Album name: The Big To-Do Artist name: Drive-By Truckers Genre: Rock Released: 16 March 2010 Label: ATO ZME Rating: 8/10 Website: drivebytruckers.com It’s all about “Birthday Boy” this time. On every Drive-By Truckers album, there’s one song that, quite helpfully, doubles as a litmus test as to whether you’ll like happily gorge yourself silly on what they’re dishing out. On Gangstabilly, their rough-and-ready debut album, it was “The Living Bubba”, probably the quintessential DBT song…
Album name: Plastic Beach Artist name: Gorillaz Genre: Gorillaz Pop Released: 3 March 2010 Label: Parlophone/Virgin ZME Rating: 9/10 Website: www.gorillaz.com ——————————– It appears that the the self-titled debut of Gorillaz was the induction of the 21st Century into the popular culture, ya know before all that nasty terrorism and war stuff. Its follow-up, Demon Days, was a reaction to all of the post-9/11 fallout, a record so full of wonderfully hyperbolic paranoia that it…
Album name: Life Artist name: Uniform Motion Genre: Folk-pop-cartoons Released: 9 February 2010 Label: Aahhh Records ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: uniformmotion.net I’m something of a deliberate philistine when it comes to fine art. Despite spending six years or so studying the subject in one form or another, I never really saw the appeal. I mean, sure I can appreciate it up to a point; I’ll give you your Da Vincis, your Rembrandts, your Dalis -…
Album name: Good Mystery Artist name: Amber Rubarth Genre: Sweetness Released: 12 January 2010 Label: Unsigned, which is criminal ZME Rating: 8/10 Website: amberrubarth.com Much of this world passes me by with alarming speed and frequency. Trends, fads, fashions and vehicles alike all skim dangerously close to my face, while I remain the proverbial Captain Oblivious, wrapped up in a cocoon of cheerful obsolescence that fits me like an old, worn-out glove. This means I…
Album name: Perfect View Artist name: Libby Johnson Genre: Folk Released: 23 February 2010 Label: Wrong Records ZME Rating: 8/10 Website: libbyjohnsonmusic.com/ I want to preface this review with a plea, and a thank you. You see, this Libby Johnson album – quite a good album, as you’ve yet to find out – is, following Nite Nite and Phantom Family Halo, the third album in a row I’ve reviewed which has been sent my way…
Album name: How To Touch The Moon Artist name: Nite Nite Genre: Gothy Stuff Released: 12 January 2010 Label: Crash Avenue ZME Rating: 6/10 Website: myspace.com/niteniteband As a beret-wearing, beard-stroking music cricket, there are certain aspects of my job I consider to be pretty vital. First among these is blagging as much free stuff as possible: if there’s a gig I can get into for free, you can bet your sweet bippy-boo I’m gonna be…
Album name: Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die Artist name: Phantom Family Halo Genre: Rock Released: October 2009 Label: Crash Avenue ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: myspace.com/thephantomfamilyhalo Um. Phwwwr. Chhhhk. Ahem. It’s not that there are no words to describe the Phantom Family Halo’s recent offering: it’s just hard to string whatever words come to mind into a working sentence. Let us be quite clear: the Phantom Family Halo are a bit mad. Deliberately so, perhaps,…
Hey ZME Universe, I’m sorry I’ve fallen a bit off the map in terms of my columns, but I’m excited about these end-of-decade lists. I’ve been preoccupied with my own list of best albums of songs. I love the lists that the ZME crew is putting together, but something tells me no one else on the staff would have the proper appreciation for the Portland, Maine power-pop trio The Leftovers. I can understand, though. While…
Pearse McGloughlin is a Sligo-born songwriter and musician, who served his time in a series of bands before deciding to fly it solo – taking in many locations along the way. Spells in Dublin, London, Canada and France have no doubt shaped his broad musical talents and acute observational lyrics, and with “Busy Whisper”, he has produced a perceptive and powerful debut that is sure to take him to many more far-flung destinations. This troubadour…
Album name: Sweethead Artist name: Sweethead Genre: Rock Released: November 2 2009 Label: Strange Addiction/Play It Again, Sam ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: sweethead.net I sure hope the record company suit who decided it’d be a good idea to release Sweethead’s debut album in early November is picking bullet fragments out of his own navicular bone right now. Sweethead, if you didn’t know, are the side project of Queens of the Stone Age’s multi-purpose axeman, Troy…
Al Byrne
Steve Lampiris
Tyler Sonic
Conor O' Brien