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FUNKED UP

2117¬Montreal's foremost exponenents of Prince-inspired dirty funk are back with their new album. Critics so far are impressed, Rave Magazine seeing the album as an affirmation of the band's unique style.¬False¬

Middle of the Trail

2101¬Rootsy folkster Ray Lamontagne continues his career as a Radio 2 botherer with his new album. Critics see it as competent but hardly revolutionary, scores coming it at around 6 or 7.¬False¬

Towering achievement?

2098¬There's a very rare 10/10 from The Skinny for the rapper, pianist and producer's album, released to accompany a feature film also written and produced by the maverick Canadian. Such enthusiasm is not shared by the BBC or music OMH, who regard it as interesting but only partially successful.¬True¬
Let It Beep

Royal Bangs

Let It Beep

Dance-friendly indie rock married to glitchy electronica on the Tennessee act's second album

Critics average rating

8.3

Label
City Slang
Release date
23/11/2009
  1. 9.0 |  The Fly

    ‘Let It Beep’ manages to be both refreshingly innovative and instantly loveable in one gloriously manic bundle
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  2. 9.0 |  NME

    A perfect dance/punk hybrid ... stunning. Print edition only

  3. 8.5 |  The Line Of Best Fit

    With a mix of on the button electronics, synths and programming fused with classic, hook-heavy 70s rock Let It Beep is a thrill a minute
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  4. 8.0 |  Drowned In Sound

    If you manage to stand back from trying to over-analyse and contextualise their sound, you are ultimately left with a record that is catchy, unashamedly self indulgent and in all senses, fun
    Read Review

  5. 8.0 |  The Quietus

    This is rock music made in the mould of TV On The Radio – dirty guitars and multiple layers of percussion – and put together with extremely smart production
    Read Review

  6. 8.0 |  BBC

    A charming and entirely unforeseen hit for tastes demanding their rock a little rough-hewn and happily unaffected. That it makes Kings of Leon sound as sonically redundant as U2 and Oasis is merely an accidental bonus
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  7. 8.0 |  Subba Cultcha

    Time to give up the day jobs, cos’ for these white coated nerds, the groupies just came calling
    Read Review

  8. 8.0 |  State

    ...a relatively short but extremely welcome shock to the system, bursting at the seams with interesting ideas and infectious melodies
    Read Review

  1. Fantastic album. The first one's not bad either!

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  2. yeh love it & can't wait to see them live - meant to be awesome. but it's not dance, it's rock. great to see it up there

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Track preview & download

Royal Bangs: Let It Beep

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. War Bells £0.99
  • 2. Poison Control £0.99
  • 3. My Car Is Haunted £0.99
  • 4. Brainbow £0.99
  • 5. Conquest II £0.99
  • 6. B & E £0.99
  • 7. S**t Xmas £0.99
  • 8. Tiny Prince of Keytar £0.99
  • 9. 1993 £0.99
  • 10. Gorilla King £0.99
  • 11. Waking Up Weird £0.99
  • 12. Maniverse £0.99
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Prolific

2120¬These Virginian sludge-rockers find themselves releasing their fifth album in two years, a huge feat by anyone's standards. Critics are unsure whether any degree of quality can be sustained at that rate however, with Tiny Mix Tapes stating that in fleshing out their sound, they have drawn "too much attention to musical aspects [they] never had going for them".¬True¬

Duppy Love

2109¬Critics are falling over themselves to heap praise on this album of dub remixes of classic Roots Manuva tracks. It has managed a very decent showing on our chart, especially given that it is essentially a remix album. It has impressed so much that Culture Deluxe has proclaimed it as "possibly the most perfect reggae album released in the last 30 years". ¬True¬

Back On Top?

2114¬The Manic Street Preachers have had something of a critical rebirth with their last two albums, and that trend looks set to continue with their latest offering. The Line of Best Fit call it a "wonderful album", while The Fly reckon they "are in the form of their life". With only a few reviews in so far, it seems we could have a contender for the higher echelons of our chart.¬True¬

Pain and pleasure

2105¬Can the third of the three Mancunian electro-ish bands which featured in the BBC's Sound of 2010 list emulate the success of their counterparts, Delphic and Everything Everything? The jury's still out so far. NME is a big fan of the duo's 80s-inspired synthpop anthems, but The Guardian is far from convinced, and others find the album stylish but unremarkable. ¬True¬

Compilations & Reissues

They're not in the main chart as they skew things

  1. 8.5

    The Teardrop Explode Kilimanjaro: Deluxe Edition

  2. 8.5

    R.E.M. Fables Of The Reconstruction

  3. See full list