W/e 08/05/26 - The Black Keys, KNEECAP, Seefeel, Weird Nightmare, Little Feat
Congrats to The Black Keys, our winners this week, inside our top 10 for the year and just ahead of a decent showing by KNEECAP, who get the TOTW.
Seefeel take a slot in our bottom 3 for year, propped up by only Sleaford Mods and Above, Below.
Sam takes the š, Andy the ā¹ļø.
Little Feat were an enjoyable new listen for most and say Hi to Abba and INXS on the classics.
Guy
The Black Keys ā they do knock out some quality tunes. Strong, immersive blues rock. It perhaps lacked a mega track or two ā 7.6
KNEECAP ā Thought they were great at Finsbury Park when we saw them. The tunes they rap to are usually pretty solid and when they sing in English the lyrics are also good ā if a little edgy! Arguably this album lacked some of the bangers of previous offerings though ā although Liars Tale and my TOTW are pretty strong. ā 7.7
Seefeel ā WTAF. This was like a teenager āexperimentingā with noises in his bedroom. Think Ross from Friends (the original not the dance artist). This is not music. ā 3
Weird Nightmare ā Had a touch of Oasis in places but most was pretty middle-of-the-road Indie. As itās my wheelhouse and I quite enjoyed it, Iāve given it an OK score but unlikely to return ā 6.7
TOTW ā Fenian by KNEECAP
Little Feat ā Well this was a new one on me. Kind of enjoyed the 70s bluesy sound. The faster ones were better than the slower IMHO ā 7.2
Andy
Black Keys - Reliable as ever this is another bombastic bucket of blues from Dan and Patrick. It could have been gazumped by this weeks classic but it does its job well 7.5
KNEECAP - Good stuff, I wish I knew what they were going on about all the time though as when you know what theyāre saying itās very much worth listening to 7
Seefeel - Nigel Tufnell once said thereās a fine line between clever and stupid, this shows thereās also one between atmospheric and dull, in a bad way 2
Weird Nightmare - Sails perilously close to being too derivative but otherwise pretty enjoyable. Would be perfect on a 90s high school movie soundtrack 6.5
Totw - Carnival by KNEECAP
Little Feat - Iāve never listened to Little Feat which is a shame as their bluesy southern rock is right up my alley. Will be seeking out more 8
Phil (OG)
Black Keys 8
Surprisingly, the Keys album that we reviewed last year was the first time Iād listened to a whole album of theirs. It was enjoyable but it wasnāt blues. This, however, is the real deal and as good a blues album as Iāve heard in a long while. So, where do I begin with their back catalogue?
Kneecap 7.8
Kneecap have over the last couple of years had the sort of publicity that most bands can only dream of, and theyāve probably sued more people than Donald Trump. Still, none of that would count for much if their music didnāt back it up. And boy does it ever. Angry, righteous rap with a great mix of the Gaelic, English and Arabic tongues. Not only that but the arrangements are just so. Impressive.
Seefeel 6
For some reason, I initially felt moved to defend this album, having read Andy and Guyās comments. Truth be told though, itās not great. This is the sort of stuff that you hear a lot of on Stuart Maconieās Freak Zone. The first few tracks are fairly dull but things do perk up a bit with AM flares and Falling first, which do at least seem to have a direction. More of that please.
Weird Nightmare 7.2
Iād say thereās more of an early Beatles sound to this than their Mancunian copyists. This didnāt grab me on first listen but, after another spin, I began to see more depth. Enjoyable if not memorable.
TOTW ā Black Keys ā Nobody but you baby
Classic
Little Feat 9
In the early 70s, I kept reading about how good this band called Little Feat were but I never got round to listening to them until their fifth LP, misleadingly titled The last record album. I enjoyed that so much that I went out and bought all their earlier records. Theyāre all great but Sailinā shoes, their second, has always been my favourite. There are some terrific songs on here but itās front man Lowell Georgeās view of the world that I really enjoy. He tells stories but theyāre not your run of the mill tales. Texas Rose CafĆ© is probably the best example here. Plus, his slide playing is off the chart.
Sam
Black Keys : one of our house bands keeps pumping out great tunes . 2 proper bangers on here make it an 8
Kneecap : fast furious fun . They are very good at what they do . Yes , wish I spoke Gaelic .. 7.7
Seefeel : some nice dreamy bits , kinda wished Iād dropped an acid tab . Overall fine. 6.5
Weird Nightmare : I thought this was ace ! I will definitely see them live . Top fun . 2 stone cold bangers on here . 8.7
TOTW : Never in Style ( sounds like 68 Guns) by Weird Nightmare.
Little Feat: I enjoyed this . Very Rolling Stones esque . Good voice . 7.5
Matt
Black Keys - 7.5
Kneecap - 8.2
Seefeel - 2
Weird Nightmare- 8
TOTW - Almost chose Never in Style by Weird Nightmare but went for An Ra by Kneecap.
Phil (New)
Black Keys 7.5
Kneecap 6.5
Seefeel 4
Weird Nightmare 7.8
TOTW - Forever Elsewhere - Wierd Nightmare
Little Feat - 7.6
Mark D
Black Keys - Quality Blues rock. Great riffs and keyboards added lots for me. Unfort by the end the songs had tended to blur a bit. 7
Kneecap - Not ever heard them before (and was cynical going in) but really liked the mix of rhythms, rapping and energy across all of the tracks. Shame we miss out a lot of the lyrics but def seeking them out at Reading. 7.75
Seefeel - Liked the atmosphere and sort of trance feel for the first couple of minutes. But constantly waiting for something to happen. Which it didn't.. Bored by the end which feels like the worst you can say about an album. 4
Wierd Nightmare - Decent tunes and moved along well as an album but will not remember particularly. Felt like it was a blend of a lot of other bands. The name promised more. 6.75
TOTW - Liar's Tale Kneecap (could have been others of this one)
Little Feat - Great album throughout. Will relisten for sure. Loved Willin' and Teenage Nervous Breakdown. 8
Paul
The Black Keys (8.8)
Cracking blues rock. Loved it, got several listenās and had a number of potential TOTWās.
Kneecap (7.8)
Really good forceful rap over decent tunes looking forward to seeing them at reading again this year. Liars Tale & Headcase highlights for me.
Seefeel (3.5)
Creates Interesting atmospheric moods but I waited for something to happen, nothing did. Musical screensaver!
Weird Nightmare (7.5)
Feels like it could have been made at any time in the past 30 years by any number of bands. Having said that itās decent indie and an enjoyable listen.
TOTW - Black Keys - You Got to Lose
Little Feet (7,5)
Nice choice. preferred the bluesy rock track over the country infused songs but overall a good listen.
Justin
The Black Keys - Usual classic blues rock. 7
Kneecap - I don't like overtly political music particularly in this case where I think it is all a bit contrived. Saved from a really low score by some interesting backing music. 5
Seefeel - I always love a bit of ambient soundscape so I actually enjoyed this and gave it quite a few spins. 6.9
Weird Nightmare - Above average indie. Decent variety. No stand out tunes though. 6.7
TOTW Seefeel - Falling First
Little Feet - Neither odd nor weird. Pretty much classic rock, country and honky tonk. Never heard of them but good album. 7.5
Simon
Black Keys: not as good as the other BK albums we've reviewed, but they set a high standard - still a thoroughly enjoyable slab of raw blues rock, You Got To Lose and Fireman Rings the Bell put me in mind of early ZZ Top. 7.5
KNEECAP: had low expectations for this but actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would - bit of a mash-up of different styles but very listenable, the Gaelic rapping works well although no idea what they're going on about. 7.3
Seefeel: I'm all for a bit of ambient electronica but this isn't a great example - it's mostly intro and outro with nothing in between, like everyone else I spent the whole album waiting for something to happen. 4
Weird Nightmare: a tad derivative perhaps - has a '60s flavour on the Kinks-esque Pay No Mind amongst others and veers a bit too close to Oasis at times - but grew on me a lot on second listen. 7.2
TotW: Black Keys - Fireman Rings the Bell
Little Feat: engaging blues/country rock, have heard plenty from the likes of Black Keys but good to hear something from way back when which I'd imagine would have inspired more recent bands. 7
Erol
The Black Keys - they never fail to hit the spot with their raw blues rock. Another really good album. 7.8
KNEECAP - fiery, energetic techno driven hip hop-rap that was really impressive. Iāve never listened to them before and was really surprised at how good they are. Now I see what all the fuss is about (putting aside their politics). 7.9
Seefeel - not much more than ambient lift music. Boring, to say the least. 3.5
Weird Nightmare - yes, itās a bit derivative and smacks of 90s indie but there are some really nice nods to an earlier era too - If You Should Turn Away, for example, is straight out of the late 60s. Overall, a pretty decent listen that Iād happily go back to. 7.5
TOTW - Liarās Tale, KNEECAP. Very Dizee Rascal.
Little Feat - never heard of this bunch before so this was a new one on me. Very seventies, very bluesy swampy rock, it reminded me of the early Stones. Not bad at all. 7
Mark KE
Black Keys - such a prolific band yet still manage to balance quantity with quality. This is more straight ahead blues and I do prefer it when they mix in pop, soul, Americana etc, but this is still a quality offering, with a cover of Doctor Feelgood's She Does It Right thrown in for good measure - 8
Kneecap - entertaining when I saw them live but wondered if they might struggle to evolve their sound to be more than just a one trick protest pony. Sonically and lyrically this had plenty going for it though and elevates it above novelty act - 7.5
Seefeel - I just can't for the life of me think why anyone would actually go out and pay money to buy this, there are some interesting soundscapes but it's just too aimless to get anything out of - 4.5
Weird Nightmare - ok so in lots of ways it's straight down the middle indie guitar by numbers, but I have to say I rather enjoyed it - 7.5
TOTW - Carnival, by Kneecap
Annette
Black Keys: 7.5
Kneecap: 8
Seefeel: 4
Werid Nightmare: 7.5
TOTW: Carnival by Kneecap
Classic: Little Feet - 7.5
Adam
Black Keys 7
Kneecap 7
Seefeel 5
Werid Nightmare: 7
TOTW: liars tale - kneecap
Classic 7
Jim
The Black Keys 8
Heavier on the blues, so took a couple of listens to get into that, but then hugely enjoyable thoughout.
KNEECAP 8
Iāve warmed to these guys. The movieās funny, the live gig last summer was rocking, and now a cracking album to top it off. Second half in particular is ace. Hip Hop with cracking tunes, whoād have thoughtā¦ it could catch on. Terrific collab at the end with Kae Tempest.
Seefeel 3
Erā¦ not sure the point of this. Ambient I can get, but I think there needs to be a tune of sorts, not just sounds.
Weird Nightmare 6.5
Itās OK, first track had some promise, the rest was pretty vanilla indie.
TOTW: KNEECAP - Gael Phonics. Eminem would be proud to this one.
Little Feet 7
Enjoyed this, the country / blues mix works well.
Carlo
The Black Keys ā 7.1
A pretty solid album overall. Not really my style, but an easy and enjoyable listen with some good groove throughout.
KNEECAP ā 7.5
Not sure Iād feel quite the same if I hadnāt seen them live, but these guys have a great energy about them. The album didnāt disappoint, full of punchy tracks and plenty of attitude.
Seefeel ā 6.8
Iām quite partial to atmospheric music, and this could have been close to my sweet spot. Unfortunately it just lacked flow. In fact, a few tracks became a little irritating.
Weird Nightmare ā 7.2
Pleasant throughout with a nice mix of tracks. Easy to get into and consistent.
TOTW: Seefeel ā Falling First
Classic ā Little Feat ā 7
No idea who these guys are, but thereās a great country-blues feel running through the album.
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