Review: Album omnibus

Three weeks ago I bought four albums at an excellently-priced CD store (and borrowed Klaxons off Rupert). Having listened to them pretty solidly over the last few weeks, I thought I might as well review them all at the same time.

Let's start at the top. Klaxons are amazing. I only wish Rupert had played me more than the intro to Atlantis to Interzone, then I would've discovered them months before they hit the mainstream. Most of you will have heard the album by now, and if you haven't - why not? Klaxons have a sound that somehow incorporates pop, indie rock and "new rave", which appeals to just about everyone. My only complaint is the secret track is just plain noise, but hey, it's secret for a reason.

Kaiser Chiefs' first album was pretty patchy. Sure, the singles were good, but there was nothing else to write home about. This follow-up, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, is far superior: the songs no longer sound as though they were composed in a pub, but still retain the catchiness and energy of the original. A particular standout is "Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)", although the humorous nature of all of Kaiser Chiefs' lyrics slightly spoils the tone. If you liked the first album, or any of the songs off it, you'll like this one.

Amnesiac is weird, even for Radiohead. Although perhaps not quite as weird as Kid A (I've yet to listen to it) it makes Klaxons sound like Spice Girls. Its strange mix of computer-generated sounds, distorted vocals and genre-fusing jazz and electronic tracks. And I love it. It certainly wouldn't appeal to the masses - my brother walked in on "Like Spinning Plates" and accused the song of not actually being music - but if you're looking for something new and interesting I'd highly recommend it.

I only heard of the Vines a couple of months ago, although Highly Evolved was released nearly five years ago. I have no idea how I missed it, but thankfully the album hasn't aged one bit, consisting of simple and catchy garage rock. Some tracks (such as "Factory") can be a little too simple, but they all give the feeling that the band just love to play guitar and shout into microphones, even if it doesn't end up making much sense. Overall, the raw energy of the album proves that Australia can produce better than Kylie Minogue.

Finally, we come to Nirvana by Nirvana. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest Nirvana fan in the world - I mean, sure, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Heart-shaped Box" are great songs, but I still don't quite understand the hype. This best-of just confirmed my impression of them: fantastically-written songs, powerful yet simple riffs which are perfect for beginners and a thoroughly depressing and repetitive tone. I can understand why people like Nirvana, but they're just not for me.