The problem with great songs is that they blow everything else out of the water. So if you stick a truly great song right at the start of your fifth album (and twelfth studio release!), it's natural for it to overshadow all that follows. 'Lost Coastlines' is the class act here; initially it feels isolated in its superbness, particularly given the inclusion of three brief instrumentals that add little but length to the tracklist. Nevertheless, if you sit down and give The Stand Ins the time and attention it deserves, you'll find you were wrong, so very wrong. In fact you should get down on your knees and beg frontman Will Sheff for forgiveness. The Mic is happy to report that this album is rife with engaging, poetic songs that are true to Okkervil River's musical legacy.

From the moment 'Gematria (The Killing Name)' begins pounding your ears, Slipknot's relentless attack of pure aggression feels like it’ll never end. They bring with their new masks a new sound that they’ve refined over the years, and have moved away from the almost-too-commercial music of Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses. The good elements of their previous albums have been successfully amalgamated on this effort: raw power, dark brutality and catchy riffs, with particularly impressive double-bass drumming by Joey Jordison. Corey Taylor also demonstrates his full range of vocal talent on this album, from menacing growls to Stone Sour-style melody. When the aggression is briefly laid off during some middle segments, the album risks failure. However, there’s enough sheer metal rage elsewhere to give this band the great comeback they needed after being away so long.

The problem with Keane (yes, I know, bare with me) is that whenever they release a new album they insist that it will be so far from their previous one it’ll shock people.  Then they release a single that is so far from their previous one it shocks people. Then they release an album that isn’t.  The promise was there; ‘Spiralling’ was such a glorious piece of electro-pop that I hoped they’d ditched pianos for good. Instead, Perfect Symmetry is a clumsy mix of piano-infused ballads and half-hearted attempts at electro foot-stompers. Whilst there are a few songs worth mentioning – ‘Spiralling’ is the highlight, even if the album version palls in comparison to the single – such as ‘Again and Again’ and new single ‘The Lovers are Losing’, yet the rest are songs which could easily have come from either of their 2 previous albums. An album of Spirallings would have been perfect, this isn’t. 

Holy Ghost Revival sound vaguely similar to David Bowie and Guns N Roses, but quite a bit worse. If the band didn’t take themselves so seriously perhaps their unique electro-glam rock/pop could work. As it is, ‘Twilight Exit’ is too full of silly lyrics and drawn out instrumentals. ‘Empire Skies’ for instance feels like it could work well as a backing track for an overdramatic sci-fi/adventure film, but has too much filler to be interesting on its own.  That being said, ‘Wetbrain Bandana’ and ‘Embrace The Hate’ are real standouts, sounding like revved up mixes of Placebo and The Raconteurs. As a whole ‘Twilight Exit’ is an odd album – a mixture of vaudeville piano, crappily written ballads and theatrical electro that definitely adds up to musical marmite.

This album has an intriguing Arcade Fire-esque opening: haunting synth-adjusted piano blends seamlessly with barely audible rhythm guitar, before an eruption of brilliant drumming. Singing ensues and there appears to be some sort of spy themed narrative with occasional soaring guitar. Unfortunately after this first song the album goes somewhat downhill rather quickly. While the instrumentation is still good and, in places, brilliant, the album is spoiled by front-man Robert Stevenson’s tendency to wail somewhat beyond his range. It's almost likeable, though slightly too dramatic to be truly enjoyable. The grandiose sound is admirable, but is let down by poor lyrics and cheap Matt Bellamy imitation vocals. This album might appeal to fans of Muse, or alternatively, it might irritate them because it sounds like a thin, pale imitation of them.

The self-titled album from the rock/electro/industrial foursome kicks off with the cracking ‘Die Tonight Live Forever’, with dirty electro grinding of the highest degree. Sounding like the bastard child of Pendulum and NIN, the majority of tracks marry the dance/rock genre that have served their predecessors so well, and should appeal to all those wearing neon. ‘Don’t Stop’, their first single, is a mish-mash of fantastic techno wizardry with lovely shouty bits and a chant-along chorus. The repetitive vocals and chintzy intro to ‘Everyone Is The Same’ reeks of Hot Chip, but quickly opens up into their trademark unrelenting frenzy. There is a slight lack of diversity throughout, and perhaps of a loss of momentum at points, notably in the slower ‘This Empty Love’, however ‘This Town Your Grave’ does see a thankful return to form. Overall, an absolutely fantastic debut to hopefully chart them an exponential rise to fame, assuming the recent hoards of nu-rave kids aren’t wiped out in a SARS pandemic. Which would be a shame. Probably.

This promo features tracks from the fourth studio album from Welsh post-hardcore screamos Funeral for a Friend. The first two tracks are hardly groundbreaking and flow in a similar vein to the unspectacular ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’, with their generic punchy chords and forgettable lyrics. However, the discordant/harmonious interplay in ‘Waterfront Dance Club’ hails back to ‘Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation’, widely regarded as a seminal post-hardcore masterpiece, reassuring die-hard fans that FFAF haven’t lost their unique style. On the basis of these tracks the album will have to work hard to justify its positive reviews (Kerrang! 4/5), but knowing FFAF there are undoubtedly a few diamonds in the rough that will make this album memorable.

The Automatic return for album number two, albeit minus founding member and keyboardist/ professional screamer guy Alex Pennie. His absence provides a welcome break from the yelping that permeated their debut, however but they have lost the gimmick that allowed them to stand out from the seemingly never-ending stream of identikit indie acts; even if it was a very annoying one. The fun, disco (disco – Ed?) element has gone and the band has done a bit of growing up (see ‘Automatic GMTV’ on YouTube). ‘This Is A Fix’ is a solid rock record but there’s no ‘Monster’ on here, no immediate chart-busters of the kind that dropped out out of ‘Not Accepted Anywhere’. The picks of the bunch are first single ‘Steve McQueen’ and ‘This Ship’, their attempt at a stadium-rock song. The trouble is all of the songs plod along nicely enough, but there’s no urgency, no spirit to most of what’s on offer here, and ultimately, the songs are forgettable. What’s that coming over the hill? A fairly mediocre second album? It would seem so.

Los Campesinos! have got really angry in their extremely productive last 8 months! Their new album opens with ‘Ways To Make It Through The Wall’, a catchy song that has glaring single potential. Unfortunately though, the band are refusing to release any singles this time, which seems to be a pretentiously ‘indie’ attempt to avoid commercial success. Singer Gareth has evidently matured on this album (or re-embraced pubescent angst), with the nonsensical lyrics occasionally replaced with emotional insights into his life and feelings: see “they loathe me and I hate them back”. After the first few tracks this anguish seems to get the better of him though, making the songs a bit dull in places. Overall the album is great, keeping the cool synth pop riffs, glockenspiel and girl vs. boy vocals that made so many people fall in love with Los Campesinos!’ first album, yet it is different enough to be both original and enjoyable.

12% pretentious, 9% annoying, 14% angry, 20% good, ‘the rest’ – excellent.

Mamagubida was first released in 1998 by Tryo, a French four piece band who met sitting around a campfire in the Pyrenees (how quaint!). Primarily an acoustic album (which cannot convincingly be deemed “reggae”), only two of the fifteen tracks were recorded in a studio, whereas the remainder are taken from live sets. Some of the material verges on political, flattering to deceive in its message somewhat: ‘sexual promiscuity’ as a major issue? Anyone? One song even tells the story of Yakamone, a cannabis growing hippie who regards everyone as his brother. Despite the fact it is in French, (meaning the lyrics may be over your head), Tryo are all very talented musicians; as such, you can still enjoy the album don’t know what “Je veux fumer de l'herbe de quality” means.

Put simply, this song is epic. Reminiscent of 'One', the feeling that you’re about to receive a delicious audio treat comes the moment the lead guitar enters with the initial riff. The strength of Hetfield’s voice adds to the overall power of the song and as we reach the bridge, the tempo builds and we’re led into some fantastic harmonies between guitars and bass. The scream of “This I swear!” plunges the song into true heavy metal which culminates in an outstanding climax of speedy chord progressions and solos. Metallica have shown they most definitely still have “it”.

‘Paper Planes’ is the latest single from the brilliant M.I.A: woman of interesting lineage, a once graphic artist, musician, and overall legend. The song itself is far less energising than previous singles and marks a serious change in style from “Pull up the People” and “Bamboo Banga”: nonetheless a political and social commentary, it’s less heavy-handed and more laid-back than her earlier releases. She uses a plethora of unusual instruments and odd synth-tones as well as recorded samples without making the track feel bloated. Perhaps her style is maturing. I hope not.

Any self respecting indie kid will find it hard to hate a band that swaps a drum kit for a tap dancer (yes, they did really do that and yes it probably is a gimmick). This new release from Tilly and the Wall signals a change in direction from their previous sugary sweet, Wild Like Children album. Beat Control sounds a bit like Miami Sound Machine on pills, very, very mellow ‘I love you you’re my best friend ever’ Pills. This song is sheer bubblegum pop and will have even the most pretentious of scenesters up doing the funky chicken, or whatever the kids enjoy these days. “Let the beat control your body, baby.”

Voodoo Six sound like a classic metal band, similar to Iron Maiden or Velvet Revolver, and ‘Feed My Soul’ is no exception, with all the massive riffs, screeching guitar solos and heavy vocals you could want. The single comes with a part-acoustic track ‘Jam The Sun’, which could almost be a HIM track – debatable if that’s a good or bad thing, but it does show a variety a lot of new bands don’t have. Voodoo Six will make a great new addition to the British rock scene in any fan of old-school metal’s books.

It’s understandable that after such a long time in the business, some bands meander from their self-created status quo's. On their latest single- ‘Lost’- Coldplay emerge with a sound comparable to Genesis, with heavy African drumbeats carrying the song. 'Lost' is certainly worth a listen, and given the time will warm to you, unless you’re a die-hard Foals-worshipping Indie soul; in which case it's probably not your cup of tea. 

With its epic, heavy reverb sounding guitars and infectious backing vocals, 'Waving Flags' cements itself early on as a atmospheric and melodic whirlwind, a departure from BSP's past expansive post punk material. However this transition plays to the bands advantages, as singer Yan’s vocals are allowed centre stage, complete with eccentric references to Eastern Europe and the joys of alcohol. The soaring guitars and elevating harmonies on the other hand are what make this song an instant festival anthem. This stunning, layered single has obvious comparisons to Arcade Fire, but still sounds refreshingly original and inventive. 

Despite being only 5 tracks long (2 of which are remixes of lead track ‘Glitches ‘N’ Bugs’), the London 3-piece manage to pack an impressive amount of innovative ideas, beats and psychedelic influences onto this EP. Produced by Danger Mouse and clearly influenced by the likes of The Flaming Lips, the three original tracks are all brilliant and showcase a band that are surely destined for bigger things. ‘Homesick’ is the clear standout, complete with frenetic scratching and bizarre samples of wasps. The Marshmellow Mike remix of G’N’B is also well worth a listen. Slightly odd yet undoubtedly genius.

I loved CSS’ first album because of the weird, distinctive sound and the general happy vibe throughout. When I heard tracks form their new album (from which ‘Move’ is taken) I was pretty disappointed - It seemed like they had grown up and become just another average pop band. Unfortunately, this single follows that trend. From the irritating opening vocals and stabbing synth to the boring lyrics and predictable structure, this single is annoying and embarrassing to listen to very loud through fear of being judged by people nearby. The only redeeming feature is the funky bass line, the rest is shit.

Red Stripe 4-packs and wannabe cool-kids – it was time to welcome home Manchester’s newest penis extension- the Ting Tings. With the sheer energy they give off during a performance, it’s not hard to see why they get such great live feedback. However, it must be said that Katie White, whilst cuter than a kitten licking a llama, has the same irritating lets-all-smack-her-in-the-face vibe in real life as she does in her music videos. Jules de Martino’s ability to play drums and guitar simultaneously deserves a mention, but by that point in time my cider-addled brain would have been awed by a dog licking its own arse. A pouty, shouty, peroxide evening that for £13 was probably just about right. 

Foals have always confused me.  A band that makes what is essentially dance music become indie icons, revered by the plaid shirt, skinny jeans brigade but often snubbed by the dance music doesn’t quite make sense. Maybe it is the fashion – I overheard one plaid shirt and skinny jean wearing kid saying “I don’t even like them, but they’re cool, so I came.” But you have to give Foals credit, whilst their album is the definition of repetition, their live shows are so exciting and lively that you quickly forget how mechanical they can be. The favourites – including “Cassius” and “Tron” – were well received and the dancing was manic, but they saved the best til the climax with a storming 10-minute “Two Steps, Twice”. 

The frontman of Heartbreak is clearly possessed. I was genuinely slightly scared by the manic expression on his face, and the erratic way that he moved. He sang in a very creepy voice. That said, there were some unbelievably catchy riffs, and the atmosphere was one of a rave. In fact, none of he songs would have been out of place in some sort of eighties techno rave. The other member of the band, who played the keyboard, seemed to be able to compile whole songs from the special effects buttons on the keyboard. I left very much in the mood to go clubbing. If you are into that kind of music or fancy something different, or want to warm up for a night out, I would say they are probably worth a look.