Johnskibeat

The stripped production and clanging guitar tones clearly don’t instantly convert this into an edgy album but it certainly adds something to those structures that boast a more complex design.

The Melvins have never been a band that you can trust to conform and that’s just how we like them.

The weather forecast isn’t bright as North Atlantic Oscillation get a little bit carried away with themselves.

Repeated plays allow a deeper connection to the changes of mood, the whole lysergic journey revealing itself as a maniacal descent into hell and back.

Harder and far more sinister than their debut, Band of Skulls give us rock with added nous on an album which, as its name suggests, offers some sweet and some sour, both in its emphasis and its quality.

Unapologetically walking the tightrope of being gloriously addictive and mind-numbingly repetitive – The Subways return with…. more of the same. Yes, The Subways are still doing exactly what it says on the tin, a fact that will probably be their downfall.

A mixed bag from this much lauded bunch of London grunge revivalists. But have they done enough in debut album Yolk to win the sceptical John Skibeat over?

There’s no doubting there are instant big-hitters here but what marks this album out as a giant step up is the switch of anaemic filler for angry, slow-growers.

The kind of thrill ride that leaves you stuffed full of adrenaline, gasping for breath and with a mile-wide smile on your kisser. AXXONN throws everything into the mix – kitchen sink the lot. the results are varied yet ultimately thrilling writes John Skibeat.