The Ruckus | Your mother wouldn't like it.

Album Review: Holly Miranda: The Magician's Private Library

Holly Miranda, frontwoman for Brooklyn's The Jealous Girlfriends is making her solo debut. Ms. Miranda's album, The Magician's Private Library is eclectic and otherworldly. Her lulling falsetto provides an ethereal quality to the entire record.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up this album or even when I first started listening. Then slowly, I began to transport to the world in which The Magician's Private Library exists. It is a place of floating shapes, colors, and simply gorgeous ambiance. "Waves" recalls Bon Iver in the most wonderful way. The dreamy "Sleep On Fire" invokes images of waking to a bed on fire, layered in sleepiness and surreality.

Look for The Magician's Private Library on XL Recordings February 23rd. Holly Miranda is currently on tour with Tegan & Sara. Check for dates here.

Album Review: Alkaline Trio: This Addiction

Alkaline Trio is everything that is right with this genre of music, and This Addiction is no exception. This record is more of return to the classic Alkaline Trio sound from earlier days. The sound is vibrant and saturated, and the lyrics are a bit on the dark side. Matt Skiba confirmed the nature of the record in an interview with Rock Sound:

"[This Addiction] is the first song on the record and the title of our new album. The song takes heroin addiction as a metaphor for love. The whole record is really personal, all three of us have been through quite a bit since our last album [2008's Agony & Irony] and it is all expressed through this, all the songs are about the relationships we've been in and so the record has a constant theme."

One of the more thought provoking pieces, "The American Scream", is based on "an article about a US soldier that came back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and blew his head off on his mother's grave", stepping Alkaline Trio into chilling political territory, which weaves well into the themes of addiction and horror throughout the album. "Dorothy" is carefully constructed and full of clever effects and lines like, "I found you out there on your door step undressed to the nines" making it a satisfying piece all around. "Dine, Dine My Darling" is possibly my favorite track, full of raw energy and passion. The message is sweet and positive.

This is a solid, straightforward album that I find incredibly enjoyable. I think the simple construction of the songs will allow for amazing live performance. Make sure to check out all the extras available with This Addiction including t-shirts, CD/DVD combos, and bonus tracks here.

Available from Epitaph on February 23rd.

Album Review: Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels

Marina Diamadis is a Welsh/Greek singer-songwriter who has recently taken the UK by storm with her hit single "Hollywood". Tomorrow she releases her debut album "The Family Jewels" in the UK, and it's bloody brilliant.

Marina has received critical acclaim since the release of her debut single "Obsessions"/"Mowgli's Road" and came second only to Ruckus favourite Ellie Goulding in the 2010 Brit awards Critic's Choice award. Her stunning looks and distinctive voice have lead to her being given a great deal of attention in the mainstream press, but she is far more than just a pretty face, as her album reveals.

Opening track "Are you satisfied" sets the tone for this seemingly heavily autobiographical album, and seems to set forth Marina's reason d'être. It is easy to see why she is often slotted into the current synth pop trend in UK music that encompasses bands such as Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and solo stars such as La Roux and Ellie Goulding. Her upbeat rifts and singing style make this an album to dance to, but this is interspersed with songs which show Marina's more instrospective side such as "I'm not a robot".

Current single "Hollywood" is guaranteed to make me smile and get me dancing, and it's stunning video has been a talking point amongst my friends for some time now. My favourite track has to be "The Outsider" and after just a couple of listens to it I was singing along and including it on my "wake me up" ipod playlist.

I love the way Marina manages to weave thoughtful lyrics into dance music rifts and beats, her use of language is very clever at times and leads to an album which I am sure I will be listening to for some time.

"The Family Jewels" is available from the 22nd of February on 679 Recordings

Kate Nash announces new album release date and free download

Plus tracklisting of second album revealed

Kate Nash has announced the release date and tracklisting of her second album, plus details of a free download.

The as-yet-untitled album will be released on April 19. It will feature 12 songs, including opener 'You'll Never Listen', 'Kiss That Girl', 'Later On' and 'Pickpocket'.

From tonight (February 11) a song from the album, 'I Just Love You More', is available to download free from her official website, Katenash.co.uk.

The album was produced by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Its first single will be 'Doo Wah Doo', set for release on April 12. [cribbed from NME]

I Just Love You More

Check out the tracklisting on NME.com, and download "I Just Love You More" free (well, for the price of a newsletter signup), at katenash.co.uk.

Midnight Masses - Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body

Some records are just records - pleasant to listen to, with a good beat. Maybe you can dance to it, maybe you can use it as the backdrop to more illicit activities, and maybe you'll listen once and then forget it altogether. But some records are transformative, not only for the audience, but the artist as well. Midnight Masses' four song EP Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body is one of those records. Written as a Requiem for cornerstone Autry Fulbright's father, who died in 2008, the record tells a story of despair, grief, and hope.

The collection of songs begins with the dreamy, lush layers of the mournful "Walk On Water"(featuring TV on the Radio’s Jaleel Bunton signing lead vocals), then pushes roughly into the gloomy despair of "Preacher's Son" and "I Was A Desperate Man" (which are so rich with classic rock overtones that they should have been performed at Woodstock) before culminating in gorgeous harmonies with the hazy, neo-soul Do You Believe In Rapture.

Brought to life with the help of Fulbright's close friends, this record is a testament to the bittersweet beauty of loss, and moving through the life that comes after.

Walk On Water

Catch Midnight Masses live as they take up a residency throughout the month of February at Brooklyn's Union Pool. You can also find them on MySpace (and you can keep your hipster cred intact by snagging the vinyl on Amazon).

Album Review: Megan Burtt: It Ain't Love

This release is going to skyrocket Megan Burtt's career. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be very famous very soon. Ms. Burtt has a classically beautiful voice that pairs perfectly with the gorgeous guitar on It Ain't Love. Each track is perfectly suited to Burtt's voice, which stays crystal clear on each and every one.

It Ain't Love strikes me as a breakup album, but comes from a place of self-realization and empowerment. As you travel with Burtt through her lessons learned and shared stories, you come out stronger. As the title track says:

"it ain't love if you gotta try / it ain't love if you gotta hold it tight / what we had it was never right / it ain't love"

It Ain't Love begins with a crash and my favorite song of the album, the anthemic "Pay It Now". This one is full of power and metaphor with lyrics like:

"I would love to dress it up in a beautiful costume"

which allow the listener to get inside the song. "Too Damn Hard" takes on a darker, more minor tune about broken-down honesty. Clever lyrics intermix with the rhythm-heavy accompaniment. On the softer side of things is the acoustic "Waited For June". This track is Joni Mitchell-esque and incredibly beautiful.

This record is poppy enough to be easily accessible, yet contains some incredible originality. The progressive fashion of Megan Burtt's soulful song writing is refreshing. Make sure to get a copy of this one.

Megan Burtt - Pay It Now

Visit Megan Burtt at MySpace.com/MeganBurttMusic.

Order It Ain't Love from MeganBurtt.com or CD Baby.

Album Review: Vampire Weekend: Contra

I have a confession- Vampire Weekend are one of my favourite bands, and yet I wasn't sure I wanted this album to come out. It's that "difficult second album," you know? It is something new, and while new can be oh so good, it can also be terrifying and can change things forever. But I need not have worried, as while Contra is not as instant as the self titled debut from this New York foursome, it has not been off my iPod for long since I was given it to review.

I was slightly worried on hearing album opener "Horchata" that the band had not progressed enough, as it could easily have sat within the first album, but as the album progressed it became clear that the tunes on Contra are, to me, slightly richer and more complicated than the very clean and catchy debut. The album continues with "White Sky" before segueing into "Holiday" which honestly makes me long for a white beach and a cocktail. Next up is "California English" which is one of the most interesting tracks on the album for me, sounding like it is being played too fast on a record player but still hitting home with a catchy and instantly arresting chorus. "Taxi Cab" is said to be inspired by a quote from the great Joe Strummer of the Clash, and it has a more laid back and low key feel than we are used to from this band, showing their range.

Stand out tracks are the wonderful "Diplomat's Son" and the current single "Cousins". "Diplomat's Son" uses a sample of "Hussel" by the wonderful M.I.A. to great effect, and is just one of the tracks which, for me, shows the progression of this album best. Cousins is probably the heaviest song on the album in terms of its bass and instrumentation, and I fail to hear it without wanting to dance.

The quirky clever lyrics, instantly recognisable voice of lead singer Ezra Koenig, and novel and interesting use of unusual instruments that we expect from Vampire Weekend are still very much in attendance here, making this very clearly Vampire Weekend, if a slightly maturer Vampire Weekend. Hopefully it will give them more exposure and a wider fanbase (if the UK midweek chart is anything to go by, they are already on course for a UK number 1 album this weekend).

Look for Contra from XL Recordings today.