Let's not lie to ourselves, Unkle Dysfunctional òÀ" The Mondays' first album release in more than 14 years òÀ" was never going to be a masterpiece. Quite frankly nothing by the band could ever touch the legendary Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches, which owes its greatness to either a fluke or the right combination of energy, youth and belly-loads of drugs.  Full text...

Uncle Dysfunktional won’t win awards for innovation, and it probably won’t recapture the success of Pills, Thrills & Bellyaches but for a Happy Mondays record, it’s a blistering return that really ought to make them cool, happening and funky all over again.  Full text...

Happy Mondays' first album since 1992's '...Yes Please!' is the sound of a damaged former addict being ushered into a studio for one last shot at the big time - before falling on his arse. Most of the burbling that makes up this record is painful, like watching a Russian dancing bear in a wig crying at a foam party.  Full text...

Now off the pills, pioneering Madchester legends return with overdue thrills.  Full text...

There are encouraging flashes of the old madness – a bellowed “cock-a-doodle-do” on Cuntry Disco is, briefly, inspired. In general, though, the Mondays should not worry too much about new songs – they have plenty of wonderful old ones to play for nostalgic ravers on the chicken-in-a-basket circuit, after all.  Full text...

The group have opted for a sort of psychedelic mish-mash approach, each track chopping and changing riffs and directions as if in flight from the arduous business of building a single memorable groove out of the mounds of accumulated fragments. The closest Uncle Dysfunktional gets to the "kinky Afro" or "Wrote For Luck" level of compelling immediacy is the title-track – and it soon becomes apparent that this is due to the bassline's resemblance to the groove of "Reverend Black Grape".  Full text...