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…
Artist name: Lily Allen Album name: It’s Not Me, It’s You Label: EMI Genre: Pop Release date: February 9, 2009 ZMErating: 8/10 Website: lilyallenmusic.com Lily Allen’s debut album, Alright, Still was something of a guilty pleasure for me, even though it shouldn’t have been all that guilty at all. It was an unabashedly great pop album (and one that spawned too many imitators, of which only Kate Nash was tolerable) but that fact always managed…
Artist name: Amazing Baby Album name: Infinite Fucking Cross Label: Psilocybe Genre: Indie Rock/Glam Rock Release date: 2008 ZMErating: 7/10 Website: theamazingbaby.com All this modern, new-fangled indie music tends to breeze right by me, if I’m honest. And I’m not sure it’s not deliberate on my part. If there ever seems to be a bleeding edge to the music scene, I always tend to wrap myself in metaphorical bandages and run straight in the other…
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: John Frusciante Album name: The Empyrean Label: Domino Records Gender: Experimental Rock/Psychedelic Rock Release date: January 20, 2009 ZMErating: 9.5/10 Website: JohnFrusciante.com If you’ve listened to any of his solo work, you know that it’s got little to do with what he’s doing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Still, this is by far the most different style he’s ever gone for, and it suits him like a charm. It’s a mix between…
Artist name: Animal Collective Album name: Merryweather Post Pavilion Label: Domino Records Gender: Experimental Rock/Psychedelic Pop Release date: January 6, 2008 ZMErating: 9.5/10 Website: www.myanimalhome.net There’s something just special about Animal Collective, that always resonates in their wacky, space-out music. I always like to think of them as modern day Peter Pans, a trio of grown up men forever trapped in childhood’s magical grasp. I just love it how they transmit this feeling in 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…
Artist name: Coldplay Album name: Prospekt’s March Label: Parlophone Genre: Alternative Rock Release date: November 21, 2008 ZMErating: 3/10 Website: www.coldplay.com Like it or not, you have to admit that Coldplay made one of the best records this year with their Viva La Vida or Death and all his Friends. That’s understandable why they want to ride on its success and squeeze all the juices till the fruit is fresh. Prospekt’s March is the EP…
Artist name: P!nk Album name: Funhouse Label: LaFace Genre: Pop Rock Release date: October 28, 2008 ZMErating: 4/10 Website: www.pinkspage.com Do you remember that crazy girl with ridiculously pink hair, who wanted to get the party started? Well here she is a few years back, a grown-up woman with a successful career as a singer-songwriter releasing her new record ‘Funhouse’. Don’t let the name fool you. If you’re expecting some fun, go elsewhere. The new…
Lisa Hughes
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Andrei Mihai
Tibi Puiu
Mary Jenn