Music: Skunk Anansie - Wonderlustre (2010)

Skin is back!

I am so excited about the return of Skunk Anansie. Famously dubbing themselves as 'an amalgam of heavy metal and black feminist rage,' the band had huge success in the late nineties and early noughties before paling into music history. Lead singer, Skin, was that brand of rock-band front-woman who would probably smack you in the face just to be seen as one of the guys. Remember 'Hedonism (Just because it feels good)' and 'Brazen'? Well, fully re-formed and rocking, Skunk Anansie is back, and their new album is a wild ride.

Opening track, 'God Loves Only You,' is certainly a though-provoking song, switching between gentle vocals and huge rocking riffs. Next up is 'My Ugly Boy' which has an old-school brit-pop feel about it. It's the first single, to be released this month, and will definately do well in the charts. 'Over the Love' showcases Skin's delightfully expressive voice - another big anthem that is bound to do well. In fact, there's not a single song on this album which doesn't show off the front-woman's singing ability. It's gravelly, pissed off, tender and joyful all in one. 'You're Too Expensive for Me' borrows from recent brit-rock a little too much for my liking. But the album is redeemed by 'You Can't Always Do What You Like,' which seems to sound like an angry Annie Lennox. The album also offers radio-friendly tunes like 'Feeling the Itch' and the ballad 'You Saved Me.'

All in all, this is a great come-back for this band. Die-hard fans will probably be disappointed by the lack of mosh-tastic, dandruff showering heavy rock anthems, but I think it shows a matured band who have thought seriously about what they want to achieve. All the best to them, I say.

Standout tracks - Over the Love, My Ugly Boy, You Can't Always Do What You Like

My Rating - *** 3/5 stars

Recommendation: Give it a listen. You better listen to the back catalogue, too, if you don't know them!

Music: Paramore - Brand New Eyes

Ok, here’s my Kingsmill confession. Well…sort of. Anyway, I had previously dismissed Paramore as another teen punk rock band. What’s worse, they were a teen punk rock band fronted by a girl. Oh heavens, a girl trying to scream a point in a male dominated genre. Yes, I wrote them off.

Please forgive me, Paramore. I may actually be addicted to this album.

This is the third full length album from them, and it’s fantastic. 'Brand New Eyes' chronicles the band’s difficult year as they struggled to stick together, lost band members and ultimately decided to give it another shot. I’m glad they did.

Let’s start with 'Ignorance', the first single from the new album. It’s a cocky, angry dig at members of the band’s team who doubted their longevity. It’s a smart choice for a first single because it sounds a lot like their previous material. Catchy, aggressive and powerful, it’s going to do well in the charts.

As for the rest of the album, Hayley Williams’ powerhouse vocals have blown me away from the first to the last audio second. This girl has a set of pipes to be proud of! And she showcases the more tender and controlled aspects of her voice on a handful of surprising and refreshing down-tempo acoustic tracks, 'The Only Exception' and 'Misguided Ghosts.'

The album is full of catchy hooks that make you want to jump, punch the air and join in. I still find myself singing the odd line with gusto hours after listening. The point is, it would be easy to pigeonhole Paramore (i’m blushing sheepishly as I say this) as punky emo kids with rage. This album is hopeful. The band has overcome a potential break-up and yet William’s triumphant cry is, “I can’t believe we almost hung it up. We’re just getting started!”

Another stand-out track is 'All I Wanted', a sublime ballad which begins soft and then launches into a great, anthemic epic. Again, Williams unbelievable vocals manage to melt my bones as she pours out her heart into the line ‘All I wanted was you…’

Tucked away at the end of the record is 'Decode' which featured on the soundtrack for Twilight (2008). Admittedly it was this song (and this film) that flicked the Paramore lightbulb on for me and this track is addictive as Edward Cullen himself. It was written with the story specifically in mind and fits the film perfectly. If you get a chance, check out the acoustic version of the song on the Twilight soundtrack.

All in all, I want to give hundreds of bonus points for a surprising variety in styles on this album and for providing the listener with a gold mine of brilliant chorus lines to belt out when you think no one is listening.

My rating: ***** 5 star record!!
Recommendation: Play it loud and dance like a crazed rockstar.