Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Second albums are notoriously difficult, especially where the debut has launched your career in an almost unimaginable way. 'Born This Way' shows no signs of this though, being recognisable as Gaga while progressing in terms of music. Where some songs on 'The Fame' had all of the polish, this album has songs with soul in it. Fusing traditional American rock with an electro twist, this album fills a void no one could have been aware existed.

Opener Marry The Night is reminiscent of 90s discos, making you want to dance around in those dalmation leggings you thought were so cool, while Bad Kids is an ode to the rebellious 80s punk spirit (I’m a twit, degenerate young rebel and I’m proud of it/ Pump your fist if you would rather mess up than put up with this) while keeping the melody of a pretty, electro tune - the attitude's all in the vocals.

Personal highlights have to be the aforementioned Bad Kids, with Bloody Mary and You And I following closely behind - and Born This Way deserves a mention as the title track.

From an album that feels like a journey through the history of music, there's something for absolutely everyone. What's different about 'Born This Way' is that the tracks have been reimagined through a Lady Gaga filter - which can sometimes feel like taking an acid trip - but they are linked with the common thread of being unmistakably hers. This may be an album which will divide opinion, but it will be heard by millions of people - and rightfully so.

-faithfulradiowhore

Panic! At The Disco - Vices and Virtues

Oh, my boys are back. Having waited a long time for 'Vices and Virtues', Panic fans have been well rewarded with the release of the album today - and with the stream from the facebook page for UK readers, where the album hasn't been released yet...

Stylistically, it's almost as if A Fever You Can't Sweat Out and Pretty. Odd. had a wilful child together - there are such strong elements of both in the melodies, and the mixture in tone of the album. The duality goes perfectly with the title, bringing to mind long summer days and sleek darkened ninghtclubs alternately. With the delicious vocals that fans have come to expect, the songs are given an added polish and element of vice. The sheer range of instruments which are brought into play in the album should definitely be noted too, impressive and beautifully used as they are.

Lyrically, much as I would like to argue otherwise, there's something missing - but there was always going to be realistically. However, there are some properly brilliant lines which should not be overlooked. Even taking single The Ballad of Mona Lisa, you have the element of storytelling which is a hallmark of P!ATD.

Put simply, Vices and Virtues is a triumph. Now comes the impatient wait for the tour... more to come in that case.

Personal highlights are Hurricane, Let's Kill Tonight, The Ballad of Mona Lisa, and of course the long awaited Nearly Witches full track.

-faithfulradiowhore

Vices and Virtues by Panic! At The Disco, released today (22/3/11) in the USA, 28/3/11 elsewhere.

The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?'

Mixing things up a little bit today is the album which has been on repeat since it arrived this morning. What Did You Expect From The Vaccines is one of those albums that can stay permanently in a CD player because you know that it has a song for any mood.

As regular readers (or people looking through the archives) may know, this blog has been a fan of The Vaccines (see SOTD post here), and this album signals the start of a long love affair. A return to the rock'n'roll era that's been sorely missed, The Vaccines fill a gaping hole in the music scene at the moment.

The album was just released today, but it's definitely a divider of opinions - give it a shot, it's worth it.

Highlights inclue Wreckin' Bar, If You Wanna, Norgaard, Family Friend, and my personal favourite, Post Break Up Sex.

-faithfulradiowhore