Already on course to be one of the year's biggest sellers, Only By the Night has sealed Kings of Leon's unlikely position as Britain's favourite American rock band. The Followill brothers (and cousin) have always been tagged as part of a southern rock tradition of family bands such as the Allmans and Lynyrd Skynyrd, a label they vehemently refuted. But the skinny lads certainly looked like a classic rock act, even as they took musical inspiration from indie contemporaries The Strokes and eighties new wave acts such as The Cure and New Order. Only By the Night is effectively a sequel to 2006's terrific Because of the Times, their third record and the first where they nailed their own sound, a striking amalgam of bluesy vocals and post-punk primitivism. In comparison Only By the Night consolidates rather than advances their style. The appropriately incoherent "Sex on Fire", already a chart topping single, is catchy but sounds lightweight next to songs like the fierce "Crawl" and the stadia-ready "Cold Desert" and "Manhattan". The dissonant, almost amateurish "17" is most out of place, though Caleb Followill still bawls it with the same passion he brings to even the clumsiest couplet. More notable are several sparse romantic pleas that often borrow licks from classic Southern soul. The yearning "I Want You" is little more than its title, but it certainly convinces, while "Revelry" and the vulnerable "Use Somebody" show signs of impending maturity. Only By the Night's simplicity certainly has a wide appeal. --Steve Jelbert

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

The Snow Patrol we meet on A Hundred Million Suns is a band facing the same dilemma that Coldplay met on 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends; having conquered the world with a rousing, melancholy brand of MOR indie, where now? On the surface, A Hundred Million Suns seems to suggest, nowhere especially new: producer Jacknife Lee, who first worked with the band on 2003's Final Straw and went on to work with the likes of U2 and REM returns to the fold; and an opening brace of songs suggest that a successful formula--chiming guitars, gentle builds, and Gary Lightbody's quavering, tremulous vocal--persists. Still, "Take Back The City", a windswept, electronic-tinged rocker, rather does for this band what "Dakota" did for Stereophonics, proving that a spot of sleek, synthetic motorik is not beyond their grasp, and there's a new, bright optimism to Lightbody's lyrics that sets the likes of "The Planets Bend Between Us" in light relief to some of Snow Patrol's earlier work. If you want experiment, though, you'll have to wait until the closing "The Lightning Strike", a 16-minute track in three parts that investigates Phillip Glass-style minimalism and electronic beats with some aptitude. --Louis Pattison

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

It's now twenty years since grunge emerged from then culturally isolated Seattle and Fleet Foxes, the eponymous debut album from the city's latest heroes, demonstrates just how much American independent rock has mutated in that time. The five young members of Fleet Foxes make up a very different sort of rock band, describing their own music as "baroque harmonic pop jams". Even that understates the depths of the quintet's effortless vocal harmonies and gently woozy, folky feel. Of their contemporaries only the enigmatic Midlake and My Morning Jacket at their most fragile come close, but neither could have cooked up the Beach Boys spiritual of "White Winter Hymnal" or its more powerful companion piece "Ragged Wood". In fact Fleet Foxes happily admit to aspiring to an earlier tradition--not just obvious antecedents like the Byrds, the Association, Neil Young and, especially, David Crosby's famously unfocussed solo album If Only I Could Remember My Name but ancient English folk songs and their later American descendents. All were hunted and gathered from the internet--songwriters Robin Pecknold and Skye Skjelset are barely in their twenties. Add a host of unlikely instruments and the results are stunning, the complete antithesis of mainstream stadium indie that has followed Arcade Fire. Still, the cover features a Bruegel painting of peasants that might have graced any Black Sabbath sleeve. In that way at least Fleet Foxes salute a local tradition. -—Steve Jelbert

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

Heard Them Stirring....but wasn't especially impressed., 25 Dec 2008
This album ranks in the top 50 albums of 2008 lists of a fair few very well respected music publications. It was also recommended to me by this very site as well as by a colleague who has similar musical tastes to mine.

However, I felt this album was very much overrated. It's ok, it's fine, and I have no problem giving it 3*, while I sit comfortably on the fence, but anything more than that is something I cannot do. I would even go so far as to say I'd listen to this album again if someone played it to me, but it's just something I'd prefer to have on as background noise.

None of the songs stood out to me or really grabbed my attention at all. The album is innocuous, but it's also generic and rather boring. I understand the sorts of directions in which they're trying to go, but they're losing their way a bit.

They try to sound folky, retro, slightly psychedelic, and they manage it, but not to any real effect; it all sounds too try-hard, with the added problem of sounding as if not enough effort has been put into its post production as the sound quality isn't great. Maybe they were trying to go for an indie (as in independent), organic feel to their sound, but it doesn't quite achieve that objective either.

Half baked, 22 Dec 2008
Not a bad album, but not a great one. There are a few excellent songs here (White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why) but an awful lot of 'filler'. Some songs start off well and then appear to lose their way and finish off as disappointing extended jams (Ragged Wood for example). Solid but unspectacular.

If it's group harmonies you're after, check out the similar but far superior 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' by Midlake.

Derivative - So what?, 10 Dec 2008
Yes it has elements of the Beach Boys, CSN&Y and about a thousand others. You could even throw Sigur Ros, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span in there - but what counts is the stuff pouring into your ears and the emotions and sensations this experience leaves behind. On that basis this debut affected me as much as my first hearing of Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" REM's "Murmer". This is a singular creation and resonates long after the final track. What more do you want?

Pleasant Enough but "A Classic" ?, 07 Dec 2008
The reviews for Fleet Foxes seem to be in two distinct camps, those who rave about their brilliant new sound, a sound apparently derived from and influenced by everything from the Beach Boys to CSN and those who are lukewarm to their charms. I'm afraid that after a rather herculean effort to like this album and find the depths so effusively described by other reviewers I have to say that I fall into the second camp. I find the harmonising pleasant but the overall feel suggests early prog rock to me rather than the regular comparison made to My Morning Jacket who I also like but sometimes feel that I'm listening to a reincarnated Skynyrd. The Beach Boys California sound does come through on some of the tracks but it's like a weak watered down Pet Sounds - those who've made this comparison should go back and listen to the original and feel the angst and Sunshine that still shines through on almost every track. I'm still trying folks, listening again now to the album as I type and I can peg all the references made but it's now a chore listening to this. I can hear the artifice in the sound, it's a workmanlike album that deserves credit and I think they will have some success but I'm not sure if they will have longevity, I sense a shallowness to the sound that others seem to also have noted. Many people like the album so I'd actually recommend that people buy it and make their own mind up, I seem to be in the minority - knock yourselves out, jeepers now they sound like Genesis !.

Beautiful, 30 Nov 2008
Wonderful and haunting. It sounds both contemporary, seventies and has more than a hint of old 19th century American folk music about it.

It's hard to believe that For Emma, Forever Ago is the work of one man. But when Justin Vernon's old band split he hauled himself (and presumably plenty of instruments and recording equipment) to his dad's hunting cabin in the woods of Wisconsin for the coldest season and worked through his issues in musical form. (The name comes from the French for "good winter"--"bon hiver"). By the start of the spring thaw he had recorded the bulk of this stunning debut, originally self-issued to acclaim last year in the USA and now picked up for a British release. Vernon's voice grabs the ear from the start, switching easily into a smooth falsetto (and unusually for a white indie lad, without the slightest intent of emulating Prince). The formula is straightforward. He layers his vocal harmonies, while a gently strummed acoustic rhythm guitar just about holds the centre. All else from horns to slide guitar is mere detail. The quality is rough and ready but the effect is strangely similar though to the slick vocal confections of European women like Bjork and Camille, all mystery and distance. It's the musical equivalent of reading someone else's diary. In code. Through a dirty window. Enigmatic songs like the elegantly stumbling "Creature Fear" with its rowdy horn parts, the resolute opener "Flume" and the evanescent "Team" are just so pretty they seem to glide by without leaving a mark in the snow. Vernon is apparently a straightforward and friendly guy, but For Emma, Forever Ago genuinely sounds like something from a far off place. --Steve JelbertIt's hard to believe that For Emma, Forever Ago is the work of one man. But when Justin Vernon's old band split he hauled himself (and presumably plenty of instruments and recording equipment) to his dad's hunting cabin in the woods of Wisconsin for the coldest season and worked through his issues in musical form. (The name comes from the French for "good winter"--"bon hiver"). By the start of the spring thaw he had recorded the bulk of this stunning debut, originally self-issued to acclaim last year in the USA and now picked up by 4AD for a British release. Vernon's voice grabs the ear from the start, switching easily into a smooth falsetto (and unusually for a white indie lad, without the slightest intent of emulating Prince). The formula is straightforward. He layers his vocal harmonies, while a gently strummed acoustic rhythm guitar just about holds the centre. All else from horns to slide guitar is mere detail. The quality is rough and ready but the effect is strangely similar though to the slick vocal confections of European women like Bjork and Camille, all mystery and distance. It's the musical equivalent of reading someone else's diary. In code. Through a dirty window. Enigmatic songs like the elegantly stumbling "Creature Fear" with its rowdy horn parts, the resolute opener "Flume" and the evanescent "Team" are just so pretty they seem to glide by without leaving a mark in the snow. Vernon is apparently a straightforward and friendly guy, but For Emma, Forever Ago genuinely sounds like something from a far off place. --Steve Jelbert

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

Heard Them Stirring....but wasn't especially impressed., 25 Dec 2008
This album ranks in the top 50 albums of 2008 lists of a fair few very well respected music publications. It was also recommended to me by this very site as well as by a colleague who has similar musical tastes to mine.

However, I felt this album was very much overrated. It's ok, it's fine, and I have no problem giving it 3*, while I sit comfortably on the fence, but anything more than that is something I cannot do. I would even go so far as to say I'd listen to this album again if someone played it to me, but it's just something I'd prefer to have on as background noise.

None of the songs stood out to me or really grabbed my attention at all. The album is innocuous, but it's also generic and rather boring. I understand the sorts of directions in which they're trying to go, but they're losing their way a bit.

They try to sound folky, retro, slightly psychedelic, and they manage it, but not to any real effect; it all sounds too try-hard, with the added problem of sounding as if not enough effort has been put into its post production as the sound quality isn't great. Maybe they were trying to go for an indie (as in independent), organic feel to their sound, but it doesn't quite achieve that objective either.

Half baked, 22 Dec 2008
Not a bad album, but not a great one. There are a few excellent songs here (White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why) but an awful lot of 'filler'. Some songs start off well and then appear to lose their way and finish off as disappointing extended jams (Ragged Wood for example). Solid but unspectacular.

If it's group harmonies you're after, check out the similar but far superior 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' by Midlake.

Derivative - So what?, 10 Dec 2008
Yes it has elements of the Beach Boys, CSN&Y and about a thousand others. You could even throw Sigur Ros, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span in there - but what counts is the stuff pouring into your ears and the emotions and sensations this experience leaves behind. On that basis this debut affected me as much as my first hearing of Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" REM's "Murmer". This is a singular creation and resonates long after the final track. What more do you want?

Pleasant Enough but "A Classic" ?, 07 Dec 2008
The reviews for Fleet Foxes seem to be in two distinct camps, those who rave about their brilliant new sound, a sound apparently derived from and influenced by everything from the Beach Boys to CSN and those who are lukewarm to their charms. I'm afraid that after a rather herculean effort to like this album and find the depths so effusively described by other reviewers I have to say that I fall into the second camp. I find the harmonising pleasant but the overall feel suggests early prog rock to me rather than the regular comparison made to My Morning Jacket who I also like but sometimes feel that I'm listening to a reincarnated Skynyrd. The Beach Boys California sound does come through on some of the tracks but it's like a weak watered down Pet Sounds - those who've made this comparison should go back and listen to the original and feel the angst and Sunshine that still shines through on almost every track. I'm still trying folks, listening again now to the album as I type and I can peg all the references made but it's now a chore listening to this. I can hear the artifice in the sound, it's a workmanlike album that deserves credit and I think they will have some success but I'm not sure if they will have longevity, I sense a shallowness to the sound that others seem to also have noted. Many people like the album so I'd actually recommend that people buy it and make their own mind up, I seem to be in the minority - knock yourselves out, jeepers now they sound like Genesis !.

Beautiful, 30 Nov 2008
Wonderful and haunting. It sounds both contemporary, seventies and has more than a hint of old 19th century American folk music about it.

one fantastic album., 05 Jan 2009
i stumbled across this album last month on amazon and have been enjoying its delights ever since. im not normally the one to go for acoustics but this is something special.

Only wish the CD was as good as the live version, 05 Jan 2009
Admittedly, I didn't know how much Bon Iver would be my cup of tea when I saw them listed as support for Iron and wine in May, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw. We're all entitled to our opinion, and there are some blunt ones :) but I saw Bon Iver silence a packed room for all the right reasons, and wondered how on earth Iron and wine could top it, thus prompting me to get this album. Don't get the same chills as I did that day, but it's a fantastic album. I knew nothing of rave reviews, but realised later that week that they must be receiving some, as there was an appearance on jools holland. Perhaps the album production isn't great as someone pointed out in a past review, but maybe it's about what the music means to you personally that gives it such value, and that means not everyone is going to like it :).

Blindsided., 28 Dec 2008
I really wanted to like this album, as it has had much critical acclaim and was also recommended to me by Amazon because of other items I had bought and/or reviewed.

I am a massive Neil Young fan, so in theory, I should have loved the sound of this record, which is like a homage to him. However, I found the vocals grated on me, and the overall effect was too try-hard, with, as I believe other reviewers have said, rudimentary strumming and not especially interesting or imaginative lyrics.

Again, as others have said, it makes a great marketing angle, the story behind this album, although it's clearly more polished than they'd have us believe, which actually is a concern; if this is what it sounds like polished and finished, what does the live incantation sound like? To answer that, I sought out live footage online and again, was not overawed by it.

For a better example of what Bon Iver is trying to achieve musically, try Coldplay or Neil Young in particular, both of whom are artists I enjoy and admire.

A great album, if you give it the time it deserves., 22 Dec 2008
I had this recommended for me and saw some of the reviews and thought I would give it a try. Initially I tried to listen to the odd track in between working and though I liked it I was not sure it deserved all the high praise. Later when chilling out I stuck this on to give it another go, from the start with out interruption, what a difference it made, give it a go and be surprised.

Heartbroken man makes album of the year, 08 Dec 2008
I first saw bon iver performing skinny love on jools holland and was completely seduced by the almost unbelievable tenderness and honesty of justin vernon's songwriting. Forget the reviews. This album transcends pretty much everything else that has been released in 2008. To call it lo-fi is to do it an injustice. yes, the production values are low, but it was recorded in a log cabin with a couple of guitars, a basic drum kit and an old laptop. If it had been made in a studio with a full band it wouldn't be anywhere near as brilliant as it is. This is the sound of a man beaten and broken and looking for salvation in songwriting. Despite this the album is far from depressing. As vernon lays his soul bear over the 9 songs on the record it becomes uplifting and hopeful, medication through music if you like. Skinny Love is the most devastating song ever written. If it doesn't at least bring a small tear to your eye then you must have a heart of stone. Almost every song on here is a highlight, with the exception of team, a vocal-less extension of the stunning creature fear. I could listen this album endlessly (some days i do) and never tire of it.

After cockily shrugging off the difficult second album challenge with their hugely successful Yours Truly, Angry Mob, the Kaisers deliver yet another collection of blistering rock-pop in the shape of Off with Their Head. Producer Mark Ronson returns the band to the distilled pop potency of 2005's Employment as well as providing an all-star cast of guests: Lily Allen provides backing vocals on "Always Happens Like That", classical starlet David Arnold adds strings to "Like It Too Much" and UK grime aficionado Sway does a star turn on the unlikely yet winning "Half the Truth". Yet this is definitely the Kaiser's own show, as evinced on the wonderfully woozy "Tomato in the Rain," the catchy "Good Days, Bad Days", the feisty "You Want History" and the lovely--and somewhat surprising--finale "Remember You're a Girl". Musically, Off with Their Heads ain't rocket science, and the band's insights into contemporary urban life are superficial at best--but the Kaisers still manage to mostly hit the spot. --Danny McKenna

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

Heard Them Stirring....but wasn't especially impressed., 25 Dec 2008
This album ranks in the top 50 albums of 2008 lists of a fair few very well respected music publications. It was also recommended to me by this very site as well as by a colleague who has similar musical tastes to mine.

However, I felt this album was very much overrated. It's ok, it's fine, and I have no problem giving it 3*, while I sit comfortably on the fence, but anything more than that is something I cannot do. I would even go so far as to say I'd listen to this album again if someone played it to me, but it's just something I'd prefer to have on as background noise.

None of the songs stood out to me or really grabbed my attention at all. The album is innocuous, but it's also generic and rather boring. I understand the sorts of directions in which they're trying to go, but they're losing their way a bit.

They try to sound folky, retro, slightly psychedelic, and they manage it, but not to any real effect; it all sounds too try-hard, with the added problem of sounding as if not enough effort has been put into its post production as the sound quality isn't great. Maybe they were trying to go for an indie (as in independent), organic feel to their sound, but it doesn't quite achieve that objective either.

Half baked, 22 Dec 2008
Not a bad album, but not a great one. There are a few excellent songs here (White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why) but an awful lot of 'filler'. Some songs start off well and then appear to lose their way and finish off as disappointing extended jams (Ragged Wood for example). Solid but unspectacular.

If it's group harmonies you're after, check out the similar but far superior 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' by Midlake.

Derivative - So what?, 10 Dec 2008
Yes it has elements of the Beach Boys, CSN&Y and about a thousand others. You could even throw Sigur Ros, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span in there - but what counts is the stuff pouring into your ears and the emotions and sensations this experience leaves behind. On that basis this debut affected me as much as my first hearing of Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" REM's "Murmer". This is a singular creation and resonates long after the final track. What more do you want?

Pleasant Enough but "A Classic" ?, 07 Dec 2008
The reviews for Fleet Foxes seem to be in two distinct camps, those who rave about their brilliant new sound, a sound apparently derived from and influenced by everything from the Beach Boys to CSN and those who are lukewarm to their charms. I'm afraid that after a rather herculean effort to like this album and find the depths so effusively described by other reviewers I have to say that I fall into the second camp. I find the harmonising pleasant but the overall feel suggests early prog rock to me rather than the regular comparison made to My Morning Jacket who I also like but sometimes feel that I'm listening to a reincarnated Skynyrd. The Beach Boys California sound does come through on some of the tracks but it's like a weak watered down Pet Sounds - those who've made this comparison should go back and listen to the original and feel the angst and Sunshine that still shines through on almost every track. I'm still trying folks, listening again now to the album as I type and I can peg all the references made but it's now a chore listening to this. I can hear the artifice in the sound, it's a workmanlike album that deserves credit and I think they will have some success but I'm not sure if they will have longevity, I sense a shallowness to the sound that others seem to also have noted. Many people like the album so I'd actually recommend that people buy it and make their own mind up, I seem to be in the minority - knock yourselves out, jeepers now they sound like Genesis !.

Beautiful, 30 Nov 2008
Wonderful and haunting. It sounds both contemporary, seventies and has more than a hint of old 19th century American folk music about it.

one fantastic album., 05 Jan 2009
i stumbled across this album last month on amazon and have been enjoying its delights ever since. im not normally the one to go for acoustics but this is something special.

Only wish the CD was as good as the live version, 05 Jan 2009
Admittedly, I didn't know how much Bon Iver would be my cup of tea when I saw them listed as support for Iron and wine in May, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw. We're all entitled to our opinion, and there are some blunt ones :) but I saw Bon Iver silence a packed room for all the right reasons, and wondered how on earth Iron and wine could top it, thus prompting me to get this album. Don't get the same chills as I did that day, but it's a fantastic album. I knew nothing of rave reviews, but realised later that week that they must be receiving some, as there was an appearance on jools holland. Perhaps the album production isn't great as someone pointed out in a past review, but maybe it's about what the music means to you personally that gives it such value, and that means not everyone is going to like it :).

Blindsided., 28 Dec 2008
I really wanted to like this album, as it has had much critical acclaim and was also recommended to me by Amazon because of other items I had bought and/or reviewed.

I am a massive Neil Young fan, so in theory, I should have loved the sound of this record, which is like a homage to him. However, I found the vocals grated on me, and the overall effect was too try-hard, with, as I believe other reviewers have said, rudimentary strumming and not especially interesting or imaginative lyrics.

Again, as others have said, it makes a great marketing angle, the story behind this album, although it's clearly more polished than they'd have us believe, which actually is a concern; if this is what it sounds like polished and finished, what does the live incantation sound like? To answer that, I sought out live footage online and again, was not overawed by it.

For a better example of what Bon Iver is trying to achieve musically, try Coldplay or Neil Young in particular, both of whom are artists I enjoy and admire.

A great album, if you give it the time it deserves., 22 Dec 2008
I had this recommended for me and saw some of the reviews and thought I would give it a try. Initially I tried to listen to the odd track in between working and though I liked it I was not sure it deserved all the high praise. Later when chilling out I stuck this on to give it another go, from the start with out interruption, what a difference it made, give it a go and be surprised.

Heartbroken man makes album of the year, 08 Dec 2008
I first saw bon iver performing skinny love on jools holland and was completely seduced by the almost unbelievable tenderness and honesty of justin vernon's songwriting. Forget the reviews. This album transcends pretty much everything else that has been released in 2008. To call it lo-fi is to do it an injustice. yes, the production values are low, but it was recorded in a log cabin with a couple of guitars, a basic drum kit and an old laptop. If it had been made in a studio with a full band it wouldn't be anywhere near as brilliant as it is. This is the sound of a man beaten and broken and looking for salvation in songwriting. Despite this the album is far from depressing. As vernon lays his soul bear over the 9 songs on the record it becomes uplifting and hopeful, medication through music if you like. Skinny Love is the most devastating song ever written. If it doesn't at least bring a small tear to your eye then you must have a heart of stone. Almost every song on here is a highlight, with the exception of team, a vocal-less extension of the stunning creature fear. I could listen this album endlessly (some days i do) and never tire of it.

Solid, enjoyable third album from The Chiefs, 29 Dec 2008
'Off With Their Heads', The Kaiser Chiefs' third album, hasn't been as well received as their first two albums by the general public and it seems as if people are getting bored with the charismatic Ricky Wilson and his band. I can't really see why because this album sticks to the tried and tested formula of the first couple of releases and if you really liked 'Employment' and 'Yours Truly Angry Mob' then it is highly likely that you will enjoy their latest album as well. There are a handful of really great tracks here, including the bleak state-of-the-nation anthem 'Never Miss A Beat' which features a humorous question and answer section ("What do you want for tea? I want crisps!") and a tasty New Wave organ sound. In fact, much of this album reminds me heavily of late 70's/early 80's British music in the same vein as XTC - dark, but melodic, spiky and rough-around-the-edges but with a real pop sensibility (The excellent 'Like It Too Much' could almost be an XTC track, as could 'Always Happens Like That').

Other picks include the shouty, almost annoyingly catchy 'You Want History' which has an irresistible hook - one of those tracks you almost don't want to like but you have no choice. Another highlight is 'Good Days Bad Days' which sounds too much like The Clash for it to be mere coincidence, but it also happens to be a great, likeable song so it also doesn't offend in any way. 'Tomato In The Rain' is an atypically restrained, melodic Britpop near-classic and breaks the collection up nicely. Overall, 'Off With Their Heads' contains plenty of very good new, high energy tunes coupled with smart, cynical lyrics and will most likely keep the dedicated Kaiser Chiefs fans happy but also has enough to offer the casual fan to make this a worthwhile and enjoyable buy. If you have the first couple of albums then you've probably heard much of what this album has to offer before and, admittedly, this release doesn't exactly see the Leeds lads breaking new ground, but if you have the first couple of albums then it stands to reason you'll probably want this one too - and you probably won't be disappointed.


Disappointed, 26 Dec 2008
I was so eager to listen to this album but when I listened, it let me down a lot. A few of the songs are great but the majority of the songs were not quite Kaiser Cheif standered. But their other albums are great albums.

kaisers flying the UK flag, 30 Nov 2008
ive had this album for a couple weeks now and i am a big fan of the KCs..at first i wasnt sure but after a few listens im sold!!it such a strong album and is consistant all the way through thers some really stron "The Clash" influences here o this album (which is great)...my favourites "never miss a beat".."good days n bad days" and "addicted to drugs".."you want history is a step in a new electro 80s rock movement but is also a great track...a definate buy if u are a KC!!

Diminishing returns, 29 Nov 2008
Any notion of the band trying to disregard the last album as being a minor blip is torn asunder by this one being even less inspired. Can they come back from this? Well, they'll have to start by writing some songs that don't sound like pale imitations of the songs that made them a festival favourite.

Off With Their Heads is by no means an unlistenable mess, it's just something that's completely throwaway after about... ooh... one listen. Hats off to them for breaking the three years to make an album cycle, but it's not really working to their advantage with this amount of filler.

Absolutely nothing here is really worth adding to that inevitable Greatest Hits package they're working towards, which is a terrible crime. At least Angry Mob kept things running in that department. I'd attempt to make this review more credible by speaking about individual tracks, but I'll be damned if there's anything actually worth singling out. I suppose the song with the rapper on is especially laughable...

Anyhoo, to end on a positive note, Mark Ronson's production is so lacklustre that he doesn't intrude too much to make it sound like every other song he's been involved with that started to grate by mid-2007.

Everything Is Not Average Nowdays, 23 Nov 2008
First album was fantastic and the spiky humour and energetic live shows went down a storm. Album number two was better produced but felt a bit lumpy and lethargic and the live shows became too arrogant.

To be honest I really wasn't expecting much of this so have been very pleasantly surprised. Never Miss A Beat manages to "out Ruby" Ruby! Kaiser Chiefs aren't going to ever write challenging or overly clever lyrics, but what they will do is put a smile on your face. If you want the clever stuff, delve into Radiohead or U2. If you just want to have a bit of fun without thinking get this!

Mark Ronson's production helps enormously. It's clean, fresh without the stodge that was on album two. Fortunately there's the right balance of Ronson's strings and horns. If you listen for them you'll hear and appreciate them. If you didn't listen for them, they won't jump out and bite you.

Apart from the fairly awful "Addicted To Drugs" the rest of the album is great stuff. Some fantastic melodies, funny lyrics - it's just fun.

On the live front, the preview shows for the album were lean, lively and interesting, which is just what the first album delivered.

If you liked the first album, but didn't like the second, don't give up on the Kaiser Chiefs yet.

The debut album by Salford's The Ting Tings comes hot on the heels of their No.1 single "That's Not My Name", a nugget of pop gold that comes on like a genetic splicing of Toni Basil's "Micky" and The Knack's "My Sharona". The bulk of We Started Nothing follows a similar formula, navigating a path between the smart, angular indie of CSS, Bonde Do Role, et al and the pop mainstream. Here and there, they pull it off perfectly: the stutter-rap of "Fruit Machine" sees vocalist Katie White leading on some poor sap with sultry charisma and lip-gloss sass, while the excellent "Shut Up and Let Me Go" is snappy dance-punk in the spirit of Blondie's "Rapture" or Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love". Elsewhere, they branch out with mixed results. "We Walk" builds from quiet flourishes of piano into a surprisingly steely manifesto: "Smash the rest up/Burn it down/Put us in the corner cause we're into ideas", sneers White. Rather less good is "Traffic Light", a light, jazzy number that employs a number of somewhat forced driving metaphors to describe a relationship hit the skids. Still, it's a debut with promise, and a string of good singles is nothing to be sniffed at. --Louis Pattison

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

Heard Them Stirring....but wasn't especially impressed., 25 Dec 2008
This album ranks in the top 50 albums of 2008 lists of a fair few very well respected music publications. It was also recommended to me by this very site as well as by a colleague who has similar musical tastes to mine.

However, I felt this album was very much overrated. It's ok, it's fine, and I have no problem giving it 3*, while I sit comfortably on the fence, but anything more than that is something I cannot do. I would even go so far as to say I'd listen to this album again if someone played it to me, but it's just something I'd prefer to have on as background noise.

None of the songs stood out to me or really grabbed my attention at all. The album is innocuous, but it's also generic and rather boring. I understand the sorts of directions in which they're trying to go, but they're losing their way a bit.

They try to sound folky, retro, slightly psychedelic, and they manage it, but not to any real effect; it all sounds too try-hard, with the added problem of sounding as if not enough effort has been put into its post production as the sound quality isn't great. Maybe they were trying to go for an indie (as in independent), organic feel to their sound, but it doesn't quite achieve that objective either.

Half baked, 22 Dec 2008
Not a bad album, but not a great one. There are a few excellent songs here (White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why) but an awful lot of 'filler'. Some songs start off well and then appear to lose their way and finish off as disappointing extended jams (Ragged Wood for example). Solid but unspectacular.

If it's group harmonies you're after, check out the similar but far superior 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' by Midlake.

Derivative - So what?, 10 Dec 2008
Yes it has elements of the Beach Boys, CSN&Y and about a thousand others. You could even throw Sigur Ros, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span in there - but what counts is the stuff pouring into your ears and the emotions and sensations this experience leaves behind. On that basis this debut affected me as much as my first hearing of Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" REM's "Murmer". This is a singular creation and resonates long after the final track. What more do you want?

Pleasant Enough but "A Classic" ?, 07 Dec 2008
The reviews for Fleet Foxes seem to be in two distinct camps, those who rave about their brilliant new sound, a sound apparently derived from and influenced by everything from the Beach Boys to CSN and those who are lukewarm to their charms. I'm afraid that after a rather herculean effort to like this album and find the depths so effusively described by other reviewers I have to say that I fall into the second camp. I find the harmonising pleasant but the overall feel suggests early prog rock to me rather than the regular comparison made to My Morning Jacket who I also like but sometimes feel that I'm listening to a reincarnated Skynyrd. The Beach Boys California sound does come through on some of the tracks but it's like a weak watered down Pet Sounds - those who've made this comparison should go back and listen to the original and feel the angst and Sunshine that still shines through on almost every track. I'm still trying folks, listening again now to the album as I type and I can peg all the references made but it's now a chore listening to this. I can hear the artifice in the sound, it's a workmanlike album that deserves credit and I think they will have some success but I'm not sure if they will have longevity, I sense a shallowness to the sound that others seem to also have noted. Many people like the album so I'd actually recommend that people buy it and make their own mind up, I seem to be in the minority - knock yourselves out, jeepers now they sound like Genesis !.

Beautiful, 30 Nov 2008
Wonderful and haunting. It sounds both contemporary, seventies and has more than a hint of old 19th century American folk music about it.

one fantastic album., 05 Jan 2009
i stumbled across this album last month on amazon and have been enjoying its delights ever since. im not normally the one to go for acoustics but this is something special.

Only wish the CD was as good as the live version, 05 Jan 2009
Admittedly, I didn't know how much Bon Iver would be my cup of tea when I saw them listed as support for Iron and wine in May, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw. We're all entitled to our opinion, and there are some blunt ones :) but I saw Bon Iver silence a packed room for all the right reasons, and wondered how on earth Iron and wine could top it, thus prompting me to get this album. Don't get the same chills as I did that day, but it's a fantastic album. I knew nothing of rave reviews, but realised later that week that they must be receiving some, as there was an appearance on jools holland. Perhaps the album production isn't great as someone pointed out in a past review, but maybe it's about what the music means to you personally that gives it such value, and that means not everyone is going to like it :).

Blindsided., 28 Dec 2008
I really wanted to like this album, as it has had much critical acclaim and was also recommended to me by Amazon because of other items I had bought and/or reviewed.

I am a massive Neil Young fan, so in theory, I should have loved the sound of this record, which is like a homage to him. However, I found the vocals grated on me, and the overall effect was too try-hard, with, as I believe other reviewers have said, rudimentary strumming and not especially interesting or imaginative lyrics.

Again, as others have said, it makes a great marketing angle, the story behind this album, although it's clearly more polished than they'd have us believe, which actually is a concern; if this is what it sounds like polished and finished, what does the live incantation sound like? To answer that, I sought out live footage online and again, was not overawed by it.

For a better example of what Bon Iver is trying to achieve musically, try Coldplay or Neil Young in particular, both of whom are artists I enjoy and admire.

A great album, if you give it the time it deserves., 22 Dec 2008
I had this recommended for me and saw some of the reviews and thought I would give it a try. Initially I tried to listen to the odd track in between working and though I liked it I was not sure it deserved all the high praise. Later when chilling out I stuck this on to give it another go, from the start with out interruption, what a difference it made, give it a go and be surprised.

Heartbroken man makes album of the year, 08 Dec 2008
I first saw bon iver performing skinny love on jools holland and was completely seduced by the almost unbelievable tenderness and honesty of justin vernon's songwriting. Forget the reviews. This album transcends pretty much everything else that has been released in 2008. To call it lo-fi is to do it an injustice. yes, the production values are low, but it was recorded in a log cabin with a couple of guitars, a basic drum kit and an old laptop. If it had been made in a studio with a full band it wouldn't be anywhere near as brilliant as it is. This is the sound of a man beaten and broken and looking for salvation in songwriting. Despite this the album is far from depressing. As vernon lays his soul bear over the 9 songs on the record it becomes uplifting and hopeful, medication through music if you like. Skinny Love is the most devastating song ever written. If it doesn't at least bring a small tear to your eye then you must have a heart of stone. Almost every song on here is a highlight, with the exception of team, a vocal-less extension of the stunning creature fear. I could listen this album endlessly (some days i do) and never tire of it.

Solid, enjoyable third album from The Chiefs, 29 Dec 2008
'Off With Their Heads', The Kaiser Chiefs' third album, hasn't been as well received as their first two albums by the general public and it seems as if people are getting bored with the charismatic Ricky Wilson and his band. I can't really see why because this album sticks to the tried and tested formula of the first couple of releases and if you really liked 'Employment' and 'Yours Truly Angry Mob' then it is highly likely that you will enjoy their latest album as well. There are a handful of really great tracks here, including the bleak state-of-the-nation anthem 'Never Miss A Beat' which features a humorous question and answer section ("What do you want for tea? I want crisps!") and a tasty New Wave organ sound. In fact, much of this album reminds me heavily of late 70's/early 80's British music in the same vein as XTC - dark, but melodic, spiky and rough-around-the-edges but with a real pop sensibility (The excellent 'Like It Too Much' could almost be an XTC track, as could 'Always Happens Like That').

Other picks include the shouty, almost annoyingly catchy 'You Want History' which has an irresistible hook - one of those tracks you almost don't want to like but you have no choice. Another highlight is 'Good Days Bad Days' which sounds too much like The Clash for it to be mere coincidence, but it also happens to be a great, likeable song so it also doesn't offend in any way. 'Tomato In The Rain' is an atypically restrained, melodic Britpop near-classic and breaks the collection up nicely. Overall, 'Off With Their Heads' contains plenty of very good new, high energy tunes coupled with smart, cynical lyrics and will most likely keep the dedicated Kaiser Chiefs fans happy but also has enough to offer the casual fan to make this a worthwhile and enjoyable buy. If you have the first couple of albums then you've probably heard much of what this album has to offer before and, admittedly, this release doesn't exactly see the Leeds lads breaking new ground, but if you have the first couple of albums then it stands to reason you'll probably want this one too - and you probably won't be disappointed.


Disappointed, 26 Dec 2008
I was so eager to listen to this album but when I listened, it let me down a lot. A few of the songs are great but the majority of the songs were not quite Kaiser Cheif standered. But their other albums are great albums.

kaisers flying the UK flag, 30 Nov 2008
ive had this album for a couple weeks now and i am a big fan of the KCs..at first i wasnt sure but after a few listens im sold!!it such a strong album and is consistant all the way through thers some really stron "The Clash" influences here o this album (which is great)...my favourites "never miss a beat".."good days n bad days" and "addicted to drugs".."you want history is a step in a new electro 80s rock movement but is also a great track...a definate buy if u are a KC!!

Diminishing returns, 29 Nov 2008
Any notion of the band trying to disregard the last album as being a minor blip is torn asunder by this one being even less inspired. Can they come back from this? Well, they'll have to start by writing some songs that don't sound like pale imitations of the songs that made them a festival favourite.

Off With Their Heads is by no means an unlistenable mess, it's just something that's completely throwaway after about... ooh... one listen. Hats off to them for breaking the three years to make an album cycle, but it's not really working to their advantage with this amount of filler.

Absolutely nothing here is really worth adding to that inevitable Greatest Hits package they're working towards, which is a terrible crime. At least Angry Mob kept things running in that department. I'd attempt to make this review more credible by speaking about individual tracks, but I'll be damned if there's anything actually worth singling out. I suppose the song with the rapper on is especially laughable...

Anyhoo, to end on a positive note, Mark Ronson's production is so lacklustre that he doesn't intrude too much to make it sound like every other song he's been involved with that started to grate by mid-2007.

Everything Is Not Average Nowdays, 23 Nov 2008
First album was fantastic and the spiky humour and energetic live shows went down a storm. Album number two was better produced but felt a bit lumpy and lethargic and the live shows became too arrogant.

To be honest I really wasn't expecting much of this so have been very pleasantly surprised. Never Miss A Beat manages to "out Ruby" Ruby! Kaiser Chiefs aren't going to ever write challenging or overly clever lyrics, but what they will do is put a smile on your face. If you want the clever stuff, delve into Radiohead or U2. If you just want to have a bit of fun without thinking get this!

Mark Ronson's production helps enormously. It's clean, fresh without the stodge that was on album two. Fortunately there's the right balance of Ronson's strings and horns. If you listen for them you'll hear and appreciate them. If you didn't listen for them, they won't jump out and bite you.

Apart from the fairly awful "Addicted To Drugs" the rest of the album is great stuff. Some fantastic melodies, funny lyrics - it's just fun.

On the live front, the preview shows for the album were lean, lively and interesting, which is just what the first album delivered.

If you liked the first album, but didn't like the second, don't give up on the Kaiser Chiefs yet.

One word..., 02 Jan 2009
Monotonous

Ok, a few more.
I liked the single, it was a breathe of fresh air.
Trouble is they've failed miserably to create much that's any different on the rest of the album.


Crap - THAT IS YOUR NAME !, 12 Nov 2008
THE WORST POP/PUNK/ROCK ..WHATERVER! BAND IN THE WORLD!

please people grow up and listen to some AC/DC !

Most of all VERY ANNOYING ! id rather listen to an entire CD of a toilet being flushed than this garbage !

Who the hell gave these idiots a record deal? Utter rubbish!, 25 Oct 2008
This has to be one of the worst groups I've ever heard. The woman 'singer' cannot even sing, the songs that I have heard are extremely poor and not even catchy. A feeble attempt at being 'punk' and trying to sound like that one hit wonder from the 80s - Mickey. The punk world will no doubt feel insulted and embarrassed by this group and the woman who sang Mickey (Toni Basil) at least sounded like she could sing a few notes!

There is nothing good to say about this group or any of their songs. I know people trying to make it as musicians in some capacity and they have more talent in a strand of hair than these idiots have between them. Its a complete injustice that this rubbish gets recognised, whilst so much better talent goes unnoticed.

I'm sure whoever likes them will get bored very quickly and hopefully this crap will soon disappear and never be heard of again!

Please go away quickly and don't even dream of any form of comeback!

not bad but not great either!, 24 Oct 2008
Katie White sounds like Tony Basil on tracks like "Great DJ", "The Drums", "Thats not my name" while slowing down her act for "Be the one" which are good material which is not backed up even more by some of the duff tracks involved like "Impacilla Carpisung" and "Traffic Lights" which does not lend a great deal to a debut album as of course for every new band or solo act starting debut albums will have the odd one but NME's OTT reviews could come back and haunt them if the Ting Tings fail to come up with a different if winning formual for their second album.

Its not a bad album but its not great either!

Every 8 year old should have it!, 20 Oct 2008
First heard these early this year, about the same time as I saw the Kills. For me, they are a bit 'candy pop' but it's a great compromise when arguing with my 8 year old daughter about what music is going on the CD player. It's worth it just to catch her doing air guitar and miming the words....very badly! A fun Album.

Who would have thought it? Nobody, that's who. The last time African music enjoyed any meaningful dalliance with the Western mainstream it was under Paul Simon's patronage with his peerless 1986 album Graceland. That's if you don't count Damon Albarn's extra curricular indulgences (which you don't). The last place we expected it to turn up again was from four New York kids who otherwise might have been found fiddling with their fringes in dorm rooms waiting for the Albert Hammond Jr. tour to hit town. Even by the obscure standards US indie has set itself over the last few years (see TV on the Radio and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) Vampire Weekend offer up a witch's brew of audacity. That alone would be sufficient to garner infamy and a rep for experimentation, but they also hang from this rebellion of form a stream of alt-tunefulness so efficient and unabashed it would make The Strokes' first album blush. Thus, the piping reggae organ and sun-kissed swagger of "Oxford Comma" is given a heartbeat by tight lo-fi garage drums and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" lilts along with cheerful tribal rhythms and crisp African guitar, bound by ascending psychedelic vocals. And that's not to mention the mad strings that make listening to "M79" like watching Ski Sunday on hallucinogens. Their advanced rhythmical awareness even makes more standard indie rampages "I Stand Corrected" and "Walcott" less standard. Which is about the length of it; Vampire Weekend, making the standard much less standard. --James Berry

brilliant, 01 Jan 2009
ths is a beautiful album- who cares what their previous stuff is like- this is THIS album- i love it - its a beautiful collection of great guitar melodies and words. calebs voice is honey and they music is bliss to go with it.really ace.

Arrested Development, 30 Dec 2008
Once more the Kings have produced an album of sublime quality, all killer no filler. Yes its different in style from Aha and Y&YM but just a further development of the the sound we heard on Because of the Times. This change in style has nevertheless produced an album of the highest quality - again! My greatest concern going forward is what the hell do they play in their live sets - a problem which can only be answered by playing a 3 hour set surely? A tip - listen to all four albums on shuffle on your ipod it will prove to you that the only thing that has changed is nothing!!!

Wow, 30 Dec 2008
Before this album I'd heard of the Kings of Leon but never really paid them much attention. I bought this album for three reasons 1) I'd heard 'Sex on Fire', 2) a friend said it was good and 3) It was cheap on Amazon. Wow, what an album. By far the best I bought in 2008 and I bet it won't be beaten in 2009. A cert for every award going next year. Can't recomend this strongly enough, it's Dave Matthews, Pink Floyd and Coldplay all in one but with ten times more energy.

This band is on FIRE!, 28 Dec 2008
Wow! what an album. This Im sad to say is my first purchase of the Kings of Leon. After hearing the popular Sex is on fire and use_somebody endlessley played on the radio I could'nt help but be hooked in. I've always been aware of the quality of this band but have never been drawn in enough to really get into them. I guess im 'the new fan'that the sucess of this record has opened then up to. Back catalouge here I come....

Stadium Rock, Not For The Purist, 28 Dec 2008
A real departure from their previous albums, far less of a bluegrass feel, it is over produced and sounds very much like a very commercial stadium rock band.

If you don't own a Kings of Leon album, buy the earlier ones, leave this alone.

A decent addition to the Snow Patrol catalogue, 30 Dec 2008
Despite the very mixed and predominantly lukewarm reviews (and poor title), this is actually a rather good album which is always going to suffer by comparison following, as it does, two very good and similar-sounding releases. If you enjoyed either (or both) 'Final Straw' or 'Eyes Open' then there is a very good chance you will like 'A Hundred Million Suns'. There is no huge departure from their trademark, well-honed Snow Patrol sound, no massive progression, simply another set of well-written, well-performed songs, although perhaps it could be said this is their most laid-back album yet, overall, and their harder edge seems a mite softer on this release. Other than that, it is business as usual.

Worthy additions to the Snow Patrol catalogue include 'Take Back The City' (the verse of which sounds very much like 'Stranger' from ELO's 1983 album, 'Secret Messages') the energetic 'Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands' and the adventurous final track 'The Lightning Strike', a three-part Snow Patrol epic which is probably the most remarkable song on the album. With each repeat play, this album sounds better and better and its individual charms begins to make their mark, however, with nothing here as immediately striking as 'Chasing Cars', 'Spitting Games' or 'Run' you really do have to give 'A Hundred Million Suns' a fair hearing to get the full benefit of this album - but it is eventually worth the effort.


10/10 to Amazon, 07 Dec 2008
The review say it all; a really great Album. However, what I would like to say is well done Amazon. I for one hate the pretentious rubbish written about Apple and in particular their hateful I-Tunes. I don't have an iPOD although respect their design. I have a Zen which I love and now my wife and both the kids have one too. Amazon have opened up the market and with these £3.00 downloads, only those with anal retention are still going to regularly illegally download. At last someone has realised that charging £8-£10 for a download is taking the rip. If you keep the downloads down to a reasonable price then we will pay. Don't let us down Amazon!


A great evolution, 07 Dec 2008
My first "contact" with SP was "Eyes open": I inmediately loved the album, as it pushed me to buy the previuos ones. I must confess that the two first collections were not of my taste, except for a very few songs, but "Final straw" finally threw me to the Patrol's feet and songs like "Chocolate", "Run", "How to be dead", "Spitting Games or "Somewhere a clock is ticking" became a part of my being. This last "One hundred million suns" is as good as the previous two and even better, at least for me; I find a good bunch of great songs all along the set, most of them being better than the hit single "Take back the city": "Crack the shutters" recovers the spirit of my personal fav of all SP songs, "Chocolate", I trace influences of U2 and Coldplay in several tracks, like "Engines" or "If there's a rocket...", also love "Please just take...", "Disaster button" or the first and the final parts of "The lightning strike", the rest of tracks keep a very good level. I've listened to the album many many times, and each time I find new things that make me love it deeper and deeper, specially "If there's a rocket tie me to it": it must be the next single.

A nice try, 26 Nov 2008
a good album but it doesnt come close to beating eyes open maybe their next album will

1:55, 19 Nov 2008
I've always liked Snow Patrol but something has always held me back from loving them.

This is a good album - and there are some great moments if you dig deep. Engines 1:55 - sudden transformation into a beautiful melody. Does it for me driving to work in the morning.

'You know I love you like an ancient history brought to life' - nice line.

MD

Heard Them Stirring....but wasn't especially impressed., 25 Dec 2008
This album ranks in the top 50 albums of 2008 lists of a fair few very well respected music publications. It was also recommended to me by this very site as well as by a colleague who has similar musical tastes to mine.

However, I felt this album was very much overrated. It's ok, it's fine, and I have no problem giving it 3*, while I sit comfortably on the fence, but anything more than that is something I cannot do. I would even go so far as to say I'd listen to this album again if someone played it to me, but it's just something I'd prefer to have on as background noise.

None of the songs stood out to me or really grabbed my attention at all. The album is innocuous, but it's also generic and rather boring. I understand the sorts of directions in which they're trying to go, but they're losing their way a bit.

They try to sound folky, retro, slightly psychedelic, and they manage it, but not to any real effect; it all sounds too try-hard, with the added problem of sounding as if not enough effort has been put into its post production as the sound quality isn't great. Maybe they were trying to go for an indie (as in independent), organic feel to their sound, but it doesn't quite achieve that objective either.

Half baked, 22 Dec 2008
Not a bad album, but not a great one. There are a few excellent songs here (White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why) but an awful lot of 'filler'. Some songs start off well and then appear to lose their way and finish off as disappointing extended jams (Ragged Wood for example). Solid but unspectacular.

If it's group harmonies you're after, check out the similar but far superior 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' by Midlake.

Derivative - So what?, 10 Dec 2008
Yes it has elements of the Beach Boys, CSN&Y and about a thousand others. You could even throw Sigur Ros, Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span in there - but what counts is the stuff pouring into your ears and the emotions and sensations this experience leaves behind. On that basis this debut affected me as much as my first hearing of Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" REM's "Murmer". This is a singular creation and resonates long after the final track. What more do you want?

Pleasant Enough but "A Classic" ?, 07 Dec 2008
The reviews for Fleet Foxes seem to be in two distinct camps, those who rave about their brilliant new sound, a sound apparently derived from and influenced by everything from the Beach Boys to CSN and those who are lukewarm to their charms. I'm afraid that after a rather herculean effort to like this album and find the depths so