A Few Words on...Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

Here we go folks, grab your popcorn, grab a piece of stromboli, get ready for a hot take, here we go.

I don’t get it.

A Few Words on...Biffy Clyro - Balance, Not Symmetry

Back in 2015, Biffy Clyro released Ellipsis, an album utterly forgettable at times and easily their worst release in a decade. Whilst commendable for experimenting with their sound of time signature changes, obtuse lyrics and complex chords, Ellipsis incorporated a more mainstream sound which, nonsurprisingly made the album far too generic.

A Few Words on...Ariana Grandé - thank u, next

Confession time, I have never listened to an Ariana Grandé album prior to this one, quelle surprise, blahblahblah.

A Few Words on...American Football - American Football LP3

American Football’s 3rd album (and 2nd since their comeback a few years ago) showcases a much more expansive and creatively more varied sound, even more so than their long overdue comeback.

A Few Words on... Feeder - All Bright Electric

Back in 2014, Grant Nicholas released an uninspired and dull solo album that only fanned the flames for a return of Feeder, even album after album of meddling returns.

The band's ninth studio album All Bright Electric again asks whether Feeder can return to their glory days of the decades prior or simply settle with pleasing their rabid fanbase.

A Few Words on... King of Leon - WALLS

Whilst Kings of Leon have been nothing short of a major success story (with five consecutive number one's in the UK anyway), whether it's their more mainstream sound or the fact that their last two albums have been progressively decreasing in quality has rubbed people up the wrong way.

A Few Words on... Aphex Twin - Cheetah EP

Named after a synth released in the eighties that was as cumbersome to use as it was unusual, Cheetah is the latest release by Richard D. James since his decade long hiatus ended with the release of Syro, one of my favourite albums of 2014.

A Few Words on... The Boxer Rebellion - Ocean by Ocean

The Boxer Rebellion have been another band who I've desperately wanted to review but when life, the universe and everything gets in the way and there then new releases are no longer new.

But no more I say!

A Few Words on... Revere - Man of Atom EP

In their ever evolving change of sound, Man of Atom is Revere's jump away from gypsy carnival fanfare and indie-rock into the mostly unknown territory of more electronica and dance influences (I say mostly as their cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence serves as a nice precursor to their sound here).

A Few Words on... Firewatch

Whilst it's easy to blame Telltale's Walking Dead series for reintroducing interactive novels/point and click adventure hybrids to the market, they always delivered an interesting story. So the first release of the first season of that particular franchise as a new studio, along with impressive looking trailers, was enough to make me purchase Firewatch on day one.

A Few Words on... Steven Wilson - 4 ½

Calling Steven Wilson's latest release an album is a disservice to his previous releases. Despite clocking in at just under forty minutes, 4 ½ consists of six tracks and mostly consists of material deemed unsuitable for either The Raven That Refused to Sing, Hand. Cannot. Erase. and a re-recording of Porcupine Tree's Don't Hate Me.

A Few Words on... Hurts - Surrender

I'd say I have a complicated relationship with Hurts, but that would imply I know them rather than simply enjoy their music, despite them sounding like a lot of the generic dross that refuses to leave the mainstream charts.

A Few Words on... Editors - In Dream

Before giving Editors fifth album a spin, I was pretty much settled on the idea that the record would be more of a continuation of the electronic, synth heavy In This Light and On This Evening rather than their good if sometimes flat americana fourth album The Weight of Your Love.

A Few Words on... Christopher Owens - Chrissybaby Forever

One can't fault the output of former Girls' frontman Christopher Owens, who, despite being involved in one of the more tragic break-ups of a band, has kept himself busy. Even after quiet release of America and hints towards more music with Selfish Feelings, I didn't expect much more but was thrilled when the news broke of a new album with sixteen tracks to boot!

A Few Words on... Villagers - Darling Arithmetic

The third album for Villagers, Darling Arithmetic was not only on my radar as a potential album of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to it, {Awayland} grew on me far more than my original 7/10 ranking would indicate so I was looking forward to what direction the band would take and bits and pieces in my life made Conor O’Brien’s dark introspection seem oddly comforting.

Album Rankings for 2014

Whilst a lot of you will look at 2014 as a miserable year, mine was pretty damn special.

A Few Words on... Christopher Owens - A New Testament

Last year; Christopher Owens proved he could survive beyond Girls' break-up with his debut album/faux soundtrack Lysandre, even if the album was a relative step down from Girls' previous near-faultless releases.

A Few Words on... Royal Blood - Royal Blood

Matt Helder T-shirt! Rapid rise to fame! Two people! Only bass and drums! 

Words and soundbytes you've undoubtedly heard if you've heard anything regarding the relatively newish Brighton rockers Royal Blood. After releasing several singles (and an EP for you lucky yanks), the duo have recently released their self-titled debut and, much like the record's running time, this short review can only re-enforce what you've already read and heard.

A Few Words on... Owl John - Owl John

As I sit here, in the office, dosed up to the eyes on painkillers and caffeine and hearing the british summer come to it's inevitable end in August through blinds, I'm faced with yet another debut solo album from another well established rock frontman. More stripped back songs to match the lack of other band members, more confusion as to why I can love the group's output but find the leading man's solo debut so boring.

A Few Words on... Grant Nicholas - Yorktown Heights

Another week, another well established frontman goes solo with an stripped back, acoustic folk debut, this time being Feeder's Grant Nicholas, with an album that I was half tempted to copypasta my review of Charlie Simpson's album and see if anyone noticed.