Album Reviews

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong (Play It Again Sam B004NBY21U) £11.99:The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s self-titled debut was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009, and although their second release Belong has a slightly more mature sound, it is not a huge departure from the New York-based band. Produced by 1990s legends Flood and Alan Moulder, Belong sounds very much like it was made in that decade, with hints of New Order, The Cure, The Jesus And Mary Chain and The Smashing Pumpkins’ poppiest moments. Belong is laden with great hooks and melodies, however, it falls just short of its predecessor. AC

The Crookes – Chasing After Ghosts (Fierce Panda B004L538M2) £11.99: The Arctic Monkeys have just announced the upcoming release of their fourth album and Sheffield now has another band to be proud of if Chasing After Ghosts is a sign of things to come from The Crookes. The band combines a clean guitar sound with sweeping vocals. Lyrically strong, opener Godless Girl sets the tone, while debut single By The Seine paints a picture of an artist struggling in Paris. This may not gather the attention of the upcoming Arctic Monkeys album but for fans of pop music with substance it is a must-buy. TR

Shostakovich – Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (Naxos 8.572396): The wide dynamic range will have your speakers dancing around as Vasily Petrenko conducts a highly energized performance of Shostakovich’s youthful First symphony. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic must have been on the edge of their seats in a whirlwind second movement, and throughout they show their virtuoso pedigree. Coupled with the rarely heard Third, subtitled The First of May, the sheer fervour of the Liverpool chorus in the final moments outguns all the recordings from Russia. The sound engineering is superb. DD

Britten: Choral and Organ Music (Regent REGCD 349): Fashioned by Robert Sharp, recently appointed Director of Music at York Minster, Truro Cathedral has one of the UK’s finest church choirs, their recording of Britten’s major sacred choral works, conducted by Christopher Gray, making a highly impressive release. With eighteen trebles to create the tingle-factor in the Missa Brevis, Hymn to the Virgin and Rejoice in the Lamb, the many solos in the twenty-three tracks are outstanding, the very positive organ contribution coming from Luke Bond. DD