Mike Diver
Mike Diver writes about music between feeding his cats and seeing his football team of choice capitulate in the final throes of any given game. He is the former editor of DrownedinSound.com, was editor of Clash magazine’s website, and has contributed to titles including NME, Rock Sound, Plan B and The Fly. He is now Senior Editor at Waypoint, formerly Vice Gaming.
90 articles
List of articles in the library
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 9 November 2004
FOR MY CRIMES I SHOULD BE PUNISHED, but consider this my frank apology: in a popular music monthly I have done this record a great ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 21 January 2005
FASHION BY ITS VERY NATURE does not sparkle indefinitely — what's hot today will someday flicker and fade to nothingness, at least until revivalists bring ...
Death from Above 1979: You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 8 February 2005
I DON'T THINK THAT I'm a demanding man. Throughout my years, I've never wanted in excess; I've never stamped my foot at a parent once ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 1 April 2005
Really, what does constitute a classic record? Recent board discussions have got me thinking about the factors involved in the transformation from "good" or "great" ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 1 May 2006
OVER FIFTY YEARS of rock and roll; half a decadent century of breathless excess and worry-about-it-in-the-morning repercussions; a lifetime's worth of ups and downs, but ...
Grandaddy, from beyond the grave: Jason Lytle talks
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 28 June 2006
PERHAPS WE should have seen it coming: the official "it's over" announcement was a way off yet, but Grandaddy's penultimate release (excluding singles), Excerpts From ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 24 August 2006
INTRIGUING ON PAPER though Tennessee-spawned quintet Paramore are – female-fronted emo-rockers stealing diaries back from their plagiarising older brothers — 'Emergency' is a fairly weak ...
Mercury Rev: Still breathing creative life into essential albums
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 30 September 2006
TWO-THIRDS of Mercury Rev sit in a room, alone expect for their current interviewer, one of many who'll sit before them this afternoon, a pad ...
Sparklehorse: Dreaming of Fiery, Misty Mountains: Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 11 October 2006
WALK AROUND the stage of London's Bush Hall, through the dressing room, and there you'll find a small outside area, just big enough for a ...
Lady Sovereign: Public Warning
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 7 February 2007
"I SEE YOUR FIRST PRIORITIES are discussing me in Maccy D's at about half-three." ...
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 23 February 2007
IDLEWILD ARE one of those bands so far as the core DiS staff goes: we were there, fresh of face and wet behind the ears, when the ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 8 March 2007
FORGET your wake adages: this isn't the post-Funeral party, the celebratory exhalation of relief following the enduring of an impossible to pinpoint pain. ...
Enter Shikari: Take to the Skies
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 2 April 2007
IT BEGINS with a shrill "SHIT!" and a choir of screams, but the thrill doesn't last: like riding even the most knuckle-whitening of rollercoasters, Enter ...
The Kissaway Trail: The Kissaway Trail
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 26 April 2007
ALTHOUGH DANISH five-piece the Kissaway Trail have proven themselves to be a massively accomplished live act — recent turns at various venues across London have ...
Bring Me The Horizon Frontman: Charges Dropped
Report by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 4 September 2007
FOLLOWING THIS story back in April, where we reported on the alleged actions of Bring Me The Horizon singer Oli Sykes — he was said ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 31 January 2008
STRAIGHT UP, that last single, the one about the pavements: belter. Bullshit, but belter. ...
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 15 February 2008
YOU HAVE TO rewind the best part of a year to find the root of the expansive bubble of anticipation that's bloated about the five ...
Guide by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 24 April 2008
BACK IN FEBRUARY, one DiS messageboarder was moved to say to the masses: "I challenge you to prove to me that math-rock is real". Responses ...
Dirty Pretty Things: Romance At Short Notice (Vertigo)
Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 27 June 2008
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS frontman Carl Barât has a brilliant album in him. He's not written or recorded it yet, but the songwriting powerhouse behind the ...
Dizzee Rascal: Truthfully Born To Do It
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 1 August 2008
DIZZEE RASCAL'S 'Dance Wiv Me', featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome, has sat at the top of the UK singles chart for the past four Sundays. ...
Paloma Faith: Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2009
Perhaps she's playing up, but one can't fault the performance. ...
Guide by Mike Diver, Clash, 6 April 2009
WITH RADIO 1 presently celebrating 30 years of all things hip-hop – check out Trevor Nelson's page for more – we at Clash figured: why ...
Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 23 April 2009
SKIPPING TO THE conclusion before the qualifying: 21st Century Breakdown is an abject failure, a hollow-sounding shadow of the zeitgeist-riding, multi-platinum American Idiot. ...
Grizzly Bear: Brooklyn Foursome Talk Veckatimest
Profile and Interview by Mike Diver, Clash, 27 May 2009
GRIZZLY BEAR are about to take a step into the unknown. Again. "This is probably the biggest thing we've been asked to do here in ...
Interview by Mike Diver, Clash, 28 May 2009
In a sea of monochrome indie acts, Micachu and the Shapes drift by like a neon-coloured piece of driftwood. ...
The Beastie Boys: Interview Preview
Retrospective and Interview by Mike Diver, Clash, 10 July 2009
Clash recently spent some quality face-to-face time with the three members of the Beastie Boys: Adam Yauch a.k.a. MCA, Michael Diamond a.k.a. Mike D, and ...
Arctic Monkeys: Humbug (Domino)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, August 2009
PUT ASIDE ALL thoughts of imminent backlash immediately, as Humbug is Arctic Monkeys' most enjoyably complete album to date. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, October 2009
BEFORE WE EVEN begin, consider your own expectations for this, the first solo album from a member of Girls Aloud. Its lead single 'Fight For ...
Mariah Carey: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, October 2009
MARIAH CAREY'S enduring success – the lead single from this twelfth studio album, the Eminem-baiting 'Obsessed', was the singer's fortieth hit on the Billboard Hot ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, October 2009
THERE'S MUCH to like about diminutive Columbian singer Shakira (Isabel Mebarak Ripoll), best known to this day for 2001's breakthrough Whenever, Wherever and her global ...
Beyoncé: I Am… Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas (Columbia)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2009
A greatest hits-style setlist performed with accomplished pizzazz ...
Britney Spears: The Singles Collection (Jive)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2009
IT MIGHT SEEM rather odd that this new collection features fewer tracks than 2004's greatest hits collection, My Prerogative. But though trimmer, this set represents ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2009
ONE BEGINS listening to this second album from the 2006 X Factor winner hoping its title isn't prophetic – nobody needs an echo of Lewis's ...
N-Dubz: Against All Odds (All Around The World)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2009
An honest, authentic audio document of contemporary teenage Britain. ...
Robbie Williams: Reality Killed The Video Star
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2009
THE EGO HAS LANDED, again, but he's a lot more endearing this time around. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2 November 2009
A fans-only collection, but at least time’s firmly on her side ...
Snoop (Doggy) Dogg: Snoop Dogg: Malice N Wonderland (Priority Records)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, December 2009
A fine X to mark this spot in Snoop's always interesting career. ...
Public Image Ltd: PiL: Metal Box/Plastic Box
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 3 December 2009
Landmark post-punk album remastered for its 30th anniversary. Plus, 1999 4-CD box set re-issued. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2010
AFFECTING, EMPOWERING FARE from a young rapper sparking with ambition. ...
Grimes: Halfaxa (Arbutus Records)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2010
ON A CURSORY listen it seems Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, creates the kind of ethereal gloom-scapes that have served Zola Jesus well thus far. But ...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2010
Two great albums, which surpassed expectations against the odds. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, January 2010
"DAVID BOWIE'S greatest hits live!" reads the sticker on the attractive packaging of this newly released (but recorded back in 2003) two-CD set. ...
Justin Bieber: My World (Mercury)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, January 2010
Uncomfortable lyrics aside, there's not much to make the adult listener squirm. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, February 2010
ANYONE WHO caught the Pet Shop Boys touring their superb Yes album – BBC Music's number one Pop & Chart album of 2009 – last ...
Ellie Goulding: Lights (Polydor)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, March 2010
THAT ELLIE Goulding topped the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll and won the Critics' award at the Brits counts for precisely nothing as of now. ...
Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks (XL Recordings)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, May 2010
Appealing solo debut from Jack White's model wife and friends. ...
Damian Marley, Nas: Nas and Damian Marley: Distant Relatives (Def Jam)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, May 2010
WHEN NAS CONFIRMED this collaboration with Damian Marley, he mentioned how hip hop and reggae are intertwined. ...
Eminem: Recovery (Aftermath Entertainment)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, June 2010
On his seventh album Eminem is more genuinely impassioned than he's sounded in years. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, August 2010
IF 2007'S NEON BIBLE was supposed to be Arcade Fire's difficult second album, it didn't show. Top marks from a cavalcade of critical tomes saw the Montreal ...
Emerson Lake & Palmer, Foreigner, UFO, ZZ Top: High LOL-tage: Mike Diver's classic rock adventure
Live Review by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 3 August 2010
The other day our former overlord Mike Diver phoned up DiS HQ to belligerently demand we implement what he described as "the final phase" of ...
James Blake: Klavierwerke (R&S Records)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, September 2010
Rising UK producer's latest EP points the way towards an anticipated debut album. ...
Cee Lo Green: CeeLo Green: The Lady Killer
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2010
WHEN YOU'VE a voice as powerful as Atlanta-born Thomas Callaway's, it's not going to stay unheard for too long. ...
Jay Z: Jay-Z: The Hits Collection — Volume One (Def Jam)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2010
ONE OF JAY-Z'S biggest UK hits, 'Empire State of Mind', possesses a title that can be taken different ways. It alludes to the rapper's hometown, ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2010
Album four from Pharrell and company features its share of dancefloor fillers. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 6 December 2010
AVAILABLE AS EITHER a download (plus video content) or as a limited-edition vinyl box set, collecting 10 seven-inch singles and featuring art from Factory co-founder ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 2011
THE SATURDAYS EXIST because nobody has bettered them yet. ...
Bruno Mars: Doo Wops and Hooligans (Elektra Musician)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, January 2011
Mars' solo debut is geared for maximum appeal ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, February 2011
IT'S ALL WELL and good having a multi-octave voice, but without control it's an accident waiting to happen. Jessie J – born Jessica Cornish in ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, February 2011
A fans-pleasing eighth album from Britain's most consistently brilliant band. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, March 2011
Prepare to be smitten all over again, as the NYC outfit release a brilliant fourth album. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, March 2011
A startling debut from a young Canadian RnB artist with huge potential. ...
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 11 April 2011
WITH THE release of this seventh studio album from the Nicest Man In Rock and his sweat-flecked colleagues, there can be no doubt that Foo ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, May 2011
WILD BEASTS' RISE from cult concerns loved by a critical clique, through Mercury Prize-nominated sorts with a sharp and saucy twist on typical indie tropes, ...
Kaiser Chiefs: The Future Is Medieval
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, June 2011
LEEDS' KAISER Chiefs aren't a band immediately associated with innovation – their perky indie-pop has livened up many a festival with a series of "nah-nah-nah-nah-nah"-style ...
The Horrors: Skying (XL Recordings)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, July 2011
THE HORRORS know all about deceptive appearances. Their mid-00s emergence saw the music press in a lather, hype peaking with inevitable derision creeping forth from ...
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter IV (Cash Money Records)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, August 2011
Studio LP number nine from the multi-million seller could be his UK breakthrough proper ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, August 2011
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Canadian singer The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfay) became a net sensation when his House of Balloons mixtape attracted the support of rapper ...
The Deftones: Deftones: "A lot of people have grown up with us..."
Interview by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 30 August 2011
AHEAD OF THEIR sold-out headline show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire, DiS meets Deftones' Frank Delgado (electronics) and Sergio Vega (bass). Each joined the band at ...
Blink 182: Neighborhoods (Interscope)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, September 2011
An unexpectedly great sixth LP from former fun-time punks turned introspective souls. ...
Outkast: An Album of the Year 2000: OutKast: Stankonia
Retrospective by Mike Diver, Drowned in Sound, 26 October 2011
WHAT INITIALLY seems like a throwaway title of nonsensical playfulness is actually a very astute summary of the first truly great rap record of the ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 31 October 2011
An infectious introduction to some rightly rising pop-rap talents. ...
Drake: Take Care (Cash Money Records)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2011
Drake is here for the long run — and he's already outrunning most. ...
Rihanna: Talk That Talk (Mercury)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2011
Drearily sexual lyricism over showy but shallow production dominates RiRi's sixth LP. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 30 January 2012
BEGONE, INDIE-IS-DEAD doom-mongers! As east London-based, Edinburgh-formed four-piece Django Django prove on this thrilling debut long-play platter, there's life in the old dogged-by-disdain genre yet. ...
Rick Ross: God Forgives, I Don't (Def Jam)
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, July 2012
KNOWN TO MANY UK listeners as a gravel-voiced guest on innumerable rap hits, Rick Ross has enjoyed considerable stateside success for several years. His 2006 ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, September 2012
Refined progression, this is the sound of a band both expanding and consolidating. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 10 September 2012
Likely to be amongst 2013's hyped newcomers, get a taste of Peace today. ...
John Coltrane: Classic Album: John Coltrane's Blue Train
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 24 October 2012
JAZZ. The word alone is enough to set some listeners on edge. Honking, squawking, screeching horrors. Well, that's one assessment, at least, and sometimes accurate ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, November 2012
"YOU DON'T KNOW, what's in store." The opening line on this major-label compilation from Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, isn't entirely accurate. Trilogy does feature ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, January 2013
Edinburgh-based rap trio impresses with this potential-rich collection. ...
Review by Mike Diver, bbc.co.uk, 11 February 2013
The Oxford outfit finally evolves a sound to suit its mainstream status. ...
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 30 September 2013
ARCADE FIRE's penchant for an album-uniting concept is nothing new. 2010's multi-award-winning The Suburbs arrived informed by its makers' upbringing, at the fringes of bigger-city ...
Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 12 November 2013
RAP WOULD BE poorer without Eminem in it. His voice is a colourful, powerful, persuasive one – and his career achievements have undeniably brought a greater ...
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 13 November 2013
THE FIRST FOUR minutes of Stefani Germanotta's third album proper are completely fascinating. 'Aura', this set's opener, manages to be a multitude of songs at ...
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 9 January 2014
THE POP ALBUM'S taken a beating by technology. It used to be that progression in the field enabled the furthering of music, facilitated creative evolution ...
Katy B: In Conversation: Katy B
Interview by Mike Diver, Clash, 5 February 2014
BRITAIN MIGHT BE smitten, as much of the world is, by a Queen B from H-Town, but we've our own pop princess coming through the ...
Review by Mike Diver, Clash, 13 June 2014
A bruised beauty, just short of classic status... ...
Idlewild: Everything Ever Written
Review by Mike Diver, The Quietus, 9 February 2015
IDLEWILD HAVE been a band for twenty years now, and doesn't it show. The blood-rush riots that passed as early gigs have slipped beneath tangible ...
Cannibal Ox: Blade Of The Ronin
Review by Mike Diver, The Quietus, 20 March 2015
CANNIBAL OX'S 2001 debut album The Cold Vein was New York hip hop given the bumps by a clutch of skin-peeled T-800s, shaken by ice-core ...
Earl Sweatshirt: I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
Review by Mike Diver, The Quietus, 2 April 2015
THE NATIONAL MINIMUM Drinking Age Act of 1984 prohibited the sale of alcohol in America to anyone under the age of 21. ...
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