ALBUM REVIEW: "Shapeshifter" by Knuckle Puck

October has been a great month for music so far, as further evidenced by this second LP from Knuckle Puck, Shapeshifter. The first thing I need to mention is the production - Shapeshifter sounds damn fine. The guitars in particular are on point; crunchy, warm and transparent. There is a dynamic contrast to these songs that could easily have been lost (and often is on a lot of pop-punk records) at the hands of another producer. Knuckle Puck's brand of pop-punk coloured with healthy helpings of emo is incredibly endearing to me, and lead single "Double Helix" is a great example of the catchy sing-alongs with shades of melancholy the band have a knack for producing consistently. My main gripe is to do with the lack of contrast or development, something most pop-punk fans won't even consider while they eat this up. Don't get me wrong, pretty much all of these tracks will make their way easily onto my summer playlists, but as a body of work these songs seemed to bleed together sometimes. Having said this, at a bit over 30 minutes it certainly doesn't outstay its welcome and this lack of development isn't nearly as apparent as it would have been were the album 45 minutes long, and well and truly satisfies what I wanted from this new album.

Favourite Songs: Double Helix, Gone, Everybody Lies To Me and Conduit

Least Favourite Song: Stuck In Our Ways

Rating: A

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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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