On the record: Primal Scream's anniversary

By Polly Week.

Primal Scream - Screamadelica 20 (2CD Deluxe Edition: Remastered).

Scottish group Primal Scream's album Screamadelica has been subtly remastered and re-released 20 years after it first hit the charts. This special anniversary edition of the seminal, soulful, psychedelic and Mercury Prize-winning album includes a separate four-track bonus CD of the Dixie Narco EP (initially released in 1992). It makes for a perfect accompaniment acting as a natural extension to the album. The EP ends with Screamadelica, which strangely doesn't feature on the album of the same name. This dual release follows a recent run of hugely nostalgic gigs which saw them perform the Screamadelica album in its entirety in the UK, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. Tired, overplayed copies can now be replaced with this fresh version of the classic.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Tori Mayo) Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon After a three-year hiatus and a change of line-up, Welsh rockers Funeral For A Friend return with their fifth studio album. Lead single Front Row Seats To The End Of The World sees the band in familiar territory which should please staunch supporters while the album's obligatory power ballad, Owls, falls flat. There is nothing here to match career highlight She Drove Me To Daytime Television and the band's riffs are beginning to sound dated. A solid effort which previous fans will enjoy but there is nothing for the uninitiated.

Rating: 5/10 (Review by Tom Rostance) Does It Offend You Yeah - Don't Say We Didn't Warn You The Reading group have seemingly lost a question mark at the end of their name since their 2008 debut You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Yourself Into, but everything else is pretty much the same on their second release. The electro dance rockers can sound like Muse on one track and then follow that with a hint of the Prodigy on the next. More accessible tracks such as Pull Out My Insides and closer Broken Arms are definite highlights on an album that can prove a difficult listen in places, with Yeah and Wrestler two of the main culprits. An acquired taste.

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Andrew Carless) Various Artists - Ministry Of Sound: Underground Miami This three-disc set comprises the music from the Winter Music Conference, a week-long dance festival held around South Beach and downtown Miami. It attracts DJs, label reps, promoters and party-loving dance devotees alike from all over the US and beyond. House, techno and dubstep get a disc each and contributions from the cream of each genre, names such as Benga, Laurent Garnier, and Eric Prydz, are here. It's a breathless, relentless collection. However, there isn't much on the commercial side, so if you lean towards instantly recognisable chart-based dance, this collection might not be for you.

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Lisa Allen) FourNurses - Guiding You After the priests, nuns and soldiers it's the turn of the NHS's finest to serenade us. Guiding You features a decent enough collection of pop weepers from the last 30 years or so. Stand-out tracks include covers of I'll Stand By You, The Wind Beneath My Wings and Nothing Compares 2 U, all of which acquit themselves admirably in comparison with the originals. At 15 tracks it's good value for money, and 25p from each sale is being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. You can't say fairer than that.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by James Robinson) Robin James - Paper Earth A Romany gypsy background and fascination with Gregorian chanting means Robin James was never going to slot into the mainstream Indie trend. Originally from London, James spent three days recording his second album without any form of computer technology. It's this lack of post-production manipulation that makes the album unparalleled. Completely exposed, the guitarist's half-whispered voice belongs in a mysterious place of worship. James's sense of vulnerability is reflected by continuing themes of religious imagery and allusions to death, further enhanced by the album's unaltered finish. Only the soothing acoustic background can begin to defrost a slightly chilled soul. Paper Earth is not uplifting. Intriguing, it certainly is.

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Georgina Cotton) Ilse Delange - Ilse Delange singer-songwriter Ilse Delange, a country music sensation in her native Netherlands, is releasing a special edition album here in the UK. Next To Me screams Shania Twain in terms of flawless country pop and So Incredible, Delange's greatest success on this album, is layered with upbeat strings and piano instrumentals. Both have a clear Nashville influence. It's unlikely her lyrics will win prizes for originality, but in terms of producing an instantly contagious album, Delange has created a clear success. If you have a penchant for easy listening love songs and a LeAnn Rimes-shaped void then this is the album for you.

Rating: 7/10 (Review Lima Curtis) The Tunics - Dabbler's Handbook An engaging indie debut from the swaggering Croydon four-piece. Album opener Berlin sets the tone, clearly drawing inspiration from frontman Joe Costello's hero and erstwhile Libertine Pete Doherty. While lacking the visceral punch of that man's earlier work - Up The Bracket, for example - Dabbler's Handbook is a finely honed indie affair anchored by some great melodies and Costello's oddly familiar vocals. Inevitable comparisons to Arctic Monkeys and Cast might limit the band's appeal, and the group has failed to embrace the potential of a truly distinctive sound of their own, but fans of the genre will find much to enjoy here.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by James Fry) New York Dolls - Dancing Backwards In High Heels Incredibly, the New York Dolls are still rocking, after a fashion, exactly 40 years after their inception. Just two founder members remain now, vocalist David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, and since the death of Johnny Thunders back in 1991, some of the punch has been taken out of their sound. The band reformed in 2004 and were augmented last year by former Blondie guitarist Frank Infante. Backed by drummer Brian Delaney and bassist Jason Hill, the Dolls are at their imperious best on I'm So Fabulous, Fool For You Baby and Kids Like You. The closing quartet of reggae-influenced songs are, however, an unmitigated disaster.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Kim Mayo) J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why Lead singer of American rock band Dinosaur Jr, J Mascis goes solo for this release and the outcome is pretty damn good. Mascis opts for a stripped back, mainly acoustic backing which suits his low-key songs perfectly. Opener Listen To Me is a belter with the title track and the heartfelt Make It Right not far behind in terms of quality. While fans of Dinosaur Jr will be hoping J Mascis quickly returns to his band duties, they will have to admit that his solo material is, simply, a quiet triumph.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Kim Mayo) Singles by Polly Weeks :: Parade - Louder They've already toured with Shakira and now UK girl group Parade release their debut single. Louder is like The Saturdays performing an R'n'B version of Pixie Lott's Turn It Up. Not bad but they'll need a stronger single if they're to be crowned queen of the girl groups.

:: George Michael - True Faith The ex-Wham singer does his bit for charity with this cover of the New Order Song. It's a stripped down, melancholic cover which is soaked in autotune. It should definitely raise more than a few quid for Comic Relief but perhaps it would have been better without the computerised vocals.

:: The Wanted - Gold Forever The latest boy band on the scene are in charge of releasing this year's official Comic Relief song. It's an up-tempo number which will no doubt hit the top of the charts with the support of their teenage fan base.

Live Reviews :: Robyn, the Roundhouse, Camden, March 3, 2011 Despite her understated fame, it felt like everyone in NW1 had come to see Robyn. When her tiny frame bounced on to stage, the bass of vibrant opener Time Machine thumped from head to toe and shoulder-to-shoulder a stream of bodies shed their 9 to 5 skins. Unfortunately for them, the peroxide-haired, Swedish pop star had a throat infection, yet a few songs in the Hang With Me singer managed to shake off the effects of her illness to deliver a pitch perfect version of Dancing On My Own. This seemed to provide a turning point as the songstress immersed herself in the music. Flaying arms and jolting moves suggested possession by the spirit of the beat, but it made the music that more infectious. Encoring with chart-topping With Every Heartbeat, devotee or newbie, everyone left a euphoric fan.

(Review by Rahsian Parris) :: Rob Zombie, O2 Academy, Birmingham, February 22, 2011 Some eager fans queued outside Birmingham's 02 Academy for the best part of 10 hours to secure a place at the front of the Rob Zombie show. Mr Zombie hadn't graced British soil for the best part of 13 years so when six shows were announced back in October, within a matter of hours, every night had sold out - high expectations on the ex-White Zombie frontman and horror film supremo then. Rob and his band (featuring members of Slipknot) played 90 minutes of intense horror punk which was loud, brash, in your face and never boring. Each song brought its own stage change and it would be remarkable if the ticket sales of the 2,000-plus people present actually covered the cost of the show. For anyone that couldn't get a ticket for this tour, fear not. Rob Zombie will be returning to the UK for the Download festival in June and for those who are lucky enough to witness his stage show, you're in for a treat.

(Review by Redg James) Tour dates :: US R'n'B heartthrob Trey Songz will be heading to UK shores in April for five shows. He'll be performing at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on both April 5 and April 26, the Liverpool Guild of Students on April 23, Manchester's O2 Apollo on April 24 and the Birmingham Academy on April 25. For more information visit www.aeglive.co.uk :: In addition to hitting the festival circuit this summer, We Are Scientists will be heading on a short UK tour in June. The indie rockers will be performing in Middlesbrough, Leamington Spa, London and Brighton. Visit www.wearescientists.com for more information.