A review of the album 'Surfing the Void' by The Klaxons Review Snapshot:  'Surfing the Void' is perhaps on the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year, with the band's debut earning themselves the much coveted Mercury Prize. However the past three years have seen an insurgence in the world of indie music, begging the question Is there even any room for the Klaxons any more? The answer is not too positive, based on this release. The Cluas Verdict? 3 out of 10 Full Review: Three years of anticipation have been building around this album, the follow on from the Mercury Prize winning 'Myths of the Near Future'. With tales of drug binges and hallucination conversations with god, the hype surrounding 'Surfing The Void' had built to fever pitch.  In many ways 'Myths…' was so highly rated that whatever followed it never really stood a chance and unfortunately, as with many bands, Klaxons have fall... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Science and Faith' by The Script Review Snapshot: On Science and Faith, The Script have continued where they left off with their debut album. Catchy melodies, lyrics that you won’t need a dictionary to explain, and songs that won’t change the world. But I mean all this in the best possible way. The Cluas Verdict? 6 out of 10 Full Review: While the world waited for the “difficult second album”, the Script have played it safe and repeated what made them successful in the first place. Opening with a very long intro ‘You Won’t Feel A Thing’ sees the rockier side to The Script, with them sounding not unlike No Sweat did two decades earlier, while Danny sings “I’ll stand in front / I’ll take the blow for you”. The single ‘For The First Time’ (a recent Irish chart-topper) is typical Script, while the title track has an intro to match Bryan Adams &lsq... [Read on]

Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, Sister Cities have just released their excellent debut single ‘White Dress’ on this side of the Atlantic with UK label 100% Music. Consisting of Brett (guitar and vocals), Courtney (drums and vocals), Spike (bass and vocals) and Ana (keys, guitar and vocals), they took some time out recently to tell Ken Fallon about how it all came together… Tell us a little about how you got together as a band? Were you friends beforehand? We all went to high school together and always had music as a common interest, we played as a two piece (drums/guitar/vocals) before adding bass and keys. We met Ana while on vacation in Mexico and somehow convinced her to move to Arizona and join the band!    How has your music evolved since you first got together as a band? The evolution of our sound has been sort of a natural progression. We started out in Courtney's garage just trying to play anything that ... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Open Your Arms' by Lucknow Pact Review Snapshot: An enjoyable effort that crosses the epic/pop divide, while for the most part negating the more tedious components of that style. The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: Of late there has been a flurry of bands offering up a sense of the majestic in mainstream music. From the lamentable (The Killers) to the appealing (Glasvegas), and often crossing over with a shoegaze aesthetic, the sound has manifested itself across the board, from pop to post-rock. Lucknow Pact should be counted as another edition to the cult of “the big sound.”  Open Your Arms is composed of songs that sound like contained epics, with everything expected of that aesthetic: trails of echo, synth swathes and drums that sound monumental. The containment comes from the short length of each song, which prevents lapses into overindulgence. But when they display an epic flourish, Lucknow Pact don’t h... [Read on]

A review of Bandjo's debut album Review Snapshot: This welcome slice of Swedish prog-rock oozes sophistication, its ominous gems like shining soundscapes. Synth, 70s, flute, oriental notes – is there anything the duo haven’t covered on this album? A mere seven tracks long, this first full-length album from Stockholm’s finest leaves you wanting more. The Cluas Verdict? 7.5 out of 10 Full Review: Bandjo. The name suggests a cowboy kicking back with his beaten up banjo, tinkling a few chords while chewing on straw. That’s certainly why I didn’t expect Bandjo to be a prog-rock Swedish band. The name may not fit the bill, but their name fades into meaninglessness when you focus instead on their unique blend of post- and prog-rock. The duo consists of Stockholm’s Jacob Haage and Fredrik Johansson. They debuted in 2008 on the B-side of label Force Majeure’s compilation: "Force Majeure; Force Vol.1: Tung... [Read on]

A review of the album 'The Wind-Up Waltz'by Yosei Review Snapshot: A beautifully restrained album, an exercise in the art of cool playing and the emotion that can be generated through the subtle rather than the loud. The Cluas Verdict? 9 out of 10 Full Review: The large number of semi-folk bands present in the alternative music scene is a good thing (for me at least, it being one of my favourite styles of music) their very prevalence can be slightly overwhelming. Working from a similar, constraining stylistic map, a set of clichés have led to a sense of unoriginality creeping in when listening to certain acts. From either deliberately wacky or maudlin introspective lyrics to the standard reliance on either bland minimalism or an over-produced string/horn section, folk bands without new ideas can be enjoyable, but never inspiring. The Wind-Up Waltz defies this trend. Built on a folk foundation laced  with jazz influences, the latter heard intermi... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Singing From The Grave' by Anna von Hausswolff Review Snapshot: Swedish singer/songwriter Anna Von Hausswolff aims to impress with her debut album “Singing from the Grave”. Light sweeping piano compositions and convincingly powerful vocals provide a strong opening, with first single ‘Tracks of Time’ proving to be the highlight of the record, one that is never quite matched. A record of potential that doesn't fully deliver. The Cluas Verdict? 5 out of 10 Full Review: 'Singing from the Grave’ is the first release from Swede Anna Von Hausswolff, a sometime architect student, who has become one of the most talked about artists emerging from the Nordics. She began her venture into the world of music alone in her apartment with compositions vocally and on the piano, before eventually expanding to a recording studio. Though her expressive vocal give the impression of someone far beyond her 23 y... [Read on]

A review of the album Infra by Max Richter Review Snapshot: While not pushing the boat out too far with this piece, Max Richter, a composer famed for his work with such bands as Future Sounds of London, has constructed an evocative and sensitive piece filled with emotion and imagery. The Cluas Verdict? 7 out of 10 Full Review: It’s hard to avoid the first thought that enters the mind when listening to this track: films. But comparing this stand-alone studio album is not an insult. In fact the thought merely betrays its true nature: a ballet, conceived alongside choreography by Wayne McGregor and artist Julian Opie for the Royal Ballet. This music on this album is developed somewhat from the original opera, so that it stands alone and perfectly valid as a studio album in itself. Yet to immediately associate it with soundtracking is a testament to the strength of imagery and atmosphere with which the composer has imbued it, not a belittlement of it in itself. In fac... [Read on]

A review of the album 'Streets of Gold' by 3OH!3 Review Snapshot: With a confident blend of so many new music styles its fair to say 3OH!3 are distinctly different from other chart contenders.  However the sophomoric attitude and appalling lyrics are so bad you’ll quickly wonder if it’s all part a great commercial con. The Cluas Verdict: 3/10 Full Review: It’s not easy to be critical about a band that constantly defends their product as fun.  Fun however sells albums and rakes in the cash for the record companies. (Chart topping twins anyone?) so at the risk of being a party pooper I had an in-depth listen to 30H!3 to see if I could decipher the glitter from the gold. Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte of 3OH!3 recently released ‘Streets of Gold’.  Named after their postal code in Colorado, the boys claim to not take themselves or the industry seriously.  True to form, the album, which is jammed with popular e... [Read on]

A review of the album Liquor Store by Teron Beal. Review Snapshot:  Songwriter to the stars certainly doesn’t keep the best for himself as Teron Beal releases his debut solo effort. The Cluas Verdict? 2 out of 10 Full Review: Teron Beal is a little celebrated American singer-songwriter who has spent the last 20 years in the shadows writing songs for the likes of Pink and impressively, Michael Jackson. Quite an achievement for someone who was born when the king of pop still had an afro. Not many people have achieved such things in such a young life, however he has still gone relatively unnoticed by the wider public, and the question is; will his debut album, “Liquor Store”, change this? The album is heavily influenced by Prince, with many of the tracks featuring a similar vocal style to the tiny purple one, as well as comparable rhythmic structure. The most obvious song to compare to Prince is debut single, “New Girl.” The melody i... [Read on]