Kritikon

Years ago, after mourning the loss of 'country' Taylor Swift, I, - Tilly - went searching for a replacement. Back in those days there were no Kelsea Ballerini's or Lauren Alaina's, and I resorted to YouTube to find someone who made me feel the same way as she made me feel at that young age. That was when I stumbled upon Amy Peters' YouTube videos and instantly found what I was looking for. Fast forward a few years, and a notification came through today telling me that she's just released another EP. A new EP, released around the same time we re-started The Kritikon Company. That can't just be a coincidence I thought..and here we are! Let's get to it shall we? As per usual, don't forget to check out our ratings system! 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Guilty John - 3.5 Tilly - 3.5 Track 02 - Used Cars John - 2.5 T

And here is the long awaited unusual review we've been teasing you about all day! I can already tell you, although I'm sure you'll have already guessed by the album cover, this is not an album for the faint hearted. Contact is a grotesque take on the transcendence of our physical bodies. Known for her unique live performances, Margaret Chardiet is the woman behind Pharmakon, and this album marks the ten year anniversary of the project. The cover has already made us incredibly uncomfortable, and that's before we've even begun to listen to the 'death industrial' music held within. But sometimes the most incredible things are those that evoke a powerful emotion, so we're definitely going into this with an open mind! Let's get right down to it! Our wonderfully superb ratings system awaits you below! 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Nake

The Knocks are a US based electronic duo hailing from New York. They're known for their production work with artists such as Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Ellie Goulding, so you could say they've done well for themselves so far! Testify is the follow up to their debut album, 55, and features collaborations with the likes of MNEK and Sam Nelson Harris of X Ambassadors. But, the question is, how will it fare with us? Please, read on... Below is our exceedingly good ratings system: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Worship [Feat. MNEK] John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 02 - Heat [Feat. Sam Nelson Harris] John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2/5 Track 03 - Trouble [Feat. Absofacto] (Extended Mix) John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 04 - Feel Love [Feat. Delacey] John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2.5/5 Track 05 - Your Eyes [Feat. Tayla Parx] John - 2

Deaf Havana will be a familiar name to any UK based fans of rock music. Championed by Kerrang! and Rocksound in their earlier days, they rapidly gained a large following down to their catchy blend of deep, well-written lyrics and anthemic, singalong choruses. In recent years their music has changed a lot - matured, as they would probably tell you. Nowadays they are closer to indie rock than their earlier post-hardcore sound, but still with the same rich lyrical content and ability to pen a song that will stick in your head all day. All These Countless Nights is the fourth release by the band - the question is, have they still got it? Let's find out. Our as popular as ever ratings system can be found below: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Ashes, Ashes John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 02 - Trigger John - 3/5 Tilly - 2.5/5 Track 03 - L.O.V.E

Surprisingly, Bebe Rexha has still not released an album. Instead she has decided to release a two part EP. All Your Fault: Pt. 1 was released back in February - which is the one we will be reviewing, and Pt. 2 is scheduled to be released later this year. From playing in a band with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, to co-writing songs for some of the world's biggest stars, it's safe to say we're expecting at the very least, a decent pop EP. Hopefully our expectations are delivered.  And....once again. Here is a rundown of how our ratings work.  1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Atmosphere John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 02 - I Got You John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 03 - Small Doses John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2/5 Track 04 - F.F.F [Feat. G-Eazy] John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2/5 Track 05 - Gateway Drug John - 1.5/5 Tilly -

American Idol 2011 runner up Lauren Alaina is back with her second studio album Road Less Traveled. With a single co-penned by popstar Meghan Trainor, I think it's safe to say that we can start expecting bigger things from this country star. But will this album be enough to put her up there with recent success' Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini? Let's find out!  As always, here is our wonderful ratings system!  1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Doin' Fine John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 02 - My Kinda People John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2.5/5 Track 03 - Three John - 3/5 Tilly - 2.5/5 Track 04 - Road Less Traveled John - 4/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 05 - Queen of Hearts John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 06 - Think Outside the Boy John - 1.5/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 07 - Painting Pillows John - 3/5

Papa Roach are back with their ninth studio album, Crooked Teeth! Some very interesting collaborations on this record - Skylar Grey and Machine Gun Kelly would not be the names that come to mind when you think of a rock album! We know that Linkin Park changed their sound drastically with One More Light ( Click here to read the review ) - could Papa Roach be doing the same? Let's find out. If you're not familiar yet - here is a rundown of how we rate stuff: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Break The Fall John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 02 - Crooked Teeth John -2.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 03 - My Medication John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 04 - Born For Greatness John - 4/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 05 - American Dreams John - 4/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 06 - Periscope [Feat. Skylar Grey] John - 3/5 Tilly -

And onto our next review! Another EP for you now, also a debut! This time it's the turn of Christian husband and wife duo, Grayson/Reed. They started recording music together in 2016 and hail from Nashville, USA. We're not religious people ourselves, but music is universal, no matter what your beliefs. With that, let's proceed, and see what they have in store for us. Here's a quick recap of how we structure our ratings: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Walk John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 02 - Bloom John - 3/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 03 - Fight For You John - 5/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 04 - Can't Get Enough John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 05 - Be Revealed John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 06 - How This Ends John - 4/5 Tilly - 4/5 Conclusion John - I was not expecting this!

Breaking new ground now, with our first EP review. Valeras - previously known as Area 52 - are a new and upcoming band hailing from Reading, UK. Having followed them under their previous name, we are excited to review their newest work and see what they've been up to in the studio. We are using our usual highly sophisticated ratings system: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Knives & Flowers John - 4/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 02 - The Mask John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 03 - Ashes John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 04 - Colour Me John - 4/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Conclusion John - I think this is an exciting taste of what is to come from Valeras - especially when you bear in mind that they've just undergone a complete transition into what is essentially a new band. The debut EP is solid - nothing remarkable but a

For our first review today, we thought we'd start with arguably the biggest release of the year so far... Yes, it's Sheeran. We've both had a love/hate relationship with the guy over the years, mainly due to him being overplayed to death by the British media. But at the same time, it's hard to deny that he is one of the most successful and pioneering singer songwriters of the last 5 years. With Divide, we can only expect that to continue.. So, enough of the chit chat. Let's dive in. Here's our ratings system: 1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Eraser John - 3/5 Tilly - 2.5/5 Track 02 - Castle on the Hill John - 4/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 03 - Dive John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 2/5 Track 04 - Shape of You John - 4/5 Tilly - 3.5/5 Track 05 - Perfect John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 06 - Galway Girl Joh

After staying somewhat off the radar since her 2014 self-titled album, Shakira is back with a bang, and it's in the shape of a new latin pop album titled El Dorado. The album title translates to The Golden One, and I think we can safely say that Shakira is deserving of that title given how popular she has remained over the years. She's in her early forties, she's had two children and she still looks, writes and sounds as good as ever. So let's see what the Colombian songstress has to offer with her new release.  Take a look at the guidelines for our ratings if you're not familiar with them yet!  1 - Shouldn't have been recorded 2 - Filler 3 - Above average filler 4 - Killer 5 - Career defining masterpiece Track 01 - Me Enamoré John - 3.5/5 Tilly - 4/5 Track 02 - Nada John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 03 - Chantaje [Feat. Maluma] John - 3/5 Tilly - 3/5 Track 04 - When a Woman John - 2.5/5 Tilly - 3.