Like movies? Like free stuff? Like feeling sad about death? If you answered yes to any of those, then this competition is for you.

Michael Haneke’s Amour is released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 18. To celebrate (and we really mean celebrate, the film’s a knockout) we have a copy of the film to give away on Blu-ray courtesy of the folks at Artificial Eye, so you can watch old people being old in glorious high definition.

YAY!

All you need to do to win is like our Facebook page and publicly share this screenshot, or follow us on twitter and RT this tweet.

Easy right? You’ve got until March 4th to win!

To celebrate our new website and our new sections we are giving away some lovely Gears of War goodies.

Included:
Copy of Gears of War 3 on Xbox 360
Limited edition Gears of War 3 book
The Art and Design of Gears of War book
Gears of War 3 Pyjamas
Gears of War 3 collectable miniature figure x2

One runner up will also receive The Art and Design of Gears of War book and one collectable miniature figure.

To win all you need to do is like our Facebook page and publicly share this photo or follow us on twitter and RT this photo.

http://www.plusspecialguests.co.uk

To celebrate our new website we are giving away some lovely Bastille goodies.

Included:
Bastille Singles Club 7′ vinyls – Flaws, Overjoyed & Bad Blood
Triangle Pin Badge x 2
Flaws Skeleton Mask x 2

To win all you need to do is like our Facebook page and publicly share this photo or follow us on twitter and RT this photo.

http://www.plusspecialguests.co.uk

The xx - Coexist

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

The highly anticipated sophomore effort from Londoners The xx has been hit with wave after wave of critical fanfare - albeit not to the same extent as their debut. On hearing the record, however, we’re not quite as convinced as everyone else. In fact, we’re pretty disappointed.

There are two major issues with Coexist, both of which which mark something of a devolution for The xx. Firstly, they seem to have abandoned the throwaway romantic sentiments of their eponymous debut in favour of broad, sweeping lyrics. The second thing is the production. Gone is the less is more approach that made them so good in the first place and in come bigger (although not drastically so), more percussive soundscapes. 

This isn’t to say it’s a bad record, it’s just not nearly as good or interesting as it should’ve been. It feels like a step in the wrong direction. Album opener Angels is definitely the highlight, hinting at the Mercury Prize winning band of old, but it acts merely as a bridge between what has been and what is now, and this just shouldn’t be the case.

In short, Coexist is less personal, less emotional, and less interesting than their debut, and, sadly, it seems The xx have fallen prey to second album syndrome. 

Maybe the bar was set too high, but it’s definitely been lowered for next time.

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The Milk - Tales From The Thames Delta

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

It may be hard to believe that Tales From The Thames Delta is actually the debut album from The Milk. The album can mistake you into thinking it came from a band who have been releasing music for years.

Opening track ‘Broke Up The Family’ has hints of The Black Keys about it, then follows a swift genre change with ‘Hometown’ where pop and soul come crashing together brilliantly topped off with Rick Nunn’s bringing it all together with the same vibe travelling into ‘(All I Wanted Was) Danger’.

The Milk show how versatile a band they are with Tales From The Thames Delta and it is again highlighted with ‘Nothing But Matter’ with it bringing reggae melodies into the album and ‘B-Roads’ allowing R&B and soul influences shine through.

‘Chip The Kids’ has a magical 80’s feel to it.  It is a very upbeat track full of energy that is one of the few consistent features of the album.  Closing track ‘Lay The Pain On Me’ brings the music back to basics. A simple piano track with soft soulful vocals accompanying it.

Tales From The Thames Delta is an extremely mixed up album that cannot be defined by a simple genre and that’s what makes it so good.  It crosses soul, rock and even features a series of hip hop beats and scratches provided by Brad Baloo. The album is a very enjoyable listen and the future is certainly bright for the Essex band.

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Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Following in the wake of bands like The Pigeon Detectives and The Killers, London five-piece Spector are making quite a stir on the indie music scene – mostly through frontman Fred Macpherson, one of the most opinionated figures in British music. Now, with the release of their debut record, Spector are set to make quite a splash - they certainly talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?

Yes, for the most part. Enjoy It While It Lasts is a nostalgic throwback to the mid to late 2000’s, when guitar pop was starting to develop a mainstream following, and bands like The Libertines ruled the roost. But as a record in 2012, it seems wildly out of place –indie music has all but died out in a mainstream, pop-centric sense.

Singles Chevy Thunder and Celestine are stadium sized indie-pop tracks, while Twenty Nothing hints at the pains of growing up and growing apart. Yet it’s album closer Grey Shirt and Tie that’s the highlight, a sombre and painfully romantic end to a record steeped in romantic notions of the mid-2000’s. All things considered, Enjoy It While It Lasts is a very good record, but it’s one so rooted in the past that it feels as if it’s arrived in the wrong decade. 

Still, as throwbacks go it’s pretty great, and I for one can’t wait for Spector’s inevitable nu-rave follow up.

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Passion Pit - Gossamer

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Following an album as good as Passion Pit’s debut, Manners, was always going to be a tough ask. Manners was, and still is, one of the most accomplished debut records in recent years, and somehow managed to live up to the extraordinary hype surrounding the electropop five piece. 

So it comes as something of a surprise that their follow up, Gossamer, falls some way short of the precedent the band set in 2009. 

Gossamer starts well enough, with Take A Walk picking up where the jaunty synths of Manners left off, before changing tact totally with I’ll Be Alright, a track that wouldn’t be out of place on a Rustie album with it’s cacophonous barrage of multi-layered electronic sounds.

But then it all gets a bit, well, bland. Tracks like On My Way and Carried Away never really catch fire, while Constant Conversation and final track Where We Belong are just flat out dull. 

Album highlight Cry Like A Ghost offers some resistance to this downward spiral of quality, but it’s not enough to make the record anything other than patchy. There are moments that suggest there’s a lot more to come from the band, but it’s evident that Passion Pit aren’t at the top of their game, and although the personal lives of musicians shouldn’t really come into reviews, I think, in this case, the influence of frontman Michael Angelakos’ illness is valid.

That being said, there are moments in Gossamer that suggest there’s a lot more to come in the future. Let’s just hope that they can bring their A game for album number three.

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The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

The Gaslight Anthem are part of a very exclusive group of bands who are actually still making classic American rock ’n’ roll. Their music is simple rock and ‘Handwritten’, their fourth album, is a testament to this.

While the album makes no major leaps or contains great differences from previous releases, The Gaslight Anthem have created an album showing they can adapt classic rock to a modern style. The opening track ’45’ is a potential anthem for the band that can easily join the likes of ‘The 59’ Sound’ in fan favourites. ‘Howl’ is also a contender, showing that the New Jersey boys still know how to make fast paced, catchy rock.

Title track ‘Handwritten’ shows how the band has changed, introducing a more blues inspiration into the album.  ‘Keepsake’, ‘Biloxi Parish’ and ‘Too Much Blood’ all provide a much more Southern sound than we are used to with The Gaslight Anthem, almost reminiscent of Kings Of Leon. Recording in Nashville, Tennessee rather than their east coast roots may have been a contributing factor. 

Final track of the album ‘National Anthem’ is a classic heartfelt acoustic track. It highlights the album and lyrical strength. We can also forgive the band that the guitar tune is just a softer version of ‘Here’s Looking At You, Kid’ from previous album ‘The ’59 Sound’.

While trying not to go down the cliché route of saying that this is a more mature Gaslight Anthem while not forgetting their roots, it shows signs that the band have grown up a lot and the lyrics are a lot more personal. Already having three impressive albums in their catalogue, it would have been a hard task to continue to impress but ‘Handwritten’ is a perfected Gaslight Anthem who have seeked inspiration from all the right places.

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Act Of The Week: Chester French

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

Chester French are an indie-pop duo from Massachusetts, USA who have impressed many during their career but none other than Pharrell Williams who signed them up to his label.

Their latest album ‘Music 4 Tngrs’ boasts collaborations with some of musics hottest acts such as Pharrell, Travis Barker and Pusha T and Chester French has had previous collaborations with Janelle Monae and Diddy.

Keep an eye on Plus Special Guests and our Twitter for this week for all our updates on Chester French

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