The Weight of Your Love by Editors

 9/10 
Rated: Music is my Radar 

The fourth studio album from Editors has much of the essence of the band, even though is the first since the departure of Chris Urbanowicz (guitarist) it keeps that soft and dark guitar rock style and the melancholy that the band owns. It is a very very well done done album where all works in beautiful harmony.

The album starts with a right song,The Weight, which is like warm up to upcoming sounds and a statement of what to expect: simple (in "appearance") sounds but with plenty and very well distributed notes that make a very interesting record. The way everything works like clockwork is impressive,all at right time, nothing overshadowed, worked but sounds easy, flows naturally, etc.. The little sounds that spice up the songs ,and that make difference from previous albums, are not aggressive they are gradually growing and become part of the songs, beautifully.

'The Weight of Your Love' is an amalgam of late 1980's and 1990's vibes, being powerful and with some sort of gloom but with an enjoyment for that, which only add more intrigue to the amazing record. The album sounds dated, actually, but works nicely for the band because is so well produced that could be compared with the best albums of 1987 to 1997. The sound is nothing new or surprising, sometimes it sounds like Interpol( Hyena) and U2  ( What is this Thing called Love,Honesty) and others times, sadly, it sounds like Hoobastank (Sugar) [but obviously a lot better] and again is how magnificent everything works together what creates a unique sound that makes easy to identify the band.

In my opinion this is their greatest album so far ,although I would have considered the order of the songs more , but it is genius how it is not boring, considering it is a bit plain and 'vintage', but those little twists made a massive difference. The sound is loyal to  past records without being repetitive and cheesy. The album is almost perfect, has a bit of everything and the accurate amount of it, keeps band's soul and is not annoying so is definitely one of the best albums of the year. *astonished

Recommended:  The Weight, Honesty,Formaldehyde, Hyena, The Phone Book

Yeezus by Kanye West

 7/10 
Rated: (I can't get no) Satisfaction 

Not fascinating but with some interesting pieces Kanye West is back with an album that sadly declines and becomes boring and predictable. The album had great expectations with all the hype surrounding it but for a little bit it is mind blowing ,how good the mix is, but it gets stuck and doesn't take much risks. There are a few nice refreshing twists and a few others ruined it.

Although there are not many surprises and the album is pretty much what you should expect from Kanye it does have a more grown up feeling and sometimes he looks back to modernize his style. The opening song  , 'On Sight',  is like the sequel of Kanye's 2008 single 'Stronger', not just because has Daft Punk working on it, as many others in the album,  but the sound is just a continuation and ,I think,  is sampling it as well. The album has a vibe of the underground music from 90's but just a vibe and does not sound like trying to imitate or to bring back the decade is more like a tribute, very likeable. The sound in general is like Battles -band- meets Kanye West's Graduation album in 2013, it might remind at moments to 'Watch the Throne ' as being more honest but in general the sound is very actual.

Kanye West is demonstrating, once again, that he can make hip music and do it great. The sound is what is in fashion but with Kanye touch and the result is good, it has a bit of dubstep  (New Slaves, I Am A God) but isn't that obvious is more Kanye West appropriating every genre the album has. Definitely this record is his more aggressive and dramatic record , with songs like 'Black Skinhead', which sounds like 90's Marylin Manson, the album tend to be more leaned to the rocky side rather than the hip-hop side of Kanye but still have the rap and pop that He has stylized his own way. The album is a mix of sounds that will not normally work so great but was worked effectively that everything is in harmony and have high powerful tracks as soften ones so is quite complete but what kills it is the kind of monotony that after a few songs it starts to get louder.

The album is so well done combining what could be annoying industrial sounds with pop sounds that are very present in charts.It has a certain attempt to create the future sound but fails because is nothing new, is just the right way to do what many are trying to 'create'. The album is fine ,mostly, but definitely is not transcendental, not meet the expectations that with so many great people working on and all the anticipation it could be so much better.

Recommended: Black Skinhead,Send It Up
Not so much: I'm In It, I Am A God

Field of Reeds by These New Puritans

  7.5/10

Rated: A Kind Of Magic 

Finally, the third album is showing a new side of the band and is a lovely effort.When someone mentioned or described These New Puritans 4-5 years ago this sound is what I used to imagine but it took a few years to reach .

Although two previous albums are fine is always good to progress and give something surprising and edgy which can be a success or a failure and this album is that, some may hate it some will like it. There a few elements spread that make the connection to the firsts albums. The record is more inclined to the jazz which is not something new from the band and can be comparable with The XX  but is more intriguing and causes a strange anxiety for more  action that could be a bit hard to find. 

Previous albums have been more though and industrial this new album is more delicate and trendy but it still have the band's essence with a little more heaviness, not in the sense of genre but in the mesmerising (weighty)  feeling that is almost like being drugged and sleepy but not in a bad way, is a over relaxation feeling. But yet at some points is far too much  and is actually  dizzy  which is a bit of a shame that there's not a twist that bring back dynamism  and that something so well made is used for too long  because is could turn boring. Thankfully but slowly  it does variates to more dance and more dramatic fun tunes and a constant harmony blended everything very well. 

The way These New Puritans shaped that magnificent entity into something that still as good as it was is a big achievement and pleasant .   "Field Of Reeds" is less rock-y and punk-y than previous work and basically the band just turned the volume to psychedelic and slow down the tempo. The experimentation still there but it sound less playful and goes straight to point they were looking for so there goes a little fun but is admirable the power it has how it is used. What make this album vulnerable is that there wasn't a transition between the last album  and this one so this one is all of a sudden but there lies its charm.

Recommend:Organ Eternal,Spiral,V (Island Song),Fragment Two

BE by Beady Eye

6.5/10 
Rated: Mr. Personality 

Less eclectic than first album but with the same issues, BE is another album with not much to get interested it lacks identity and has plenty of confidence and nerve in a very ugly way.

To fair first album was not that bad and has many good moments because is not trying to resemble Oasis as much as this new album does, it was pretentious as well but it has its charm. Unfortunately this new album is too focused on Liam Gallagher and not in the same way 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' was this is more trying to get all attention on Liam's voice (Soul Love) and that he can still do Oasis and is a shame because music is mostly good but is always pointing to Liam and is monotonous. Many plain songs on the record but it progress , sometimes, to more dynamic tracks and those songs with little less length and sightly different style are  the songs who saved the album, although there's too much cheesiness.

BE is too close to last Oasis album,"Dig Out Your Soul",  which was modern but with a sound similar to Oasis' beginnings, and this album tries to hard to do that but the thing is it is not the same band and why don't follow the road the previous album had?.Liam said that this album should be like the follow up to "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" and  the song 'Come Tomorrow' does sound like that but is the only one interesting  and is confusing from a band that didn't wanted to be like Oasis at first, that is the biggest problem  in the album they are doing what they didn't wanted to do in the fist album, which was a mess but at least it had it's own style. The album sounds forced to be something it shouldn't be.

It is good to not repeat the same album but the only thing that connect both albums is the 60's vibe, which in this record it was very neglected and yet it sounds overworked. If it  wasn't for the ups and downs and the mix of fast and calm songs the album would be really dull but still need a wild fact and a explosion to make it attractive and less bleak.

Recommended: Second Bite Of The Apple, Soon Come Tomorrow,Start Anew
No So: Shine A Light, Flick Of The Finger

Don't Forget Who You Are by Miles Kane

 6/10 
Rated: (I can't get no) Satisfaction 

Miles Kane second album is a nice follow up and has a more mature and stronger sound but is too messy, a bit pretentious, and for moments it fails into monotony and cheesiness.

It's impossible to not compare this album with other artists sound because is very influenced, or rather said the similarities are massive, (Out of Control) sound a lot like Oasis and 'Fire In My Heart' sound like a bad version of Adam Ficek mixed with Beady Eye. Miles attempt to equate Liam Gallagher's voice /You’re Gonna Get It) and like if he doesn't do that the song would be a failure. So there's no much essence of Miles Kane, maybe he needs to give direction to his influences and not just imitate them. There are bits of Kasabian (Darkness In Our Hearts), bits of The White Stripes mixed with My Chemical Romance (Tonight) and obviously Arctic Monkeys (Taking Over), if only all have a Miles Kane twist  the record would be better because it has everything to sound really good.

The music is powerful and more solid than previous album, old rock and roll vibes with bits of pop.The album sounds modern although it has many notes that are quite vintage kind of the same style of 'Colour of the Trap' but more mature. Even so,the album is a bit childish and arrogant, sounds pedantic at moments and is very hard to connect with it, but is entertaining goes fast without hurting so if only have less commercial fake cockiness and more devotion it would be charming.

 Conclusion: Not a bad album, respecting to music and entertainment, but fails to be unique, surprising and tasteful it is also a bit of a mess and really hard to feel empathic about it. It is a little too generic pop or for mass consumption, it lacks soul and spirit.

To listen: Taking Over, Better Than That,Out of Control,Give Up

…Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age

7/10 
Rated: A Kind of Magic


What  I have always liked about Queens Of The Stone Age is the way how ease the music goes into your ears and take you to hard rock without being so suffocating, is a growing sound,this album has all that. It  takes a further step and is very dancefloor and catchy.

It depends how you feel about making something more commercial if you're going to like it or not, but this album has a very impressive thing: a lot of wonderful sounds united by the same theme. All the songs take the same path, gorgeous guitar riffs, a bit of glam,a 00's vibe but inspired by the 80's synth and electronic pop, could sound boring that the album is all the same but every note is surprising and remind of a great classic rock song, which probably this album will never be but is good and a delight to listen.

There's also a nice variety of happy and more melancholic songs. Perhaps is an overworked album because have many beats, and is feel soulless and is more what you expect  from chart music but it does sound like QOTSA, Josh Homme's voice is amazing and blends beautiful with the music ,although it take a bit to. The music is sweet and notes have an old school lovely air, is like listening to the 80's rock and glam remixed in the 00's, something a bit unique, even though at some songs it closely resembles  Bon Jovi ( The Smooth Sailing) ,Travis (Fairweather Friends), Blur (. …Like Clockwork) and even Pete Doherty (Kalopsia) but all in an american and sort of hard rock style

This elaborated album is not what you expected but it is also not far from that, a good move for an album, hope it doesn't stay like that in upcoming ones.Very well placed little surprises and twist complement the album to have variation and break the boredom that it could [hardly] have.It didn't took the cliche road an went for something more "dynamic" that still on same style of the band.

To Listen:  I Sat By The Ocean, I Appear Missing,The Vampyre of Time and Memory, If I Had A Tail,. …Like Clockwork