Contrast – Conor Maynard – Released six months ago in Europe and headed late on the heels of the excellent "Vegas Girl", this is Pharrel's attempt to find a new Justin Bieber up to discovering Conor on YouTube. And it is not unsuccessful electronic pop music either, though the definition of nondescript. A handful of tracks, "Animal" and the hyper ballad "Glass Girl" among them, should get the job done. And the album is about as interesting as this review: Grade: B-
Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones – Black Veil Bride – A concept album about fear rebels beating the band into submission and none of which need bother us here. The problem is BVB mine hair metal but they don't know how to write pop songs. Loud riffs aplenty? Absolutely. But where is their "Girls, Girls, Girls"? If you wanna rape and pillage teenagers you need to throw em the red meat – Grade: B-
Notes From The Underground – Hollywood Undead – Raps meets metal yet again with some screams from the bowels of hell thrown in for taste and all built to play well live. It plays less well on record except for a handful of songs where they find their inner Anthony Keidis to pretty damn good effect – Grade: B-
Signed Sealed In Blood – Dropkick Murphys – Over a decade since "Good Rats", I guess we've all given up on the band being the new Pogues, or even the Boston Pogues, but what they are is a good time, punk rock, loud and wild Pogues who do the same thing over and over and it is always really really good. Just like this years album – Grade: B
Burning Lights – Chris Tomlin – I've tried really really hard to hate this Contemporary Christian rocker but he really does have a couple of winners in the pack. Just please, not the overblown horror of the Kari Jobe duet – Grade: C-
Girls, Soundtrack Vol 1 – Haprper Simon is sweet, Robyn is obvious, Belle And Sebastian are in the contract for all edgy TV shows and now I know why Icona Pop suddenly hit. The Vaccines sing along is a matter of taste. But not a bad little mix and match – Grade: B