Music Reviews

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you come across the word "New Zealand"? Most people's response would be Lord of the Rings, the All Blacks, wool, Lord of the Rings, did I mention Lord of the Rings?

Here it is, the third instalment in CocoRosie’s quest to marry the uneasy bedfellows (if not downright musical enemies) of hip-hop, indie electronica, opera, gospel, nursery rhymes, and at least half a dozen others.

Laura Marling’s freshness does not lie in any dramatic difference from what has come before: she sings love songs, with a musical foreground of rhythm guitar & string-section joined by strong country influences, well-trod ground for a singer-songwriter. Instead, it comes from the sure-footedness with which she walks it.

Insomniatic is the third album from sisters Aly and Aj. The album kicks off with the lyrically strange Chemicals react. Telling someone that they make your chemicals react strikes me as just a little odd.

This latest effort from My Morning Jacket has some very hit-and-miss moments. Most notably, 'Highly Suspicious' feels very much out of place given the rest of the album - one response from a friend to this song was 'What were they thinking?' (or at least that is the gist of what he said).