Album reviews

To be fair to Cuts Across the Land I will say that when the band click, they can be thunderous.

Without doubt it is their best effort to date. It takes the experiments and borrowings of Nightfreak that little bit further, whilst adding a gravitas and richer, more emotive textures to their undoubted song writing ability.

Give Blood in some ways is so simple it doesn't need all the other baggage. To mis-quote Mr Clinton, it's the songs, stupid. And these songs are incredibly strong.

Bury St Edmunds is no place to raise sons they'll only grow old before time

Outlaw is, by turns, funny, witty, irreverent and a slave to some rather loose-knit, loose-fit rhythms.

'Every girl that I see since, looks just like you when I squint'

It is absolutely bonkers, bananas, mad as a pheasant's wedding.

The perfect antidote to cynical rehashes of 80s music performed by pretty boys and girls styled to within an inch of their lives.

It's one of those coffee table albums that everyone will buy, say “that's rather nice” and then only play it in the background at dinner parties because it's not too loud and won't offend anybody

This time around there doesn't seem to be the pressure to get it just right, a feeling that sometimes adversely affected their earlier songs.

no fate... is simply overflowing with energy and a complete disregard for any rock'n'roll guidelines.

Lloyd Cole's brain and face is made out of cowpat - we all know that and herewith is an instrumental track.

Irresistible? I think not.

Sometimes you've just got to shut-the-fuck-up and listen.

Don't people realize good music when they hear it?

No Cabaret! is one of the catchiest emo-funk numbers from the album written about the ridiculous cabaret laws in NYC.

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There's certainly something incredibly powerful going on here.

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There's loads of stuff here, less than 40 minutes in length but 14 songs and more chops and changes than you can shake a stick at.

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It's nothing truly ground breaking or innovative, but it is what it is and that's very entertaining.

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Yeah, they like traditional song structures, but only up to a point. Basically, that's been done and so they want to make the listening experience more complex, more challenging. Think Radiohead. Think Califone.