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I don’t tend to write reviews about music as it’s not really my area of expertise. I mean, it’s really about opinion and I'm never too sure that my opinion is something that people are actually interested in to be honest. I have, however, picked up a few new albums lately so I thought I would write about the new music I've bought and also what I've been listening to over the last few weeks.

First up, I bought the new album by Irish rockers Therapy? entitled ‘Disquiet’. It’s their fourteenth (yes fourteenth) studio album their last being released in 2012. My relationship with the band is mainly due to my sister in law who has always been a massive fan of theirs. We went to see them last year performing a twentieth anniversary tour of their 1994 album ‘Troublegum’ and saw them again a few weeks ago. This album has been compared to ‘Troublegum’ by some people who are classing it as kind of a follow up album and it seems that this is what some fans have been waiting for. The album opens with the song ‘Still Hurts’ which belts out a catchy chorus and the usual heavy, pounding guitars and drums. Other stand out tracks are ‘Tides’, ‘Good News Is No News’ and ‘Torment Sorrow Misery Strife’.

It’s loud, dark a bit f**ked up and totally to the point. There’s no hiding here, just straight to it with tortured vocals and direct lyrics. I think Therapy? are something of an acquired taste for some people as they are situated somewhere in alternative metal and heavy rock, but this album will hopefully make them a bit more accessible to new listeners.

Next up is ‘Short Movie’ by Laura Marling. Now, I'm someone who takes on board recommendations on bands and singers and this was an album that was being touted as one to look out for by various sources. I’d not heard that much of her previous work, but what I had, I liked, so I decided to give it a go. I'm very into folk music and love acoustic guitar so I guessed this would probably float my boat and I wasn't wrong. It’s a very impressive piece of work, a personal and moving journey. I'm guessing that the questions that are thrown out there throughout the album are rhetorical in nature and that Laura is looking to reconcile herself in some way. 

It’s beautifully written and very pleasing to listen to throughout with tracks such as ‘Warrior’ and ‘I Feel Your Love’ being just a couple of standouts. She’s only 25 years old, but sings like someone who has been around for a considerable amount of time. Well worth a listen.

I also recently purchased ‘If I Was’ by The Staves. Another recommended album that I had seen various murmurings about so was intrigued to have a listen to. In fact, when I was in Fopp buying the 2 albums mentioned above, The Staves were playing in the background. I was unaware of this at the time, but I remember thinking that whoever it was sounded pretty damn good. And I was right. 

The Staves are an acoustic folk trio of sisters who have totally built on the familial harmonies to amazing effect. There is a real element of sadness in some of the songs with the feeling of lost love being apparent in the lyrics. I was listening to it one day and it really got under my skin which shows the power of great songwriting. The track ‘Let Me Down’ is a favourite alongside the heart-breaking ‘No Me, No You, No More’. It’s not all tears though, and in fact hearing someone sing about watching ‘The Shining’ with just the kitchen light on did make me smile. Highly recommended.

Peer pressure got the best of me again as I decided to take a punt on an album which was being mentioned as possibly ‘the best of 2015 so far’. With references to Nick Drake (who I adore) I was intrigued to know what ‘Carrie & Lowell’ by Sufjan Stevens was all about. I have not heard any of his previous 6 albums so he has well and truly slipped under my radar.

This album is descried as indie folk and is apparently a return to his roots as it’s sparsely instrumental. It’s a very simple sounding, yet personal album that was inspired by the death of his mother, Carrie. It’s a difficult listen at times, but there is a real intimacy in these songs and it’s very raw. Tracks like ‘Eugene’ and ‘Fourth of July’ are stark and beautifully written. Tough going, but worth a listen.

I also did a bit of catching up recently and finally got round to buying ‘Chaos and The Calm’ by James Bay. I first heard James, probably as many people did, with the release of ‘Hold Back The River’. As soon as I heard that song I wanted to hear more as it sat perfectly in my folk, acoustic leanings. My partner described it as boring, but I disagreed and wanted to hear the album before I could make an informed decision.

So, here’s the thing. I have read a few reviews of the album and all of them are basically saying that this album IS boring. It’s a bit too safe and nothing about it stands out. It seems James has gone with the tried and tested method of songwriting and with comparisons (many of them) to in particular Tom Odell (who also struggles to stand out) it clearly hasn't gone down very well. As a debut I'm pretty sure it will fare well in some quarters as obviously we all have different tastes, but if the so called music experts are struggling to find something positive to say about it then it’s slightly worrying.

I like the album, but mostly because it’s something you can put on and just let it play. The stand out tracks for me include ‘Hold Back The River’ and ‘Craving’. It’s not that bad, far from it, but I can understand why out of all the similar styled musicians out there the fact that James is being held in a higher esteem is somewhat puzzling. Good effort nonetheless.

I still have a pile of other albums to get through and am looking forward to listening to ‘Matador’ by Gaz Coombes and ‘The Race For Space’ by Public Service Broadcasting. I was also very pleased to hear that Badly Drawn Boy will be touring very soon as ‘The Hour Of Bewilderbeast’ is amazingly 15 years old. This has meant that I've pulled the album out so I can reacquaint myself with it. It’s certainly going to be a fun few weeks.