Japanese Voyeurs have a new album and plenty of tour dates in the pipeline, which means someone must think they’re doing all right. I remain to be impressed.

Much-lauded grunge revivalists Dinosaur Pile-Up roll into Manchester, proving themselves to be capably raucous and angsty, but regrettably samey.

Newport prog-grungers Blue Gillespie aren’t the jazz outfit that their name implies; low-slung nihilist alt-metal is the sound of Synaesthesia. Get yer bleak on.

Take a look over the lip of the void: Black Mountain return with Wilderness Heart, a lushly gloomy collection of stoned-out psyche-rock, drug-blues and protometal.

Lone Hannoverian Sven Missullis is also known as Reebosound, and he’s got all the gloriously dumb nineties alt-rock-pop fun you need in your life, right here.

Thirteen acts from the UK rock underground return to the material of Kilnenny’s finest sons on pretty decent covers collection Pledge: A Tribute To Kerbdog.

A second single from young grunge-revivalists Japanese Voyeurs fails to impress with its uninspired retreading of ground conquered two decades beforehand.

London alt-rock revivalists Grand Central sound a lot like the Smashing Pumpkins; if they were to somehow acquire their own sound, they could be dangerous.

What if Curve had been based in Seattle and listened to A Perfect Circle albums through a wormhole in spacetime? Luder‘s Sonoluminescence, that’s what.

Blending a hint of country and a pinch of psychedelia with spacious grungy alt-rock, Confederate Dead‘s Wrecking Ball is both gloomy and glorious at once.