albums

Answer honestly - there have been times when you suspected your girlfriend of being evil, demonically possessed or a witch. Brooklyn-based folk artist Peter Squires knows how you feel - in the aptly-named video for Witch, he accuses his girlfriend of being a witch.

Witch is from Squires' latest album, Woe Is Me. I've been listening to some of the tunes today, and there's a raw energy in his acoustic work that he couples with humour in his lyrics. Here's a bit more about Peter:

Hailed at the start of 2009 as one of the big acts to watch this year, Marina Diamandis (aka Marina And The Diamonds) has just announced the release of her debut album, The Family Jewels. Here's a bit more about the album:

Before there was the stratospherically massive Nevermind, Nirvana released a little album called Bleach on the Sub-Pop label. The production was scrappy, the songs themselves very raw, but the energy of the record enough to bring Kurt Cobain’s little three-piece band to the attention of the major labels.

It’s hard to believe that Bleach is celebrating its twentieth birthday this year. I listened to the album a few weeks back and it’s as fresh and exciting as ever. From the lurching, stop-start of Floyd The Barber through the frenzy of Negative Creep to Cobain’s drawling delivery on Big Cheese…well, it’s safe to say that Bleach is my favourite Nirvana album rather than the megasuccessful Nevermind.

For fans of the band - original and new generation - you’ll be pleased to know that Bleach is being re-issued for the anniversary (and naturally to make the record company some extra dough - but hey, we don’t mind that when it comes to Nirvana, eh?). We got some info about the album sent across this afternoon, which I’ve included here:

Directly from our 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted' department: news that San Fransiscan trio The Dodos have released a dedicated website for their forthcoming album Time To Die.

It's an all too common problem for bands in the Internet age - work your ass off on an album only for some arse to leak it on the web before you've even had a chance to pay for the studio time.

With limited options, the band have chosen to launch a website dedicated to the new album. You can stream the entire album right now and get a free MP3 download of their Fables track. The band are also bringing forward the digital release of the album to right now in response to the leak. The physical release is 31st August in the UK and 15th September in the USA.

• Okay, here is a list of single reviews for April 2009 which should be written by me in the near future. The reviews I have already written are written in bold italics and can be viewed through my blog.
• April 2009
• Bob Dylan: 'Together Through Life'
• Bat For Lashes: 'Two Suns'
• Christy Moore: 'Listen'
• Demi Lovato: 'Don't Forget: Deluxe Edition'
• Depeche Mode: 'Sounds Of The Universe'
• The Enemy: 'Music For The People'
• Eoghan Quigg: 'Eoghan Quigg'
• Labelle: 'Back To Now'
• Lady Sovereign: 'Jigsaw'
• Mundy: 'Strawberry Blood'
• Noisettes: 'Wild Young Things'
• Pussycat Dolls: 'Doll Domination: The Mini Collection'
• Various Artists: 'The Boat That Rocked: Official Soundtrack'
• Various Artists: 'Hannah Montana The Movie: Official Soundtrack'
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: 'It's Blitz'