guitar 'n' drums melody, before a slew of clubby synths and hectic beats not too dissimilar to DJ Fresh's recent output play out on the chorus. The result is certainly quirky, but it feels too soon to fully commit just yet.

Marika

Marika
 Amazon having played at Embassy on Old Burlington Street in Mayfair had her guitar stolen; and within hours the story had gone viral after a tweet from the singer-songwriter, a photo of the perpetrator in Instagram retweeted by thousands, and even it becoming a trending topic on Twitter. So with the saga still hanging in the air we met up with her along the canal by Broadyway Market, only to find out that the story had just reached a happy conclusion and the "thief" has promised to return the guitar. Wahoo!
Anyways, Marika performed a downright gorgeous take of 'Bath is Black' that can be found on mini-album That Iron Taste (that Charlie Andrew of Alt-J producing fame produced). The album beholds a delicate, benevolent darkness, and, this is verging on the patronising but you really can see why critics are saying the Brighton-based act possesses a maturity beyond her years

Laura Mvula

Laura Mvula 

 Amazon brand of off-kilter neo-gospel is already garnering the type of attention in her native England that could easily land her recently UK-released album Sing to the Moon on the early-season shortlist for the 2013 Mercury Prize. And for good reason; the former secondary school teacher/Birmingham Conservatoire alum crafts an unusually limber symbiosis of percussion-heavy R&B productions and knotty harmonies sung in a richly vibrant contralto.
Mvula’s compositions have a habit of taking unexpected turns in key and melody, and her choruses tend to erupt in hooky starbursts of soaring kiss-offs. Her songwriting and performing strengths are on full display in Sing to the Moon’s second single “That’s Alright,” a charging, combative piece of soul-pop that has Mvula cooly shedding the expectations of an unnamed antagonist before exploding with, “Tell me who made you the center of the universe?” in the world-beating chorus. Mvula’s delivery really shows some teeth, providing “That’s Alright” with a pugnacious edge that wouldn’t be nearly as sharp in another vocalist’s hands.

Stereophonics

Stereophonics
 Amazon will be for ever be synonymous with good times, Chris Evans's TV show and hands punching the air. For their detractors, they remain purveyors of meat-and-potatoes musical gruel. It may be too late to change many minds now, but the 2010 death of their former drummer Stuart Cable has brought about a metamorphosis. Although their eighth album isn't necessarily about him, his presence hangs heavy over it. Singer Kelly Jones delivers dark, melancholy songs of sadness and contemplation, the title track and Violins and Tambourines pondering the transience of life over touchingly simple guitar motifs. The band's sound has changed, too – it's less triumphal and more cinematic, although the Krautrock groove of Catacomb sounds genuinely angry. It's not always successful – Indian Summer is a more familiar rock chug – but it's hard to listen to the raw, guilt-laden No One's Perfect with a dry eye.G

Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy 
 Amazon politely reacquainting itself with the scene after five years off, then Save Rock and Roll opener “The Phoenix” proves the Chicago boys are absolutely on fiiyahh. 
A swell of symphonic strings opens the track cinematically before a gritty-voiced Patrick Stump belts the album’s first battle cry. Over theatrical synthesizers and Andy Hurley’s thumping drums, Stump’s voice bleeds over with urgency and pent-up aggression. The stout guitar riffs that bolster much of Fall Out Boy’s discography get swapped out for danceable synthesizers, and it works. This is how Fall Out Boy should sound in 2013.
Understated bridge aside, “The Phoenix” is all about being an anthem, and what an anthem it is. When Stump launches into his desperate cry of, “Hey, young blood, doesn’t it feel like our time is running out?” just try not to shout along. Sure, the slant rhyme of “remix” and “phoenix” feels kind of silly, but lyrical eye-rollers are nothing new for Fall Out Boy fans. Stump’s sly falsetto lingers on the word phoenix, a metaphor that suits the band after “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” and its “light ‘em up” refrain.

Alt-J

ALT-J

Amazon Joe Newman’s “Please don’t go/I love you so” starts, it seems harmless. But with the promise to “hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks” it becomes as sinister as a welcoming smile from Jools Holland. This is brought to life in a video that’s a cross between Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ (it’s in reverse), Radiohead’s ‘Just’ (it’ll take hours to dissect) and an EastEnders plotline (jealous lover turns murderer – but which lover?). A delicate, macabre triumph NME

Beady Eye

Beady Eye 
 frontman spent all afternoon drinking on Sunday (April 21), racking up a £300 bar tab in the process. Speaking to The Sun, one onlooker said of Gallagher: "He was absolutely hammered." Speaking about the incident with the dog, they continued: "He tried to get on the dog’s back and they were just taking little steps - but it just didn’t work. It was really funny."

Liam is reported to have been drinking with seven friends and almost left the pub without paying, having ordered glasses of Billecart-Salmon champagne at £47 a bottle. "The poor waitress serving them was crying when she thought she’d lost all the money, but the pub manager ran after him," said a second source. The manager of the pub revealed that all money owed was paid in full however. "After £300 of drink you forget things. He was happy to pay straight away when I caught up with him," he said.

This is not the first tabloid report of Liam Gallagher's London drinking sessions with the frontman having previously made headlines when he was reportedly thrown out of a bar on Mothers' Day for being too drunk.

Angel

Angel
Amazon wanted to take his rightful place centre stage. A cameo on the Top 10 with 'Wonderful' last year marked the much-deserved leap from songwriter to popstar, but does the rest of the 25-year-old Londoner's album, appropriately titled About Time, have the hits to take him to the top?

Much like his breakout track, Angel's debut is awash with glossy R&B jams to support his soothing and saintly vocals. Choir harmonies tackle urban beats on 'Paid In Full', while the seraphic tones of love song 'Blown Away' are brought to life by tribal grooves. It's clear he's got a knack for a hip-pop ditty - whether it's the synth-specked chorus on 'Vegas' or the addictive finger-clicking beats on '90s smoothie 'Secrets'. However, at 15 tracks long the collection begins to feel repetitive rather than the short and sharp intro required. That said, Angel's first outing does more than enough here to impress and keep us interested for album two.

Suede

Suede
Amazon was inevitable. A new Suede album, however, was not. Mere months after the Britpop progenitors embarked upon a well-received greatest hits revue in 2011, frontman Brett Anderson had returned to his decade-long practice of releasing small-scale solo albums, while a concurrent, exhaustive reissue of Suede’s back catalogue seemingly confirmed the reunion’s retrospective impetus. And there was, of course, the nagging question of whether a new album was even necessary. After all, Suede were their generation’s Saturday night soundtrack to being young, being lost, and undergoing all the necessary preparations (cigarettes, alcohol, drugs of dubious origin) to ensure you leave behind a most exquisite corpse. What could Suede offer to their faithful now that, well into their sober 40s, they no longer represent any of these things?
For Bloodsports, their plan is not to simply recapture their past, but imagine an alternate course for it. Like their 2011 tour campaign, Bloodsports employs the band’s post-1995 line-up-- i.e., the one without Anderson’s formative songwriting partner-turned-nemesis, Bernard Butler. In the absence of Butler’s authoritative presence, Suede’s albums sometimes veered toward the slight and frivolous, the tension and bravado that fuelled their definitive singles giving way to a certain self-satisfied complacence. But if the relationship between Anderson and Butler’s replacement, Richard Oakes, was decidedly less tumultuous, on Bloodsports, the guitarist’s presence has an undeniably reinvigorating effect on the singer.

Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi  

Amazon self-produced cut, “Immortal” comes off as a solid mesh of the appealing elements of early Cudi and some of his latter-day more rockist tendencies. I couldn’t tell upon my first and subsequent listens, but Kid Cudi states that the beat is essentially MGMT’s “Congratulations” reversed and sped up with a couple of guitar solos peppered in. That production is the foundation for some of Cudi’s more inspired verses (and singing!) in quite some time.
“Immortal” is slated to appear on Cudi’s third full length Indicud, scheduled for an April 23 release on Universal Republic and G.O.O.D. Music.
Check out “Immortal” after the jump.

PSY

PSY
(Park Jea-Sang) as a novelty act. In his homeland of South Korea, he has a 12-year career and string of top 10 singles to his name – he is the author not merely of Gangnam Style, but Blue Frog, I Love Sex, Psycho Party and the intriguingly titled Dwarf By Blues.
Long before Gangnam Style achieved 1.5bn YouTube views, went to No 1 in more than 30 countries and was hailed by Ban Ki-moon as "a force for world peace", Psy was famous enough for the Seoul media to pry into his background and childhood: "I remember Psy making a lot of sexual jokes in class," offered one former teacher. "I disliked him at the time."
And it's perhaps unfair to call Gangnam Style a novelty single, given that it started life as a satire of the sneering entitlement of South Korea's super-rich: something that got a little lost in translation abroad. But a novelty single is precisely what it became. Indeed, it's arguably the biggest novelty single in history, both in terms of sales and cultural impact; Black Lace were never invited to perform Agadoo before the president of the United States of America, and the United Nations secretary Ggeneral having kept any thoughts he might have g

Will i Am

Will i AM

 boasts on the intro of his latest track. Fans of his recent output and viewers of The Voice UK will know that his command of the English language isn't exactly a strong point; not that it's stopped him conquering the planet with the build-up singles to his forthcoming album #willpower.

The key lies in the production - of which his is the clubby, futuristic, electro-dance-pop sort that the body struggles to resist no matter how hard one tries. Of course, a popular guest feature always helps; particularly when it's the world's currently most-watched/viewed/searched/blogged popstar Justin Bieber. "Who cares what the haters say/ They hate on me cause I'm doing what they can't," will.i.am continues in a rare moment of coherence - and we couldn't agree more.

The 1975

The 1975 
as potential leaders of the pack, with tips coming from the usual suspects.Amazon
In fact, after various name changes – eventually taking the 1975 from a book that singer Matthew Healy found in Majorca – and musical shifts, this Manchester foursome have settled on an unlikely blend of recent indie rock and 1980s white pop-funk. At least a third of their songs are ridiculously catchy, although it takes some getting over the shock of a sound that puts together Foals/Vampire Weekend-type jerkiness with the middle of the road pop-rock of Deacon Blue.g
Healy, who is forever either running a hand through or shaking his outgrown mohawk hairstyle, is a messianic type with a touch of the Johnny Borrells about him. He is playing a free gig in a packed bar, yet in his mind seems to be living out a stadium rock-type fantasy. "We put this on the internet and it's in the charts already. Crazy!" he exclaims, introducing the limply funky Chocolate, which is released in March. When a girl shouts "Get yer top off!", he heckles her back: "Imagine how misogynistic that would be if I said the same to you." It's a reasonable stance, though undermined by the following song's dedication to "girls who can't dance".

Indiana

Indiana
 new song ‘Bound’ follows in the same vein as her recent cover of ‘Swim Good’, though this time round her dark and moody vocals are complemented by a heavy bassline.
It works out wonderfully: Indiana’s selling point is undeniably the depth and emotion in her voice, and the minimalism of the track suits her perfectly. With the use of a muted yet heavy bassline and ethereal backing vocals, she sets the mood of the track perfectly.
 The sexy, smoky vocals Indiana possesses are enough purely in terms of raw talent to recommend this song, but it’s the way in which she uses them that demands attention.

Beadyeye

Beadyeye

(Amazon )Liam Gallagher's doing. Whether he's running around Hampstead Heath (every morning at 6am), christening his cat ("Lazy Our Kid") or standing outside a Soho pub holding three bottles of Champagne (as seen in a recent tabloid story), you will look. Don't deny it. You'll definitely listen to at least 30 seconds of 'Flick Of The Finger', the trippy first taster from Beady Eye's forthcoming album, 'BE' – so named because it's the acronym of Beady Eye, but presumably also because it's the verb for human existence. Mega. Being curious about Liam is just a fact of life. He's described 'BE' as "fucking lairy cosmic". Well, if he'd scored Star Wars, 'Flick Of The Finger' would be his 'Imperial Death March'. A brass band takes us on a journey through Liam's mind as he first wakes up "with the moon and the room on the wrong side", then swaggers off towards the future. If you were going to follow any man into the unknown it'd be him. His call-to-arms here ("It's ahhhhhnnnn") confirms that he was born to lead. Let's not be daft and credit producer Dave Sitek for this. You can't hear Sitek. You wouldn't hear Krakatoa erupt over the sound of Liam's bravado. Anyway, is 'Flick Of The Finger' any good? Yeah. So, up yours
.

James Blake

James Blake 
 Amazon long awaited second album, Overgrown, or at least snippets of it anyway, before the April 8th release date. Most of you will have seen the frankly appalling cover art at least, but fortunately Blake has not changed his style to match the made-for-Mother's Day appearance as he has retained the usual boundary pushing vibes and futuristic approach to electronic music. Blake's music has always mirrored our modern times and his newest effort continues to stretch forth on the futuristic plain he began on as a fresh-faced University grad back in 2009.
His self-titled debut was the album that no one really expected to work, not nearly as well as it did at least, so when his 2011 release not only lived up to the hype but in many ways exceeded it, the thought that the young producer might outdo himself once more has long been held as a more than likely possibility. With a pair of very exciting collaborators helping him out this time anticipation really has hit fever pitch but, even with this added help, has Blake managed to live up to the expectations laid forth for him? It wouldn't be James Blake if you could listen to Overgrown once and answer that question; no album worth its own weight can really get an immediate thumbs up, but after a number of listens it soon becomes clear that Blake still hasn't missed a beat as he continues to produce exceptional offerings one after another.

Paramore

Paramore
Hayley Williams and her bandmates try on a bunch of new styles, from new wave to pop-funk—and Williams even busts out the uke for a couple of confessional interludes. How is it? Quite good, as a matter of fact—their new pop bent suits Williams’ spitfire nature perfectly, and even the record’s sadder moments sing.

Love saves the day! The melancholy mood is punctured by this totally crushcrushcrushed out track, on which a stabbed-out guitar line and twinkling chimes battle underneath Hayley Williams’ declarations of love—feelings that are still strong enough for her to get butterflies whenever she sees her boo. Awww. She’s in fine form here, acting goofy on the verses and getting syrupy sweet on the chorus, when a flurry of synths bubbles up as if to underscore the way her heart is singing. If there’s any justice in the world this’ll be a song of the summer, or at least of the late spring.

Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware
Having already released the single "Strangest Feeling" before her debut album Devotion in 2012, and as an included track on the iTunes 'deluxe edition', she released an EP titled If You're Never Gonna Move, the US title for single "100%" thanks to a civil musical dispute in sampling. There was then a 'Polish gold edition bonus disc', featuring some live singles, and now 'The Gold Edition', which features remixes and this single "Imagine It Was Us". Ware's label Island Records have clearly taken a page out of Lana Del Ray's 'work of art' life, with promotion, advertising and repetition. Let’s look beyond all the background nonsense and focus on the music, as Ware is an exceptional artist and one of Britain’s promising female contributors to the world stage of both pop and alternative.

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato
Aside from her passion for the contestants and her love-hate relationship with mentee CeCe Frey, it gave her a much-needed platform to launch herself in the UK.

Fortunately, she's taken the opportunity by the horns with 'Heart Attack'. "Never had trouble getting what I want/ But when it comes to you I'm never good enough," she confesses about her bf over bubblegum beats and clapping drums, before proclaiming: "I don't wanna fall in love/ If ever did that I think I'd have a heart attack" on the fist-pumping, singalong chorus. The result is a rare case of textbook pop that leaves a lasting impression.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown   
being involved in some sort of controversy, so it would only be fitting for there to be drama around his latest single. Reports have claimed that the track and its music video are a giant wink aimed at former girlfriend Karrueche Tran, though both have been quick to dismiss it; we can only assume for their own safety.

"It's alright, I'm not dangerous/ When you're mine I'll be generous," he insists over smooth, Stevie Wonder-esque R&B beats and a light-yet-growly vocal not too dissimilar to Michael Jackson. Brown has made no secret of his influence from the greats, but when heard alongside the accompanying clip, the result is less a gracious nod and more like a well-polished tribute act.Ds

Wretch

Wretch 32
Amazon Wretch teamed up with Shakka to create the tune, which is undeniably one of the best collaborations of 2013 so far. The track, produced by Knox Brown, has been made even better with these stunning visuals.  The video stars both Shakka and Wretch, and is themed with the four elements earth, air, water and fire.

Fidlar;s

Fidlar's
Amazon The music video for FIDLAR's snot-rock anthem "Max Can't Surf," which is a perfectly produced piece of garage, is sort of like that webpage, as much in execution as it is in mood.
"Max Can't Surf" is from FIDLAR's self-titled debut, out now. They're on tour with Wavves in the coming months

The Strypes

The Strypes
Amazon do away with manufactured pop and right the course of popular music by making the long trek back to its very beginnings. It seems the guitar-slinging youth of today are invigorated if thoroughly misguided.
After Jake Bugg and Alex Turner’s most recent haircut come the Strypes and their debut EP, Blue Collar Jane. The Cavan quartet, armed with an obsessive knowledge of rhythm and blues and an impeccable sense of 60s fashion, have crafted three tracks lovingly indebted to their heroes but lacking anything of their own.
It’s near-impossible to be original in the Retromania age, but when bands focus solely on the past for inspiration and wholly dedicate themselves to painstaking imitation, the end result will invariably be records as staid and predictable as Blue Collar Jane. No part of this EP, not even the cover, is a recognisable product of this century and the Strypes have sapped any and all creativity from their process, trading solely on the efforts and reputation of their forebearers.

Gabrielle Aplin

 Aplin

 Amazon 

new music video

The singer will release 'Panic Cord' as her third single, taken from her forthcoming debut album English Rain.

The music video sees Aplin hanging out with her boyfriend, but later shows her arguing with him.

The singer’s first studio album English Rain will be released in the UK on April 29.

Rihanna

Rihanna
Amazon It's not just the dudes who can flex their money and love of strippers. Rihanna turns her often-racy Twitter feed into an irresistible, Mike WiLL-produced banger for the ladies, chanting "Pour it up / pour it up / watch it all fall out" over a hypnotic beat and handclaps.Take note, 2 Chainz, Juicy J and the like - Rihanna's coming after your territory.

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren
Amazon has finally released “This Is What It Feels Like” off of his upcoming album Intense (released on April 5, 2013). With melodic piano and vocals you can’t not sing along to leading up to yet another classic euphoric drop, we’re definitely seeing a move towards his more anthemic solo work after a three-year hiatus (2010’s Mirage was his last studio album). The song’s available on both iTunes and Beatport. Posted here as well is the heavier progressive remix by W&W (this is the one you heard during his Ultra sets). They’ve taken this beauty and turned it into a full on festival banger.

Lewis Watson

Lewis Watson

Amazon  With a little help from Zane Lowe in recent months, title track ‘Into The Wild’ is still classic Lewis but slightly more fast paced; the guitar lines swim and layer, beautiful choruses over eloquent vocals which are now familiar to us whilst continuing to demonstrate a freshness and optimism through his acoustic, starlight husk. One thing Lewis does best is evoke imagery and thought within his words, Into The Wild as a track is like winter sunshine.

It Could Be Better is an absolutely stunning track; silky openings with guitar clatters, harmonies and fluent tones sweep over it. The production is impressive and for a musician of this age, the depth and structure of the track is phenomenal. ‘Let’s wipe the slate clean, and I’ll bottle it up again‘ he sings of bruised memories, bittersweet . Lewis explores the engine of the heart, and has a way of expressing feelings and looking at things in ways which are healing, encouraging and warm to his listeners and that in itself is wonderfully powerful. Before we even add in his strength within a live dynamic, vocal and guitar skills.

Little Darling, a track written in Australia is subtle and delicate, again reminiscent and nostalgic of hazy summer days. Lewis’ youthful spirit, whimsical of smitten love, and the burden of distance merge to create gentle tones in this slower number. Fragility is retained and the essence of young love.

Misha B

Misha B

Amazon (his recent work includes ads for Dorritos, Vodaphone and Skype), Justin Dickel marks his return to promo-making with this high concept, visually stunning video for Misha B’s next single Here’s To Everything.

Filmed at Shepperton Studios, Justin explores the fire and water themes in the lyric to produce some blinding visual effects that compliment the uptemp message of the song.

“It’s been a while and I really had forgotten quite how crazy a music video shoot could be – in terms of time and money” explains Justin. “But, in a bizarrely masochistic way I have kind of missed the mayhem, it was a lot of fun”.)

The Strokes

The Strokes

 Amazon broke through in 2001 they were pigeonholed alongside the likes of The White Stripes, The Hives and The Vines in the garage-rock explosion.  What set them apart though was their debut record; 'Is This It' was and still is considered a classic guitar album bringing with it huge expectations.  Subsequent releases lacked consistency amongst odd moments of brilliance, but album five sees the quintet rediscover a winning formula.

'Comedown Machine' is not a return to the raw, lo-fi approach that characterised The Strokes' seminal release, but this is in no way detrimental.  The reference point this time around are the pop bands of the eighties - Human League, A-ha - and the jabs of rhythm and guitar that underpin the opening 'Tap Out' are a delightful combination with Julian Casablancas' laidback falsetto.  Latest single 'All The Time' finds the band in more familiar territory, a rock and roll romp featuring some effortlessly cool guitar work, before free download 'One Way Trigger' displays a fun groove that had previously not been a noted part of the group's repertoire.  The mood is carried through to 'Welcome To Japan'; a track Prince would be proud to call his own and you'll likely find an involuntary need to shuffle along.  

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode

Amazon In the four years since the release of the very average Sounds Of The Universe, social media has come a long way. The new Depeche Mode album has whipped up a media frenzy with, it seems, everyone now a huge fan with a primetime appearance on Letterman Live in the USA proving the fact.

The release of lead single, Heaven, was a sudden affair. After an album taster released in October 2012, it was believed that Angel was in fact the said single. Confusion ensued and Heaven’s release was postponed by a week until everything was cleared up.

The question everyone wants to know is whether Delta Machine’s actually any good. Tantalisingly described by band and PR alike as a cross between Violator and Songs Of Faith And Devotion (coincidentally, their biggest selling albums), the album is produced by Ben Hillier for the third consecutive time. Unusual in itself for pioneers such as DM to stick with the same producer, but the relationship and final sound is obviously something that the band favour. Whilst the production on SOTU was well polished, the songs weren’t really up to much and it suffered. Breaks with VCMG (Martin Gore re-uniting with techno-genius Vince Clarke on the instrumental Ssss album), and Soulsavers (Dave Gahan effectively becoming a member of the group on the album The Light The Dead See), have, it would seem, recharged their Basildon batteries and they are back with all guns blazing. In fact, Gahan’s performance on the Soulsavers album was seen by many as the best of his career at the time.