New Music: Because I Don't Know (Lita Lores Version)

           

Tricky's single "Because I Don’t Know" now gets a female perspective thanks to Lita Lores. For the 21-year-old British singer, Bristol icon Adrian Thaws (who, as in the other versions, only provides a breathy backing vocal) completely transforms the song: Where the regular album version, with Mitch Sanders's falsetto, is a bouncy, danceable track with a catchy drum loop, the beat here is no longer so danceable and directly impactful, but rather ethereal and hallucinogenic. It pulsates dreamily and crackles subversively, while Lita Lores sensually revels in the electronically lush drama. The keyboard takes on a latent glimmer of hope, and the keyboard instruments generally expand more atmospherically, while the subtle strings sound more cinematic. In short: This version of "Because I Don't Know" is more clearly based on Tricky's classic albums.

New Music: Everything At Once

           

Dinosaur Jr. are officially back. The alt-rock pioneers just dropped "Everything At Once" a shimmering first single off their 13th studio album, There Near.  While a lot of the new record leans into fast, driving punk energy, the new single hits a different sweet spot, think classic power-pop meets J Mascis’ signature melancholic crunch—heavy on the hooks, dripping with analog warmth, and carrying that unmistakable downbeat indie charm. For the video directed by Guy Kozak, the visual accompaniment features a poor soul trapped in a full, clanking medieval suit of armor trying to survive everyday modern errands. Watching a knight mow the lawn and walk a dog provides the exact kind of dry, self-aware humor that makes the band so enduringly cool.

New Music: The Ballad Of Terry Fox

            

Singer Bryan Adams has released a new song, "The Ballad of Terry Fox," and an accompanying music video that celebrates the Marathon of Hope runner. The song will be featured in the upcoming documentary about Fox, Run Terry Run and also in his forthcoming album "How's It Goin." The film details Fox's journey with losing his right leg to osteosarcoma and his run from St. John's to raise money and awareness for cancer research. "I remember Terry’s run back in 1980 when I was on tour in Canada playing 200-capacity clubs," Adams said in a press release. “I was 20 years old and I think Terry was a year older than me." "When he stopped near Thunder Bay on Sept. 1, I had just played in Ottawa, and his run was all over the news," he continued. "Thinking back, it was a pivotal time in Canada. Without knowing it, Terry gave our slightly fractious country a ‘something' and ‘someone' that everyone could agree on and unite behind."The song's lyrics detail Fox's run and his dream of finding a cure for cancer: "The finish line was in his mind, not a city on a map," Adams sings. Fox ended his marathon in Thunder Bay, Ont., after cancer spread to his lungs. He died 10 months later at 22. Sean Menard, who directed the film, shared that "Bryan is a legendary storyteller, and his words paired with Terry’s story on screen felt incredibly powerful. To have one Canadian icon write a song about another is truly special. Given the political climate while I was editing the video, I often found myself deeply moved with Canadian pride." Run Terry Run will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Rocktrospectiva: The Italo Disco Classic "Shy Like And Angel" Turns 40

Released between 1985-1986 "Shy Like an Angel" by New Romantique was a synth-pop track with a terrific blend of italo disco and new wave produced by The Feldman Brothers.

 

Originally released in 1985 as 7-inch and 12-inch in Germany and France. A series of limited editions such as the Hong Kong pressing were available in 1986. 

 

The track featured key contributions from vocalist and songwriter, Alex Elena, and producer, Jack Anderson. As a contemporary representative of the synth-pop genre, "Shy Like an Angel" blended nostalgic elements of 80s new wave with modern electronic music production techniques. 

 

The song grabbed attention for its dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes and introspective lyrics, which explore themes of love, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Historically, "Shy Like an Angel" is notable for its contribution to the current resurgence of interest in synth-pop and new wave music, influencing a new generation of musicians and fans.

New Music: Feed The Sewer

           

Protomartyr shares "Feed the Sewer," the second single from their forthcoming album, Hotel Usona, out September 25th. About the single, Casey comments, "The title comes from a line of dialogue in a Peter Greenaway movie. The sentiment of the song is that artificial intelligence is against humanity. The belief is that people are often willing to destroy the world in exchange for convenience. The lyrics are the usual mish-mash of political fears, personal grievances, literary references, and poop jokes. The music is very loud, like a data center."  Video director, Andrew Theodore Balasia, says, "Loneliness in the age of surveillance is the theme we explored for this video. The motel becomes a physical microcosm of data collection, each room a profile - each guest willingly paying to stay in a room that is being monitored by strangers. The banality of what’s being observed becomes its own source of unease, stripping away spectacle until all that remains is the dull, unsettling desire to connect with anything."

News: Pet Shop Boys Announce A New Recording Of "A Man From The Future" Will Be Premiered On BBC This October

Made in collaboration with Turing's biographer, Professor Andrew Hodges. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, it was first performed it at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014, as part of the BBC Proms, with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers. For this new version, both the text and the music have been revised.

BBC Radio 6 Music will broadcast the 2026 edition on Sunday 4 October, within Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone (8–10pm) and Maconie will also speak to Tennant, Lowe and Hodges about the reworking, including their approach to combining electronic and orchestral music.

A man from the future will then air on BBC Radio 3 later the same evening, within Unclassified (11.30pm–12.30am), with Pet Shop Boys and Hodges joining presenter Elizabeth Alker in the studio to discuss the original performance and its revision. After that, both broadcasts will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days afterwards.

The piece follows Turing's life chronologically across eight parts: his school days and early interest in mathematics, his time at Cambridge, his work breaking the German Enigma machine's codes during the Second World War, his role in the invention of the digital computer and his early predictions about artificial intelligence, his trial and conviction for a homosexual relationship, his death in 1954, the royal pardon granted to him in 2013, and his lasting influence.

The duo explain the piece was intended as a tribute to Turing's life and treatment. "Our motive in creating this work was to make a musical memorial to Alan Turing, who gave so much to his country and the world and was rewarded for it by being prosecuted for his sexuality. In both his professional and private lives, he was ahead of his time."

Lorna Clarke, BBC Director of Music adds: "When Pet Shop Boys debuted A man from the future at the BBC Proms twelve years ago, audiences were treated to an ambitious and moving tribute to the life and legacy of Alan Turing."

The 2026 recording is co-produced by Pet Shop Boys and German composer Sven Helbig, who also worked on the original 2014 orchestrations. This version leans further into electronic production, alongside a more intimate string arrangement from Helbig. Olivier-winning actress Juliet Stevenson, who appeared in the 2014 Royal Albert Hall performance, returns to deliver narration adapted from Hodges' biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma, which Hodges has updated for this revision. Manchester Camerata Octet perform the strings, with Manchester Grammar School choir also featured.

New Music: The Light That Surrounds You

           

Echo & The Bunnymen have shared "The Light That Surrounds You," the second single taken from their forthcoming album Apples For Isaac. The song finds Ian McCulloch offering words of hope and redemption, set against a swirl of guitar built for festival fields and wide-open spaces. The new track follows previous single "Brussels Is Haunted" and offers another glimpse of Apples For Isaac, the band's 13th studio album and their first collection of new music in twelve years. The album is set for release on September 18 via BMG and follows 2014’s Meteorites and the 2018 compilation The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon. It will be available on black vinyl, limited splatter vinyl, limited picture disc, CD and digital formats.

In Memoriam: The Iconic Artist "Yayoi Kusama" Has Died Aged 97

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died, she was 97. In a statement issued on Wednesday, her representative David Zwirner said Kusama passed away from multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital on August 14. 

“She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush, and continued exploration of forever love and eternal soul,” the studio’s statement said. “We will carry forward Kusama’s wishes and, through art, continue to bring hope and strength for the future to people around the world.”

Kusama, one of Japan's most respected contemporary artists, was widely exhibited around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum Ludwig in Germany.

Repetitive motifs were her trademark, in various shapes, resembling netting, swirls or worms, but most often dots, dancing proudly on her canvases, or as sparkling balls or dots of light in her installations, in all their vibrant psychedelic glory.

"I want to create a thousand paintings, maybe two thousand paintings, as many as I can draw," she said in her childlike but matter-of-fact tone. "I will keep painting until I die." Kusama insisted she drew the way she saw the world: covered with spots, part of the hallucinations she said she had from childhood. 

She was in and out of psychiatric institution for decades, although her sickness did not hold her back as she was one of the first Japanese women to go to New York to pursue her art, in 1957. Although soft-spoken and shy in her mannerisms, Kusama was always unabashedly bold in the assertion of her dotty vision, not only in sticking to the style for decades but also in making it accessible to the masses.

In her later years, as the times caught up with her art, she enjoyed fame. She signed on with fashion brands like Louis Vuitton as well as other licensed products like teacups, T-shirts and key chains with her illustrations, including replicas of her likeness that were used in show windows and other marketing. In 2008, Christie's auctioned her work for $5.8 million. In 2016, she won the most prestigious award Japan gives its artists, the Order of Culture.

Kusama was called pop, avant-garde, feminist, just to name some of the categories thrown at her, most of which Kusama brushed off as not quite representative of her art. She was born in a middle-class family but felt misunderstood, as her parents wanted her to simply get married. They wanted to buy her kimono, not paints and brushes. She knew she had to get away. She chose America.

In New York, the fad was "action painting," characterized by dribbles, swooshes and smears, not dots. She suffered years of poverty and obscurity. But she kept painting dots. She put circles of paper on people’s bodies, and once a horse, in "happening" anti-war performances in the late 1960s, which got some people arrested for obscenity but helped get media attention for her art. 

Over the years, Kusama made quirky but stunningly celebratory works like "Macaroni Girl," a female figure plastered with macaroni, which expresses the fear of food; "The Visionary Flowers," giant sculptures of twisting tulips, and"“Mirrored Corridor," a room with mirrors that delivers an illusion of a field of phallic protrusions speckled with dots. Kusama has also made films and published several novels, said she wasn’t sure where she got her ideas. She just picked up her brush and started drawing. 

Rest In Power Kusama.

Rocktrospectiva: The Confident Return To Form "Get Ready" Turns 25

Released on 27 August 2001 "Get Ready" was the 7th., studio album by English rock band New Order. It was the band's first studio album in eight years, following 1993's Republic. The album spawned the singles "Crystal", "60 Miles An Hour" & "Someone Like You."

New Order reformed to make a comeback record. That comeback record became 2001’s Get Ready, peaking at number six in the UK album charts. The recording process was a long-awaited reunion for the estranged Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner, and the two Joy Division founders put aside their differences to enjoy a fruitful, intimate recording process together — even if drummer Stephen Morris and guitarist/keyboardist Gillian Gilbert were largely absent. According to Hook’s ‘Substance: Inside New Order’ memoir, he and Sumner enjoyed the best working relationship they’d ever had, and made a record that they were both immensely proud of.

The album opened with "Crystal" back when the band reformed after almost a decade of absence and side projects, it was obvious that something big was needed for the Manchester veterans to successfully get back on the horse and this track was exactly what the band needed: a deliriously infectious electronic-rock single that catapults the group into the gargantuan sheen of modern production. "60 Miles An Hour" was an adrenaline-fuelled, guitar-heavy romp it was confident, and it was considered one of the best of New Order's track, "Turn My Way" featured Billy Corgan who duets with Sumner, playing the part of repressed, tortured conscience for Sumner’s straight-talking Mancunian pub-goer. Corgan croons ethereally, like a ghost of partying past, as Sumner stumbles between past regrets and confused ambitions. Although firmly anchored in the New Order canon by Hook’s mastery of the bittersweet bass line, Turn My Way was one of the most unique cuts in the group’s whole catalogue, "Vicious Streak" considered one of the songs of the set, the track swayed with a simple, hypnotic combination of Kraftwerk-esque sequencer patterns and lo-fi drum machine riffs. Hook’s trademark bass swoops in with all the discipline of an acrobat: the high-fretted melody braces itself against the steel, swings up into the clouds, composes itself in mid-air limbo, before landing with grace. 

Next was "Primitive Notion" considered New Order’s most apparent call to their proto-goth past since 1981’s Movement, it was a 1979 post-punk track gone modern. Sumner and Hook led the frock with aggressive string-playing. Galloping behind is a drum pattern with a subtle delay effect, always a millisecond off the melodic leads, "Slow Jam" was one of the most laddish recordings the band has ever released, the only thing separating Slow Jam from being a 00s Oasis track is a Peter Hook bass line. It’s really that close to mediocrity, "Rock The Shack" featuring Bobby Gillespie moved away from synth-pop, or post-punk, there’s was no tense mix between electronica and rock ‘n’ roll here. It sounded like a band not quite sure who they are anymore. "Someone Like You" was like the odd gem a true dance rock tune in every sense pure New Order, it had everything that fans have come to expect of the band through decades of electronic misadventures: an insistent drum pattern that shifts between the analogue and the synthesised, an ear-worm lead bass hook, and nonsensical lyrics of the 3am sleep-deprived brainstorm variety. 

The final tunes "Close Range" was a cautionary warning from one to friend another, it was a surprinsingly cut exploring drug abuse, it has a sort of disco synthesisers, guitar but it lacked of certain sense, and finally "Run Wild" it was somewhat confusing, cause Bernard Sumner delivered on this by attempting to write a New Order folk song.  

 

The album received generally and positive reviews back then by calling a stunning and confident return to form, they never sounded stronger or more vigorous and it deemed as the band's best album in 15 years at the time, the album was the sound of a great band breaking free of their past before your ears.

 

Get Ready Track List:

 

1. Crystal

2. 60 Miles An Hour

3. Turn My Way featuring Billy Corgan

4. Vicious Streak

5. Primitive Notion

6. Slow Jam  

7. Rock The Shack featuring Bobby Gillespie  

8. Someone Like You

9. Close Range

10. Run Wild  

Rocktrospectiva: The Refined And Quite Successful "Fear" Turns 35

Released on 27 August 1991 "Fear" was the 3rd., studio album by the US alternative rock band Toad The Wet Sprocket. It became the first commercially successful album for the band, selling over a million copies and was certified platinum three years after release, on September 1, 1994.

The album debuted at number 49 on Billboard 200 a year after its release. Two of the album's singles peaked within the Billboard Hot 100's top 40: "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean", which peaked at numbers 15 and 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Other singles released were "Is It For Me?" & "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted."

Fear was Toad the Wet Sprocket’s coming-of-age album, one where they graduated from woodshedding of the first two albums to a fully-formed artist.  And what an artistry it is. It contained both their biggest hits "All I Want" and perhaps most consistent set of tunes.

The album opened nonchalantly with their signature tune "Walk on the Ocean" which was just as indescribable as Toad’s artistic identity.  Languid yet steady, nostalgic and poignant, the song takes us through a mysterious journey in which we venture out of the harsh reality, witness some miracles, only to be pulled back into an unsettling homecoming. From there the band took us through eleven more songs that go up and down effortlessly both in terms of momentum and intensity, with not a single weak spot in sight.  "Is It for Me", "Hold Her Down", "Before You Were Born" all rock hard while painting vivid pictures of childhood adventure going awry, sexual violence and personal rejection.  "Something To Say" and "All I Want" were more reassuring, even if not entirely able to abandon the melancholy behind.  “Pray Your Gods” and “Stories I Tell” went into somber and scary places, but those are the low points that make the closer "I Will Not Take These Things for Granted" all the more uplifting.  And finally the shortest song "Nightingale Song" is a perfectly crafted gem about life's humbling moments.

Fear was the real and serious deal, the band had a bigger production budget, and producer Gavin McKillop created a reverb-drenched sonic soundscape that highlights the mystery that still exists in the band songs.  Philips, guitarist Todd Nichols and bassist Dean Dinning took advantage of the longer studio time by creating denser and more varied layers than they have done before or since, and the result is an album full of beautiful acoustic layers, a sort of ntrovert's rock, cause as relatable as some of Glen's lyrics are, Toad is about subtlety, ambiguity and shades of gray.  

 

Fear Track List:  

 

1. Walk On The Ocean

2. Is It For Me?

3. Butterflies

4. Nightingale Song

5. Hold Her Down

6. Pray Your Gods

7. Before You Were Born

8. Something To Say

9. In My Ear

10. All I Want

11. Stories I Tell

12. I Will Not Take These Things For Granted

Rocktrospectiva: The Fiercely And Emotional "Ten" Turns 35

Released on 27 August 1991 "Ten" was the debut studio album by the US rock band Pearl Jam.  Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. The group recorded a five-song instrumental demo tape featuring Matt Cameron on drums. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle. Many of the songs on Ten began as instrumental jams or Mother Love Bone songs for which Vedder composed new melodies and lyrics.

Despite its reputation as a quintessential grunge album, Ten was noted for displaying a stronger classic rock influence than other contemporary grunge releases, drawing comparisons to the work of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. The album is also characterised as having an anthemic, rich sound. Ten was not an immediate commercial success, but by late 1992, it had reached number two on the Billboard 200. The album produced three hit singles: "Alive", "Even Flow", and "Jeremy".

Beyond its role in consolidating the mainstream success of grunge rock in the early 1990s, Ten is generally considered to have been instrumental in the rise and dominance of alternative rock throughout the decade.

Guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament had played together in the pioneering grunge band Green River. Following Green River's dissolution in 1987, Ament and Gossard played together in Mother Love Bone during the late 1980s. Mother Love Bone's career was cut short when vocalist Andrew Wood died of a drug overdose in 1990, shortly before the release of the group's debut album, Apple. Devastated, it took months before Gossard and Ament agreed to play together again. Gossard spent his time afterwards writing material that was harder-edged than what he had been doing previously.

After a few months, Gossard started practicing with fellow Seattle guitarist Mike McCready, whose band Shadow had broken up; McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with Ament. The three then went into the studio for separate sessions with Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and former Shadow drummer Chris Friel to record some instrumental demos. Five of the songs recorded—"Dollar Short", "Agytian Crave", "Footsteps", "Richard's E", and "E Ballad"—were compiled onto a tape called Stone Gossard Demos '91 that was circulated in the hopes of finding a singer and drummer for the trio.

San Diego musician Eddie Vedder acquired a copy of the demo in September 1990, when it was given to him by former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons. Vedder listened to the demo, went surfing, and wrote lyrics the next day for "Dollar Short", "Agytian Crave", and "Footsteps". "Dollar Short" and "Agytian Crave" were later retitled "Alive" and "Once", respectively. Gossard and Ament heard the demo with Vedder's vocals and lyrics, and were impressed enough to fly Vedder out to Seattle for an audition. Meanwhile, Vedder had written lyrics for "E Ballad", retitled "Black". Vedder arrived on October 13 and rehearsed with the band for a week, writing eleven songs in the process. Vedder was soon hired as the band's singer, and the group signed to Epic Records shortly thereafter.

The band started to work in March 1991 with producer Rick Parashar to record its debut album. After working with Parashar on Temple of the Dog, Stone and Ament asked him to co-produce and engineer Ten. Parashar also contributed piano, organ, percussion, co-wrote vocal harmonies and co-wrote the intro/outro of the album. A few tracks were previously recorded at London Bridge in January, but only "Alive" was carried over from that session. The album sessions were quick and lasted only a month, mainly due to the band having already written most of the material for the record. "Porch", "Deep", "Why Go", and "Garden" were first recorded during the album sessions; everything else had been previously recorded during demo sessions at some point. McCready said that "Ten was mostly Stone and Jeff; me and Eddie were along for the ride at that time."

Ten has been described as a grunge, alternative rock, and hard rock album. Several of the songs on the album started as instrumental compositions that Vedder added lyrics to after he joined the band. Regarding the lyrics, Vedder said, "All I really believe in is this fucking moment, like right now. And that, actually, is what the whole album talks about." Vedder's lyrics for Ten deal with subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder. The album also tackles social concerns such as homelessness on "Even Flow" and the use of psychiatric hospitals on "Why Go". The song "Jeremy" and its accompanying video were inspired by a true story in which a high school student shot himself in front of his classmates.

Many listeners interpreted "Alive" as an inspirational anthem due to its decidedly uplifting instrumentals and chorus. Vedder has since revealed that the song tells the semi-autobiographical tale of a son discovering that his father is actually his stepfather (his real father having died long ago), while his mother's grief turns her to sexually embrace her son, who strongly resembles the biological father. "Alive" and "Once" formed part of a song cycle in what Vedder later described as a "mini-opera" entitled Momma-Son. 

The album's cover art features the members of the band at the time of recording in a group pose and standing in front of a wood cut-out of the name "Pearl Jam", with their hands risen high and holding one another's. The wood cut-out was constructed by Jeff Ament who later said, "The original concept was about really being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band...a sort of all-for-one deal." Ament is credited for the album's artwork and art direction, Lance Mercer receives credit for photography, and both Lisa Sparagano and Risa Zaitschek are credited for design. Pearl Jam's original name was taken from the professional basketball player Mookie Blaylock. It was changed after the band signed to Epic Records, as record executives were concerned about intellectual property and naming rights following Blaylock's inking of an endorsement deal with Nike. In commemoration of the band's original name, the band titled Ten after Blaylock's jersey number.

Since its released, the album has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Some praised Ten, saying that Pearl Jam "hurtles into the mystic at warp speed." Others called it "raucous modern rock, spiked with infectious guitar motifs and powered with driving bass and drums," and said it "may well be the face of the 90's metal." Others defined the album as "introspective and charged with a quiet emotional force". Althought others reviews were less enthusiastic, and called the band as a mere derivativ of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains & Mother Love Bone, even NME accused Pearl Jam of "trying to steal money from young alternative kids' pockets." 35 years later, the album has been regarded as arguably the greatest rock debut record of all time and even included the album in the site's list of "4 Grunge Albums That Are Way Better Than Nevermind"

 

Ten Track List:  

 

1. Once

2. Even Flow

3. Alive

4. Why Go

5. Black

6. Jeremy

7. Oceans

8. Porch

9. Garden

10. Deep

11. Release

Albums: All In Now

Dogstar are back in style with their brand new 4th., studio album "All In Now" the band has released three singles so far "All In Now", "Jou" & "The Sphere" capture all that gritty 90s alt-rock vibe. 

 

The Los Angeles trio returned in 2023 with Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees after a two-decade hiatus and thaterecord leaned toward a breezier, lighter tone, now everything seems to be right with a brilliant alternative rock sound, indeed they are an alternative rock band picture in the 90s, passing from post-punk to grunge with an outstanding guitar sound and a strong bass line that makes the listener to grab some attention. Right from the opening chords, the song taps into a familiar sonic lane that feels comfortably rooted inhe m tid-90s alternative rock playbook.

 

The tracklist is strong, and makes the first listen an intense experience and wanting to repeat it, the remarkable tracks to start here the opener, "Math", the singles "All In Now", & "Joy" and "The Whisper", or "Exalted."Right from the opening chords, the song taps into a familiar… for me… sonic lane that feels comfortably rooted inhe m tid-90s alternative rock playbook. There’s a weight to the verse that carries a grungier edge than what I remembered from their most recent album.

 

The opener "Math" is simply brilliant, strong and full of confidence the first 35 seconds feel like the guitars are back in town assuring you these guys can play. Then the second song, "The Sphere", hits and changes the mood to a brighter, faster-paced melodic tone. The grooviness of the piece is infectious.  "All In Now" is a compact guitar parade of buzzing energy while "The Whisper" could easily become a major radio hit thanks both to the micro-story and deliberate 90s sound (no kidding). 

 

There are other tracks such like "Exalted" considered the weakest but no quite sure in the end and after two good listening you made up your mind, another highlight is "Shard Of Rain" with certain The Cure vibes. 

 

Lyrically, "All In Now" leans into themes of self-determination and emotional clarity and the musical texture is intense, the verses carry a darker, heavier tone before the chorus opens up into a brighter lift that gives the song a dynamic push and pull. It’s the kind of structure that feels instantly familiar to anyone who grew up on 90s alternative radio. 

 

It’s impossible not to acknowledge Keanu Reeves here. On bass, he locks in with drummer Robert Mailhouse to create a steady rhythmic backbone that keeps the track moving without ever trying to steal the spotlight. It’s solid, grounded playing that serves the song exactly the way it should and this propelled by Nick Launay production. 

 

All In Now Track List: 

 

1. Math

2. This Sphere

3. All In Now

4. Exalted

5. Siren

6. Punch In The Sky 

7. Joy

8. What Is

9. The Whisper

10. Shards Of Rain

11. Shallow Easy

12. Wing 

In Memoriam: The Legendary British Actor "Tim Curry" Has Died Aged 80

The legendary and prolific British stage, screen and voice actor, the beloved Tim Curry has died aged 80. He was best known for his starring roles in the cult "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Clue", "It" and "Muppet Treasure Island".

A cause of death was not immediately available, though Curry had suffered from several health issues since a severe stroke in 2012 left him unable to walk.

Best known for his role as Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania", in the cult musical comedy The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Curry was considered one of the most charismatic performers of his generation.

Born in Cheshire, England, on 19 April 1946, Curry began his professional acting career in a 1968 West End production of the rock musical "Hair" shortly after graduating from the University of Birmingham. He followed that up with roles in stage performances of Shakespeare, Brecht and Stoppard, before the subversive camp classic Rocky Horror launched him to worldwide stardom. It is still considered a classic of musical cinema and continues to run in limited release to this day, making it the longest-running film release of all time.

Other memorable big screen roles include Rooster Hannigan in Annie, Dr. Yevgeniy Petrov in The Hunt for Red October, Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers.

Beyond Rocky Horror, Curry also made quite the lasting impression in the 1990 miniseries It, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. He played the main antagonist Pennywise the Clown, and scared an entire generation of children in the process. Curry continued to act on stage throughout his career, with a Tony-nominated performance as Mozart in 1981's Amadeus. Other memorable roles followed in The Pirates of Penzance, The Rivals, My Favourite Year  which earned him a second Tony nomination and Spamalot, the stage adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which he played King Arthur. That role earned him his third Tony nomination.

Following his stroke in July 2012, Curry pivoted to voice acting. Among his voice acting projects were FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Peter Pan & the Pirates - with the latter winning him an Emmy Award.

Curry, who never married and had no children, was deeply private about his personal life. However, he wrote in his 2025 memoir, "Vagabond", that he was convinced to tell his story thanks to so many moving encounters with fans.

Rocktrospectiva: Flowered Up's Biggest Album "A Life With Brian" Turns 35

Released on 26 August 1991 "A Life With Brian" was the debut studio album of the conic UK indie band Flowered Up, seen as London’s answer to Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. Formed on the back of meetings with original members, brothers Liam Maher vocalist and guitarist Joe Maher joined by Andrew ‘Jacko’ Jackson on bass along with John O'Brain on drums and Simon Lovekin on keyboards. Soon after this first line up O'Brain was replaced by John Tuvey, Lovekin replaced by Tim Dorney with the addition of onstage dancer and off-stage serial prankster Barry Mooncult the band lit up their audience with their dance funk indie fuelled anthems and legendary live on stage mad capped performances. 

Flowered Up signed to London Records and recorded their only album, A Life with Brian, originally the band released three singles, the synthesizer anthem "It's On," the haunting "Phobia," whilst "Take It" showcased the bands love The Clash and had lyrics from Joe Strummer. Other classic and stunning single "Weekender" was released to criticism and plenty of scratching of heads with it being over 12 minutes long it that unfortunately not many radio stations played it.

The album was recorded at Pete Townshend's Ell Pie studio with money and time thrown at the band at the time of recording, there was too much time and money thrown at the project, resulting in familiar live fresh anthems, when the actual appeal of the band came live and direct in their on stage frantic, ardent performances, meaning virtually everyone connected to the band mentioned they really should have gone into the studio recorded live cuts and left in a flash. 

About the recording, you can hear Dorney providing his own shine and polish overall sound; Liam's iconic vocals were so shining to be heralded, this combination resulted in a voice of unrivalled passion and startling vibrancy, Liam really ranked up there with the very best. Other highlights across the album included "Egg Rush,"  the would be single with Anna Haigh sounded like a modern-day Siouxsie Sioux, the dynamic rush of keyboards introduces the band in formidable form, a track right for a Saturday night on the tiles.

Joe Maher a modern day Hendrix, fingered all over the fret, it'd be hard to find a more naturally gifted guitarist from this period who has not had the light shone firmly in his direction. His work shone proudly on "Take It," Clive Langer version of "Crackerjack" and "Weekender." 

A Life with Brian contained many of their popular live songs, as well as new versions of the previously released singles. Not long afterwards, Flowered Up released the 13-minute-long single "Weekender" on Heavenly, with a video directed by W.I.Z. starring Lee Whitlock and Anna Haigh. Despite the group's—and Heavenly's—refusal to compromise on a standard-length edit for radio play (although two "radio edits" were circulated, neither really addressed the needs of radio programmers, as one was merely the full-length version but with the two instances of the phrase "fuck off" muted, while the other reduced the length of the intro, but still ran for over 12 minutes), the track went on to become their biggest hit, reaching number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. After much-publicised drug problems with some members of the band, and unproductive (and some unreleased) studio work, the band split up. Keyboardist Tim Dorney went on to form Republica, their debut album went on to be remastered and reissued.

A Life With Brian Track List: 

 

1.  Sunshine

2. Take It

3. Crackerjack

4. Mr. Happy Reveller

5. Histerically Blue

6. It's On

7. Silver Pan

8. Phobia

9. Egg Rush 

10. Doris...Is A Little Bit Partial 

Rocktrospectiva: Blur's Rare Debut Album "Leisure" Turns 35

Released on 26 August 1991 "Leisure" was the debut studio album by English rock band Blur. The album drews influences from the Madchester and shoegaze styles popular in the UK indie scene at the time, contrasting with the Britpop sound that the band would later pioneer beginning with follow-up album Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993). It features the band's first three singles, "She's So High", "There's No Other Way", and "Bang", and marks the beginning of Blur's long-running collaboration with producer Stephen Street, who produced the majority of the album's 12 tracks.

Upon its release, Leisure received mixed reviews from critics but was a moderate commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies and earning Gold certification in the UK. While the album has undergone some critical reappraisal in later years, it is most often viewed in comparison to the band's later work.

After adding producer Stephen Street to the mix, their second single "There's No Other Way" became a big hit in the UK, peaking at number 8. Although the third single "Bang" did not fare as well, the band became bona fide pop stars in the UK and, according to NME, "the acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam."

Heavily influenced by The Charlatans and The Stone Roses, Leisure is a great snapshot of a band trying mightily to find its voice. Leisure was a stepping stone for Blur indeed, on the strength of their subsequent releases, the foursome transformed into one of Britain's most beloved acts of the past 35 years, while they still enjoy a very loyal, somewhat cult-like following here in the US.

Even though Leisure was very much a product of its time, it still holds up as a rather solid debut album. In the early '90s, the music scenes were struggling to find a definitive sound and at the time the Manchester scene had simply died out with nothing to replace it. Blur just happened to be caught in the middle of this transition.

Talking about the tracks, you can find a series of clues to what will come later in the band, and Albarn's career, "Repetition" clearly pointed to Albarn’s acclaimed side project Gorillaz the odd gem on Leisure was "Sing" the original version of "Sing", entitled "Sing (To Me)", was recorded as a demo in late 1989 under the band's former name, Seymour, and can be heard on the ultra-rare promo-only single which was released over a decade later in February 2000 and on the first of a 4-disc set with rare material in the Blur 21 box set, also, the track subsequently featured on the 1996 Trainspotting soundtrack. With one foot stuck in the past (think Velvet Underground) and the other reaching for the future, this song illustrates Blur’s untapped promise, the trippy and quasi-psychedelic "She's So High" manage to peaked at No. 48 in the UK, and of course the groovy "There's No Other Way"and of course the hatred "Bang". There were other weaker tracks such as  "Wear Me Down" and "Birthday” but in spite of that, Leisure was intriguing enough but there was something quite special about discovering a band at its genesis.

The cover photograph was taken in May 1954 by Charles Hewitt, for a Picture Post fashion feature on bathing hats, "Glamour in the Swim".

Leisure received mixed reviews from the British music press and called the album as one of those happy occasions when the hype is dead right but recalled the band don't appear to know what they're doing and as a result make appalling mistakes all over the place". He also described the lyrics as "bad". In a 2007 interview, lead singer Damon Albarn expressed distaste for the album, describing it as "awful" and being one of the two "bad records" he has made in his career (the other being Blur album The Great Escape).

 

Leisure Track List.

 

1. She's So High

2. Bang

3. Slow Down

4. Repetition

5. Bad Day

6. Sing

7. There's No Other Way

8. Fool

9. Come Together

10. High Cool

11. Birthday

12. Wear Me Down

Rocktrospectiva: The Eclectic And Inventive "Martika's Kitchen" Turns 35

Released on 26 August 1991 "Martika's Kitchen" was the second and final studio album by singer-songwriter Martika, the album spawned the singles "Love...Thy Will Be Done", "Martika's Kitchen", "Coloured Kisses", "Safe In The Arms Of Love" & "Spirit."

The album was a departure in musical styles from Martika's debut album, cause incorporated elements of gospel, jazz, funk, R&B and traditional Cuban music. The album featured four songs written and produced by Prince. The four Prince songs (tracks 1–3 and 10) on the album were recorded by him and then sent to Martika to overdub. Three of those songs were based on a lyrics notebook she had given him for inspiration. Although Martika's Kitchen, bought the listener into a world where the diversity and eclectic nature of the songs were just as varied as any inventive recipe.

The album had the touch of Prince on it, apparently she approached him, and this ended up with her having the title track Martika’s Kitchen written solely by him and three co-writer credits, unfortunately this album didn't replicate the success of her debut eponymous 1988 album, Martika, although it fared better outside the US.

The big hit was the Prince co-written track Love… Thy Will Be Done, definitely Martika's breathy vocals and the soft backing track really worked out. The lead single for the album bought worldwide success that was more than justified. It remains an all-time favourite Martika tune, it was like nothing Martika had sung before and a risky, one of four Prince contributions to the album, this slow burn, shimmering piece of pop has more than stood the test of time and is just as elegantly exquisite today as it was back then, the drum and bass are consistent throughout the song, with the melody following a similar pattern. Martika's Kitchen" the album's title track was, of course, a single only Martika could release. It was an equally enticing but entirely different Prince contribution than the single that preceded it, this vibrant, up-tempo nugget was polar opposite to the stately love, the sassy lyrics were a thinly disguised metaphor for all sorts of naughty shenanigans, emboldening the listener to be as confident as Martika's sultry, confident vocal. Coloured Kisses, was produced by Clivilles and Cole, better known as the awful act (at least for me) C+C Music Factory.  Safe In The Arms of Love  was like a narrative sequel to Coloured Kisses, this sweet musical tune was allowed to flow at its own pace, as if replicating those moments when you are entwined with your lover and time doesn't seem to matter, and finally Spirit, whic was co-written by Prince with Martika and his bassist, Levi Seacer Jr, this was a pulsing dance-pop vibe with the same liberating message that had, it's a layered, textured score that is further appreciated with subsequent listens - but stand outs are those drum loops, the repetitive and satisfying backing vocals and that free-flowing deep Chicago house piano that acts as the anchor to the music. 

The rest of the album was was an eclectic, powerful mixture of musical sounds and styles, all cohesively held together by Martika's rich, resonant voice - it was ripe for other potential singles had the record label wanted some alternatives for different markets, Temptation. was the most Cuban music influenced song on the album, was a hard hitting song about addiction that felt like the lyrical prequel to Toy Soldiers. Brazen horns, more quasi-rap and a shuddering beat made this an electrifying four minutes of organised, marvellous mayhem. The fourth Prince collaboration, Don't Say U Love Me had a Paisley Park production is exquisite; tasty Hammond organ chords give the song a frisson of excitement, whilst the frenetic percussion adds to the kiss-off Martika delivers so emphatically. The hip-hop Eastern influences salutes with A Magical Place were somewhat mystical and fairy story, essentially a duet with the song's composer, Christopher Max, it was a beguiling four minutes of music designed to take you away from the every day. Pride and Prejudice was a dreamy, ethereal quality to it - perhaps the most theatrical moment on an album full of them, and finally Take Me To Forever was the type of soaring ballad perfect for a Disney movie score.

Despite the album had a top ten single, it wasn't as big as her debut at least in the United States, although it had better received and airplay abroad, the album was certified gold in the UK and Australia, "Love... Thy Will Be Done" reached #1 in Australia, and the top 10 in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. The "Martika's Kitchen" single reached the top 40 in the UK, Ireland, Germany,  Australia, and New Zealand. A third single, "Coloured Kisses", narrowly missed the top 40 in the UK, and peaked at #39 in Australia. 

 

Martika's Kitchen Track List: 

 

1. Martika's Kitchen

2. Spirit

3. Love...Thy Will Be Done

4. A Magical Place

5. Coloured Kisses

6. Safe In The Arms Of Love

7. Pride And Prejudice

8. Take Me To Forever

9. Temptation

10. Don't Say U Love Me

11. Broken Heart

12. Mi Tierra (Duet With Cecilia Cruz)

In Memoriam: The Great "Dolly Parton" Has Died Aged 80

Dolly Parton, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music who was also much cherished for her philanthropy, has died aged 80. Her death was announced by nephew Brian Seaver on Instagram. "I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now," he said. "It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness."

Parton's songwriting was characterised by its vivid storytelling, emotional acuity and melodic strength, all sung with strident clarity. From an eventual catalogue of hundreds of songs, she scored a record 25 US country No 1 singles and 47 albums in the country Top 10 . She crossed over into the pop charts with 9 to 5, a US No 1 in 1980; balanced her music career with acclaimed acting, twice earning Golden Globe nominations for her roles; and her Imagination Library literacy scheme donated more than 150m books to children.

This was all done with considerable panache, rhinestoned glamour and towering hairdos, with her immortal assertion regarding her appearance –  "it takes a lot of money to look this cheap" – the most quoted example of Parton's ready wit. Parton was born in poverty in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, the fourth child to a mother who would have 12 children by the age of 35, and a father who was a farmer and construction worker. One of her best-loved songs, Coat of Many Colours, was about her mother creating patchwork clothes; Parton's first guitar was cobbled together from a mandolin with bass guitar strings. Her first proper guitar was given to her aged eight by her uncle, and she went from singing in church, to appearing on local television aged 10, to cutting her first record aged 13. That year she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, the concert hall in Nashville at the centre of country music, and her performance was introduced by Johnny Cash. 

After graduating high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville and started out as a songwriter rather than performer. The following year she was signed as an artist and initially moulded as a pop singer, without success; after she was allowed to switch to country, she scored back-to-back hits and released her debut album Hello, I’m Dolly. In 1966 she married Carl Dean – who died in 2025, with the couple renewing their vows in 2016 to mark 50 years together.

Beginning in 1967, a duet partnership with country singer and TV personality Porter Wagoner helped her star continue to ascend, and she had her first country No 1 in 1971 with the song Joshua. Then appeard "Jolene," her unforgettably raw and desperate plea to a rival lover, was released in 1973 and became one of her first success, written at the same time, "I Will Always Love You," written to Wagoner as a farewell after their creative partnership, was a country No 1 in 1974 and again via a re-recorded version in 1982, and would go on to be a huge pop success when revived by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard in 1992: it is still the bestselling single of all time by a woman, with an estimated 20m sales.

In the mid 1970s Parton broadened her sound, embracing pop-rock arrangements on songs such as 1977’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning – its accompanying album New Harvest … First Gathering was her first entry in the pop album chart. Later that year its follow-up Here You Come Again reached the Top 20 and was her first million-selling LP, powered in part by its hit title track, which also won Parton the first of her 10 Grammy awards.

1980 was a peak in her success, with three back-to-back country No 1s, including 9 to 5, taken from the film of the same name which Parton starred in alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, earning her an Oscar nomination for best original song. Parton would later write songs for a stage musical version of 9 to 5, in 2008.

Another classic single came in 1983: Islands in the Stream, a duet with Kenny Rogers, which topped the US pop charts, and a Christmas album with Rogers in 1984 went two times platinum. There were more notable film roles in the 1980s, too, opposite Burt Reynolds in the The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sylvester Stallone in Rhinestone, and an all-star female ensemble in Steel Magnolias.

A landmark Parton album came in 1987 with "Trio," an exquisitely harmonised, springwater-clear collaboration with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, earning Parton her only nomination for album of the year at the Grammys. Another all-star trio recording came in 1993, with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn on the album Honky-Tonk Angels, followed by a reunion with Harris and Ronstadt for Trio II in 1999, featuring a Grammy-winning cover of Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush.

The turn of the century brought a trilogy of acclaimed bluegrass albums, and Parton would release 10 more LPs, the most recent being Rockstar in 2023. She was courted by a younger generation of stars, appearing with country artists such as Brad Paisley as well as pop singers such as Kesha, and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. There were fewer acting roles, but she lent her voice to animated film Gnomeo and Juliet in 2011 and the following year appeared alongside Queen Latifah and more in the musical film Joyful Noise.

Alongside her music and acting, Parton was an astute businesswoman and philanthropist. She founded the film and TV production company Sandollar, with former manager Sandy Gallin, which went on to produce hits such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Father of the Bride film series. In 1986, she took a stake in the Silver Dollar City theme park in Tennessee and renamed it Dollywood, doubling its size over the next two decades, and a Dollywood-branded spa, cabin complex, theatre-restaurant concept and waterpark have since been opened.

The Dollywood Foundation, funded through these business ventures and creative projects, was created in 1988, initially awarding college scholarships and running a scheme to help children complete high school in her native Sevier County, Tennessee. In 1995 Parton began her Imagination Library project, which sent an age-appropriate book to every child in the county every month until they were five. “My father could not read and write, and I saw how crippling that could be,” she explained. It expanded nationwide in 2000, internationally in 2006, and nearly 25m books are now distributed each year across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland.

Parton has also set up a reserve in 2003 to help preserve the bald eagle; contributed $500,000 to the opening of a Sevier county hospital in 2006; coordinated relief efforts for those affected by the Smoky mountain wildfires of 2016; and contributed to an HIV/Aids charity album. She supported Black Lives Matter and transgender rights, opposing a North Carolina “bathroom bill” that restricted transgender people’s access to toilets (Parton was also nominated for an Oscar for her song in trans drama Transamerica, entitled Travelin’ Thru).

She made a number of donations to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where her niece was treated for leukaemia. The most high profile of these was in 2020, when she donated $1m for research into Covid-19, which formed the basis for the eventual Moderna vaccine.

New Music: It's Time

            

Johnny Marr shares a new single "It's Time" the third cut from his upcoming fifth solo album "The Age of Everything" – following "Spin" and "Ophelia" – sees Marr “singing about some worldly issues but finding defiance in idealism”. He explains: “I wanted a lyric that matched the exuberance of the music but is actually about resisting cynicism and corruption: ‘Everybody ain’t making it / Change the weather and breaking it / Mobilise to know the truth / Open eyes to know the truth.’ A music video was filmed earlier this year at Marr's biggest solo headline gig to date, at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl

New Music: Wasted

           

Robyn Hitchcock shares "Wasted" his new single taken from his latest album "The Confuser", according to Hitchcock: This song came to me late last summer in a San Francisco hotel room about an hour before checkout time. It was impatient to arrive: no sooner had I said to myself "Why don't you make up something in the key of F?" than out it came, more or less fully formed. Occasionally I would put the guitar down in order to transcribe the words coming out of my mouth; and - voilà! - there it was. A month later I recorded it with my Nashville crew for The Confuser sessions; after a little pruning and a few judicious overdubs "Wasted" found its place as the last track on the album. It’s a summary of where the world and I are at so - why not?. The video has been shot on location in Egersund earlier this month by Josh  McCartney.

Rocktrospectiva: The Heavy And Brilliant "A Matter Of Life And Death" Turns 20

Originally Released on 25 August 2006 in Italy and Finland, and 28 August worldwide—excluding the US, Canada and Japan, where it was released on 5 September, "A Matter Of Life And Death" was the 14th., studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was the first album in Iron Maiden's career to enter the US Billboard charts in the top 10, achieving significant chart success in many other countries as well.

Iron Maiden began writing new songs near the end of 2005, after a break following their hugely successful festival dates in the US and Europe during the Eddie Rips Up the World Tour. After taking time off over Christmas, the songs were completed and the band began recording at Sarm West Studios in London, with their regular producer, Kevin Shirley. The album was recorded from 1 March to 4 May 2006.

To provide a more "live" sound, the album was not mastered. Shirley said, "Spoke to 'Arry (Steve Harris) on Friday, who has decided against mastering the Iron Maiden album ... It means that you will get to hear the new album exactly as it sounded in the studio, no added EQ, compression, analogue widening, etc., and I must say, I am pretty happy with the end result. Lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson commented that "Everyone was up for pushing things as far as they'd go, but the record was so easy to make." Dickinson went on to claim that they "finished the record with two months to spare," with Harris adding, "A lot of what you hear are first time takes." Speaking about the record's musical style, Harris states that "It is heavier than we've ever been, but also very progressive. And I don't mean that in the modern sense, but like Dream Theater, more in a 70s way."

A Matter of Life and Death is Iron Maiden's fourth studio album that does not have a title track, following Piece of Mind, The X Factor and Virtual XI. Drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarist Janick Gers claim that the band originally intended to name the album after one of its tracks, with both "The Pilgrim" and "The Legacy" being considered. According to Gers, "sometimes a title will just leap out at you as the obvious choice, but it didn't this time for some reason", so the band decided on A Matter of Life and Death, which, according to McBrain, was amongst "two or three ideas which we were kicking around". Neither Gers nor McBrain can remember who came up with the title, which they state was thought up by either Harris, Rod Smallwood (the band's manager) or "Drew" (an engineer at Sarm West Studios).

The album cover was created by Tim Bradstreet, an American artist, best known for his work on the Hellblazer and Punisher comics. A lifelong Iron Maiden fan, who drew much influence from Derek Riggs' artwork for them, Bradstreet described the opportunity as "one of my wildest dreams". He had a tight schedule, receiving for reference the songs to listen to and key art done by Peacock Designs UK, who directed the booklet's artwork. Along with redrawing a few of the original elements – which featured the tank described by Bradstreet as "Korean War era but with a twist" as the gun barrel is patched over from another vehicle – Bradstreet added Eddie as a general leading an army of skeletons. Bradstreet's colourist partner Grant Goleash finished the art, which was then retouched by Peacock. The back cover would originally feature Eddie shot on the back, but then the band opted to instead feature a detail of the tank icon featuring Eddie's head along with crossed guns.

The first single to be released from the album was "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", released on 14 August 2006.  On 10 August, "Different World" was made available for public streaming on the band's website,  as was "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" the following day. "Different World" was the second single, receiving airplay on many rock radio stations. The song also features an animated video, similar to that of "Wildest Dreams."

The album was met with highly positive reviews from music critics and rated 10, cause it contained everything fans want to hear; be it exciting, Maiden-style story telling; aggressive riffs; impressive solos; or melodic harmonies. BBC Music praised the band for "their uncanny ability to write great lyrics wrapped around guitar orchestration that rock fans crave", concluding: In this world of hopeless auto-tuned mediocrity here is a British band that consistently crafts fantastic music that surprises reviewers and fans alike.

 

A Matter Of Life And Death Track List:  

 

1. Different World

2. These Colours Don't Run

3. Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

4. The pilgrim

5. The Longest Day 

6. Out Of The Shadows

7. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Bregg

8. For The Greater Good Of God

9. Lord Of Light

10. The Legacy