Bluebell Polka, The - Jimmy Shand

Advantages: Great Party Fun Album
Disadvantages: Is it Folk or is it Reggae?

...The title is actually Two Step To Heaven and is available for about £6 from Cooking Vinyl records. I first heard this band many years ago on a Cooking Vinyl sampler album. They are a mixture of accordian led folk music and dub reggae. Not your everyday top twenty material. They make excellent party music and their is lots of dancey material on theis album. My faourit track is Bjorn Again Polka..so as you can see they have some snappy titles. I saw them live and North Shields Fish Quay festival two years and they were the best of an excellent lot of World Music. They've now dropped the Red Hot Polkas from the name and are now just plain Edward II. That years album was This Way Up which is also recommended. So if you were looking for some accordion led dub regae folk albums look no further. This is the definite article.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: An easy to listen to, fun album
Disadvantages: Not as much electronic influence, more poppy

...This is a very different album to Patrick Wolf's previous efforts, with a much 'bigger' sound but none the less it is a very good album. Probably not as good as 'Lycanthropy' or 'Wind in the Wires', but it does have some gems within it. From the pop sounds of 'The Magic Position' and 'Accident and Emergency' right through to the slow and thoughtful duet with Marianne Faithfull on 'Magpie'. This is an album that is easy to listen to, and the track 'Bluebells' stands out for me as the best song on the album. Patrick Wolf has come a long way in the past few years, and at the age of 23 is already one of the most talented musicians within the industry. I would certainly recommend catching on of his live shows as I did this year, they are not to be missed! Track Listing Review- Overture - A beautiful strings arrangement, possibly his best... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Very divers and emotional album. Highlights of this album are the uptempos.
Disadvantages: On this album, the slower songs really demonstrate a weakness in instrumental and songwriting.

...A great CD for Jimmy Eats World, Bleeds American features some great songs, some good songs, and some misses. Highlights include radio favourites "Bleed American", "The Middle", and "Sweetness". On songs like "Bleed American" the listener is exposed to a darker, edgier side of Jimmy Eat World, and one almost wishes World would have expanded on this sentiment throught. However, the uplifting nature of the ablbum cannot be discounted- songs such as "Praise Chorus" and "The Middle" are great both for their melodies and messages, and are garunteed to make the listener want to get up and move. Near misses and misses include the down tempo songs, in which the repetetive nature of Jimmy Eat World's song writting becomes obvious and at times, painful and boring. In the long run, however, this flaw is by far overshadowed by the suberb lyrics... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful