There is no middle ground with The Streets. People either absolutely love Mike Skinner’s unique vocals or they compare them to nails on a blackboard. For the lovers of The Streets however, Computers And Blues sees the end of an era. Skinner has made it quite clear that this will be the last Streets album… and after taking a listen you certainly have to admit that they go out with a bang. Computers And Blues is easily the best album from their discography.

Opening track “Outside Inside” shows where the Computer part of the album’s title comes from as it reveals early on that this is an album with a heavy computerized electronic basis. It then gives way to the first single from Computers And Blues, the brilliant “Going Through Hell” which also features the work of The Music’s Robert Harvey. This is a brilliant track that needs to be remembered when they are handing out Songs Of The Year gongs.

“Roof Of The Car” sees The Streets produce another truly memorable chorus while creating a great ‘first date’ track while the melody of “Puzzled By People” means it will be rolling around in your head for ages after you’ve listened to it. The same could be said for “Without Thinking” which consists of a Boogie Pimps style of sound and is made catchy by Sharlene Hector’s terrific vocals.

“Blip On The Screen” is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any new Dad’s listening, but it’s thought-provoking mellowness quickly gives way to the short-and-sweet “Those That Don’t Know”.

Robert Harvey returns for one of the best Streets’ songs of all time, the terrific “Soldiers”… a track that you will want to keep listening to over and over. Harvey also sticks around for “We Can Never Be Friends”… yet another great track that has lyrics so smooth that sound like poetry.

Laura Vine introduces a terrific R&B style to both “OMG” and “Trying To Kill Me” (the latter also sounding like a song Lily Allen would have loved to get her hands on). “Trust Me” sees Mike Skinner return to some heartfelt vocals and then the album closes with “Lock The Locks” (feat Claire Maguire) that is ironically a track about Skinner handing in his notice.

And so it seems that is it for The Streets and while Mike Skinner has been promising a new project really soon it is hard to imagine that he will release anything that is good as Computers And Blues. This has to be one of the albums of the year.

Dave Griffiths

You wouldn’t know by listening to most of the rap/hip-hop that makes it to radio today but there was once a time when rappers used their music to get across their feelings. Not how they feel about ‘bitches or hoes” or how much bling they have, but instead their feelings about politics and other things close to their hearts. Well Lasers shows that Lupe Fiasco knows how to stay true to that old-style rap philosophy.

While the world has fallen at the feet at rappers like Usher and Kanye West, the very talented Lupe Fiasco has been plying his trade in the shadows and now Lasers sees him break-out into the spotlight and truly announce himself as one of the best rappers going around at the moment.

Lupe Fiasco teams up with Sarah Green on “Letting Go” and shows the world that not all commercial R&B has to be crappy and lame, and then he really announces himself with “Words That I Never Said”, a track that seems call the War On Terror bullshit while also taking a swipe at some Muslims… see a rapper that has the guts to come out and say what he feels.

“Till I Get There” sees Fiasco get heartfelt about his career and why he is in the rap game while the very-electronic “I Don’t Care Right Now” is catchy enough to be the next radio single. “Out Of My Head” sees Fiasco team up with Trey Songz and momentarily head down the commericial track with a song about a girl, it doesn’t fit his normal style and the only thing that saves it from being a complete disaster is that it has a real Michael Jackson sound to it.

“The Show Goes On” is an amazing track but you can’t help but wonder if the fact that it has been played to death on Australian TV may mean it has lost it’s heartfelt message. MDMA steps up to the mic on the emotional “Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)” and once again Fiasco’s great songwriting abilities are on show.

“Coming Up” is a truly forgettable song while :State Run Radio” may sound cheesy but if you listen carefully it takes a fair swipe at modern radio and the military. Fiasco mixes his styles up with the Ministry Of Sound-esque “Break The Chain” and then takes his fans on a poetic history listen with the very important ‘All Black Everything”. Lasers then closes with the smooth “Never Forget You” which is sung with true meaning by Fiasco and John Legend.

Dave Griffiths

We should have known that when screenwriter, Kevin Williamson (TV’S Hidden Palms & The Vampire Diaries) and Wes Craven (My Soul To Take, Paris, Je T’Aime) teamed up once again to bring us Scream 4 that it was never going to be a simple re-boot of the series. While telling a story of its own Williamson and Craven use Scream 4 to take a swipe at the current Horror Kings (those behind the Saw franchise) while pushing across the point ‘don’t f**k with originals’ (which is how Sidney Prescott so elegantly puts it), and considering that audience members have been clapping the line you can only be left thinking that it’s a popular belief amongst serious horror fans.

Scream 4 sees Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell – TV’S The Simpsons & Sea Wolf) return to Woodsboro ten years after the last spate of killings. Here Sidney finds that Dewey Riley (David Arquette – TV’S Jake And The Neverland Pirates & Medium) is now Sheriff and still married to Gale Weathers-Riley (Courtney Cox – TV’S Cougar Town & Web Therapy). In fact the only concern seems to be that Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton – Elektra Luxx, The Mighty Macs) has her eyes on Dewey. However, with Sidney back in town to promote her book we soon see the reemergence of Ghostface as he begins a new killing spree this time centered around Sidney’s family, her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts – Homework, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story) and Jill’s friends.

Like the previous movies in the series Scream 4 certainly doesn’t itself too seriously. While Craven and Williamson do make sure that it contains a story of its own they do actually poke fun at the horror genre, this time highlighting some of the “rules” in a series re-boot. You can see what you are going to get from the opening of the film when they openly make fun of the genre and then continue with outrageous scenes including one with a main character yelling “you can’t kill me I’m gay.” While they haven’t gone for a whole Scary Movie spoof they do show that the aim of Scream 4 is to give the audience a few frights while highlighting the plight of the modern horror film.

Acting-wise it is good to see Neve Campbell back in the big-screen and while David Arquette and Courtney Cox don’t offer up anything spectacular some of the younger cast certainly do step-up., the highlights being Eric Knudsen (Beastly, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World0 continues to show why he is the new Jesse Eisenberg (although anyone that watched Jericho knew he had a big future ahead of him), while Hayden Panettiere (Alpha & Omega, TV’S Heroes) sports a new look and certainly shows the film world that her career is on the rise.

Scream 4 certainly does a give a voice to the disgruntled horror fans that have been disgruntled with what Hollywood has been serving up recently, now we just have to hope that they listen. And yes you will be kept guessing who the killer is until the very end.

Dave Griffiths

Sometimes when you are successful you unintentionally set yourself up for a fall. That is certainly the case for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, when you are the creative minds behind brilliant films like Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz people expect something amazing every time you put pen to paper. Paul is nowhere near as good as the previously mentioned films, but having said that it is still ten times better than most of the films around today.

Paul tells the story of English comic book nerds, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg – The Chronicle Of Narnia – The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Burke And Hare) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost – TV’S Money, The Boat That Rocked) as they arrive in the U.S. to attend Comic Con and to also take a journey through the ‘Extraterrestrial Heartland Of America’. However their journey doesn’t go as planned when they run into Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen – Fight For Your Right Revisited, The Green Hornet), an alien who is desperately trying to get back to his home planet. Just to add to their concerns they soon find themselves being chased by the authorities, led on the ground by Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman – The Switch, TV’S Sit Down Shut Up) and then running into religious nut, Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig – TV’S Saturday Night Live, Funny Or Die Presents…).

Greg Mottola (Adventureland, Superbad) was the right choose as a director for Paul. Using Frost and Pegg’s script as a guidance he does a wonderful job mixing outrageous comedy while not forgetting that there is also a dramatic storyline also going on. Poor Mottola certainly gets his directional skills tested as he practically has to weld all genres together (apart from drama and comedy there is also sci-fi and action to throw into the mix) seamlessly, as well as direct, Paul… a character that is never present on the set. Luckily, he is up to the task and what you are left with is a film that a pure joy to watch.

Once again Nick Frost and Simon Pegg show why they are the two best comedic actors going around at the moment. Their comedy scenes are impeccable while much to their credit they can also pull-off dramatic scenes with ease. Credit must also be paid to Jason Bateman who is excellent as the deliberately rubbery Agent Zoil and Kristen Wiig who steals the show on a number of occasions with her over-the-top portrayal of Ruth.

Paul is a terrific comedy that is a must see for comic book fans out there. It is the best fanboy comedy since… well Fanboys.

Dave Griffiths

You never really know what you are going to get when you put an album into a CD player for the first time. Who would guess that an artist hailing from the Macleary River in country NSW could produce an album that has to be in contention of one of the best rock albums of the year? Yet that is exactly what Hamish Gordon has produced with Parte The Firste… a brilliant sounding album that wins you over on just the first listen.

Opening track, “Goodbye Sunshine” has a devious beginning; it lulls you in to believe that it will be a folk-rock track and then blasts you with much heavier rock… a sudden but sweet surprise. By the time you are hearing the smooth “You Gotta Friend” (the first single from the album) you are realizing that you are onto something really amazing here

“Green Genie” is made special by the fact that has a really strong 80s rock feel and that Hamish Gordon’s voice changes so much that you would swear that it was Lenny Kravitz behind the mic. And then the great music keeps coming with “Judgement Day” a heavy rock track that is deeply influenced by a blues sound.

The tempo changes a little with the sweet acoustic styling of “Oasis Love” and the folk feel of “Up In Streams”. Then comes “Black Roses” a great rock track with melodic vocals that win you over straight away… it is clearly one of Parte The Firste’s highlights.

“Mystery Mountain” slams from your stereo with its unusual style of distorted rock while Gordon’s vocals are once again a standout on the guitar-driven ‘Some Kinda Life”. Gordon’s fine songwriting abilities are clear to see on “I Got Plans” which uses the wall-of-sound method but adds a brilliant rhythm to it. The album closes with two slower tracks. “Honey Chile” is simply sweet rock while “Midnight Friend” is a piano-driven track that is so catchy you’ll be humming along to in no time.

If you’re looking for something new on the rock scene then you simply must give Hamish Gordon’s Parte The Firste a listen… a brilliant release that promises big things from Gordon.

Dave Griffiths

One of the more interesting films of 2010 was Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, it got lambasted in a lot of circles but certainly didn’t deserve it as it was one of the few children’s films of last years that was actually entertaining. The big question is whether Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules would hold up to its predecessor seeing that Chloe Moretz had decided that after Kick-Ass she was too important to slum it in a kids movie, hence the series lost one of its most interesting characters.

So with Angie Steadman out of the picture Diary Of The Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules instead decides to focus on the relationship between Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon – Beverley Hills Chihuahua 2, The Search For Santa Paws) and his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick – Sacrifice, TV’S Being Erica). Rodrick has used Greg as his doormat for years and their parents, Susan (Rachael Harris – Natural Selection, TV’S Archer) and Frank (Steve Zahn – Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, TV’S Treme) have had enough. They draw an ultimatum and force the two brothers to spend time together… but can they do that without killing each other?

Strangely enough the story of the relationship between the two brothers works so well that you even forget about the love story that has been brought in for Greg. Also coming to the party is director, David Bowers (Astro Boy, Flushed Away) who doesn’t try anything to fancy but manages to incorporate some animation into the real-life action remarkably well. The script also allows for some great characterization, so good in fact that you don’t even seem to realise that the film’s story is what you would normally expect from a television series and not a feature film.

One of the other things that makes Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules work so well is the performances of the some of the young actors. Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron (who plays Rowley Jefferson) once again put in some fine performances, and it’s scary to think that as a mature they will get even better. But the person who steals the show this time around is Devon Bostick… he is a star on the rise and his comedic acting means he steals every scene he is in here yet. He is certainly an actor to watch in the future.

A simple story (with a moral) for the kids and interesting enough characters to keep the adult’s attention and once again this series of films produces a winner!

Dave Griffiths

Amanda Palmer has had a rough past twelve months. Many have mused whether putting her popular duo, The Dresden Dolls, on hold was a wise move and she also had an ugly split with her record label. Now Palmer comes out swinging with her second solo album, an album consisting of songs she recorded live or wrote on her recent tour to Australia.

As the title, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (and the cover art) suggests Palmer doesn’t exactly write music for children… but remember this is a woman whose nickname is Amanda ‘F**king’ Palmer, and hey who said it’s bad to be crude occasionally. In fact one of the best things about this album is the fact that Palmer can seamlessly switch between her regular cabaret-punk and full-on comedy (think Tim Minchin) in a heartbeat.

Palmer opens with the comedy bone in full swing with her own take on the classic “Makin’ Whoopee” and then easily wins over her Australian fans with her original track about ‘going to Australia’… strangely-enough titled “Australia”.

Her Tim Minchin-esque comedy comes in to play on “Vegemite (The Black Death)” where she savages one of Australia’s icons (much to the humour of the locals), however her new single “Map Of Tasmania” does let the album down. It’s supposed to be funny, but most listeners will barely raise a smile.

Palmer lets that slip pass by with the sweet little folk song, “In My Mind” and then follows up with a great duet with Tom Dickens. Palmer then pays homage to Australia’s sister, New Zealand with the crass (but of so funny) “New Zealand” and then hits a new high with the moody and dark “On An Unknown Beach”, it sounds forlorn but is so attractive to listen to.

Palmer continues to win over Aussie fans with a cover of Australia’s unofficial national anthem “We’re Happy Little Vegemites” and then returns to her classic Dresden Dolls style to pump out “Doctor Oz”.

Another highlight on the album is the sexual innuendo-laced “A Formidable Marinade” but even that is overshadowed by a brilliant cover of one of Nick Cave’s best tracks “The Ship Song”. Palmer brings such emotion to this album, that she makes it a must listen.

If you’re a fan of The Dresden Dolls chances are you’ll love this album, and if you saw Amanda Palmer when she was Australia then you’ve certainly got to add it to your collection… and you’re extremely lucky. A funny little album that shows that Palmer has more than one string in her bow.

Dave Griffiths

Adalita Srsen provided she had a promising career outside of Magic Dirt when she recorded “Double Dare” for the Suburban Mayhem soundtrack, she then teased her audience with the release of her 2010 EP which featured “Hot Air” the first single of her now released self-titled debut album.

Unlike a lot of artists before Adalita doesn’t allow her solo project to simply mirror her band (in this case Magic Dirt). In fact the rough rock styling’s of Magic Dirt and nowhere to be seen and the best way to describe Adalita’s new style is severally experimentally.

As you would expect Adalita is laden with sadness, not surprising considering that the album’s producer and Magic Dirt member, Dean Turner died during the album’s creation. As any great musician would Adalita captures the melancholy feelings beautifully on the album and you really do feel that the album is a tribute to Turner’s memory.

The slow style of “Hot Air” suites Adalita’s vocal styling and while this and tracks such as “Perfection” will take Magic Dirt fans a while to get to used to, you do actually soon find yourself loving the “sadness” the album portrays.

“The Reporter” sees Adalita break up the sad moody feel of the album by introducing a beautiful melody to the chorus while “Jewel Thief” continues the mellowness but also brings a strong folk sound in parts.

Perhaps the best track on the album though is “Invite Me” which showcases Adalita’s song-writing abilities and is a great mix of spoken word and smooth lyrics. It is the kind of song that any music lover will return to time and time again.

The melancholy but catchy “Good Girl” sees Adalita announce that “I am a good girl again” which symbolizes her change from Magic Dirt member to a solo career while “Lassa Hanta” is a smooth instrumental track that allows your mind to wander.

“Fool Around” once again shows Adalita’s ability to capture heartfelt emotion in her songwriting while “Goin Down” is faster-paced and consists a blues guitar line, which also complements the bluegrass feel of closing track “Night Orchid”.

Adalita really isn’t an album for the pop-set. It is however a fine album that will be well received by true music fans. Adalita is a work of art.

Dave Griffiths

Over the years Ministry Of Sound Anthologies have become a Bible to dance music fans in the same way that any Triple J Hottest 100 is a must have for those who love alternative music. Now Ministry Of Sound have branched out and released Anthems: Hip-Hop to celebrate thirty years of hip-hop… a three disc set no less. But seriously perhaps they should stick to dance music because while Ministry Of Sound claim they have captured the 54 greatest hip-hop tracks of all time, they have certainly missed the mark.

Clearly what Ministry Of Sound meant to say was they have captured 54 hip-hop songs that were cheap enough to purchase because these albums are loaded with ordinary tracks (that could hardly be considered hits… and certainly don’t deserve to have the word ‘Greatest’ placed anywhere near them) while there are some huge omissions, such as 2Pac (surely with the number of times we hear “California Love” each year that should have be remembered) and Lil’ Kim (a huge mover and shaker in the hip-hop world). Other strange choices include “Forgot About Dre” as one of Eminem’s best songs (how about including one of his hits???) and “Joints & Jam” by The Black Eyed Peas… doesn’t take a genius to work out that it certainly wasn’t one of their greatest hits.

Disc One is the biggest offender with only OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” and Missy Elliott’s “Get UR Freak On” saving it from being a complete waste of time. Disc Two certainly saves the day with 50 Cent, Ice Cube, DMX, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Slat-N-Pepa and The Notorious B.I.G. making for one hell of a party mix. It’s also nice to see “Kick, Push” by Lupe Fiasco getting a little bit of love… he has to be one of the most underrated hip-hop artists going around. Disc Three is again another right off with only Run-DMC, Tone Loc and Kelis there to save the day.

It seems Ministry Of Sound set itself a task beyond it’s reach when it tried to fill 3 discs with hits, there are certainly more than 3 discs worth of hip-hop hits out there, Ministry Of Sound just chose the wrong ones (or couldn’t get the rights to the ones they wanted… we have to give the benefit of the doubt there). Perhaps they would have been better just trying to make a single disc of hits and doing the genre proud.

Dave Griffiths

If the fact the Dave Grohl led Foo Fighters released their new album only days after the 17th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death didn’t already have starved fans already thinking back to Nirvana then certain facts about Wasting Light certainly will. See Grohl returns to his Nirvana roots big time this time. He once again teams up with producer, Butch Vig and even invites Nirvana’s bassist, Krist Novoselic back for a track. And for those who jumped on the Foo Fighters after the Nirvana days well you can rest easy knowing that Pat Smear is back in the fold.

Like he did with Nirvana’s Nevermind Butch Vig works some amazing magic on Wasting Light. He throws the computer out the window, records in Dave Grohl’s garage and captures the Foo Fighters the analog way, and it certainly does make a huge difference. This is the Foo Fighters as you have never heard them before.

Wasting Light kicks off with the brutal “Bridge Burning” which opens with Grohl eerily declaring ‘these are my famous last words’. Haunting, seeing the closeness of the anniversary of the death of Cobain. This is soon forgotten though as “Bridge Burning” has it brutal first verse switched to a melodic chorus that promises that this album will be something special.

First single, “Rope” will easily win over fans and is clearly one of the better Foo Fighters to surface in a long time, especially considering it follows the dismal, “Wheels” off their Greatest Hits album. The greatness then continues with “Dear Rosemary” a sweet rock song that proves that the Foo Fighters still know how to write with emotion.

“White Limo” sees Wasting Light’s heaviness return and shows that if its screamo that fans want then Dave Grohl can pull that off as well… this is an amazing effort by Grohl and clearly shows that the Foo Fighters can still match the competition when it comes to heaviness. This is quickly followed by “Arlandia”, “These Days” and “Back & Forth”, three extremely catchy rock tracks with “These Days” certain to become a radio single sometime soon.

“A Matter Of Time” sees the Foo Fighters mix the heavy and soft sounds remarkably well, while some expert guitar playing from by Pat Smear on “Miss The Misery” produces a classic rock sound that a lot of younger bands could learn a hell of a lot from.

However the highlight of this album is “I Should Have Known” which to be blunt is one of the finest rock songs ever recorded. This beautiful song is the track that Krist Novoselic makes an appearance on and its easy to see that he and Grohl (teamed with Vig) still have the chemistry to produce some special magic.

Wasting Light then closes with “Walk”, a track where Grohl sings “I never want to die. I’m here forever”. And when he is still creating albums as great as this we can only hope there is some truth in these lyrics.

Dave Griffiths