Trivium - Trivium - In Waves

In the past, Trivium were seen as being the future. On a freezing day at the 2005 Download Festival at Donington Park, thousands upon thousands of metalheads could be seen sprinting their way across uneven ground in order to watch the Orlando quartet’s early afternoon set. The buzz was such that immediately after this the band were featured on the front cover of Kerrang!, and whispers could be heard claiming that theirs was the name reserved for the grandest chair at metal’s high table. At the time Metallica were flogging their frankly awful St Anger album, and...

The Chemical Brothers - The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole

If their debut, 1995’s Exit Planet Dust, set the Chemical Brothers stall out as purveyors of large beats and chunkin’ funk, then Dig Your Own Hole shot them right into the stratosphere. With its number one singles, Grammy award and multi-platinum status, Dig Your Own Hole took Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons from the backrooms to the stadiums.

In a year that saw some incredible albums such as OK Computer, Ladies & Gentleman..., and Homework, Dig Your Own Hole sits easily in such company, a joyous melange of psychedelia, acid house, hip hop, funk and colossal beats...

Jeff Buckley - Jeff Buckley - Grace

While Jeff Buckley’s sole complete studio document has achieved two million sales worldwide since its mid-90s release, its impact at the time was far from impressive. And that’s from both critical and commercial perspectives, as although today it’s regularly held in high regard come top-albums lists, a mixed reception greeted it on its initial emergence.

Listening today, almost 17 years to the day after that first release, it’s easy to hear why reviewers weren’t universally moved by Grace. Its best-known track isn’t even one penned by Buckley, Hallelujah being a cover of Leonard Cohen’s haunting masterpiece. Nor is Corpus...

Pop Levi - Pop Levi - Motorcycle 666

After what can only be described as a massive kiss of death, Pop Levi is bouncing back from being tipped by Lauren Laverne four years ago. Since then, he's kept himself busy by making more obscure films than most people would admit to, and having a nice line in accessible indie.

"Motorcycle 666" is like a male-fronted version of the Gossip, all driving guitars, insistent bass and rhyming couplets while the drums keep time. It's indie disco fodder and should live long enough in the memory of drunken revellers to go and download the morning after. It's a bit pointlessly long,...

M83 - M83

"Midnight City"from the album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming2011iTunesIt's been a long and fruitful journey for M83's Anthony Gonzalez. Started in the early '00s, the once-duo-but-now-solo project has been pumping out albums of top-tier electronic shoegaze for the better part of a decade. That said, M83's been kind of quiet since the release of 2008's excellent Saturdays=Youth, but it seems that the time off was a necessary evil: Gonzalez recently announced the imminent arrival of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, an epic double LP due out October 18. With that release date slowly approaching,...

Cavalera Conspiracy - Cavalera Conspiracy (Sonispher...

This was probably not the best slot for Cavalera Conspiracy and way too early for such a titan in my opinion; especially if you consider the rest of the line-up appearing higher up on the bill for Saturday. However, the impact after the minion bands was tremendous and extremely effective. When Max Cavalera comes on stage, he is clearly in a different league to the preceding boys that have stood at the centre of the Apollo Stage so far today.

Kicking the set off with 'Inflikted' brought absolute chaos to the front and the hardcore Sepultura/Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy fans rushed forward to...

Sum 41 - Sum 41 (Sonisphere 2011)

I briefly stopped over at the Saturn Stage on my way through to watch Revoker at Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage. The band on next is one of the more unusual choices for Sonisphere. The organisers always seem to throw a wild card into the mix when putting Sonisphere together, 2009 it was Bjorn Again and 2010 we had Good Charlotte. This year Sonisphere went all out and headlined Biffy Clyro, but now we also had pop-punk sensations, Sum 41 playing their hits on the Saturn Stage.

Normally I would have avoided this, but having to go past Saturn Stage to...

Element - Element - Corrupt Desires

Everyone knows that the riff is the backbone of metal and you either have them or you don't. They come in many different guises from the mathematical technicality of Meshuggah to the tremolo picked nastiness of black metal but whatever the style they are an essential. In this regard Element are laughing as these nine songs are packed with great hulking riffs but there's only one issue: they are often arranged one after another in a sort of production line. Instead of being counterpoints or background rhythms they're often deployed as lone musical ideas robbing some of these songs of...

Coldplay - Coldplay - Parachutes (2000)

Lightly tasteful tablature stories and fables is the best way to describe the debut album that put Coldplay on the maps of the music industry. 

Just like the reality of a Parachute, this album will seem to be taking its time. Truth is, the combination of musical professionalism and lyrical content is truly going the speed of light. Track three, “Spies", resembles an overcast system hovering over beautiful tropic skies. From one environment to another, using every format of creative instrumental technique to blend into one 5 minute and 18 second song. “ And if we don’t buy here, They’re going to find us,...

Edwyn Collins - Edwyn Collins (Latitude 2011)

Edwyn Collins was an act that saved Latitude's soul and kept it true to its roots. His announcement was one that made sense on a Latitude bill, which cannot be said for many of the other acts on this year's puzzling line up.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Collins, once the sexy rocker front man of Glasweigan post-punk band Orange Juice now reduced to walking with a cane and slurred speech as a result of suffering multiple strokes in his lifetime. But this fact has not affected Collin's confidence, nor his performance. Despite his speech problems, the distinctive...