Opinion: New(ish) Music

Just some thoughts on some music I have heard recently:

Orson: As far as I can tell, they are like an American Ocean Colour Scene. If you like any song by Orson, I suggest you download Boston's "More than a feeling" and listen to it on repeat. Although I should add that I thought Orson's new single "Happiness" sounded like Robbie Williams.

Razorlight: I don't have too strong an opinion either way on Razorlight. I liked "Golden touch", but really dislike "Somewhere else". I find it hard to like Johnny Borrell (and his Mark Knopfler singing style). Their new stuff sounds OK, but not amazing and not rubbish - however, it is obviously tighter and more of a band effort than their previous stuff. Is anyone else slightly disturbed by the refrain of "In the morning, you know you won't remember a thing/In the morning you know it's gonna be all right"? Sounds sinister to me.

Muse: If you know me, you know that it took a little while for Muse's histrionics to win me over. However, their last album was a quantum leap forward, musically tight, the drumming had improved immeasurably adding a whole new dimension. Yes, it was still overblown, but I loved it. I have only listened to their new album a couple of times, but it just sounds ridiculous - you might as well go out and buy "Now that's what I call prog rock" (if such an album exists). The good bits are "Supermassive black hole" and the following track "Map of the problematique". The bad bits are just ridiculously overproduced. The bits inbetween just sound like Queen's "Flash Gordon" soundtrack. The critics love it, but it sounds to me like Muse's best moments have come and gone with "Absolution". I hope further listens, and future material prove me wrong.

The Feeling: "Sewn" is an excellent single. "Fill my little world" is very catchy. Before I bought their album, I read a review (I think it was on Ceefax) where it said that it sounded as though they had borrowed their Dads' record collections and then made an album. I agree. A few good songs, but sadly not a great album.

Primal Scream: It's so difficult to know where you stand with Primal Scream. They have become so likely to follow up a great record with a rubbish one. Before, this was mainly for their albums (does anyone remember any of the stuff in the five years following "Xtrmntr"?), but now, after the fantastic "Country girl" single, which has come out of nowhere, the other new stuff that I have heard sounds poor, derivative and as though it could fit in quite nicely with the large amounts of filler on "Give out but don't give up".

Gnarls Barkley: After all that moaning, I am pleased to say that here is a band that seem worthy of the hype. I am still not fed up of "Crazy", and from the television appearances that they have made, their other stuff sounds diverse, well constructed and (of course) well sung. And they seem quite happy to have a lot of fun with what they do. Hurrah!

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Does anyone else think they sound tired? "Dani California" and "Tell me baby" both lack inspiration, with the latter only rescued by Flea's fantastic slap bass. It's a good job that they are still such a great live band, as the new songs don't seem to match up to the high standards that they have set over the last twentysomething years...

The Zutons: As alluded to before, I like The Zutons. Rather, I was indifferent to them, until I saw them live. Their new album has a similar style of songs to their debut, but does sound more polished, both musically and lyrically. The sound of a band enjoying their success, which cannot be a bad thing.

Lily Allen: Even getting over the fact that she is related to Keith Allen, which cannot be a good thing, I find it hard to understand why everyone seems to love Lily. Lyrically, it sounds naive and like school poetry (from what I have heard), musically it sounds quite fun, but the way she sings is terrible (her diction is awful). Apparently, she also has a habit of singing out of tune and forgetting the words when she performs live.

Sorry about the rant, I haven't written about music for ages, so had lots to get off my chest. I hope you have found the positive comments above, as well as all the moaning! As always, your opinions are always welcome...