From Gainsbourg To Lulu – Lulu Gainsbourg – So many guest stars, I'm expecting Serge's on to change his name to Lil Wayne any second now, and the 26 year old looks a though he's 47. The stench of stale Gauloise is all over the album, but it is really quite good. Especially on the songs where he is channelling his Papa, who, incidentally, wrote all the songs to start with – Grade: BHouse Of Gold And Bones – Stone Sour -If Slipknot and Metallica had a child it would sound a lot like Stone Sour, all hard crunching battleing hard melodic lines for supremacy and winning. in the end – Grade: B
Break it Yourself – This is a nihilists nightmare, deep ambient folk songs that play best from a long long distance so you can be lulled away by lively instrument and strong but dis-arranging sounds and a voice to note from the side of your ear on "Three White Horses". And I guess if you let it seep through, you will get a certain joy of knowing that you are not a philistine. The way i am – Grade: C
Hope On The Rocks – Toby Keith – More songs about drinking and girls. The honky tonkin' wildin' one gets his licks in good here and there but not often enough to justify the concept. Plus, Merle Haggard wouldn't allow the band to play with such little feel for the bottle. "Cold Beer Country" is so bad, it sinks the rest of the album – Grade: C+
New Horizons – Flyleaf – Christian rock is the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" of rock. It looks like rock, it is packaged like rock but listen to it? It ain't rock. Just terrible – Grade: D+
Psychedelic Pill – Neil Young And Crazy Horse – One of the three long ones works fine but it ain't the 27 minute one which seems to go on well past the point where it bares the slightest resemblance to fun. Indeed, what this album proves beyind a reasonable doubt is that Neil's songwriting skills are nothing like that they are, but he can still play guitar. Gimme "Susannah" any day – Grade: B-
The Velvet Underground And Nico 50th Anniversary – The Velvet Underground – 65 songs when all you really need is 11. And the other 54 add nothing much to the story. But the story is so great, who cares? – Grade: A+