PJ Harvey album review

PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Sublime brilliance against the backdrop of the previous two albums, which were gems. Stand out tracks are 'The Devil' and 'Silence'. This was her guitar-free album, which, at first consideration, was a worrying concept. But this sees her delving deep. Very deep. For some it may appear to be her 'Kid A', but she's always had the tendency to slip quietly under your skin.
Overall rating ****

Great songs - September 2007

2007 and these were some of the fantastic songs out that I was enjoying!  The Fetish track, Lipstick, has them doing what they always did best and flows from the Remains album. The Nelly Furtado track is worth a listen, quite melodic in an acoustic way.

Starlight	-	Muse
Nothing In My Way	-	Keane
Forbiden love	-	Madonna
All Good Things	-	Nelly Furtado
Lipstick	-	Fetish
Don't Dream It's Over	-	Sarah Blasko
We Dug a Hole	-	Kathryn Williams
Walked Her Way Down	-	Crowded House
With steel part II	-	Fetish
Christine	-	The House Of Love
The End	-	Angelfish
Smile	-	Lily Allen
Change	-	KT Tunstall
Fall At Your Feet	-	Clare Bowditch

KT Tunstall album review

KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic
She refers to this as her second proper album - apparently we're supposed to disregard last year's Acoustic Extravaganda as mere experimentation, which will only reveal itself as craziness or virtue (or arrogance) over time. Nevertheless, this is a solid, varied, yet coherent album. Tunstall's song writing is astonishing and one gets the impression it's effortless release, with some solid tracks such as Funny Man, Someday Soon, Paper Aeroplane and the poppy Hold On.
Overall review ****

Crowded House - Time on Earth

Neil Finn has done so much work in recent years that it seemed strange to revive the band, especially with only one original member remaining and then without his brother. "Say that again" is quite good, as are several other tracks, but there's nothing brilliant here. Indeed, compared to his solo work, there is not very much of a point to this album. Nevertheless, it is pleasant enough and there is nothing to grate the senses. One for true fans only.

Review Apple iPod

You have to have one of these, you really do. A superb modern necessity. However, you do need to know the following before making it the hub of your audophile world:

Rule 1: Encode everything at a bit rate of 192.

Rule 2: Don't buy anything from the iTunes website unless its iTunes plus - anything that kills freedom and responsibility is beyond me and Digital Rights Management is vile. And stick to MP3 as a format.....don't get locked into Apple's proprietary format or the DRM version of MP3.

Rule 3: You need to buy something to normalise the volume of tracks across your collection. The best free software to do this is MP3Gain. Tip: stick with the default volume settings on MP3Gain and adjust volumes per album, not per track. Get MP3Gain.

Rule 4. You need something to boost the volume of the iPod (for those frustrated with the default volume restrictions). euPOD Pro 1.6 is free and excellent software to do this. Get euPodty)

Playlist 2007 Number 1

Revised retrospectively. The Fetish track, Lipstick, has them doing what they always did best and flows from the Remains album. The Nelly Furtado track is worth a listen, quite melodic in an acoustic way.

Starlight	-	Muse
Nothing In My Way	-	Keane
Forbiden love	-	Madonna
All Good Things	-	Nelly Furtado
Lipstick	-	Fetish
Don't Dream It's Over	-	Sarah Blasko
We Dug a Hole	-	Kathryn Williams
Walked Her Way Down	-	Crowded House
With steel part II	-	Fetish
Christine	-	The House Of Love
The End	-	Angelfish
Smile	-	Lily Allen
Change	-	KT Tunstall
Fall At Your Feet	-	Clare Bowditch

Elliot Smith album review

Elliot Smith - New Moon
Discovering Smith late in my musical world was a travesty averted. I began consuming all his albums together, which meant by the time I encountered the posthumous From a basement on the hill I found it too much to handle. But some time has passed.... New Moon is his second posthumous release, containing tracks written before the depression that would see him take his own life. These songs could easily have been on any of the previous albums, yet unlike the previous posthumous album, this collection doesn't bereave your soul of everything that is safe and sound (er, but remember, this is a relative comment: it's still Elliot after all).
Overall review ****

Review - Sony Walkman NW-E003

I bought one of these without the usual saddo competitive analysis - so mesmerised was I. It's beautiful, really beautiful. In this space its competing with the iPod Nano, not as a primary portable device (due to disk size), but as something so small and perfectly crafted that you can always have it with you, a portable tribute to your most recent music....

So, what can be said about it. Menu navigation. Hmm, not great - if you've had an iPod you'll not be happy. But you may still forgive it.... Sound quality - superb. Supports Atrac and MP3 - important to mention since Sony took a while to understand they needed to support MP3.

But (and here it all crumbles). Volume! European Sony Network Walkmans have the volume limitation set in accordance to the European Standard EN50332-1 (2000) making them impossibly quiet. So quiet, in fact, that they are pointless.

Angelfish album review

Angelfish - Angelfish
Been listening to Angelfish's ('93) album, which, despite being a massive Garbage fan, I had never come across and hadn't expected much from. After hearing Suffocate Me on YouTube I wonder why more wasn't made about this. Alternative and quite good. Shirley is more sublime and never completely unleashes her presence, but the songs are quite good in an Echo and the Bunnyman sort of way. Because I only came across this this year, I've rated it as such.
Overall rating: ***½

Lily Allen album review

Lily Allen - Alright, Still
Despite undue criticism from anally retentive magazine snobs, this is a great collection of songs from the lippy young lass and, as part of an overall review, I include the super B-sides, especially Cheryl Tweedy, the Kooks cover (Naive) and the fantastic Absolutely Nothing.
Overall rating: ****

Muse - Black holes and revelations

This is much needed relief from prevailing boy-band indie. Muse venture boldly into Depeche Mode territory on 'Map of the problematique', which stands out. Most of the album retains their relentless and uncompromising power.

Howling Bells album

Howling Bells - Howling Bells.
Aussie indie band with a good debut. Stand out tracks are "Setting Sun", which is their more commercial offering, while songs like "Blessed Night" and "In the Woods" are fantastic.
Overall rating: ****

Nerina Pallot album review

Nerina Pallot – Fires
'Everybody's gone to war' has that Alanis Morissette-like threat, although she remains calmer and overall the album is folky (in a good way). Stand out tracks: 'Idaho' and 'Geek love'.
Overall rating:*** ½

The Poet - 2004

The door clicks shut
There's a routine to your disregard
I waited for you,
Then couldn't wait for you to leave

I confide all
But you interrupt with tales of your own
Yes, you're sensitive
You've told me so, so many times

CHORUS:
You're a poet, a poet, a poet
You're only a poet when you want to be

The room is bare
I thought you'd stay longer tonight
I cling far too much
Leaving clues for you....in words

CHORUS

I'm just scenery in your world
Scenery in your world
Scenery in your world
I'm just scenery in your world


CHORUS

Heal me - 2004

City midnight streets
That will not guide me home
Left with all the demons
That haunt me alone

City Breeze is feeding
Music to the air
And I salt my wounds in
Your tears of despair

Never thought your words could
Save me here tonight
When you lay yourself bare
You strip me of pride

CHORUS
Heal me now
You always heal me when it falls apart
You always heal me when it falls apart
You always heal me when it falls apart
Now

Yellow morning rises
DJs free your songs
In my empty bed now
I turn you on

Never found a way to
tell you how I feel
I have nothing useful
to offer you

CHORUS

Our desert Forrest love grows nowhere
Except in my head – where it shall remain
Your tears have become mine

CHORUS

Cellophane delusion - 2002

your smile denies my darkness
brings to calm my frantic mind
where do you veil the dying?
i find some peace when i’m with you

make sense of a world together
even if it's delusion
where do you veil the dying?
i break through cellophane for you

CHORUS
don’t need me and we’ll make it
don’t need me and we’ll make it

you dance life far too lightly
too much thinking gets nowhere
so let us veil the dying
And forget what these burdens are

CHORUS

only jointly is there sense