2014 In Review: Rajan Lakhani's Top Five Albums Of The Year (So Far)

Words: Rajan Lakhani

Neneh Cherry – 'Blank Project'

Neneh Cherry’s first solo album in 18 years doesn’t disappoint. She has delivered not only one of the best but also one of the most innovative albums of 2014 so far. There is so much going on with the musical arrangements and even where perhaps they don’t quite work, they’re constantly interesting, providing an engrossing backdrop to her meditations on life and motherhood.

Month In Reviews: December 2013

Goodbye 2013, and a warm hello to you, 2014. Understandably, December was a fairly quiet month for new releases but we still had a few bits and bobs to cover. Thanks to all the FG team for their hard work and check out our final reviews of the year below.

Month In Reviews: November 2013

Ooh lordy, we caught a fair few films in November. And you can read those reviews below, along with some music reviews, and respective columns from our resident TV and DVD experts. Some choice highlights included 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour' at the cinema, A Carefully Planned Festival in Manchester, 'Trap For Cinderella' on DVD, and 'Gogglebox' on the telly.

Month In Reviews: October 2013

Somehow, it's November already. It's basically Christmas. But it's also just been Halloween. Which incidentally was seemingly won by Patrick Stewart for his whimsical "lobster in bath" costume, as posted to his Twitter page. Elsewhere, we've been busy at the BFI London Film Festival but have also packed in plenty of music, DVD, and TV reviews as well. Check them out below.

Month In Reviews: September 2013

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A whole host of music, film and television reviews this week - particular highlights including Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, 'Metro Manila', 'Blue Jasmine', and 'Scandal'. Without further ado, scroll down to check out those reviews and some not so glowing ones for the likes of 'R.I.P.D'.

Month In Reviews: August 2013

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August seemed enveloped by a rumbling crisis in Syria and Miley Cyrus dancing. But there was good stuff elsewhere from the quirky US indie comedy of 'The Kings Of Summer' to the beautifully orchestral new Zola Jesus album, August has treated us well. And will continue to do so. Check out the month's reviews below.

Month In Reviews: July 2013

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One of our 99 problems this month has been the UK heatwave. Thankfully, we've spent a fair time in dark rooms, not talking to anyone, and watching some top films and telly including 'The Returned', 'The World's End' and 'Robot & Frank'. Music-wise, we've even managed to get out and see some bands live, such as Clutch. Check out our reviews below.

Month In Reviews: June 2013

Six months down already for 2013. My how time flies. June saw the return of Superman on the big screen in Zack Snyder's 'Man Of Steel', while Queens Of The Stone Age found themselves in the upper echelons of the UK albums chart with their comeback album. Most remarkably of all, we saw Channel 4's special 'Bodyshock: The Man With The Ten Stone Testicles'. And were impressed. Check out our reviews below.

Month In Reviews: May 2013

Plenty of reviews to look through from May. Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood combined to impress Simon Opie with their new record, while Jordan Andrew and Maxamillian John ploughed through TV and DVD reviews respectively. At the cinema, the much anticipated 'Star Trek Into Darkness' appeared, read that review and more via the links below.

Month In Reviews: April 2013

Lots of TV reviews this month, thanks to the arrival of Jordan FG, as well as our usual smattering of film and music offerings. Find out our thoughts on Tony Stark's return in 'Iron Man 3', as well as our assessment on long awaited albums from the likes of Charli XCX and James Blake below.

Month In Reviews: March 2013

Hopefully you've been enjoying the extended Easter weekend, and haven't fallen victim to some kind of "hilarious" April Fools Day prank. In case you're concerned about what lies beneath, we can happily assure you no shenanigans will take place. Instead, have a read through our reviews from March, including assessments on the return of Suede and The Strokes, the terrific 'Robot & Frank', and even the new David Bowie exhibition.

Month In Reviews: February 2013

We've marched into March and the Hollywood awards season is over for another year - we have reviews of some of the Oscar nominees including Chilean political drama 'No' and Tarantino's latest 'Django Unchained'. The music world also had its own awards in February, with the Grammys and the Brits, neither of which particularly interested us. Instead, read on to find links to things that did interest us in February 2013.

Month In Reviews: January 2013

Even though January's now over, we're still reflecting on 2012. It was a good year. January's got off to a decent start though with unexpected returns for David Bowie and The Strokes and fine albums from the likes of Cult Of Luna. Film awards season is also in full flow, with heavy hitting Oscar contenders like Les Miserables still out in UK cinemas.

Month In Review: December 2012

Photo: Benoit Jammes

We generally spend the first week of January reflecting on the previous year, and here we are looking at December. Typically a quiet month for releases, we managed precisely zero album reviews during December 2012 but still covered a good few films, with particular highlights being 'Safety Not Guaranteed' and 'Pitch Perfect'. Links to those reviews and more below.

Month In Reviews: November 2012

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November saw Alt-J deservedly win the 2012 edition of the Mercury Music Prize. Seeing as they quoted Jack's review of 'An Awesome Wave' in their online album promo campaign, we're all the more glad. Elsewhere, Susan Boyle's marketing team did an excellent job in drumming up interest in her new material via the mischievous Twitter hashtag #susanalbumparty. Check out our reviews from November below.

Month In Reviews: October 2012

We've had an incredibly busy month at the 56th BFI London Film Festival but Team FG has come into its own lately, and we have a smorgasbord of music and TV reviews to complement our film reviews. Album of the month goes to This Many Boyfriends, and film of the month to 'Frankenweenie'. For those reviews and more, keep reading.

Month In Reviews: September 2012

Godspeed You! Black Emperor once proclaimed via an album title that you should 'Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven'. Someone obviously wasn't sure about that, instead opting to insert a cat into the artwork. We're similarly unsure about how to transition into chat about this month's reviews, so just go ahead and peruse our music, film and TV offerings from the past month below. Godspeed You! Cat Emperor.

Month In Reviews: August 2012

A bit of a bumper month for film reviews, keep reading for a handy list of those reviews (including the likes of 'The Imposter', 'Undefeated' and 'Brave') as well as DVD and album reviews.

Month In Reviews: July 2012

A slew of film reviews this month, including some appropriately super superhero outings by messrs Batman and Spiderman, as well as some fine returns in the music world from Liars and Twin Shadow album-wise. For those reviews and more, keep reading below.

Month In Reviews: June 2012

All our June reviews from the film, music and TV world lie beneath - including appraisals of the relatively middling latest efforts from Wes Anderson and Ridley Scott, as well as a whole host of live reviews and a rather pleasant pat on the back for one Irish band's debut album. Yipee ki-ya, mothertruckers.