50-Word Reviews V

March 31st, 2008 by JayJay

R.E.M. - Accelerate Face it, R.E.M. have been boring us with a lot of pointless junk the last one-and-a-half decade. So what do you do if you’ve lost momentum? You become that garage band again. Result: 35 minutes of tight alternative-punk-rock that will pull us through the summer. Apart from that awful closer, that is. Score: 9/14 Preview

Foals - Antidotes Last year Oxford quintet Foals released an exciting live 12” full of bleepy math-nerd-indie. Sadly they didn’t include their singles so far on the album which sounds pretty boring compared to the nervous EP. With Battles’ success (Mirrored) in mind though, this band could be this year’s festival surprise, having an intense live reputation. Score: 7/14 Preview

The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely …and then there was a new Raconteurs album. And boy oh boy, it’s good! Jack White and Brendan Benson produce yet another modern blues rock classic, this one beating the debut by quite some. Stomping rhythms, screaming solos, heavy horn sections, already an album of the year candidate. Score: 13/14 Preview

Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster… My head is full of one-two-three-fours and xylophone tingles! I can’t read out loud most song titles on this record without breaking my tongue! Yet cheeky lyrics on joyful melodies also left me unable to stop dancing around my room for the past month! Great dance-pop with guitars! Los Campesinos! make me Clunk-Rewind-Clunk-Play-Clunk! Score: 11/14
Preview

The Kooks - Konk I’ve tried not to mention that stupid album name in this review. But since this record sounds exactly like the debut, they might as well rename it Inside Finally Out. And to be perfectly honest, it doesn’t even really compare to the debut apart from a single or two. Sophomore slump in a nutshell. Score: 5/14 Preview

Previous Editions: IV, III, II, I