Some mixed opinions this week. Guy and Erol were the happiest campers. Justin was the unhappiest of us all. Here are the reviews:
Andy
Drake - I've never really been into Drake, didn't even watch DeGrassi, so I don't know if this is good or bad Drake, I didn't hate it though and a couple of tracks were quite decent. I doubt I'll ever listen to it again though, it's no Kendrick that's for sure 6
Nova Twins - I described these as the poor man's Sleigh Bells when we last came across them and I'm sticking to that although I did enjoy this one a fair bit, some decent noises in there 7
Foals - Veers a bit close to the joint clubs of Two Door Cinema and Bombay Bicycle at times but this was better than that. Will definitely be having a look at Mad Cool 7.5
TV Priest - Interesting stuff, very Fall like 6.5
TotW - Choose Your Fighter
Metallica - An absolute classic of the genre, someone with more knowledge might disagree but for me it's only second to Reign in Blood in the thrash album pantheon. They may have disappeared up their own asses a bit, very possibly as a result of Cliff's tragic demise, but this album still sends power shivers down my spine. Having said that I played it in the kitchen yesterday and Hannah was unimpressed, kids eh? 9.5
Guy
Drake - Was expecting the worst as this wouldn't normally be my cup of tea. However, actually the tunes are decent. There were some nice beats and summery sounds if you judge just on the music. The issue is his voice and the auto-tuning effect he uses which is horrible. 6.5
Nova Twins - Enjoyed some of this. Cleopatra for instance has a fantastic Royal Blood type intro to it. But there are also a number of tracks that are beyond my shouty scale. I'd definitely watch them live as I suspect they'd do a good show. 6.7
Foals - Loved this. Thought it was packed full of good tunes. Wake me up and 2am are particular bangers. I think this could be my favourite of theirs for a little while 8
TV Priest - Concur with Andy that there is more than a little bit of The Fall in their sound. But I think a lot of it was actually tuneless sadly. 5.8
TotW - Wake me Up - Foals
Metallica - Good to get a bit of Mad Cool research in but you won't be surprised to learn that I was not a massive fan. Too thrashy for my delicate ears. I've heard worse though for sure and I can appreciate that it's regarded as a classic of its ilk. 6.3
Erol
Drake - he is clearly a talented artist and my kids love him but my issue is that none of his tracks on this album ever really take off (apart from Massive). They just bob along at the same mundane pace. After a while I can’t tell the difference from one to the next. Oh, and the synth-voice thing grates after a while. His music is crying out for a big mix DJ to turn it into something special. 6.1
Nova Twins - this is a bit too spiky and abrasive for me. I don’t know this band and am not sure that their rap style really works alongside the electro-punk-rock soundtrack. Some of the guitar moments are great but the whole thing is just a bit too angry and shouty. 5.6
Foals - thoroughly uplifting and enjoyable. I liked it so much that I listened to it at least 3 times. A great high-energy selection of dance/rock/indie tunes. Wild Green, the final track, is a cracking dance floor number. Am really looking forward to seeing them at Madcool. It’s a shame that there’s a set clash between Foals and Billie Eilish on Friday night at Glastonbury as I was hoping to watch both of them. 8.2
TV Priest - I found this to be surprisingly fun. Sure, it’s a bit rough around the edges but that’s part of the appeal. I reckon they’d be great live. I can just imagine bouncing around in the mosh pit to some of their livelier tracks. 7.1
TOTW - Life is Yours by Foals
Metallica - I used to be a big fan of Iron Maiden when I was much younger but that’s the closest I ever got to heavy/thrash metal. Metallica was, and still are, just a bit too heavy. I totally appreciate the genre and the high esteem in which Metallica are held, but sadly this album doesn’t do a great deal for me. 5.5
Sam
Drake : god this is a poor effort at music … ‘falling back ‘ is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard : 3
TV Priest : less angry than before and pretty decent : 7
Foals : ok indie pop tho I still don’t like his voice : 5.5
Nova Twins : more varied and banging than the shouty previous one : 7.7
TOTW : Sleep Paralysis by Nova Twins
Metallica: blew my ears off in the mid 80’s . Fucking brilliant: 8.2
Jim
Drake - my horizons have expanded in a few directions through this adventure, but we could be doing this 20 years more and I doubt I'll warm to this guff. 3
Nova Twins - liked the mix up, and there was little filler, but lacked standout tracks and a bit of rhythm. . Better than previous offering 6
Foals - I've tried to get into these guys over the years, and feel I should like them more than I do. This feels more jangly than previous rockier offerings? Some of the tracks were a bit limp. They were good when I saw them at Bilbao though, so will give them another go in Madrid. Saved the best til last with Wild Green. 7
TV Priest. Again a step up from previous. Behind his sometimes grating voice the beats were really good, drifting towards LCD at times. My Other People in particular. 7.5
TOTW TV Priest - My Other People
Mark
Drake - Lazy, bland, unadventurous, over-auto-tuned pap. Some laugh out loud lyrics, and not in a good way ("your pussy is calling my name...?") Who likes this rubbish, why is he so massive ? - 3.5
Nova Twins - Nice spunky punk, I liked their last one and I like this too, sorry to have missed them at Reading last year, they're like twin sisters to Bob Vylan - 6.5
Foals - I'm maybe bucking the trend here a bit, but to me they've gone downhill since the Holy Fire album. This kind of white funk is a fine line to tread and I'm not sure they pull it off. Would rather they went back to more of their old sound to be honest - 6
TV Priest - this just takes album of the week for me, although to be fair the competition wasn't strong. Unlike others I quite like the vocals, and the tunes are more Interpol / Editors doomy indie rock than I remember from their previous offering. Best of a bad bunch this week. - 7
TOTW - It Was A Gift, by TV Priest
Simon
Drake: easier on the ears than the KL monstrosity, just very dull. Half-arsed vocals over dated house tracks does not an exciting album make. 4.5
Nova Twins: didn't think much of their last effort but this is much better - they've managed to conjure something a bit more tuneful from all the noise. 6.5
Foals: not listened to them before, but this is excellent - upbeat and great fun, perfect listening for the summer. 8
TV Priest: another new one on me, but thoroughly enjoyed this - bit of the Fall, even reminded me of LCD Soundsystem in the vocals and percussion. Interesting album. 7.5
TOTW: a few Foals contenders but I'm going for Unravelling by TV Priest.
Metallica: didn't dislike this as much as I thought I might, although it's unlikely to ever feature in my Spotify library again. Will take Andy's word for it that it's a classic of its genre, I'm not qualified to comment. 6
Matt
Drake: a half bake cake fake. 3
Nova Twins: you've got to be twin it to win it. 5.5
Foals: they hit their goals 8.1
TV Priest: not the least 6
Justin
Drake don't really understand it. Autotune mumbling, boring lyrics, no tunes except massive. 4
Nova twins just all a bit bland. Went over my head. 5.5
Foals always find with the foals that the songs grow on me over a long period of time. Always a nice summertime feel. 7
TV priest music and vocals all a bit irritating but odd tune was enjoyable 6
TOTW: 2001 foals
Mettalica not my preferred genre but loved the music. Real balls. Still struggle with the vocals. 7
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