Having shed Spectorian pop nostalgia for an altogether more '80s synth-pop approach, the Pipettes struggle to find a unique voice without any of their original female members remaining.
Lead singer and songwriter Annie Hardy weighs in on Giant Drag's return, and how battling the corporate ogre, along with an extended break, has made her stronger and shaped her songs for the better.
Naysayer journalists and irony-obsessed hipsters may be quick to declare the post-rock genre dead and buried, but they probably haven't heard The Four Trees.
The media hyperbole of perceived 'shoegaze influence' has haunted these Swedish dream-poppers for far too long. Now they respond with a near-perfect album of blissed-out indie-rock, and shed the misconceptions for good.
After 20 years of solid and dependable releases, Birmingham's Ocean Colour Scene have survived the Britpop era with flair, and pack their latest disc with good-time party jams that are guaranteed to keep you moving.