I don’t about you but in the right hands the sound and vibe that comes from a well strummed banjo is truly quite delectable.

Courtney Marie Andrews not only has the ability to sing rather beautifully with great strength and subtlety but as well as being able to tinkle the ivories I believe that this Phoenix born heavenly voiced darling can really play the banjo suitably well to the wonderful, sunshine-daydream style of music that is performed.

This is a lovely folk musician who appears to come across as quite a performer and I’d prefer to watch her perform rather than just to listen. Courtney is enchanting and I feel myself melting to her words, her music and it wouldn’t surprise me but if I was in the crowd close enough and we happen to cross paths with her eyes then I would no doubt be a slither of a man on the grassy verge where I was once perched.

The songs she has created are well structured and flow marvellously carrying you through a short journey of usually 5 minutes o so which is nice to hear rather than a quick buck storyteller like what we are now currently listening to. It’s refreshing to see and hear.

To shortly describe I’d say Courtney Marie Andrews is sweeter than fresh peaches. Really nice indeed. However, this is a girl whom I feel could really raise a roof similar to Alanis Morrisette or Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries there was only a microphone to perform with.

This girl may sound sweet like chocolate but if it was perhaps “one of those days” then I swear there is the power here to destroy hearts and souls.

This is special. Available here on iTunes if you care.

Quite possibly the shortest band review yet because for me, their music speaks for itself. I envisage this band to be bigger than Kasabian and I would hope so too. I’m very much hooked into their sound after seeing them live as a support band. I ended up preferring them to the main act. Just listen to the passionate, psychedelic warmth that wraps around you. Brilliant!

Immediately with a soothing, melodic rock sound Clockwork have a captivating noise that is warming, comforting and of course, it rock’s close to the point of anthemic proportions.

Clockwork’s music is very full after hearing it on their MySpace player and the orchestration of the strings etc is really nicely produced. The track Sinking Ship is perfect example of their current achievement. I find the resemblances of U2 and Coldplay which are about as blatant as Bono and Martin themselves. The differences are mainly to me the vocals as you would expect. What you will find is the vocal combinations of the rest of the band fill their music out more making them very much an interesting stadium act for the future (they will be adorned with knickers soon I am sure).

Great beat, great zeal and I’m looking forward to hearing more. Good effort.

I love the fact that these boys from Huddersfield in the North-West England are the thrash metal lords of darkness at this present time with their latest release Infected Nations.

Evile must have been overwhelmd at the chance of recording with Russ Russell shaping them out. These are classic, plectrum destroying riffs which just blow you away with their intricacy, their pace and the fact that is sounds pretty damn cool too. The drummers got some beef, the singer has audacity and the guitarist will just rip you up, spit you out into the mosh pit without a care nor a flinch.

This ranks with the top dogs from the days of old such as their influences Sepultura, Slayer and Metallica. Old friends of mine they are and I now call Evile as friends of mine too after Bathe In Blood. A cracking number.

Priceless production work, priceless riffs and solo’s that will blind you and make you twitch.

Infected Nations is out now.

Power, empathy and grace. This is Depeche Mode

Straight away I am thinking this is a voice the ladies will adore. The Americana Blues stylie with a soulful yet throaty, vocal-embrace is warm, relaxing and reminiscent of the Crash Test Dummies, Axl Rose on Since I Don’t Have You and even a Jon Bon Jovi with a touch more depth similar to the more modern Newton Faulkner.

Jason Charles Miller has one of the best voices I’ve heard from any unsigned act. He’s a got a powerful gospel style voice, he’s a country man whom I can tolertae this time but usually I can not, so massive points awarded. I find his songs well written, well structured and well in sound. The strings attached on The Devil feat. Tina Guo on Cello sound brilliantly supporting.

Top stuff indeed. I expect to hear him sometime in the future but really, I’d expect him with a full band rather than being solo. He can master and orchestrate great songs so why not lead a band?

When it comes to a chillout act, Porcupine Tree do exactly that. Chill you out good and proper.

Having an overall sound that resembles the best of Placebo, The Bluetones and on their track Drawing The Line I can also hear Duran Duran.

I do quite enjoy listening to work such as this but at the same time I am also feeling a slight emptiness as I think some of the tracks are not quite as full in sound as they could be. What I do like however is the fact that some tracks are quite ambient, relaxing and soothing and others have a dark, moody quality and depth. So really, we have a good mix.

The Incident is the seventh in the discography and you can check them out here.

Now this, this here, is the kind of stuff I not only grew up on, but also the stuff I care to still listen to. Why? Because this is the kind of consistency I like. Good, solid, rock music. It never lets you down.

New Model Army have just released yet another album, (their eleventh!?) titled Today Is A Good Day and with the support that they get from their fans and the continuous return of their die hard fans, it’s no wonder that nearly every day is good for the 5 piece rock artists from Bradford.

What I like about this band more so is the slightly different layout of their tracks. The way the music is orchestrated. Not just intro, verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, solo, etc. They are more musically orientated but still not letting the lyrics disappear within the song.

All tracks are unique and there are no serious similarites between them as you can get quite a lot on many “classic rock” bands.

A little samey if you know what I mean.

States Radio from the album track that you can imagine levitating the stadium crowd as they all bounce and clap in unity. God Save Me is just an amazing poetic tune and it will touch the sternest of hearts. I have heard many a student / university rock band attempt to emulate this kind of song, but this is how it is to be done.

Below is a video sample of this latest piece of work from the band.

Being as they have released a quality record and it being their eleventh, I’m already looking forward to the twelvth. For now indeed, Today Is A Good Day.

Now this is what Vanessa from Headbangers Ball is talking about. Riff after riff, foot tapping, head banging, teeth grinding aweness.

Wanderlust is an awesome example of metal, hardcore, rock as are the rest of the tracks on New Junk Aesthetic their latest studio release.

Passionate, hardcore metal like this is not heard by me very often. Or at least it is, but not like the quality Every Time I Die deliver.

This is tight, this is rawness honed into sublime studio perfection produced to a level that I can appreciate and other hardcore, screamo style bands should compare themselves too.

This is a template for others to follow. This is the proper job.

This is a short review, because it just frickin’ rocks!

Immediately when pressing play for the first track of this debut album A Brief History Of Love you fall into a relaxed state of consciousness. When the lyrics begin, you believe that you know exactly what you are going to get. You hope it is going to be like it is, and let me tell you, yes people, it is.

The Big Pink are obviously to me anyways influenced by the psychedelic dance waves of the late 80’s and early 90’s without mentioning any particular bands or artists. MGMT have a similar sound but I am now afraid to say, they can move over.

There is an anthemic feel, an uplifting nature to all the tracks and the warmth it carrys takes the chilling cold away from all shivering parts of your soul.

The music is intrciate and sounds complicated but truly it is just very smartly mixed. A fullness in sound and soothing vocals are heard, welcomed and even make the spine quiver a touch.

One track Dominos has been heard by many already (the video is below) It has a nice drum and bass feel, yet it is a simple eclectic mix of synth, drums and positive lyrical aura. Love Is Vain is also as enchanting as well as Velvet but with a darker tech noir tinge to it. I adore the warmth, harmony, emotion and depth to Tech Noir.

Yes man, this is good, this is really good, I’d get this if I were you.

With the amount of Pop-Punk bands that play the teenage style of rock that you hear on American teen comedy and romance films, these guys are probably the best I’ve heard.

All Time Low have the lot, they have the talent, the image, the management, the tour, the merchandise and of course in the 21st century a smart, multi-media manager.

But of course revolving this article around their music which you can hear, here, it’s got some really good riffs throughout, the bass is filling the tracks, the drumming is pounding away delightfully and the vocals have a good tinge of rawness that come out giving it a true rock edge.

I’m not a fan of this particular sound due to the stereotypical, high throaty singing nor the way the tracks are orchestrated to create those uplifting moments and subtle drops. (sorry about the terrible technical jargon used there) but that’s the descriptive way and that’s is what puts me off it.

Admitedly, I don’t mind the way they tell the story in the song. The lyrics are really quite good and that allows many people to empathise which is what enables bands like this to succeed.

Tracks like Weightless which is the one below and Stella. They are ones you can relate to, no matter your age don’t think.

As a whole, anthemic, rocky and fun. A good pop band playing their own stuff, my hat goes off to them.

Pearl Jam, have managed to stand the test of time. Although it appears to some as if they have gone off the radar a little over the latter years of their career, these boys have managed to stir us all up with their release of their latest release Backspacer, which is now out today.

I remember listening to them when Ten and VS came out in the early 90’s. I felt then that they could rock a record, and that a lovely story could always be told, not just singing or playing songs about self-emotions. Stories being told are always going to sell records. See the Followell’s band for instance. I’m listening to Backspacer as an album in itself, not as another Pearl Jam studio release. Which you can here by clicking this link here.

The songs are short and explosive as is the whole record. The Fixer is their single released and doesn’t even touch 3 minutes. It is a simple track lyrically, it has a feel good vibe to it and it will rock out the venues where ever they play. The drumming is quite the hook of the song for me. It makes it fast and furious. But it’s just dead short. Supersonic is a headstomper of a tune bordering on a punk anthem similar to that of Green Day’s tracks.

Fans I don’t think will be disappointed. As for me, I like it but I’m not overwhelmed by it. The album has great tracks falling it into a cracking rock record. I sense a touch of bleakness. They have a pace, short and punchy tunes and but the explosiveness is not quite there for me. But that’s me comparing it to Even Flow , but that was then and this is now.

It’s good to hear them back even though they haven’t really gone away.

My favourite track heard in 2009 and it’s not that new either. Twist The Knife is a raunchy, high octane, sexy, drum-fuelled, bass laden, arrhythmic, rock track with seductive, alpha-lady excellence that excites and melts. BRILLIANT! Emily Breeze is an unsigned artist worth looking out for in 2010.

Soul, funk, bass and they’ve brought out the trumpets! Cracker!

Having heard many, many student and university bands over the years I can’t help thinking that Frank Turner falls into that demographic. An artist who’s just got himself signed and chucked out his latest studio recordings for the world to hear. I believe that this work has been rushed into the stores and no enough time taken to produce a tight studio album. Unless Frank was going for the live recorded sound, that is definately what he has got. I don’t quite think it should have been done that way. You have live albums for that.

The tracks on his record Poetry Of The Deed are really quite good and you can hear some of them here on his MySpace. Slightly teenage emotional soft rock at times without having the feel of a ballad. Anthems in a smaller way they are but not exactly ground shaking. More lighters in the air and swaying from side to side however, the fans would no doubt be singing along as The Road music video below is a perfect example.

This is a young persons sound as you would hear on the track Isabel but on Faithful Son, it is rather more mature. So I wonder if he is experiencing more as time goes on? I do not know. For me, I think he still has a long way to go and perhaps slow down a little.

How fantastic it is to listen to something which is sooo cool.

From NZ, Fat Freddy’s Drop are from the other side of the world to where I am. This second studio album titled Dr Boondigga & The Big BW is a delightful ensemble of instruments from trumpets to harmonicas, digital effects and vocals, bass and some lovely deep dub sounds which have influenced the band from across the globe. It doesn’t sound messy, cluttered but refined and clean. The engineering work is truly a masterful piece of production.

Soulful to the max, a reggae feel yet with a more blues tint to it withoutcoming across as bluesy. the dance tunes hum and bounce brilliantly and the more lyrical tracks are soft, sweet and harmonious to the point where I feel I’m still experiencing summer.

The Camel featuring Alice Russel (which is a shame not to hear on their MySpace player but it is the track below) is a perfect example of the entire bands talents all working superbly well as the comprehensive collective. The track sounds simple and light but the bass is absolute quality with such a dreamy and airy ambience to it.

This is fat, funky, soul food for the brain in the form of some warm vibrations. Totally non-offensive, soothing and healing. A great record and I am happy it has managed to get to these shores too.

Typical ‘Mode brilliance

Now, immediately, right from the first bar, I’m thinking that this record could go either way.

I haven’t heard of The Used but when I stumbled upon them on MySpace, or in fact, they stumbled upon me, I felt that I recognised the sound. The familar metallic, distorted, rock riff resembling the greats. When the vocals kicked in I felt relief.

I wasn’t listening to some kind of teenage, pubescent rugrats. Which unfortunately nowadays, are all too frequent in the charts.

The Used have been around for a few years. This latest release Artwork is experienced, tight and they certainly do have a good collection of ear-bleeding chords, aggressive melodlic vocals, rumbling bassline and the drums are awesome. I feel the energy from Dan Whitesides kit, I love it, just how it should be.

Burning Down The House is a good rendition of Sir Tom Jones’ track which he recorded with the Cardigans a couple of moons ago. You can imagine it done live on stage, the crowd going ballistic similar to a German infantry in a blitzkrieg on acid.

The energy is what gets me on this album the most. It’s levitating, positive even though the songs are occasionally revolving around sad times, but it is the upbeatness that lifts you up, and tells you that everything is going to be alright.

These are The Used, and if you’ve been too, then you’ll also be part of the Artwork.

Masters Of Reality does sound like a bit of a cheesy name. Trying locate them on MySpace is not easy if you don’t know what you are looking for being as the name isn’t particularly original. Their music however, kind of is.

Achieving a slot in the Top 40 Rock Chart we have a band that have released various bits of material. Pine/Cross Dover their 5th album is soulful, rythymatic and produced very well. Collectively they are very experienced indeed. This is a mature band that are really good at putting together a record that has a mix of various sounds without it sounding like a mess. It is a touch psychedelic as well which makes it easy to listen to and easy is what I like at times, I don’t know about you.

There are tracks you can nod to, swing to and of course rock to. The tunes are tight though, very tightly done and there is no showing of which some guitarists tend to do and ruin a perfectly good track with their ego-showboating. None of that here. Just simply great harmonious strumming. Blissful, almost refreshing. VT In IT is a cracking example, Classic Rock. Dreamtime Stomp, also a brilliant little number.

This is an album that doesn’t blow my socks of whilst still being attached to my paraboots nor does it smash the internal hammer and anvil behind my lugholes. This is good, steady and solid, that is the reality of it and something they have mastered.

A track of their previous work. These boys are a very good group which I feel are seriously underfunded as well as rated.

With the British summer time drawing to an end music lovers will say that they have been introduced to some quality tunes over the recent couple of months due to the festival season.

3OH!3 are, in America, HUGE. Ask any random lad from the Midlands and they will say, “You what? Three o Three?!”

Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte have had ten’s of millions of hits on MySpace and YouTube alone, and where are they?

This weekend Reading & Leeds and in the UK, we are a little distant with this current trend. (Like most things) Don’t Trust Me is one of the highest played tracks I’ve ever seen and heard ever on the net.

These lads from have created a storm of followers with (once again using the appropriate word of) eclectic musical picks in their music to produce a sound that will no doubt catch on with every late Teen, early Twenty-something dude and dudette and/or perhaps the slightly immature, thirty-something.

Their album release Want has some catchy rock riffs, simple lyrics but yet smart and that pop-sound hook which will grow on you to the point it will feel like you’ve had that song in your head for the last couple of years.

The lastest tracks on their MySpace player show more development. A more aggressive Hip-Hop tinge has been incorporated on one or two tracks which will go down well and with the Katy Perry link-up on Starstrukk, the doors to further progression are surely to open. Having 3OH!3 crossing the genres like so many are nowadays doing, these boys will definately catch on.