I'll take it over post-rock.

The important thing is the all-girl group from London knows how to rock hard, and it doesn't sound like noise. Jehhny Beth's singing packs a punch, and Gemma Thompson's guitar playing adds to the excitement.

They don't need a lot of time to get their point across. The excellent "Hit Me" makes its mark in less than 2:00. They can vary the tempo. This is put to good effect on the best track, "Marshal Dear."

Even when things get repetitive as on "I Am Here," the bands enthralling sound wins out. It helps there's good guitar work throughout like on "Strife." Here Thompson's playing punctuates Beth's emotions effectively. The band veers into eerie territory seamlessly. The change in mood benefits "Waiting for a Sign." The guitar distortion brings the tone to a mesmerizing conclusion without being disturbing or ear jarring.

Every song holds interest. There's an energy the group has which is essential to making rock memorable. They've set the bar high for themselves to follow up this triumph.

I don't see much attempt at humor unless it's at its darkest. Maybe this is the motivation for "Dead Nature." Pink Floyd could make good use of sound effects. In this case maybe the break can be viewed as a prelude to hard rock mastery, which we get on "She Will." Here Fay Milton's drumming is showcased, and the screaming seems like a logical step as the bands tension leaps out at the listener.

Thompson is up to singing in a way, which doesn't wilt from the challenge of matching the band's intensity. What they've got going for them is they're sound recalls the tenacity and drive of punk rock in the 1970s, and they put it in a context, which is agreeable to today's listeners.

It's heartening the impression is given they have better things in store down the road. It's not an ideal situation to expect even more after a strong debut. But the passion and the connection the band has with the listener suggests they're up to the task.

History - in many ways this album (and this review) is all about history. For my money the first Operation Mindcrime album is a true masterpiece that is unmatched by any album by any artist in terms of power and execution. The story, the music, really everything on that disc is about as perfect as one can ever get. Certainly there are others who feel the same way I do about it. From most people's recollection that album is at the very least the finest thing that Queensryche have ever produced. With that kind of history it seems that it must have been a daunting project for the group to even attempt a sequel. In many ways that history is what makes this review such a difficult one to write.

I don't think I had looked forward to an album more than this one in a very long time (if ever). With years and years of enjoying the first disc, it seemed unlikely that this one would ever touch the familiarity and the special place in my heart that is the home of Operation Mindcrime. So, what I can tell you is that while in the long run I still like the first one best of the two, this one comes really close. It shares a lot with that outing. For one thing every listening seems to reveal more and more layers and textures that hadn't presented themselves before. Like that album, this one breaks incredibly new ground. While Ryche could have either chosen to record an album in the style they've been doing the last decade or so, or simply make a carbon copy of Operation Mindcrime, they did neither (and at some points both). They took chances. They went off in directions that seemed to have challenged themselves, and certainly challenge the listener. The album (like all real art) has a learning curve. There is music here that truly defies categorization. There are sounds here that are like nothing I've ever heard before. Those are both factors that I found so endearing with the first MC.

The more astute reader may have noticed that I haven't really even talked about the storyline. I can tell you that it takes place when Nikki, the main character/narrator of the other one, is released from prison. There are interactions between that character and two of the other players from the previous time around. Mary is played once again by the powerful vocal presence of Pamela Moor (I'm not sure if that's a typo or the credit as on MCI as "Moore" was). Dr. X, though is a different story. The first time around he was presented through a series of spoken segments. This time Ronnie James Dio takes on the role, singing, not speaking the parts. The effect is both heavy metal and opera all at once. If you like the first disc, by all means pick this one up. If you haven't heard either, but enjoy adventurous metal, then get them both. Just like that first Mindcrime album, I'm sure that this one is going to be a dear friend of mine for the rest of my life.

Against that backdrop, Made in Japan is deserving of the acclaim it frequently gets as possibly the finest live album ever made. Deep Purple show here exactly how powerful they were on stage. From the moment it opens up with that amazing intro to "Highway Star", you know you are in for a roller-coaster ride of excitement and energy. All the band members are at their peak here. The members of Deep Purple are, for this brief musical moment, on the same wavelength with each other to the extent that they rarely were before and never afterwards. This was Deep Purple before Blackmore's hubris tore the band apart. Although he must rate as one of the greats of rock guitar, he really ruined things with a lot of his pride and arrogance.

From the opener, the band settle into "Child In Time", for many the best song Deep Purple ever did. Then comes the much derided "Smoke on the Water". I suppose much of the abuse this track has received is due to that riff - everybody who has ever picked up a guitar must have attempted to play it. Okay it is simple, and after a while can become annoying, but I'll warrant that there are hundreds of guitarists who secretly wish they had come up with it instead of Blackmore. Jealousy can be a powerful motivator.

Perhaps the weakest track on the album is "The Mule". Drum solos are rarely captivating, and no matter how good Ian Paice is, he is no John Bonham. "Strange Kind Of Woman" is a classic though and sees Ian Gillan match note for note some of the high pitch screeching emanating from Blackmore's guitar in what is undoubtedly the best such dogfight ever recorded. Finally, "Lazy" is just another example of a brilliant song extended into a jam session, as much for the benefit of the artist as the audience. The original album closed with "Space Truckin" which probably goes on too long but by this time you are just enjoying it all so much you don't care any more.

The extended version has three additional tracks - "Speed King", "Black Night" and a cover of "Lucille". These were pretty much encores and provide a glimpse into the behind the scenes approach of the band. It appears that the Japanese concerts had been warm-ups for a future tour of Europe and the US. But such was the reception in Japan that the band seem to have run out of material for by the time they get to "Lucille" they have no new tracks to play as encores and had plainly been messing around with this in rehearsals so decided to give it a go live. The result is probably better than they expected.

Seminal! Need not say more.

Whether that would have been different had I got to see Led Zeppelin live, I do not know. They toured the UK infrequently in their latter years and I was too young for the Earls Court gigs and not in the country for their final appearance in the UK. However, I had always believed the received wisdom that Led Zeppelin were the best live act of the seventies. However, the only thing I had to base this opinion on, other than what people told me, was the sometimes excruciating The Song Remains the Same. Gradually, as time wore on, my opinion of Led Zeppelin as a live act changed too, along with my opinion of them as a studio act. They may have been good on occasions, but on others they were not. If they were good, they would have put out a live album to prove it.

However, now I am once again convinced. Led Zeppelin were the best live act of the seventies. No doubt about that. Why should I say this now? Well, I bought this album a few years back and it blew me away. Expensive it may be but essential is a more apt description. It may have come thirty years late, but when Led Zeppelin finally did put out a live album, it proves to be a corker. Recorded over two concerts at the Long Beach Arena and the LA Forum, these songs date from only a year before the recordings which featured on The Song Remains the Same. But the difference is palpable.

Just listening to the first CD reminds you just what a genius Jimmy Page is. There is no-one, and I mean no-one who can play the guitar quite like him. The highpoint of Page's performance for me is "Heartbreaker" which is, as you would expect, longer than the studio version, but never once drags. Even "Dazed and Confused", weighing in at over 25 minutes, doesn't drag as much as it does on The Song Remains the Same. And if Page at his peak was not enough, then there was John Bonham. The drums on this are superb and while "Moby Dick" may be somewhat overblown and indulgent, it is his work on the other tracks which reminds you what an incredibly powerful drummer he was. Plant's vocals are at their best, the range and the power is unsurpassed, while John Paul Jones's bass is there quietly in the background, and his keyboard work really stands out on "Stairway to Heaven" which is far better than the other live version on The Song Remains the Same, though probably below the standard set on the BBC Sessions.

This is the album that The Song Remains the Same aspired to be, but was never able to make it. This is what Led Zeppelin were truly like, live and unencumbered by people with cameras and all the rest of the shit. This album clearly demonstrates why they got the reputation they did. In short, proof positive if anyone ever doubted it just how incredible Led Zeppelin really were at their prime. I shall never doubt again.

The untitled album proved every bit, if not more controversial in comparison with its predecessor. For a start, it is usually known as IV or ZOSO. In fact it is untitled. ZOSO is the approximation of the letters of the four symbols on its cover which were the only markings on the exterior cover of the album. Indeed, until you opened it up, you had no idea that this was from Led Zeppelin - there was not a marker to suggest anything of the sort. The idea was to see if the music was capable of selling itself. The record company was, understandably chary about it as they felt that, without an easy way of identifying the band, few would buy it. How wrong they were! Knowledge of it spread through word of mouth and it became Led Zep's biggest selling album, shifting over 23 million copies in the US alone since its release.

Another controversy arose around the myths which surrounded the album. These were to have more lasting impact and to an extent dog the album to this day. The four symbols were said to be connected or derived from then occult, and as Jimmy Page was a known admirer of the works of Aleister Crowley, the myth that the album and the band were, in some way satanic, grew up. Robert Plant inadvertently added to the controversy when he claimed that, as he was writing "Stairway To Heaven", the words suddenly seemed to flow from him as if he were possessed. To cap it all, it was alleged that if played backwards, one could distinctly hear the following in "Stairway To Heaven":

"Here's to my sweet Satan./  The one whose little path would make me sad,/  Whose power is Satan./  He'll give you give you 666./  There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer,/  Sad Satan."

Having heard "Stairway To Heaven" backwards I can say that, if you wish, you can hear all sorts of "words", as you would with any song or indeed any speech. Play a recitation of the Bible backwards and you will find something. What cannot be believed about the allegations regarding "Stairway To Heaven" is the absurd notion that these "messages" are in some way subliminal paeans to Satan. As Plant himself once said, if the band could put subliminal messages into their music, the one they would use would be "buy more records".

Enough of the crap, it is the music that counts, and by God what music it is. Though often derided in the late 70's for being rock dinosaurs, few looking back would deny the importance and influence that IV had on music at the time. The album opens with "Black Dog", a stop start blues based number with a distinctive guitar riff. The title has nothing to do with the lyrics, and is allegedly a reference to a swarthy canine which hung around the Headley Grange Studios during recording. The heavy riff and throbbing drums are accentuated by the fact that it was recorded in the crypt of the old manor, and the wailing vocals provide a strange call and response to each other and there can be little doubt that the use of the track as an opener was a stunning success. It instantly draws you in and holds you. Once there, the remainder of the album opens up. Not once do you desire or feel able to stop listening.

"Rock And Roll" follows, a thundering riff over a traditional rock and roll style beat, which even seen John Paul Jones put in a bit of honky tonk piano at the end. John Bonham's drumming powers its way through this and provides the immense force and speed which thunders the track along. Page and Plant keep up with it, but by the end the listener has been subjected to two tracks which have ratcheted up the tempo and delivered pace, energy and power to the listener.

Time then to slow down. Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention guests on "Battle of Evermore", a slower, mellow number distinguished by Page's mandolin playing and the frequent references to "Lord Of the Rings". Calmer now, we seem to be slipping into a slower phase as the opening bars of "Stairway To Heaven" begin. Amazingly, Plant was only 21 when he wrote this and it is hard to think how a youth of such years could come up with such brilliance. What distinguishes is the track for me is the restraint. Jones' keyboards keep the drumming of Bonham in check while the smooth acoustic guitar quietly slips into electric almost imperceptibly. This provides the opportunity for the lyrics to shine through, clearly and without possibility of mistake in the hearing. It is only towards the end, and that wonderful solo, that the full power of the track comes out, leading to the final verse and that ending, the long drawn out final note of Plant's voice before the final line is delivered.

As an interesting set of asides, "Stairway To Heaven" is also the world's biggest selling song on sheet music - over 150,000 copies are sold every year! There is even a muzak form of it as a harp solo as well as an album comprised of cover versions put together by an Australian TV show host who introduced each episode with a different version. The notorious Rolf Harris cover of the song caused a UK biker group to issue death threats against Harris, who required police protection for several months thereafter. Finally, the band were unsure as to whether even to include it on the album, and debuted it at a concert in Belfast. The song was received with stunned silence, after which Plant reputedly turned to Page and suggested it be scratched from the album. Page, who was facing the audience motioned to him to turn round at which point he saw hundreds of lighters going up and faced rapturous applause.

Side two of the original vinyl was different in some ways. "Misty Mountain Hop" was seen as having drug references, but Tolkien also featured here. It is a happy song about happy times with a surprisingly dark overtone, the combination of which lends it the undeniable charm it has. "Four Sticks" takes its name from the fact that Bonham played this with four drumsticks, hence the distinctive sound. If the album has a weak track, this is it. However, it has a driving rhythm and plenty of restrained power within to make it worth a second listen. My only criticism would be one of production in that it seems a tad too oppressive.

"Going To California", allegedly written for or about Joni Mitchell, also stands accused of drug references. But it is another slow, acoustic number, the mandolin again featuring heavily, and perhaps speaks more of discomfort or unease with the modern world and longing for greater simplicity in both life and the world. And finally, there is "When the Levee Breaks". The title and some of the lyrics were borrowed from an early delta blues song by Memphis Minnie, but the delivery here is completely unique. One reason is that, apart from Plant's vocals, everything was recorded at normal speed and then played slightly slower. Also Bonham's drumkit was set up in the stairwell and the recording mikes were some floors above, giving it a distinctive, muggy feel. Then there is the most amazing double harmonica solo. But what strikes you is the driving riff and the power drumming. John Bonham is absolutely superb on this track, and creates the necessary heavy and oppressive sound to mimic the driving power of the rain. In latter days, as disillusionment with "Stairway To Heaven" grows through over-familiarity, this track is often cited as being the best on the album.

So there you have it. Of all the albums there have ever been, this is one of the absolute few must-have releases. In some ways this marked the high point of rock as a genre - no one was going to be able to match it and rock would begin a slow and inexorable decline ever after.

What sets the band immediately apart is their individual talents; frontman Billy Tegethoff has a powerful, moving voice and high-end guitar chops to boot. Bassist James Williams works overtime to fill in the trio's soundscape, and accomplishes this with nimble-fingered grooves aplenty. Rounding out the group is drummer Casey Dillon, who has a knack for utilizing the entire kit to weave intricate rhythms or tumultuous fills, and does so with practiced timing. Combined, these three of The Oxford Coma are obviously talented, but what shines through even more is their ability to write catchy, memorable songs. After a brief interlude, "BBS" kicks the album off with sharp, circusy riffing, and rages on into a crowded chorus. Very reminiscent of self-titled era System of a Down. "Last To Die" is one of the three tracks from their debut EP, a quick-paced platform for some of James' best bass work and a low-key but memorable chorus. "Rim Liquors" has many faces, at times a groove-based jam, at others an intense dose of STP-esque grunge. "Mime" has a strong psychadelic quality to it's swirling, hypnotic riffs, reminding me of Tool in more ways than one. "Seven" was my favorite track from their EP, and remains one of their best to date, a completely engrossing piece that demands a presence on rock radio nation wide.


And that is just one half of the outstanding, remarkably enjoyable Adonis, an album that should side swipe many a listener. The most difficult aspect of any band's early stages is exposure, and my biggest fear is that Adonis may slip through the cracks of fans and critics. This would be a crime, as it is undoubtedly the strongest debut effort I've come across in many years. Take steps to check this one out, it's most definitely worth your while. 

"Fight Song" is a particular track that sticks out after listening to this album multiple times.  The tempo is very upbeat to help portray its title and contains awesome rifts and guitar solos midway through that really embraces that heavy metal genre with a 80's twist.  Liv's vocals are great and at times it almost sounds like Vince Neil from Motley Crue; she really has a great set of pipes and has near flawless control of her ranges.  I don't think a better female metal artist could have been chosen for the vocals of this band.

I could go on and talk about each track and what I like, but when it comes down to it I just can't find anything that I don't like about this album.  Rarely do I ever rate a album a 5 star rating, but this one definitely takes the cake on my list!  I highly encourage all you metal fans out there to get your hands on this album right away, you won't be disappointed that you did.

Archandroid continues the saga originated on Monáe's previous release, wherein her alter-ego Cindy Mayweather comes to terms with her messianic status as the ‘ArchAndroid'. It it immediately interesting, lifting, and horrifyingly ambitious. 'BaBopBye Ya' rears in with a resonant note, then kicks into an R&B-swing beat, then there are violins, then honey-like jazz singing, then little electronic pips and pipes... what the hell is this? It's so... good. It's like all of puberty's good discoveries rolled into one.

Monáe flits from soundscape to soundscape, summoning ghosts of things you know you've heard but can't place. She creates her dystopian, futuristic world with such broad strokes that it bypasses the scatty, pretentious nature of such conceopt albums and becomes playful, flirtatious and even accessible. A flighty creature of pleasure, she zips off on whatever tangents take her fancy and turns her ridiculously versatile voice to bear on everything she finds there. Vocal ego never takes over though, and sometimes you almost forget she's singing to you - she becomes another colour in your Archandroid world.

It's weird, it's addictive, and I'm pretty sure it's one of the best albums I've bought all year.

EDIT: Aw, the hell with being conservative. It deserves a 5.

From here until the end of the original album, there follows one good song after another. Whereas the first album was dark and brooding, this manages to retain the manic, almost psychotic visions of The Psychedelic Furs but in a more accessible vein. Everything just came together perfectly on this album in a way that few bands will ever achieve, and which the Furs were never to be able to recapture. Shortly after this, and in the light of the minor success of "Pretty in Pink" in the charts, the desire of some members of the band to strive for commercial success deprived them of the drive to create such masterpieces again.

Listen to the in-your-face anti-romance of "I Wanna Sleep with You", the mesmerising sound of "Mrs Jones" or the driving "Into You Like a Train" before the album climaxes with "All Of This And Nothing", another Furs classic combining meaningless lyrics detailing the shambles of a failed relationship with cascading guitars and overlaid sax. There are no fillers here, nothing you would want to skip over. And it is all still as immediate and as electrifying as when it first came out. Albums like this are what made 1981 one of the best years ever for music.

At a time when the post punks were at their peak (and this was the start of probably two to three years of great post punk music), this album stands out as one of the greatest. The Furs were part of my youth along with Fischer-Z, The Smiths, The Chameleons and The Cure. They were there through all the highs and lows of university and the immediate period after it. The Furs accompanied me on my journey into adulthood and perhaps, because of the affection I had for them from their earlier days, stayed around me a tad longer than they might otherwise have done. Not as political as some, not as stark as others, but one of the greats, with a unique sound coming together on a truly unique moment in musical history.

The album opens with the doom laden "Berlin", a study in the decadence of Berlin in the Cold War era - a place lost in time and living on borrowed time. Then comes my personal favourite, "Marliese". For 30 years this has been my favourite song. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I split up with a girl around this time and this song just fitted the "You Bitch I'll get you" feelings I experienced.

"Red Skies Over Paradise" follows, with an infectious reggae style guitar breaking out into a rock guitar driven refrain. The apocalypse is here: the mushroom cloud has gone up over London and the people responsible don't care about the likes of me. "In England" savages the narrow mentality of the country at the time, and contains the classic line anyone familiar with Britain in the early 1980's will recognise -

"Printed Regulations, quick to disapprove/Restrictions, restrictions".

"You'll Never Find Brian Here" is a slightly slower number, but again brings out the personal element of the theme. Here is someone who has left the building, who does not want to be associated with what is going on, and you won't find him. The side closes with another apocalyptic track, "Battalions of Strangers" and another epic line in the refrain, recognising the contribution the peacemakers will have to make when it comes to clearing up the mess -

"Gold medallions, for the men who must negotiate"

- words screamed as if in panic at the prospect.

The second side is said by some to be weaker. I have my doubts about that. It is more personal and concentrates more on the decline of the individual and society against the apocalyptic backdrop. It opens with the enormously moreish "Song And Dance Brigade", extolling the virtues of people who cannot be manipulated no matter what the pressure exerted upon them. "The Writer" paints a picture of man in terminal decline who has faced and fallen that nemesis - suicide. That theme is continued with "Wristcutter's Lullaby", a track later, broken up with "Bathroom Scenario", a sort of complaint about the artificiality of life based on the contents of a bathroom.

"Cruise Missiles" brings us back to the impending apocalypse. At the time Reagan and Thatcher were installing these things in Europe, oblivious to the tremendous opposition throughout Europe to it. These were the weapons of our ultimate destruction and we did not want them. Next up comes the very depressing "Luton to Lisbon" setting out the sheer hopelessness of living in the UK at the time, and another great line -

"Chainstore towns in faraway places/Mark the end of a capital boom".

Often overlooked it is a slow number with just guitars but it captures the depressing theme perfectly.

If there is one fault, it is in the last track, "Multinationals Bite". Possibly the weakest song on the album, it nevertheless continues the theme of moral decline of society by deriding the influence of multinational companies.

This was John Watts at his most powerful and incisive. This was perfect music for the time, and perfect music for a young man at university, like me, struggling to come to terms with the awful reality of Thatcher's Britain and the path of madness on which she was setting us, decay, unemployment, hopelessness, despair, destruction. On mainland Europe, this whole album was big Big BIG!!! In the UK, which produces great music and then ignores it, it got nowhere. John Watts split Fischer-Z up after this and never did achieve anything so sublime again. If you have to get one early- to mid- 80's post punk British album, make it this one. You will not regret it.

Each of Monolith's 11 tracks is a testament to the fundamental principles of Cattle Decapitation's collective beliefs in regards to humanity as a whole. I urge anyone tempted to listen to seek out a lyric sheet, as the occasionally unintelligible words are one of the album's strongest selling points. A word to the wise, however; the pure hatred and vile nature of the lyrics may leave you overwhelmed. This is simply a consequence of the strength of the band's conviction, and furthers the impact of the entire album by leaps and bounds. As for the music proper, there are a multitude of truly standout moments to be discovered. Some of my personal favorites include pretty much every track with a notably melodic chorus; "Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat", "Lifestalker" (the album's best track IMO),  "Your Disposal" (A very close 2nd place in that running) and "Kingdom of Tyrants". But, unlike every other Cattle Decapitation album before it, there truly isn't a so-so track to be found this time around. At the absolute top of their game, superb production, intense focus on a living, breathing atmosphere of nihilistic hatred for the ignorant, parasitic nature of a large amount of humankind...it all results in the pinnacle of the band's career to date.

The evolution of Cattle Decapitation has brought them to, as far as I can tell, the forefront of modern metal of any and all subgenres. Their style has fully taken on a more universal approach; while fully rooted in their grind foundation, branching into something more abstract and appealing. Monolith of Inhumanity is one of the best albums I've dug into in quite some time, easily the band's best to date and a solid candidate for my top 10 of the year. I just can't imagine many other records impressing me as much as this one has.

This set features six originals along with a handful of covers among its eleven offerings. Bowie's "Panic In Detroit" opens the set and bares only a thin resemblance to the original; here the band dissects the song into abstract lines and both in the music and the vocals, which turn the lyrics into a sort of obscure, seemingly random chanting. The song is transformed into a ritualistic tribal initiation rite.

Similarly, "Younger Version" is a fitful meditation that uses song structure very loosely, the melody discarded for the more interesting echoes between the notes. Other highlights include the killer rockers "I'm Hurt" and "Zombie Go Round," an odd, up tempo lounge take on "See Emily Play," and the abrasive ‘Nouveau Timmy," which evokes a minutemen/feedtime bass heavy minimalism.

There are three Velvets covers, including a brittle "Femme Fatale," highlighted by a massive, emotionally raw "What Goes On" that is easily one of the most powerful versions of that track-the VU might have had trouble on some nights reaching this level of transcendence.

"Not so much laid back, but fucked up," a band member says during some in studio chatter halfway through "Punk Haiku 4: I'm Set Free: Sept-Nov 1977." While that certainly could be a phrase used to describe the music herein, it is so much more than that. These songs truly are punk haikus, songs that burn hot with punk abrasiveness and irreverence, but with a fearless curiosity that concentrates poetic power in a few notes and choruses.

Now whatever the merits of the music, it is hard not to feel that here is a band who have made such a statement that Pussy Riot are going to change things. Given that all artists, the world over, are going to get asked whether they support the band in their struggle against Russian Government authoritarianism (and given that it would be daft for any to say no), Putin may have bitten off more than he can chew. Stalin dismissively wrote off the influence of the Catholic Church by saying "How many divisions does the Pope have?" only for that same institution to come back and bite his successors very badly 30 years later. Pussy Riot may well have done the same thing by bringing to the attention of the world just how repressive modern Russia is - and all through a blatant publicity stunt.

The song which did it - "Mother of God, Putin - Put", is on this EP. Whether it is truly offensive I cannot tell as I understand no Russian. But it has all the credentials which made the Sex Pistols so offensive to the British establishment in 1977. And just as banning their music did not silence the band, nor will jailing these three women.

To be honest, the music is not really my style. Brash, loud and in your face, it is buzzing suitars belting out a minimum of melody while the lyrics are shouted over the whole. The EP sounds as if it were recorded live, but maybe it is just really shoddy production, although there is some clapping and applause so perhaps it was. The only song which sounds as if someone has taken some care over the recording is the title track, "Kill the Sexist", which is undoubtedly a feminist anthem in the making. If you like bands like Sleater-Kinney, Black Flag and the like, then you might find this appealing.

But sometimes, it is not about the music. Whether Pussy Riot are any good is not the point, is it? Three women have been slung in jail for a ridiculously long time for a political statement about the leader of a country who brooks no criticism. However provocative their act was, surely we should all support their right to free expression in the face of a political system which would try to silence them. Play this loud! Loud enough that Vladimir Putin can hear you!