User Albums Summary

Ironically, a metal album that does not rock. Wait a second, let me explain. Rock must (in my opinion): 1- straddle the line of 'clever' and 'stupid'. But this record is just too clever for its own good all the time. It needs to know when and how to be dumb to give it some power. 2- be music you can dance to. No dancing to this It just feels like an intellectual exercise. It might be loved by the neck-bearded "well, actually..." crowd (*cough* critics *cough cough*), but I can't bang my head to it, sorry.

The longer this went, the more I disliked it. It sounds like a bunch of louche acid-house chancers, more interested in shagging and caning it, then their musical output. And, based on this album, the music seems to be some cliched songs, half-heartedly sung, over canned beats and sprinkled with a shiny layer of blues/gospel/country styling (some sampled, some interpolated) over the top. If that ain't a case of white men coat-tailing on the achievements of black artist, I don't what is. Irvine Welsh interviewed then for The Guardian in 2008. It does not leave a good impression. The interview was a bit of a mutual love fest. I wouldn't be surprised if Irvine and the band were giving each other cheeky hand jobs under the table. "Playing back the tape of us rapping is like listening to two 80s Marxist polytechnic sociology lecturers vying to seduce an impressionable fresher." That sounds awful in so many ways. I hope Alabama 3 enjoyed their moment of fame as the Sopranos theme tune. But seriously, sixty seconds of decent music seems to be the most they could muster.

He can play guitar, but this is over-produced and way too long. Songs all needed to trimmed under 4 minutes, and probably needed to cut half a dozen tracks. Listening all the way through made my ears tired. Title track is the strongest tune on the record.

I had anticipated an hour of indulgent hipster posturing based on the pedigree of the protagonists (The Walkman and Vampire Weekend). Early 21st century indie music is over-rated and mostly forgettable in my experience -- over-praised by blogs, and with little staying power. This was pleasantly better than expected. But it is a low bar.

Ornate baubles. Very pretty, but over-polished (for my taste) until the songs just slide off my ears like teflon. I think she does well to incorporate technology into her approach, but after a while, it hypnotizes me and I can't tell if I am three songs into the album or 13.

People who are into Ween are REALLY into Ween. But that's not me. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I had never heard of underscores and some initial reading did not raise expectations. I have dipped my toe into hyperpop before (yes, yes, I know underscores claim that "hyperpop is dead", but The Cure also claim they aren't a goth band, yeah?) and found it typically to be a high-paced collage of fast-cuts of disparate and disjointed fragments. I found this album to be relatively coherent. It still has a million ideas carefully edited into a pop bricolage. There are surprises and sudden changes, but these are good pop songs; good tunes, beats I can dance too, and hooks a-plenty. 3.5 stars, rounding up

Even though I grew up as an Australian and an Australian rock fan, I was five years too young to get this album. I didn't start getting into Australian live music until 1984 or 85, by which time this album was five years old. The Sports had already ceased to be a really big thing, having peaked with this album, some big tours and a TV Week King of Pop award in 1978, and then flaming out on an ill-fated attempt to crack the UK. Mind you, members went on to big things in the industry, notably Stephen Cummings and Martin Arminger (who became an important producer, especially of soundtracks for TV and film). This album charted in Australia and copies continue to languish in second-hand record stores to this day. I never really dug it though. It comes across like a lukewarm attempt at UK pub-rock/new wave like Elvis Costello or Nick Lowe or Joe Jackson, but not quite as good. I am sure they were much better live -- an acceptable alternative if those UK acts rarely toured -- but it doesn't come across on record. 'Who Listens To The Radio' is probably the only track that gets any play these days. The album is highly rated, mostly by critics who saw them in sweaty pubs in the late 70s. It is largely forgotten these days. 2.5 stars, rounding up. I do have a 'six degrees of separation' connection to the band. Martin Arminger's brother, Michael, also played in bands (The Johnnys, Paul Kelly, the Go-Betweens briefly), but I knew him because his son played int he same Aussie Rules team as my son. We spent many cold, wet Saturdays standing together at the sidelines of various fields chatting while our offspring played footy. Good bloke, Michael. His son had a pretty good boot on him, too. Go Wests!

Blandly unspecific American folk. I shall damn thee with faint praise; it's not terrible. 2.5 stars, rounding down for being so incredibly beige.

I understand that there is a something of a cult around Hum, but I don't see it. It just seems like pretty standard shoegaze. I don't mind a bit of drone-y shoegaze -- this reminds me of the NZ band Bailter Space, who produced some similar albums around the same period. But there are no real stand-out tracks here. I would listen again. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

Hallelujah, a proper dub record! And a really groundbreaking example of the genre at that. The all-star band really helps, but the way Tubby uses the studio to bend the tracks into a whole new thing is just inspirational. Yes, yes please! Not only is this a great listen but it should have been on Dimery's list in the first place. The original list represents reggae very poorly, in my opinion, and dub not at all, which is travesty. Dub is one of the most influential genres of all time in the way it opened up the possibilities of remixing and studio technique. That influence has been picked up by almost every branch of popular music ever since. King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown is an iconic dub album. Fifty bazillion stars