The Juan Maclean – Give Me Every Little Thing

This is an unexpected treat. “Give Me Evey Little Thing” is pure joy. The begging is like an attack of electronic sounds that builds into something with a bit of a groove. Once the vocals kick in its all over for people, Juan has won you over. The huge handclaps and funky chants, are all here to make a great party anthem. It’s a powerful club track, which will have people going nuts. I know one thing, I just booked tickets to see him, should be a great night.

By John Siwicki

Super Furry Animals – Phantom Power

After last year’s brilliant “Rings Around The World,” how could the Furries outdo themselves? Well, they put together 14 songs on this album that continues along their brilliant path.
“Hello Sunshine” starts us off. At first it’s a lovely woman singing and you might be thinking, “Is this the right album?” It had me fooled for a second. But then it kicks into such a beautiful and lush track. “Liberty Bell” follows up which is a brilliant little song about America. The Furries turn it into a big pop song with a great sing along chorus. “Sex, War And Robots” is a very simple little track with a great vocal that is both sexy and robotic at the same time. “Bleed Forever” has Gruff (singer) crying out so you feel the emotion in his tone. The track is a brilliant mix of electronics and off-colour riffs. “Out Of Control” sees the boys getting a bit heavier and louder. It’s a bit fun and a nice change up from their usual formula.
Is there anything the Furries can’t do? After six albums they just keep matching themselves stride for stride and have slowly become one of the UK’s most refreshing and enjoyable acts.

By John Siwicki

Manic Street Preachers – Lipstick Traces

Last year we saw the release of their Best Of Forever Delayed. NowThis year we are treated to a two disc B-Sides/ Rarities / Covers collection.Disc one opens with Prologue To History, which many regard as the Manics best b-side. This song should have been a single-not a B-side. With a greatlyric from Nicky and lovely piano, this one is a winner. They even mention Shawn Ryder in the song. You can’t go wrong here. Forever Delayed is next which is the lost single. The song is very simple but has a big epic chorus. But why did you have to use a line from Roses in The Hospital and write a song around it. Well Nicky? Sorrow 16 is next which has the manics older punky sound of the earlier 90s. The song is very raw and brings me back. Judge Yourself comes next, which is the manics last track as a four piece. The song opens with a great bass line. The lyric is Richey’s last which is again really haunting if you dissect the lyrics. Its one of the most refreshing rock songsI’ve heard in years. I hope their new album sounds like this. Socialist Serenadeis another great B-side from the this is my truth era. Another greattrack. Next is the stunning Donkeys. It’s a much slower tune with some killerlyrics, “put some lipstick on at least your lies will be pretty.” A greatsong testament of the manics true genius. Comfort Comes is next which is one of my personal favorites. It’s a great track, another song that could have been an A side single. Mr. Carbohydrate is just Nicky talking about himself. Nice little song. Dead Trees And Traffic Lights has a great vocals by James and a solid B-Side. Horses UnderStarlight is a mostly instrumental track. Its perfect to break up the album. It’s avery pretty track which picks up more at the end. Sepia followswhich is another fantastic b-side. Sculpture of a Man is an awesome 1minute and 55 second song with James yelling and some heavy guitar work behind him. Spectators Of Suicide is reminiscent of the Suicide is Painless era.Democracy Coma is another older track during their more punkish days”Mother of the free she said that we’d breathe, Mother of the free but we justscream.” A great lyric. Strip It Down is a live track, another classicManics track. This early song finds James delivering some crunchy riffs. Bored Out Of My Mind is next-nothing too great here. It is a solid b-side in its own right. The next three tracks we get B-sides from the latest work. Just A Kid, Close My Eyes, and Valley Boy. These songs all show how much the manics have grown, from harsh slogan touting camus toting chomsky biting loud mouths to stadium rock kings.We Her Majesty’s Royal Prisoners is a prefect ending to the first disc. It is a very angry and raw sounding manics track. We have a whole other disc to talk about now. Now we get The Manics covering some of their favorite songs. This Disc gives you 15 cover verisions of songs by The Clash, Primal Scream, Happy Mondays and lots more. The disc is a solid campaign much like the first one. The manics show here that they are capable of doing everything under the sun. Their B-Sides are better than most bands A-Sides. The only downside here is with 100 B-sides out there we are only getting 20 plus some of the covers that have been already released as b-sides. I want more, but they still gave a great package here.

By John Siwicki

Kings of Leon – Youth And Manhood

Southern rock was never my thing. But lately there have been some interesting things coming out of the Southern US , mainly, these guys and My Morning Jacket. Here is their debut album.
“Red Morning Light” starts us off here and it’s a very fun tune. The vocals are loud and rustic and barely audible but you have to love it. Though nothing groundbreaking, this song is great to play in the car. “Wasted Time” has more of a southern feel to it. It’s a great tune, a solid choice for a single as well. It’s chopped full of riffs and solos and the lyrics “I’m gonna get your ma and your pa” are inarguable! “California Waiting” is one of the best moments on the album. It’s a really great pop song. The big chorus and wonderful bass make this one a classic. Just leave this one on repeat and enjoy the amazing stuff. Caleb, the singer, seems rather angry on “Spiral Staircase.” I love the breakdown to the hand clapping; nothing is better than that. “Molly’s Chambers” is the first single that really helped break the band out. It’s a great pop rock song. It has a really catchy opening riff and some tight bass work.
“Youth and Manhood” is not a bad album. It’s a great start. This band shows a lot of promise. If you can filter out all the hype, there is some brilliant and fun music in here. “California Waiting” is not to be missed. It’s a solid debut.

By John Siwicki