ALBUM REVIEW: "Graveyard Shift" by Motionless In White

I've never really enjoyed what Motionless In White do, because they've been wedged between industrial beats, gothic murkiness and generic breakdown-laden metalcore for so long without really nailing any of those sides of their sound. Listening to their music was really jarring and I've never really cared all that much for any of their records. Graveyard Shift was a real surprise for me, then, being a perfect concoction of the two worlds they have been trying to bring together on their previous efforts. It's like Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails and Korn had an illegitimate child, born with eyeliner and leather (the Jonathan Davis feature on Necessary Evil is a knowing nod to this influence). There is a surprising energy and cohesiveness to these songs, and it is by far the best album from them so far; so much so I had to double check I was indeed listening to Motionless In White on Spotify. Everything the band have offered to this point are here, but refined and tweaked to the point that they just work in a way I haven't heard on any of the other MIW albums. There is no sense of "screw it, play another breakdown" or "we haven't had some industrial noise in a few songs so here you go"; the songs progress naturally and are surprisingly catchy, heavy and interesting (bar a few stinkers towards the end, especially 570 that sounds like it belongs on Creatures). They finally hit the balance they've been working towards, and it's dark, murky, and stylish as hell - it only took them four albums to work it out.

Favourite Songs: Rats, Necessary Evil, and LOUD (F**k It)

Least Favourite Song: 570

Rating: B

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ALBUM REVIEW: "A Man Apart" by Ben Ottewell

Ben Ottewell's third LP A Man Apart goes boldly where he has been before, and while it certainly does that pretty well it doesn't manage to either strike new ground or any real emotional response. There is a distinctly "nice" feel to this record, which is, um, nice I guess if that's what you want. But it just doesn't feel like there's any immediacy or forward motion on any of these songs, like Ottewell is content with writing songs that could be on four wheel drive ads. Again, there isn't really anything particularly bad here, it's just a singer-songwriter album that isn't trying to break new ground. His typically growly voice is also beginning to give way to a more accessible, smooth tone, which could place you on either side of this record. For me it just cements it's place firmly in the middle ground somewhere. Favourite Songs: Own It, A Man Apart and Lead Me Least Favourite Songs: Watcher, Back To The World and Bones ...

1 YEAR LATER: "22, A Million" by Bon Iver

Bon Iver's third studio album turns 1 in about a week (where did that year go?), so I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about how my impressions of the album have changed - or how they haven't - over the last 12 months. When this album was released I was more excited than I think I ever have been to hear a new album. For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my all time favourites, and I love his self-titled second album too, so I had huge expectations for this album, but was also wary that expectations might ruin my experience of the music. This was particularly the case for 22, A Million , because it is unlike anything else Justin Vernon has released. There have been hints at this more processed, electronic direction previously, like the song "Woods" on the Blood Bank EP and occasional flourishes on Bon Iver , but 22, A Million is a drastic departure from the Bon Iver sound we had grown accustomed to at this point in time. Or at least, that's what I thought...

EP REVIEW: "Same Kind Of Different" by Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis offers up six largely acoustic-driven tunes on his debut offering, all of which are clearly aimed at wider appeal. The acoustic-pop thing has never really done it for me (read my recent Ed Sheeran review here ), mainly because behind the slick production and singable hooks there's a general lack of songwriting to be had. This is where Same Kind Of Different sits a rung above most other similar albums; take the sugar and fairy dust away and there are still six complete songs that could be on a singer-songwriter album, rough and bare. I can appreciate the way these songs have been tailored to be played to a larger audience, but the substance behind the shine is more important to me. The six songs do sound very similar, however, and they do tend to blur together into a singular mass - which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. For me that was a bit of a concern on second and third listen, but I was generally pleased by Same Kind Of Diffe...

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