26 Jan 2007
Our Lady Peace: Gravity
A follow-up to the outstanding but commercially unsuccessful album Spiritual Machines, Our Lady Peace’s Gravity proved to be a relative hit that gave the band the recogition that was closer to what they had deserved for so long. It won them many new fans but at the same time alienated others - maybe it was the departure of Mike Turner, or the hiring of Bob Rock instead of Mike Lanni as producer, or it could have merely been a planned change of direction on the part of the band themselves. Whatever the reason, it’s a marked departure from the quirky alt-rock of their earlier days.
The second half of the Macross Plus soundtrack is much more varied in style than the first, although inevitably this means that it is less consistent in quality. At least, unlike its predecessor, this CD is still available outside of Japan without going to too much trouble with importing.
The cover says it all. A saturated, colourful shot of a guitar in mid-chord with the band name in barely-noticeable text: My Bloody Valentine. The record that represented the pinnacle of shoegazing after almost bankrupting the label that supported it, Loveless was a commercial failure at its release but it has stood the test of time and inspired countless other proponents of the ‘wall of sound’.
With their 2001 LP Comalies bringing them a higher profile in the industry and their latest single featuring on the soundtrack to the film Underworld: Evolution, Lacuna Coil’s new album Karmacode had a lot more hype to live up to than its predecessors. They’ve been working hard on tour as well and it is evident that the heavier, more hard-hitting sound of their live performances has been captured more effectively this time around.
It’s strange how some things can completely escape your notice. As a fan of ambitious, dramatic rock albums I was utterly unaware of the Delgados until it was too late. They have already decided to stop recording and touring and are instead now concentrating on their record label 
Hailing from the city of Norwich and combining the shoegazing atmospherics of the likes of Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine with catchy indie melodies, Sennen are a distinctive and very promising new band who have recorded their first full-length album after spending several years playing live to audiences in the local area. Although their live shows have always consisted of compelling melodies wrapped up in walls of tuneful noise their recorded sound brings the vocals to the fore: the energy and power of the songs is not lost but they have taken on a lot more focus, making Widows a surprisingly self-assured and accessible debut.
Of the ‘alternative’ bands that made up many of the most successful rock acts of the 1990s the Smashing Pumpkins are one of the most experimental and unusual. Famous for their ambitious musical arrangements, Billy Corgan’s distinctively nasal vocal delivery and range of styles from tender ballads to all-out metal with everything in between, their debut Gish is a surprisingly modest affair that has the promise of what was to come without pushing the boundaries too far.
Hailing from a quiet corner of North Yorkshire and building their sound around a mixture of blues, swing and retro rock ’n’ roll, unsigned band Mr Lilter do not so much as follow a trend as make up their own. The emphasis of their songs being on catchy melodies, accessible lyrics and generally getting feet tapping, they recorded their first album It’s Only Money in 2003. The follow-up, originally titled On Trial and later renamed and re-released with a revised track listing, Talk the Talk, continues the same upbeat vibe and overall is an even more confident- and professional-sounding showcase for their unique sound.
When many people hear the name of New Order the first song that often comes into their heads is that of the seminal track Blue Monday: the hypnotic dance beat with its synthesised bass line is as unmistakable as the melodies of Led Zep’s Whole Lotta Love and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall. Substance, the double disc compilation from 1987 and re-released on CD in 1990, does indeed feature ‘That Song’. Before you skip straight to track four on the first disc and press stop when it finishes, you should remember that it also contains some of the greatest rock/dance tracks of the last twenty years.
