New records for the masses (winter edition, part one)

I let too much time pass in between writing these overviews. Which of course results in even more stuff to write about, which makes me delay it even further. As this post would get rather long in the mean time, I'm going to split it into this winter edition into a part one and a second part, which I will probably post next week. Okay, 'nough said, here we go:

Arcade Fire, "The suburbs" is a Grammy award winning record of the canadian band. It's also the first by Arcade Fire which doesn't drown in pathetics, although it's still not too light hearted -- which implies that this is really a nice one. (7/10)

Amplifier, "The octopus" is a heavy beast of a record. It's easy to imagine the arms of the octopus playing a multitude of guitars. But it's an alternative rock drama which I don't have the patience for over two discs. (6/10)

Mogwai, "Hardcore will never die, but you will" is another rather heavy and constructed sounding record, quite like Amplifier, although it has some more lighter moments. It's also only a single disc. (6/10)

I reviewed Lotus Feed, "A different place" for plattentests.de, which is a rather classical gothic/wave record. It's a good one but too close to more famous bands to really stand out. (6/10)

I have the impression that Radiohead with each new record try to come up with even stranger song structures. "King of the limbs" is the latest and greatest step on that mission. (6/10)

I admit it, I have a weak spot for the low-fi two-piece sound of The Kills. On the other hand, I think they get better with each new record. "Blood pressures" has a pretty broad range of song structures, while still mostly sticking to their typical two people setup. (7/10)

I was lurred by the praising review on plattentests.de into buying the punk rock opera "David comes to life" by Fucked up. The music is fine, but I have a hard time standing the singer. (5/10)

A jazz record by Nicole Jo, "Go on" and a very nice one, too, came to me from plattentests.de but didn't fit into the thematic range. Which doesn't make it a bad record, not at all, I like it very much. (7/10)


Records from the crypt:
Billy Talent, "Billy Talent III" was a cheap buy, but a very nice one. If you like Green Day-style punk rock without the pop part, you'll also like this one. (7/10)