W/e 16/05/25 - The Amazons, Arcade Fire, Sleep Token, Billy Woods, Klaxons

Congrats to The Amazons, who move into our overall top 20 alongside the rock Gods that are Jack White, Black Crows and Keys. They were just half a point from one us away from the 2025 top spot.

That’s 2 for them in our top 100 - their 2022 offering sits at #90. They also have TOTW for Night After Night 👏.

Arcade fire underwhelmed a little perhaps, but just make it into our top 10 for the year, but overall are 50 places back on 2022’s WE.

Erol has just his 2nd 😀 of 2025. Mark takes the☹️ for the first time this year.

Klaxons were a first listen for a few, and sit with OMD and The Breeders on the classics.

Andy

The Amazons - Of course I’m totally in the bag for anything Matt, Chris and Elliott bang out but I didn’t even need my preconceptions to really enjoy this. They’ve tinkered with their sound a bit but it’s still an outstanding rock record. Night after night and Love is a dog … are destined to be fan favourites 8.5

Arcade Fire - Mildly disappointed with this, but that’s because you tend to have high expectations and this mainly left me a little flat. Only Alien Nation and Stuck in my Head really got me going. Still, a slightly lower quality Arcade Fire album is not too shabby overall 6.5

Sleep Token - Not entirely sure what to make of this one. The shredding and double bass drum sounds were very proficient but I couldn’t see the appeal of the songs, like Gary Barlow made a thrash album. Massive with the kids apparently 5

Billy Woods - I really liked this and my review is probably the same as for his last album that we did. Thoughtful hiphop with solid beats and strong bars in a MF Doom/RTJ/Nas style, no surprise to see an El-P feature 7

TotW - Night After Night by The Amazons

Klaxons - I own this album but I’ve never really liked it that much. I can’t get along with the vocal stylings, the cover of Not Over Yet is pretty good mind you 5

Guy

The Amazons - thought this could be more of the same but it’s got a more bluesy rock feel. Very good effort - 8

Arcade Fire - enjoyable stuff. But perhaps lacking the killer tunes of some earlier albums - 7.4

Sleep Token - nowt particularly wrong with it but it was a bit of a mash up and didn’t capture my imagination - 6

Billy Woods - decent rapping but for me it lacked the supporting tunes that elevate the best of the genre - 6.2

The Klaxons - I’ve not listened to this for ages. Great album of its time with some bangers (Golden Skans, Gravity’s Rainbow etc). Quality stuff - 8.2

Totw = the amazons - night after night.

Annette

The Amazons: 8 5

Arcade Fire: 7.5

Billy Woods: 6

Sleep Token: 6

TOTW: Night after night by Amzons

Classic: Klaxons 8

Simon

The Amazons: starts off reasonably enough but veers alarmingly into cheesy '80s stadium rock with My Blood - mostly fine after that without being anything particularly to write home about. 6.5

Arcade Fire: didn't have high hopes based on the reviews but was pleasantly surprised - it's an understated album lacking the usual spectacle of an AF release, but I found the low key approach quite compelling. 7.5

Sleep Token: theatrical and bombastic, and massively overproduced, it seems they've thrown everything including the kitchen sink at this - unfortunately I thought it just sounded a bit ridiculous. 4

billy woods: really impressed by this, the imaginative samples create an ominous atmosphere which perfectly matches the sombre themes - the result is an album both disorientating and disconcerting. Not the easiest listen but worth the effort. 8

Klaxons: first listen to this album and just wondering why I missed it first time round - lots to enjoy here, frantic and a bit messy at times but some rollicking tunes. 7.8

TotW: Arcade Fire - Ride or Die

Mark

Arcade Fire - on first listen, muted and downbeat, even the best bands start to run out of ideas and repeat themselves a bit after a while. Some were like unfully formed demos. But it grew on subsequent listens, Alien Nation goes all Primals / Kasabian, and there are a few nice shimmery New Order / LCD moments, but some good ideas just run out of steam. One of my very favourite bands of the recent past, I do like this but it's not quite up with their best - 7.5

Amazons - big bombastic stuff, sounded like those massively produced Def Leppard albums from the 80s. Feels like they've lost their way a bit in an effort to sound BIG....I preferred the more earthy approach of stuff like Stay With Me, Nightdriving etc - 5.5

Billy Woods - like the soundtrack from The Wire, or a gangsta rap Portishead, I can see the artistic merit in this but did I enjoy it...? Just too slow to really get me going - 5.5

Sleep Token - I'm aware of this mob getting a lot of publicity of late, but to me this was just an hour's worth of silly Eurovision style bombast - 4

TOTW - I Love Her Shadow - Arcade Fire

Justin

The Amazons - the last album didn't really hit the mark but this is a real quality rock album. No filler. 8

Arcade Fire - I thought this was a bit of return to form and closer to Neon Bible than recent albums. 7.7

Billy Woods - clever use of jazz and old samples but ultimately not that enjoyable. 5.5

Sleep Token - all over the place from metal to Craig David. Might give it a few more listens. 6.5

TOTW Pitch Black - Amazons

Klaxons - normally classics I choose are albums I still listen to but I hadn't listened to this pretty much since it came out apart from Gravity's Rainbow. It doesn't all work but the great songs really captured the new rave zeitgeist. 7.8

Adam

Amazons

For my sins I’ve never spent a huge amount of time listening to one of Readings finest indie rock bands and from listening to this, I shall go back through. High energy, in your face indie rock. Nothing landfill about this. 8

Arcade Fire

Doesn’t meet their peak from their first three albums. Slightly more subdued sounds, but still excellent in places. Year of the Snake was a favourite. 7

Billy Woods

I’m sure plenty in the world will enjoy this spitting of lyrics but it’s not for me. Needs a little more upbeat fun to it. Sax was good. Bring back old school west coast 90s wrap. 3

Sleep Token

I was surprised by the R&B. If someone is wearing a mask like that I’m expecting heavy metal and no prisoners. One to explore more. Has a sort of overly produced pop, R&B, metal mix - understand why they are getting a bit of a cult like following. Just need to decide whether I’m joining or not. 7

TOTW - Arcade Fire - Year of the Snake

Classic - now this has a particular personal attachment for me. My first ever gig - in the old Birmingham Academy in 2007. It’s been a non-stop love affair with live music ever since. I believe I even had fluorescent face paint on. Long live the kings of the Indie Rave scene. 9

Phil

The Amazons 7.5

This lot remind me of a lot of the late 70s heavy rock bands like Rainbow and mid-period Deep Purple, when they decided that they wanted hit records. Not the sort of sound that normally floats my boat but this does. I seem to remember seeing them at the Great Escape many years ago and they certainly weren’t this good.

Arcade Fire 6

Less bombastic than a lot of their earlier stuff. Some decent tunes but pretty dull on the whole.

Billy Woods 7.5

Best rap album I’ve heard in my time as a Hannah. Woods is less concerned than most about the rhythm of his flow and the production is just as untidy, but in a good way. Full of half-heard mutterings, cries and noises from a distance and the sort of unsettling backdrop that you’d associate with Massive Attack.

Sleep Token 5

Rather soulless stuff. Earnest, occasionally breast-beating vocals, an odd mixture of synthetic beats, the occasional piano melody and bursts of noisy guitar, all aimed unerringly at stadiums. Not my thang.

TOTW – The Amazons – Pitch black

Classic

The Klaxons 6.5

Not a band that ever showed up on my radar and not a style that normally excites me. This didn’t but it was enjoyable enough, though not enough to get a decent score.

Erol

Amazons - proper indie rock with a nice bite. I love a bit of stadium rock whether or not it veers back to the 80s. This was a cracking listen and definitely one to go back to. 8

Arcade Fire - like others I was hoping for more from this. It’s solid and sometimes serene but there are no stand out tracks that stick in mind. 7

Sleep Token - I am really taken by this and have listened to it multiple times. A great combination of modern pop/RnB vocals overlayed with a blast of nu-metal. Similar to BMTH, so this sits well within my wheelhouse. Am keen to know who the band members are. Why’s it such a big secret? 8.5

Billy Woods - some smart rapping and sampling but it lacks the energy and vitality of other rap offerings. Sadly I just couldn’t find anything to get excited about here. 6

TOTW - Look to Windward, Sleep Token

Klaxons - have never listened to this before. Apart from the two memorable tracks (Golden Skans and It’s Not Over Yet), it was a bit all over the place. The vocals are rather weird at times too. 6

Sam

The Amazons : they’ve brought out a more richly produced album and it sounds great ! Easily as good as Royal Blood they are at the top of UK rock . They’ve smashed this . 8.8

Arcade Fire : some of this is classic stuff but it’s quite patchy overall . 6.5

Sleep Token : if I was a die hard metal fan I’d feel short changed by this . It’s an odd one and very up and down . 6

Billy Woods : bit different to Young MC ! I enjoyed some of this as it’s great to hear a different side to hip hop . Some was strangely amateurish tho : 6. 2

Klaxons : some belters on here but it’s also cosmic in parts and a bit patchy . But when. It’s good it’s very very good . 7.2

TOTW and possibly of the year so far : Love is a dog from hell by Amazons

Jim

The Amazons 9

Their previous albums were good, and they are top notch live but I’ve wondered what was missing in their secret sauce to become a top band, and I think they’ve found it. Apart from the unnecessary 30 sec fillers, each full track is at least good and a fair few, the opening 2 in particular, are terrific. The female backing on top of some extra Royal Blood horsepower, with a bit of Black Keys blues thrown in works a treat. Great stuff.

Arcade Fire 8

Another grower, as all theirs tend to be for me. Lower key but beautifully smooth and a quality follow up to WE. Year of the Snake and I Love Her Shadow are especially tasty, with a few others worthy of making their live sets

Sleep Token 6

Formulaic rock, without any real stand out tracks. They do get half a bonus point for avoiding the screaming that felt to be around the corner on most tracks

Billy Woods 4

Landfill tune-lite hip hop that soons bores.

TOTW: Arcade Fire: I Love Her Shadow.

Klaxons 8

Was defo an album of that moment, when electro and rock spawned a few interesting acts, and they were great live as well

Matt

The Amazons - 8.8

Arcade Fire- 8

Sleep Token - 5.5

Billy Woods - 6.7

Totw - The Amazons, Love is a Dog from Hell.