There are seven albums in this weeks other notable releases but four of them are not new material. There are two remastered releases, a live album and a b-sides collection.
Morrissey - 'Swords'
This is a compilation album containing 18 b-sides from Morrissey's last three albums. I can't say I've ever really got into Morrissey and haven't really listened to any of the albums he's released in recent years. I had to mention this release though as he has been such an influential figure in the history of British indie and I know there are plenty of fans out there! I don't mind the occassional bit of The Smiths and I do listen to them every now and then but I don't think Morrissey is ever going to make it onto my list of favourites!
Morrissey – Swords
Devendra Banhart - 'What Will We Be'
This is the seventh studio album from this American singer/songwriter. This is quite an impressive achievement since his debut album was only released seven years ago making him much more prolific than most artists these days. His music is loosely described as folk and is certainly influenced by the folk genre but is incredibly experimental and a lot less accessible than you would expect from folk music. Described as psych-folk or avant-folk I have to be honest in places it is trying a bit too hard to be weird but there are some nice moments on this album as well.
Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be
Miike Snow - 'Miike Snow'
This is the debut album from this Swedish electro-pop band. The band is made up of singer/songwriter Andrew Wyatt and the production paring of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg best known for their work with Britney Spears, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. On the face of it this really doesn't sound like something I'd listen to but after (accidentally) seeing them at V Festival in the summer and enjoying it I was interested to see what the album would sound like. To be honest it is nowhere near as interesting on record as it was live but it is not at all bad. Fusing eletronica, pop and indie together to make a fun album with some good and some distinctly average tracks.
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
U2 are one of those bands who you are supposed to like right?! I always feel almost guilty when I admit that I have never really been a fan. My lack of really knowing anything about the band meant that when I saw this listed as a new release I didn't realise that it was actually a remastered re-release marking its 25th anniversary. It was the fourth studio album by the band and saw a change in direction for them as they began to experiment with a more ambient, abstract under the guidance of producer Brian Eno. This is the album that produced the hit songs "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" and "Bad". The remastering of the album was done under the guidance of The Edge and the release include a bonus CD containing b-sides and some live tracks from the album.
U2 – The Unforgettable Fire
Madness - 'One Step Beyond'
Another remastered re-release from a band that I know very little about and have never really got in to! This was the British ska groups debut album originally released in thirty years ago in 1979. Probably their most heavily ska influenced album it spent over a year in the charts in the UK and was listed at 90 in the 100 greatest albums of all time on a Channel 4 survey in 2005. This reissue includes a bonus disc including live tracks, original demos and b-sides. It is not currently on spotify so if you want to hear it you will have to buy it!
REM - 'Live At The Olympia'
This album was recorded in 2007 over a five night residency at Dublin's Olympia Theatre. The album is a double with 39 songs in total, many coming from their 'Accelerate' album. A number of these songs were still works in progess at the time and so are different to the version eventually recorded on the studio album. I have not been following REM in recent years and don't actually know any of the tracks on this album but I do love live albums and REM are certainly a good live band so I will be giving this one a listen.
R.E.M. – Live At The Olympia
Johnny Foreigner - 'Grace And The Bigger Picture'
This is the second studio album from this Birmingham indie-rock trio. Production was done by Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Frank Turner) with recording being done at Futureshock Studios in Brooklyn. I have to say I missed them the first time round and so can't make any comparisons between this and their debut album released last year. Maybe that is a good thing as I have nothing to compare it to and so can't be disappointed that they have lost it or sold out or anything like that! It is a fast paced album full of energy and adrenaline. The melodies jostle with each other as the vocals yelp over intricate guitar work. This album is definately worth a listen, it hasn't made me a massive fan but I'll certainly look out for them in the future!
Johnny Foreigner – Grace And The Bigger Picture
Morrissey - 'Swords'
This is a compilation album containing 18 b-sides from Morrissey's last three albums. I can't say I've ever really got into Morrissey and haven't really listened to any of the albums he's released in recent years. I had to mention this release though as he has been such an influential figure in the history of British indie and I know there are plenty of fans out there! I don't mind the occassional bit of The Smiths and I do listen to them every now and then but I don't think Morrissey is ever going to make it onto my list of favourites!
Morrissey – Swords
Devendra Banhart - 'What Will We Be'
This is the seventh studio album from this American singer/songwriter. This is quite an impressive achievement since his debut album was only released seven years ago making him much more prolific than most artists these days. His music is loosely described as folk and is certainly influenced by the folk genre but is incredibly experimental and a lot less accessible than you would expect from folk music. Described as psych-folk or avant-folk I have to be honest in places it is trying a bit too hard to be weird but there are some nice moments on this album as well.
Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be
Miike Snow - 'Miike Snow'
This is the debut album from this Swedish electro-pop band. The band is made up of singer/songwriter Andrew Wyatt and the production paring of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg best known for their work with Britney Spears, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. On the face of it this really doesn't sound like something I'd listen to but after (accidentally) seeing them at V Festival in the summer and enjoying it I was interested to see what the album would sound like. To be honest it is nowhere near as interesting on record as it was live but it is not at all bad. Fusing eletronica, pop and indie together to make a fun album with some good and some distinctly average tracks.
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
U2 are one of those bands who you are supposed to like right?! I always feel almost guilty when I admit that I have never really been a fan. My lack of really knowing anything about the band meant that when I saw this listed as a new release I didn't realise that it was actually a remastered re-release marking its 25th anniversary. It was the fourth studio album by the band and saw a change in direction for them as they began to experiment with a more ambient, abstract under the guidance of producer Brian Eno. This is the album that produced the hit songs "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" and "Bad". The remastering of the album was done under the guidance of The Edge and the release include a bonus CD containing b-sides and some live tracks from the album.
U2 – The Unforgettable Fire
Madness - 'One Step Beyond'
Another remastered re-release from a band that I know very little about and have never really got in to! This was the British ska groups debut album originally released in thirty years ago in 1979. Probably their most heavily ska influenced album it spent over a year in the charts in the UK and was listed at 90 in the 100 greatest albums of all time on a Channel 4 survey in 2005. This reissue includes a bonus disc including live tracks, original demos and b-sides. It is not currently on spotify so if you want to hear it you will have to buy it!
REM - 'Live At The Olympia'
This album was recorded in 2007 over a five night residency at Dublin's Olympia Theatre. The album is a double with 39 songs in total, many coming from their 'Accelerate' album. A number of these songs were still works in progess at the time and so are different to the version eventually recorded on the studio album. I have not been following REM in recent years and don't actually know any of the tracks on this album but I do love live albums and REM are certainly a good live band so I will be giving this one a listen.
R.E.M. – Live At The Olympia
Johnny Foreigner - 'Grace And The Bigger Picture'
This is the second studio album from this Birmingham indie-rock trio. Production was done by Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Frank Turner) with recording being done at Futureshock Studios in Brooklyn. I have to say I missed them the first time round and so can't make any comparisons between this and their debut album released last year. Maybe that is a good thing as I have nothing to compare it to and so can't be disappointed that they have lost it or sold out or anything like that! It is a fast paced album full of energy and adrenaline. The melodies jostle with each other as the vocals yelp over intricate guitar work. This album is definately worth a listen, it hasn't made me a massive fan but I'll certainly look out for them in the future!
Johnny Foreigner – Grace And The Bigger Picture
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