Album title: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Artist name: Kasabian Genre: Rock/Psychedelia Released: 5 June 2009 Label: Columbia ZME Rating: 7/10 Website: kasabian.co.uk When one of rock’s popular young pretenders attempt a concept album inspired by LSD-infused 60s psychedelia in 2009, it is difficult to know whether to commend British exports Kasabian or rip them apart. Upon a first spin of West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, one thing is for sure – this is not…
Album name: The Virgins Artist name: The Virgins Genre: Rock/Pop Released: April 2009 (European release date) Label: Warner/ Atlantic ZME Rating: 7/10 Website: www.thevirgins.net NYC’s latest art rock outfit released their debut album after a flurry of ecstatic press accolades and hype. Awarded one of Alternative Press’s “100 Bands You Need to Know,” the aptly titled Virgins combine late-’70s new wave with sufficient 80s cheese and contemporary indie rock. The Virgins exemplify the sound and…
Recorded: September 1979 / Genre: Punk rock, post punk / ZME Rating: 7/10 Criminally underrated or obscenely overrated? Regardless of your answer, punk outfit The Slits left a remarkable legacy in their wake. Precisely what their legacy represents is up for discussion more now than ever as 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of their debut Cut. The Slits are, or rather were, a British punk band who came together at the climax of the UK…
Album name: Alice In Chains Artist name: Alice In Chains Genre: Grunge/Alternative Rock Released: 1995 Label: Columbia ZME Rating: 8/10 Website: aliceinchains.com The final full length release by Alice In Chains has often been overlooked, if not criticised as their weakest offering. Despite reaching the number one spot in the U.S. Billboard chart, the eponymous finale by Seattle’s finest lacked the bite of Dirt or the understated beauty of Jar of Flies. This collection of…
Artist name: Eagles of Death Metal Album name: Heart On Label: Downtown Recordings Genre: Indie Rock/Glam Rock Release date: October 28, 2008 ZMErating: 8/10 Website: eaglesofdeathmetal.com The self-confessed Dream Boys have produced a third offering to remind us why Eagles of Death Metal are everyone’s favourite old school rock outfit. Following the ludicrously superb Death By Sexy is no mean feat but Heart On just about pulls it off and is further proof of Joshua…
Photo credit: Rockscope. Sadly, no cameras were allowed at the gig. The Academy, Dublin, Friday 16/1/09 For the uninitiated, The Gutter Twins are none other than Mr Mark Lanegan (former Screaming Trees frontman and mainstay of Queens of the Stone Age) and Greg Dulli, from the slightly lesser known but equally brilliant 1990s outfit The Afghan Whigs. Under the guise of the Gutter Twins, Lanegan and Dulli have collaborated to produce a sound unlike their…
Artist name: Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell Album name: Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart Label: V2 Records Gender: Alternative Rock Release date: December 8, 2008 ZMErating: 8/10 Website: www.myspace.com/marklanegan Comprising of leftover material from this year’s excellent Sunday at Devil Dirt, Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart continues where its predecessors left off – acting as a contemporary film noir soundtrack with Lanegan crooning like never before while the musically adept Campbell purrs around him. Opening…
Lisa Hughes