Sep 21 2023
View Album
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
Bombastic bilgewater, pretty fun in parts. Exactly what I expected :)
Lap of the gods wis guid
3
Sep 22 2023
View Album
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
Still so good. Shocked that it's 21 years old. 4.5
4
Sep 23 2023
View Album
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Grubby bloody hippies and the boring album company more like.
The cover art is the most interesting thing about it.
Might be wrong but I get a bang of spoiled rich white kids cosplaying a chitlin' circuit blues band off this. Hard to enjoy once that idea takes hold.
Also a faint tang of prog rock?!
2
Sep 24 2023
View Album
Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
Nostalgic but still kicks ass.
4
Sep 25 2023
View Album
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
A bit like eating greens, I can appreciate the qualities but I'm rarely in the mood for a full meal of that. My loss. Really enjoyed taking the time to listen to this whole record.
4
Sep 26 2023
View Album
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Oh man, it's a 5. Years since I sat right through it. Still holds up.
That the weakest track probably yields the single most beautiful moment tells you something, I think.
Ordinary lads, not afraid of beauty.
5
Sep 27 2023
View Album
Aja
Steely Dan
Over-produced, under song'd, imo.
3
Sep 28 2023
View Album
Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
Quite like the distinctive sound, in moderation. Bit too soft for me. Housey piano is cool but not much dynamic range and I get bored.
Hint of Gil Scott Heron i'd not noticed before?
3
Sep 29 2023
View Album
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
Enjoyed this more than I thought I might.
Bit Tom Petty in places?
Gets pretty turgid in the middle.
2
Sep 30 2023
View Album
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
A clean, bright blast of energetic purity.
5
Oct 01 2023
View Album
Space Ritual
Hawkwind
This is good. But how long!? 😅
Not sure how much of that is attributable to the remixed, repackaged version. Ain't nobody got time for that!
3
Oct 02 2023
View Album
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
Hmmm. Some really great stuff. Just too long though! Chance to sit through 2+ hrs as a single experience ain't happening.
Don't think I'd ever heard 'the love below' all the way through before. 3 & 4
3
Oct 03 2023
View Album
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Wasn't really in the mood for this today. Still. Absolutely staggering. Gotta be a 5
5
Oct 04 2023
View Album
Crazysexycool
TLC
It's good. Nice production. Sounds like a Prince record.
Probably deserves a 4. But it ain't getting that from me.
3
Oct 05 2023
View Album
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Quite good but quite dull.
3
Oct 06 2023
View Album
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
I can confidently assert that I'll not listen to this again.
2
Oct 07 2023
View Album
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
Never actually listened to this as an album before. It's great!
4
Oct 08 2023
View Album
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Hard af uneasy listening. Excellent!
4
Oct 09 2023
View Album
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
This is brilliant. Not heard before
I can see where Beck nicked a few good ideas.
4
Oct 10 2023
View Album
Tommy
The Who
Don't like it much. Instrumentals are quite good background music but some of the story sounds horrible 😬. 'Fiddle about', you say? Dodgier than P. Townsend's browser history 🤮
2
Oct 11 2023
View Album
The Band
The Band
Exceptionally good. That opening 5-song run is really great. The warmth.
4
Oct 12 2023
View Album
Murmur
R.E.M.
Not really heard this earlier era of REM properly before. I thought it was brilliant. 4
4
Oct 13 2023
View Album
Dirt
Alice In Chains
FFS, cheer up, guy 🙄😂
Was this the birth of stoner rock? I was quite up for hearing this but it wore thin pretty quickly. It sounds like a desert, which is kind of the point I suppose. But I prefer my biospheres greener.
Sort of a bridge between G'n'R and QotSA 🤔
2
Oct 14 2023
View Album
Abraxas
Santana
It's simply excellent. More nostalgia. My parents had pretty good taste.
4
Oct 15 2023
View Album
Wild Gift
X
This kicks ass. Never heard before but will be listening again
4
Oct 16 2023
View Album
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
Holy smokes
4
Oct 17 2023
View Album
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Sumptuous voice but couldn't really be bothered. Just not my thing I'm afraid
2
Oct 18 2023
View Album
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
I dunno man. Lovely voice, some charming lyrics. Still sounds boring MoR to me 😥
2
Oct 19 2023
View Album
White Ladder
David Gray
More MoR, albeit quite good.
3
Oct 20 2023
View Album
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Was enjoying it up until the godawful cover of hard to handle. From a potential 4 to a 2 right there. Slick but so derivative
2
Oct 21 2023
View Album
Who's Next
The Who
Couple of bangers to top and tail, with some total dross filler
2
Oct 22 2023
View Album
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Willing to accept I'm probably missing some nuance but it didn't do much for me. Can't win em' all
2
Oct 23 2023
View Album
Hejira
Joni Mitchell
Good but not her greatest imho.
3
Oct 24 2023
View Album
The Predator
Ice Cube
When I was a kid all I heard was the violence. Now I have a bit more context I hear more emotional range. I hear hyper vigilance and vulnerability. Violence is only ever directed at white supremacists. There's no real cussin'. No real misogyny. It's a mature piece of work, even quite funny sometimes. Even the title seems like a wry wee joke. Still, I'm an East coast guy and the production ain't always my favourite.
3
Oct 25 2023
View Album
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
I liked it more than I thought I might but still not a total convert
3
Oct 26 2023
View Album
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
Awesome songs, amazing singer.
4
Oct 27 2023
View Album
Shalimar
Rahul Dev Burman
I'd never even heard of this. Bollywood/hippy/funk. Lush orchestration, even a hint of mariachi. I like it!
4
Oct 28 2023
View Album
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
A fine line between coherent and samey. Too damn long as an album. Quite fun but needs an edit.
3
Oct 29 2023
View Album
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
Utmost respect, but I'm not mad for this record
3
Oct 30 2023
View Album
Different Class
Pulp
A time and a place. Really strong record but dated a wee bit
4
Oct 31 2023
View Album
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
4
Nov 01 2023
View Album
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Never heard this album before as a whole though I know a few songs already. Love it
4
Nov 02 2023
View Album
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
Not my usual vibe but fairly enjoyable. Little water song I was thinking sounded like a female Nick Cave and yeah, sure enough 🥲
3
Nov 03 2023
View Album
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Frathouse rock. Well executed and pretty fun but ultimately a bit monotone
3
Nov 04 2023
View Album
Ten
Pearl Jam
Never been a big fan of Eddie Vedder's voice but this is a solid album to be fair
3
Nov 05 2023
View Album
The Who Sell Out
The Who
The third Who record that's come up for me in about the past month. I can only surmise that they really are a 'greatest hits' band. Some great high spots but an awful lot dross too
2
Nov 06 2023
View Album
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Pretty sad and depressing but really quite impressive.
4
Nov 07 2023
View Album
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Quite astonishing as a single piece of work. Peak Stones. Gotta be a 5
5
Nov 08 2023
View Album
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
I'm more of a New Order guy but this is not as grimly depressing as I remember 🥲
4
Nov 09 2023
View Album
Da Capo
Love
Meh. Quite good, quite twee, quite three
3
Nov 10 2023
View Album
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Pretty guid. Almost a cliché but I suppose it's only that way because it was popular in the first place. On the fence between a 3 and a 4
4
Nov 11 2023
View Album
Elephant
The White Stripes
Just so solid.
4
Nov 12 2023
View Album
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
Tinseltown is still amazing but as a whole album don't enjoy it all that much
3
Nov 13 2023
View Album
Calenture
The Triffids
Not heard before. First impression is favourable.
3
Nov 14 2023
View Album
Bossanova
Pixies
Sandpaper bubblegum
3
Nov 15 2023
View Album
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Big shrug. What's the fuss about?
3
Nov 16 2023
View Album
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
The worst kind of technically accomplished but overindulgent, soulless toss
1
Nov 17 2023
View Album
No Other
Gene Clark
Woah. This is fantastic. Heard the name before (courtesy of tfc) but need to explore his catalogue. Near Neil Young level songwriting, without the somewhat divisive singing voice. Superb
4
Nov 18 2023
View Album
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
Dope.
4
Nov 19 2023
View Album
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
I love DM's signature synthy sound but I can rarely be arsed to listen to a whole record of their actual songs 🤷🏻♂️
3
Nov 20 2023
View Album
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
It was good. Never heard before. Sticking with a 3 today but certainly deserves a second listen.
3
Nov 21 2023
View Album
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Hokey but a seminal era. Split the difference between 1 and 5
3
Nov 22 2023
View Album
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Pretty darn good. Though there are a few more filler tracks than I remember.
Maybe this is one where streaming/shuffle culture has damaged great albums as we expect wall-to-wall hits.
4
Nov 23 2023
View Album
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
Oh man, Killer alright. Imagine being in the crowd for this one 🤯
4
Nov 24 2023
View Album
Phrenology
The Roots
Bloody hell man. Better than I remember. That said, it'd be better still if it was 20 mins shorter. Those last couple of jawns are a waste
4
Nov 25 2023
View Album
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
Pretentious, portentous, slick, camp, competent. Not for me but can see why it's popular. Sort of.
2
Nov 26 2023
View Album
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
So good. How old was Hill when she made this? Maybe 30? An almost unbelievable amount of wisdom and assurance. Barely any fat on this record despite being really long
4
Nov 27 2023
View Album
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
Man alive. Scarcely believable number of radio hits for a single album. Impressive, even if it is a bit more MoR then some of their other efforts
4
Nov 28 2023
View Album
Zombie
Fela Kuti
This is great. Not sure it's really classifiable as a full album but hey, not really my place to judge.
4
Nov 29 2023
View Album
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Another one where although the playing is impressive it leaves me cold. Noodling
2
Nov 30 2023
View Album
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
Really liked this. Needs more listens
4
Dec 01 2023
View Album
Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Really quite enjoyable. A shame for them they were probably running a couple of years behind the British invasion and the Beach Boys: but some good pop songs on here
3
Dec 02 2023
View Album
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
So good
4
Dec 03 2023
View Album
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
This is rad. Too much to digest in a single take though. Short tracks, inventiveness, guitar rips! I need to go back to this
4
Dec 04 2023
View Album
Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
I thought it would be wack and it was. Abundantly wack in almost every regard 😬
1
Dec 05 2023
View Album
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Probably a 3 star effort in reality. Some dreadful lyrics. Gets a 4 for sentimental reasons, with its energy and impact at the time. The lyrics are mostly terrible though!
4
Dec 06 2023
View Album
Cut
The Slits
Tough one. I wanted to like this; looks like it should be right up my street. Other than that awesome cover of Grapevine though, I just didn't get into it 🫤
2
Dec 07 2023
View Album
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
This is pretty much why punk had to happen.
Like some of the California jazz jam nonsense, this is massively proficient but shows barely an ounce of soul or emotion. There are moments of beauty but just doesn't float my boat. Put the organ away lads.
2
Dec 08 2023
View Album
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
Here I am, 44 years old, walking the dog at 7:20 on a dark, dull, muddy December morning; tears in my eyes as the sunshine goodness of Hometown Unicorn floods my ears. Bias acknowledged, I was 16 when this record came out and have loved it ever since. Was thrilled (and surprised) when it popped up on the list.
Unbelievably good run of songs at the start. Close to a 5 but I reckon that is rare territory and there are a couple of slightly flatter tracks later on. Head and shoulders above the Britpop nonsense that was happening at the same time.
"You and I, United by itemised bills"
4
Dec 09 2023
View Album
Brothers
The Black Keys
It's pretty great. Wee bit too long?
4
Dec 10 2023
View Album
John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
Enjoyed it but probably not enough to go rushing back.
3
Dec 11 2023
View Album
Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
Pretty good. Not amazing by any stretch but enjoyed it more than I anticipated
3
Dec 12 2023
View Album
Melodrama
Lorde
Quite good but it doesn't excite me much
2
Dec 13 2023
View Album
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
It's great
4
Dec 14 2023
View Album
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Other than Pin, Maps, and a couple of slower tracks near the end, I couldn't be bothered with this today. It's a band with a good sound and a charismatic frontwoman but sorry, for my money this is not a great album
2
Dec 15 2023
View Album
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
Rad.
I can see what the fuss was about. Knew a couple of songs already but they're all excellent.
1973!
4
Dec 16 2023
View Album
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Really good. A rich stew
4
Dec 17 2023
View Album
Quiet Life
Japan
Something tiresome is the amount of well known albums that are linked to on streaming services as extended 'deluxe' versions. I don't wanna hear out takes, b-sides or remixes unless I'm a super fan. This one was particularly bad: 3 versions of a cover version.
Just play me the album as the artist intended, especially for a daily taster session like this.
I was enjoying this a lot to start with. Tapered off big time though. Quiet Life is a great track.
3
Dec 18 2023
View Album
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
Oddly, although I consider myself a pretty big fan of Neil Young I don't think I've ever heard this as a complete album. Obviously it's great. More country than a lot of his stuff, which might be more of an acquired taste for some; but I really enjoyed it.
4
Dec 19 2023
View Album
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Astonishing that this is from 1977. When the filth and fury of punk was getting the headlines, these guys were working out this pin-sharp art-pop-funk. The band is lean and tight. The frontman sounds weird but charismatic.
The tricky thing is, if you've come to talking heads late, through stuff like Stop Making Sense, you're probably expecting more 'hits'. So it's simultaneously amazing but also slightly forgettable.
4
Dec 20 2023
View Album
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
Well-crafted, thoughtful power-pop. Obviously 'Another Girl...' is a classic in any genre. The rest doesn't live quite up to that but it's an enjoyable listen.
3
Dec 21 2023
View Album
Sea Change
Beck
For me, this is probably Beck's best album. Love it
4
Dec 22 2023
View Album
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
Wonderfully serene
4
Dec 23 2023
View Album
Fragile
Yes
Boring tosh.
(I know, I know, it's poor form to belittle the artistic endeavours of others etc. Whatever.)
2
Dec 24 2023
View Album
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
I acknowledge its inherent goodness. But can I enjoy it much? Meh, not really.
Feels quite proggy, quite stodgy, quite boring.
2
Dec 25 2023
View Album
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
I kind of feel like I should like PJ Harvey. But sorry, I just don't get on with this album very well.
2
Dec 26 2023
View Album
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Pretty much has to be the definitive 'hipster-approved/quite tasteful' Christmas album. All good
4
Dec 27 2023
View Album
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
Nae bad
3
Dec 28 2023
View Album
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
I was a bit distracted and didn't manage to listen to this in a single sitting, so I'll need to come back to this in future. That said, the music is brilliant so I'm confident I'll want to come back.
4
Dec 29 2023
View Album
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Sad, disorienting, weird, pretty amazing. I still find a lot of the music dissonant and hard going (though there are some sweet hymns in there too) but the voice and the stories are incredible. Strikingly distinctive
4
Dec 30 2023
View Album
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
I almost can't believe how much we lapped this up at the time. Lumpen lyrics, lumpen music 😬
Still has some last remnants of the Definitely Maybe energy - but let's be honest, it's not really a top 50 record of the year, let alone a multi million selling powerhouse 🤷🏻♂️
I mean, there still are a handful of decent moments but in retrospect the Quoasis jibes were fully justified.
2
Dec 31 2023
View Album
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
Real good.
4
Jan 01 2024
View Album
Transformer
Lou Reed
Sweet nursery rhymes, cabaret ballads and glam pop stomps about junkies, queers, and general New York degradation, dissipation and despair. Sung by a bad-tempered, flat-pitched weirdo. Probably should be toe-curlingly strange and bad but it's the complete opposite of that. Astonishing
5
Jan 02 2024
View Album
Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
Banger. Best Steely Dan record imo
4
Jan 03 2024
View Album
Youth And Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
Sort of Southern rock's equivalent of The Strokes. The aesthetic is loose but the overall effect is actually quite tight and polished. Spawned quite a lot of pale imitations but this is a very good, consistent record.
4
Jan 04 2024
View Album
Arise
Sepultura
So this slams. But an hour of it is pretty exhausting. Not my genre, though I can appreciate the intensity, power and accuracy.
Weird take: some of this is actually quite melodic, and the vocals are super clear (English as a second language effect?), so it comes on at times like a thrash ABBA 😅
3
Jan 05 2024
View Album
Hysteria
Def Leppard
Archetypal hair metal.
Bombast.
Bright-ass (over) production.
Drums like they're played in an aircraft hangar full of mics.
Noodly overdrive guitars, with very little in the way of actual memorable tunes.
Very silly mantra-like lyrics, mostly about shagging and that.
Quite funny. Quite fun. Pretty stupid.
A Pirelli calendar of a record. Titillating in passing but sad (and a bit of a red flag to be honest) if that's your definition of art.
Fully aware this makes me sound a pretentious killjoy. Maybe I am. But up yours Def Leppard 😆🖕
2
Jan 06 2024
View Album
GREY Area
Little Simz
Brilliant. Was familiar with a couple of the lead singles, and really liked the follow-up album, Introvert. This is rock solid all the way through. Smart, highly attuned, empathic, moving.
4
Jan 07 2024
View Album
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
A take I don't think I've seen: a lot of this is like a shoegaze record. It sounds like Ride.
Fitting I suppose for a new frontman coming out from behind the drumkit. It's good and melodic but a wee bit MoR.
3
Jan 08 2024
View Album
Tical
Method Man
I dig Method Man but this album was never quite on a par with some of the other Wu Tang offshoot projects, or indeed his Redman collaborations. Meth is one of the best when he's contributing a guest verse or two to other people's tracks but I don't rate him so highly for carrying a whole album or even a full track. This is good but not great.
3
Jan 09 2024
View Album
London Calling
The Clash
If I'm brutally honest, it's too long and has a handful of fillers on there. But it still rules.
Giving it a 5 for its inventiveness (and my own sentimental reasons); but imagine how much leaner it could be if it was 12 tracks/40 mins.
Mind you, the flaws (if you can even call the odd b-side track a flaw) are what makes it. Would I change it? Nah, probably not
5
Jan 10 2024
View Album
Infected
The The
I was interested when this popped up as really like some of The The's stuff but nah, sorry, not a fan. Was surprised how little I liked it.
No doubt deserves another attempt at some point but it left me fairly cold this time.
2
Jan 11 2024
View Album
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
Liked it more than I thought I might. Needs another spin
3
Jan 12 2024
View Album
American Pie
Don McLean
Biggest mismatch between cover art assumptions and reality?
American wuss, more like 😅
2
Jan 13 2024
View Album
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Mid, tbh. Good, but
3
Jan 14 2024
View Album
Slayed?
Slade
Expertly crafted bluesy power pop. Pretty good. Doesn't rock my world but enjoyable enough.
3
Jan 15 2024
View Album
Low
David Bowie
Bleak af
3
Jan 16 2024
View Album
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
Hilariously camp panto (Campomime?)
A theatre nerd's second-hand idea of what rock n' roll might feel like.
There something rural about it. Something virginal. Maybe that's why it's popular?
The sort of gear that's quite fun if it pops up on the radio but I'm unlikely to ever seek out.
Does it have a sense of irony? I reckon not. Does that matter? 🤷🏻♂️
2
Jan 17 2024
View Album
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
Some great stuff here. Very modern sounding: the way some tracks are layered up with samples sounds like the good ambient house music from 10 or 15 years later. Saying that, it starts to get boring and ultimately seems to peter out. Needs another spin
3
Jan 18 2024
View Album
Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
Kind of wanted to like this but I found it twee and boring
2
Jan 19 2024
View Album
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
This band's level of popularity is baffling to me. The guy (yeah, I know) is a good lyricist, with a lovely mellow singing voice. But the overall effect to me is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Lounge music, but a wee bit more introspective and ultimately a bit of a downer.
3
Jan 20 2024
View Album
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
This is brilliant. Got 2 plays today. It'll get more in future
4
Jan 21 2024
View Album
Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
This was enjoyable. Incredible voice. Strikes me the production was a bit westernised and synthetic. But I enjoyed the discovery
3
Jan 22 2024
View Album
Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
I found it muddled. Starts out somewhere between pavement, beck, and the beta band, without being as good as any of those. Then gets bossa nova and jazz on the go. Weirdly forgettable for all that.
2
Jan 23 2024
View Album
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Very good. Particularly enjoyed the second side. Half and half in terms of familiarity, so it was good to hear it afresh
4
Jan 24 2024
View Album
Machine Head
Deep Purple
Really rather enjoyed this. Not a million miles away from Cream, in terms of the playing is pretty great and it's not overly-heavy. Should probably give it a 4
3
Jan 25 2024
View Album
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
Very nice. Didn't affect me in a big way like some of the Richard & Linda Thomson stuff but great record.
3
Jan 26 2024
View Album
S&M
Metallica
Sheer pompous HUBRIS.
The best bit is the intro; scored by Morricone, performed by the orchestra and therefore nothing whatsoever to do with Metallica.
And this mf is over 2 hours long 😧
Visceral dislike and a true test of endurance to get through this. These guys are absolute tossers 😅🖕
1
Jan 27 2024
View Album
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Enjoyable but the spell wore off a bit for me towards the end
3
Jan 28 2024
View Album
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
Not my usual genre but the energy is pretty astonishing. A touch melodramatic perhaps but the thrash-funk sound and dynamics are pretty rad. I appreciated the tight rage attack
3
Jan 29 2024
View Album
Justified
Justin Timberlake
Lightweight and largely forgetable
2
Jan 30 2024
View Album
Revolver
Beatles
Pretty much the apex of the album-as-artefact era. 14 songs, 34 minutes; inventiveness, pathos, silliness, experimentation, charm. Not even my favourite Beatles record but by gum, we'll never see their like again. Retains drops of twee naivety but mixed with the start of psychedelic rock. The full gamut.
5
Jan 31 2024
View Album
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
It's a shorter line than you think from Bruce to Meatloaf. Gather round the ol' joanna for some overwrought storysongs about automobiles-as-freedom. Maybe.
Could be great if you're in the mood but fill in that blank...
*key change*... **sax solo**
3
Feb 01 2024
View Album
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
Respect the artist? Yes.
Relate to the artwork? Ach, not so much.
2
Feb 02 2024
View Album
Apple Venus Volume 1
XTC
Pastoral. Some charm but excellence somehow always just out of reach. Didn't really resonate
2
Feb 03 2024
View Album
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Almost unbelievably on-the-nose prescience. Maybe it took a few of the rest of us 20+ years to truly catch up. And I guess most still haven't.
A classic.
4
Feb 04 2024
View Album
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Batshit crazy, with a few moments of brilliance. Would have loved to have seen these dudes live. But a track like gang bang can gtfo quite frankly.
Tell you what though; the first couple of tracks start with 4/4 glam/blues stomp drums and piano stabs... were SAHB tantalisingly close stumbling onto the Chicago House sound about 10 years early? 😅
3
Feb 05 2024
View Album
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
Nincompoopery;. Though I mostly mean that in a sense of affectionate fun here.
3
Feb 06 2024
View Album
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Got to hand it to Knopfler; the guy can obviously play like an absolute beast but he's also capable of something more: the exercise of restraint.
This record is stacked with riffs and the songs ain't half bad. Even the 80s production sound hasn't agreed badly; just sounds appropriate to its era and mostly fairly tasteful.
Must be the right kind of fame as well: create a multimillion-selling monster then return to a low profile life. Respect
4
Feb 07 2024
View Album
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Demands a closer listen than I was able to give it today. Really good. Will give it another spin
3
Feb 08 2024
View Album
Play
Moby
Music for adverts.
There's something really uncanny-valley and inauthentic about Moby. Can't quite put my finger on why I feel like that.
In fairness he did stumble on a popular formula but it is exactly that: formulaic.
2
Feb 09 2024
View Album
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines... are all-time slices of sheer pop perfection. It shouldn't come as a massive surprise that the rest of the album struggles to match that. Some of it comes off like ersatz Bowie, some of it is Mel n' Kim level. Enjoyable enough though
3
Feb 10 2024
View Album
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I like Bob Marley (of course, who doesn't?) but I have to be honest, this washed over me with hardly a ripple
3
Feb 11 2024
View Album
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
I don't enjoy all the medievalist schtick tbh. Morning Glory and Pleasant Street are nice enough. Undoubtedly a beautiful voice but I just didn't enjoy the album very much
2
Feb 12 2024
View Album
The Score
Fugees
As a sort of gateway record I suppose it's irrelevant whether (or not) this is credibly good. If it turned a few suburban kids on to eventually explore and buy from among the wider reaches of hip hop, maybe that's got some value? And of course, it provided the springboard for Lauren Hill to go massive.
So fair play, but it's still pretty stilted.
3
Feb 13 2024
View Album
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
This was alright but I didn't find it as arresting as the earlier Love and Hate album. Will keep listening out for the lad though
3
Feb 14 2024
View Album
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
Cracking. Imperial phase PSB
4
Feb 15 2024
View Album
Sincere
Mj Cole
I don't mind a wee bit of UK garage but this is boring. Sincere is a good track but I find much of the rest to be just a couple of rungs up the musical ladder from shopping mall lift muzak.
The type of gear playing in the second room at the sort of club I wouldn't really want to be at.
2
Feb 16 2024
View Album
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
Sparse, bleak, arresting, excellent.
4
Feb 17 2024
View Album
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
Not only did Dylan tap into into this rich vein of poetic magic, somehow he was able to keep working it for absolutely years and years. Mind boggling. This is probably a 5 star album but I'm giving it a 4 today just because
4
Feb 18 2024
View Album
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
I used to assume I didn't like country music but I now realise that was a blinkered kind of inverse bigotry. This is pretty great. Still not giving top marks as I'm unlikely to reach for it (I tend towards British folk if I'm looking to scratch a trad. itch) but I did find it a very enjoyable listen.
3
Feb 19 2024
View Album
Golden Hour
Kacey Musgraves
Odd serendipity: yesterday threw up Emmylou Harris, today brings this up-to-date take on sweet, reflective country. Found it an enjoyable listen. Even a touch of Sufjan Stevens in the banjo style in places?
Never heard of Ms Musgrave's before but this was a perfect Sunday morning kitchen listen.
3
Feb 20 2024
View Album
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ambivalence. Some aspects of RHCP I really admire. Sometimes I think they are almost unintentional self-parody. Great moments but then it gets so samey.
3
Feb 21 2024
View Album
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
Sort of apocalypse horror metal. Sounds alright but still scores low for me as I just didn't really jibe with it
2
Feb 22 2024
View Album
Dust
Screaming Trees
Was not familiar with this at all but it immediately demands a repeat listen. I guess I was expecting something bleaker or more earnest but it's really good
4
Feb 23 2024
View Album
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is a band I really like in small-to-medium doses. I love the overdriven sound but this whole album in one sitting starts to feel a bit stodgy.
3
Feb 24 2024
View Album
Disintegration
The Cure
Really like the cure as a singles band though I find this as a complete work gets very ponderous.
3
Feb 25 2024
View Album
Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
I acknowledge the genuine excellence of Ms. Badu and her band. But it don't half go... on and on 😅
Seriously, why did artists stop knocking out tight 40 minute records? I know the format initially stemmed from what could fit on a 12" record but that constraint also improved quality control on the tracklist. I enjoyed listening to this for 45 mins but by 80 I was honestly getting bored.
3
Feb 26 2024
View Album
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
Pretty amazing. Hugely sampled/covered hits. Heavily front-loaded album though.
4
Feb 27 2024
View Album
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
I find this more accessible than some of Harvey's earlier records. Plenty to enjoy on here and I think I'm more attuned to it now that I would've been 20 years ago.
4
Feb 28 2024
View Album
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
The sort of album I might make if I didn't know I shouldn't.
2
Feb 29 2024
View Album
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
Reminiscent of Kruder & Dorfmeister. So downtempo that even when it speeds up a bit it's almost comically soporific. Good though
3
Mar 01 2024
View Album
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
Hmmm, tricky one. Ambivalent about the whole project.
Real sense of unease about creepy old Malcolm appropriating the sound of young black and hispanic New Yorkers.
That said, quite a few tracks are genuinely good, and it hangs together quite well as a piece despite the random mash-up approach.
I hope all the artists got paid properly I suppose, not just the old swindler.
3
Mar 02 2024
View Album
Blur
Blur
Front loaded with bangers. Resolves into eminently forgettable studio noodling.
3
Mar 03 2024
View Album
GI
Germs
Never heard this before. Thought it was great. Real hardcore.
4
Mar 04 2024
View Album
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
This is great though I can't help feeling it's not quite as good as a Neil Young 'solo' record might have been. Possibly a terrible take?
4
Mar 05 2024
View Album
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
It's ok. Despite a couple of real classics on here I won't be rushing back. Patchy.
3
Mar 06 2024
View Album
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
Not for me. Dislike most aspects of this
2
Mar 07 2024
View Album
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
This is a work of near-genius but not necessarily from the obvious source.
Without Andrew Weatherall at the controls, I suspect Primal Scream themselves would have come up with a third of an album worth of forgettable, Black-Crowes-Lite/Texas jams. Even as it is, the material is stretched a bit thin but at least AW makes it feel like a reasonably interesting collection of 12" dubs.
It's a justified spaced-out classic; once you get onto that trip, you're in for the duration.
4
Mar 08 2024
View Album
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
<usual Morrissey-is-a-knob disclaimer here/>
Phenomenal record. Excellent musicianship. Crisp production. Great lyrics; some poignant, some funny, some daft, nearly all interesting.
I'm not a huge Smiths head but this is a really rewarding listen and so evocative of a certain sense of place and time.
4
Mar 09 2024
View Album
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Oh damn, this is incredible. Cool and fun sounds from 70 years ago 🤯
4
Mar 10 2024
View Album
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
Bloody hell. Absolutely spine-tingling from start to finish.
5
Mar 11 2024
View Album
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
Blimey. On a reflective Sunday morning, the opening couple of tracks on this landed HARD. Heartbroken old boy hymns. What's worse, the unrelenting horny frustrations of the younger man, or the feeling that chapter of life has ended and you no longer care? Leonard knows. Making his peace with a god he no longer wants to believe in.
Love it.
4
Mar 12 2024
View Album
Abbey Road
Beatles
Depending on mood, often my favourite Beatles record, which puts Abbey Road at or near the top of a very illustrious pile. I mean, Maxwell and Octopus are very silly but aside from that, amazing. The sweep of side 2 is mind boggling.
5
Mar 13 2024
View Album
Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
Maudlin and pedestrian (neither of which are necessarily bad things but you know... meh)
2
Mar 14 2024
View Album
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby
Girls Against Boys
Sounds good, if you fancy some doomy, heavy gear. It so happens that today I did not.
2
Mar 15 2024
View Album
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
Ah, the Morrissey paradox. The guy is so obviously sad, damaged and lonely that I can't help but feel quite sorry for him. But his entire public persona for the last 30+ years send to have been to make himself as dislikeable as possible. A real arsehole, but one who still made plenty of objectively good records. This is decent, not great, but definitely a diverting listen. Begrudging respect.
3
Mar 16 2024
View Album
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
RIP and mad respect to Neil Kulkarni, the (as far as I know) originator of the "would I trust them to make me a sandwich?" test, for musicians in general but 70s rockers in particular.
Anyway, probably pretty obvious where I'm going with this. Is this a behemoth of a record? Yes. Does it have some astounding playing? Again, yes. Do I actually like it? Nah, not a huge amount. I'm not such a fan of Robert Plant's histrionic vocal stylings to be honest. And would I let any of them anywhere near my sandwich? Would I fuck, the grubby-fingered, sleazy gits. If I'm ever in the market for a round of reefer-ash-with-a-hint-of-spunk on rye, I'll let you dudes know, ok? 😅
3
Mar 17 2024
View Album
In It For The Money
Supergrass
The parts don't quite add up. I have a slight soft spot for Supergrass and this is decent, well-crafted pop. But I don't much like it 🤷🏻♂️
2
Mar 18 2024
View Album
The Wall
Pink Floyd
Started out pretty much hating this. For a little spell towards the end of the middle, I actually got right into it. Then by the end I was hating it again. Some of the production is unbelievably ahead of its time. Some of the story arc really seems to predict internet culture and the threat of misinformation about 30 years early. First citing of 'brain worms' maybe?
For all that, it's still not my cup of tea. Too long, too pompous, too preachy.
2
Mar 19 2024
View Album
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Wistful and restrained
4
Mar 20 2024
View Album
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
Sounds excellent and I'd like to revisit it at some point
4
Mar 21 2024
View Album
Purple Rain
Prince
It kicks ass obviously and in all sorts of ways. Cumulatively it does leave me feeling a bit like I ate too much ice cream or something though
4
Mar 22 2024
View Album
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
Lonesome ditties evocative of driving a pickup truck across a plain somewhere. Not really my vibe but perfectly pleasant and I do respect the craft. Sorry for the low score, I'm feeling harsh and I don't anticipate this being a record I'll come back to.
2
Mar 23 2024
View Album
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
I think Dr Dre is a damaged, nasty bastard and this is a grim piece of work. And though some of the production and sound engineering here is jaw dropping, I've never been on board with the adoration this record gets, or the genius status afforded to Dre. It's an adolescent violent revenge fantasy of a record. The trademark G-funk sound is incredible but the bars are horrible (except for some of Snoop's features) and the feeling I get is that it's been bullied into existence. I don't really know who's responsible for the odd brilliant moment, I just know that Dre is taking all the credit. I'd go as far as to say this put me off the whole West coast scene for a good while.
One of those paradoxes: I really do recognise it deserves a place in the 1001 canon because of what it represents... but I'm scoring it low as I just don't like it and I'll not reach for it.
Possibly dodgy lukewarm take: this record propagates institutionally racist and sexist hegemony: brim full of negative stereotypes and painting whole city districts as no go zones. No thanks.
2
Mar 24 2024
View Album
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
Weirdly different to some of his other stuff. A Doors-meets-funk jam, full of sex. Pretty good
3
Mar 25 2024
View Album
New Wave
The Auteurs
I'm quite into this. Needs some repeat listens.
Luke Haines seems to want to recast himself as a sort of rakish, silent-era matinee baddie. Not sure if that's entirely successful but it is fun.
3
Mar 26 2024
View Album
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Hmmm. Genesis of an iconic career but didn't find it all that arresting
3
Mar 27 2024
View Album
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Mad. I thought 'cool water' was a Coen brothers' parody; but here it is, without a hint of (big) irony. It's kind of great but more of a curio than a real repeat listen.
2
Apr 10 2024
View Album
Rubber Soul
Beatles
3rd Beatles album that's come up for me quite recently, 3rd legend. Was my favourite of theirs when I was a kid; it's not my favourite now but it is still remarkable
4
Apr 11 2024
View Album
Berlin
Lou Reed
Absurdly bleak. I remember borrowing this from the library in my teens: not exactly Laden with mixtape bangers to impress a pal or woo a prospective girlfriend. I love it
4
Apr 12 2024
View Album
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
Exile is an odd one for me. I know plenty of people rate it as the Stones' best record and I can see how it garners classic status but I've never much enjoyed it as a whole. Maximum swampy bloozeness, not that fun to listen to.
3
Apr 13 2024
View Album
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Never heard most of this before. Pastoral Nuggets. Pretty nice. Some a bit too English and twee, some quite Kinks-esque, some really quite experimental and fresh sounding. Thumb up
3
Apr 14 2024
View Album
In Utero
Nirvana
Minor heresy: I've never really understood what the level of fuss around Nirvana was about.
I like the slower ones and the unplugged record which I guess that marks me as some sort of softie. Some of the harsher tracks I find quite formulaic, albeit with extra abrasive delivery and lyrical content.
Don't get me wrong, I can see that this is a good album from a strong band, it's just not one I'll voluntarily sit through for pleasure.
2
Apr 15 2024
View Album
Arular
M.I.A.
Pretty class
3
Apr 16 2024
View Album
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
What a band! What an energy! Awe inspiring
4
Apr 17 2024
View Album
C'est Chic
CHIC
Unbelievable. A tight, shiny masterpiece.
When session players make a chance and go Gonzo...
5
Apr 18 2024
View Album
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
Actively despise this arsehole and everything he represents. The horrible music is an irrelevance at this point. I listened to it but I didn't wanna. ☠️
People talk a lot about separating art from the artist, often to justify continued enjoyment of the things they like while becoming more aware of the personal failings of some creators. With this guy there's no need for that though, it's a singularity of degenerate, provocative crap and the sick scumbag hiding in plain sight who led its creation. No amount of slick production can mask that. It doesn't give me much pleasure to note that time has proved me right on this one.
1
Apr 19 2024
View Album
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
Very good
4
Apr 20 2024
View Album
1984
Van Halen
As rad as a pair of sick troop hightops paired with a dayglo-accent shellsuit. In other words then, not very. It was fun at the time but dated quickly, athough it certainly has its moments 😎
3
Apr 21 2024
View Album
Moss Side Story
Barry Adamson
I suppose one of the challenges with soundtracks, whether real or imagined, is that they often need their accompanying visuals to really land. I respect the concept and the skill here but ultimately didn't find it a very exciting listen.
2
Apr 22 2024
View Album
Follow The Leader
Korn
Godawful, damaged, whiney, shouty shite. Terrible cover, terrible record, massively overlong. And when they rap? Laughably bad. Not quite 1-star rotten but it was extremely close.
2
Apr 23 2024
View Album
Music From Big Pink
The Band
It's great. Not much more I can say really, a warm, rich sound.
4
Apr 24 2024
View Album
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
Loretta Lynn
Unexpectedly excellent. A plaintive Dear John letter which says, in a nutshell: Loretta is sick and tired of your nonsense, buddy.
4
Apr 25 2024
View Album
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
The aural equivalent of eating your greens; you know it's good for you but it can feel like hard work at times. Maybe I'll know when I'm a fully fledged grown up when this clicks into place and I choose to put it on without prompting. Definitely getting closer but still maybe a little way off 😆
3
Apr 26 2024
View Album
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan, eh? Bloody hell...
Even when he's being faintly ridiculous he's still amazing.
5
Apr 27 2024
View Album
1989
Taylor Swift
Didn't have too many preconceptions; I've heard a few radio hits of course but never listened to a full Taylor Swift album before. Blimey, it's actually really great! Good to know that the hype and exposure is backed up by serious talent.
4
Apr 28 2024
View Album
Mott
Mott The Hoople
Pretty good. No more, no less
3
Apr 29 2024
View Album
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Is it in danger of sounding a bit schmaltzy to modern ears? Maybe. Is it still extremely good? Yes. I'm probably under-rating it a bit here
3
Apr 30 2024
View Album
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Weird: I seem to remember this record including more hits. Still pretty darn good, mind you.
3
May 01 2024
View Album
Permission to Land
The Darkness
Kind of an interesting one. Must have started out as a pastiche pisstake (albeit from a place of affection and knowledge) then morphed into a legitimate and pretty strong album in its own right. Genuinely funny in places (a love ballad to an STD? I mean, come on) and actually winds up almost as good as the AC/DC or Maiden records it emulates.
3
May 02 2024
View Album
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
This surprised me a little. How have I never heard this before? Really pretty good. Deserves a revisit. Strangely high chance I won't bother
3
May 03 2024
View Album
Truth
Jeff Beck
I was feeling a little bit cynical towards this: more British white guys pretending they're saviours or perfectors of the blues? However, have to say it's excellent, by midway through I was well into it.
3
May 04 2024
View Album
Pretenders
Pretenders
Slightly better than expected
3
May 05 2024
View Album
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
Wait a minute...
I felt like there was something a bit fishy about today's link. Double checked and it turned out YT had pitched me a record from 2003, which I didn't enjoy much. But let's rewind and see how we get on with the intended debut from 1986... nope, couldn't really engage with that on a very meaningful level either. Weird, as my expectation was that I'd like it. Oh well. Can't win em all.
2
May 06 2024
View Album
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
"The body of Venus, with arms", haw haw, good one guys. 5/5 for the riffs but all told it's A Touch Too Much
3
May 07 2024
View Album
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Okay
3
May 08 2024
View Album
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
Nah, not really for me thanks
2
May 09 2024
View Album
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
New one on me. Rather liked it. Bit of a palate cleanser. Too long mind you
3
May 10 2024
View Album
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
A clever trick; sounds pretty avant garde while also being mainstream pop. Cars was literally number 1 in the chart the week I was born, and still sounds sharp today. Liked this record a lot
4
May 11 2024
View Album
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
Stunningly good. The musicianship is great and it weighs a tonne. Noice
4
May 12 2024
View Album
Out of Step
Minor Threat
This came as an absolutely perfect wake up call as I jumped on my bike at 6.05 this morning. Short, noisy, perfectly formed
4
May 13 2024
View Album
...And Justice For All
Metallica
Absolutely dreadful. No love whatsoever for these guys.
Saying that, I think I once had lunch in a Harvester of Sorrow🫠
2
May 14 2024
View Album
Arrival
ABBA
Hmmm, very much on the fence with this one. Abba are obviously brilliant at their best but I didn't much want to sit through many of the more formulaic, cabaret-style tunes. Maybe just me, for today it's a 3
3
May 15 2024
View Album
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Slightly nonplussed today. I do like them though I don't often listen again
3
May 16 2024
View Album
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
Nailed-on, certified classic. Probably my second-favourite massive attack record, and that's a crowded field
4
May 17 2024
View Album
Maxinquaye
Tricky
Woah, second day in a row for Bristolian trip hop royalty. This should probably be a 4 but its bleak, claustrophobic sprawl is actually not the easiest listen so, regretfully, it's getting a 3 today.
3
May 18 2024
View Album
Debut
Björk
Unbelievable record really, from a true one-off mega-talent. Sounds like it should be too weird to go mainstream but somehow it's crammed with hits. Sheer charisma.
4
May 19 2024
View Album
Boy In Da Corner
Dizzee Rascal
I remember hearing Diz absolutely destroy some mumble rappers on an American radio show a few years back: his flow was like some crazy future gear by comparison. I find this record a challenge to sit through as a whole though, works better in smaller doses imo.
3
May 20 2024
View Album
Boston
Boston
Reminiscent of the recent Darkness album which came up: this must have provided much of the template for that, albeit without any hint of irony or humour. Not much worse for that though; it's just an enjoyable listen and a pretty iconic, clean sound.
3
May 21 2024
View Album
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
Amazing. Definitely could be a 5 star record if it was 20 mins shorter. So cool and so inventive though.
4
May 22 2024
View Album
Closer
Joy Division
Well, I've battled through this a few times before. I want to like it because of what it represents, yet still I find it nigh unlistenable.
2
May 23 2024
View Album
Snivilisation
Orbital
Super record. Quality seconds indeed
4
May 24 2024
View Album
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
Amazing voice, great concert recording, classics from the songbook, tight band bashing it out. What's not to enjoy?
4
May 25 2024
View Album
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
Impossible not to like the rock n roll energy
3
May 26 2024
View Album
Blunderbuss
Jack White
Sounds good, competent, accomplished. Went in one ear and out the other.
3
May 27 2024
View Album
Sister
Sonic Youth
Could not be bothered with this today and quite frankly found the record a bit tiresome. I'll try again some other time but for now it's a poor score
2
May 28 2024
View Album
Imagine
John Lennon
Not much to say. Couple of all time great tracks
3
May 29 2024
View Album
Bummed
Happy Mondays
Want to like this more than I actually do in reality. Remixes routinely better than originals. Too long, too noodley. Joke title is the cleverest bit about it.
2
May 30 2024
View Album
Shadowland
k.d. lang
Not really sure what I was expecting, maybe a touch of postmodern snark or something. But this is quite a straightforward country crooner album. Ms Lang has a nice voice, the songs are quite plaintive and the arrangements are traditional-in-a-good-way. I rather liked it
3
May 31 2024
View Album
Vulnicura
Björk
Oh man. Tender, sad, elegiac. Very nice
3
Jun 01 2024
View Album
The Stranger
Billy Joel
It is cheesy but I rather enjoyed this while gazing wistfully from the window of a train heading north though the Highlands. Always kind of think of Billy Joel as a horrible wee guy but there's some good story-songs here.
3
Jun 02 2024
View Album
Guero
Beck
Very good. Not sure why I haven't listened to this in so long but it's nice to rediscover it now
4
Jun 03 2024
View Album
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Cee Lo Green
I liked it quite a lot
3
Jun 04 2024
View Album
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
It's wonderful. Not much more to say
4
Jun 05 2024
View Album
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Jason Spaceman is a low-key broken genius. These gospel nursery rhymes are built on simple foundations but contain great depth. Clue is in the name I suppose but these are yearning incantations. Beautiful, tightly composed, tinged with regret and sadness but also hope. A dope-sick hymn to the cosmos. Too long but so what, it's great.
4
Jun 06 2024
View Album
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Extraordinary. I'll be coming back to this one
4
Jun 07 2024
View Album
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
In the past I've had the feeling I'm missing part of the MBV jigsaw. Like, I know they're doing something clever and worthy but I just don't quite understand it. Re-listening to this now goes a long way towards making me reassess that. I'm hearing the melodies more. Enjoying it more. I'm 30-odd years late to the party but feel like maybe I've almost cracked their code.
3
Jun 08 2024
View Album
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
Thank you 1k generator. Another exceptional joint I've not had the pleasure of hearing before. Brilliant stuff.
4
Jun 09 2024
View Album
Eternally Yours
The Saints
This sounds great. Not sure I managed to give it the concentration it deserves today, so I'll be back for another listen
3
Jun 10 2024
View Album
#1 Record
Big Star
Oh yeah. First thought was 'big 5 stars'. The opening 4 or 5 tracks are flawless. If there's a pair of better wistful ballads than 'thirteen' and 'el goodo', I can't think of them. Absolutely wonderful stuff. Sadly it does go off the boil a bit but tremendous record still.
4
Jun 11 2024
View Album
Queen II
Queen
Bombastic and a bit silly, but quite entertaining
3
Jun 12 2024
View Album
Harvest
Neil Young
Staggering talent. I understand why his voice can be a bit divisive but for me, Neil Young is a mega, generational star. So much soul and pathos. Phenomenal songwriting.
5
Jun 13 2024
View Album
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
Feel like sometimes the Byrds' reputation outstrips their output. Some of this comes across like unused tape cuttings from a Beatles studio floor. A bit noodly and inconsequential. Suspect I'd hear more from this on repeat listens but I'm afraid for today, on first impression, it's a low score.
2
Jun 14 2024
View Album
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
Looking beyond its role in Half Man, Half Biscuit's very accurate skewering of a certain type of middle class Englishness, this is still a legitimately brilliant record. Master craftsmen and women doing what they do best.
4
Jun 15 2024
View Album
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Weirdly, I think of this as a Christmas album. It's really very good but also a bit worthy and twee. On the fence.
3
Jun 16 2024
View Album
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Fairly enjoyable. Interesting how stuff which was supposedly unfeasibly heavy at the time in retrospect seems quite tame.
3
Jun 17 2024
View Album
Night Life
Ray Price
Old timey drinking ballads. Pretty cool and a mellow listen but not really my thing in the long run. A decent curio
3
Jun 18 2024
View Album
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
Schlock rock. Decent
3
Jun 19 2024
View Album
Homework
Daft Punk
One of the best records of the 90s, in any genre. Yes it's a bit too long and could stand to lose 2 or 3 tracks - but as a whole it's a certified 100% banger
4
Jun 20 2024
View Album
Smile
Brian Wilson
I don't have the patience for this jolly hokum. Immaculate production of course; of a caterwauling cavalcade of sideshow tinged, swanee-whistle riddled, clippety-clop, honky-tonk nonsense.
2
Jun 21 2024
View Album
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Astonishing how much of this I can accurately remember despite not hearing it through for 20+ years. Never been a true Eminem fan but it's hard not to admire a lot of his wordplay.
Get rid of some skits, the badly-dated inflammatory nonsense, and the flabbier verses (along with some of the more rinky-dink musical backings) and there's probably an ultra-strong ten or twelve track record locked inside this one's boot and headed for the parapet.
3
Jun 22 2024
View Album
L.A. Woman
The Doors
Not bad. Couple of classic tracks, couple of spots that drag on a bit. A decent listen
3
Jun 23 2024
View Album
The Madcap Laughs
Syd Barrett
Interesting, though not to the extent that I need to explore to much further. I feel bad for this but in a crowded field it's a low score for me
2
Jun 24 2024
View Album
Face to Face
The Kinks
Basically bookmarking this to re-examine in future. Not familiar with the album at all (though have heard a handful of the tracks before) but it's got some excellent stuff.
4
Jun 25 2024
View Album
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
This sounded great. Need to come back to it another time
4
Jun 26 2024
View Album
Stankonia
OutKast
I find it hard to grade outkast. I don't consider them a true favourite but do think they're inherently great. Smart guys. Full gamut from pop smash hits like Ms Jackson, to stank-ass Southern trap music (and even a cameo from a young Killer Mike). There a lot to chew on. Even skits and off cuts are way shaper than average.
4
Jun 27 2024
View Album
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
I like this quite a lot. Sedate and soulful
4
Jun 28 2024
View Album
Bubble And Scrape
Sebadoh
Loved the start, went off it a bit
2
Jun 29 2024
View Album
Rio
Duran Duran
Pretty gutted for the most part, pretty forgettable in some.
3
Jun 30 2024
View Album
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
This was unexpected. Wild stuff. Nigh unlistenable to my ear but jeez, the manic energy. Advanced level freaky business. I see its merit, I just don't want to have to listen to it.
2
Jul 01 2024
View Album
There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
Thought I'd love this then I got a bit bored tbh
2
Jul 02 2024
View Album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Quite entertaining. I can see why it was a hit and has longevity. I do find it a bit odd the whole schtick but what the heck do I know
3
Jul 03 2024
View Album
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
Started out thinking it was frenetic and dated, ended thinking it was a cool, roll-neck-sweatered, Riviera boat-chase of a record.
3
Jul 04 2024
View Album
Manassas
Stephen Stills
Never heard this before. Pretty great 👍
3
Jul 05 2024
View Album
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
Messy and arresting art. I'm not sure 'enjoy' is quite the right word but I was invested and engaged
3
Jul 06 2024
View Album
Either Or
Elliott Smith
For the most part, I found it a touch monotonous. There, I said it 😥
2
Jul 07 2024
View Album
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
I love q-tip's vocal style though today I found the overall production a bit meh. Probably need a repeat listen or two to get into it
3
Jul 08 2024
View Album
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
Extraordinary. I sometimes find the production too clipped and bright but I guess you could argue that's also a big part of what makes it unique*. The opening three songs are particularly great. Form, lyrical content, performance; superb.
*Not to hate on it, I also feel that way about some other Fridmann productions, e.g. the Delgados and some Mercury Rev. Would love to hear a remastering of some of these records.
4
Jul 09 2024
View Album
Eliminator
ZZ Top
Horny swamp rock, with some peculiarly synthetic, chrome-plated sheen. Moderately diverting and a bit enigmatic. What are they hiding?
3
Jul 10 2024
View Album
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
Pub rock not punk rock. Pretty great
3
Jul 21 2024
View Album
Synchronicity
The Police
Gives me a whiff of that dreaded term 'adult contemporary' 😬 though it's still actually pretty rad in places 😌
2
Jul 22 2024
View Album
I Against I
Bad Brains
Rippers
3
Jul 23 2024
View Album
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
This was good. Second Elliott Smith record in quite short order and I preferred this one
3
Jul 24 2024
View Album
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
This was a stunning discovery. Never heard of before. Loved it. Touches of Calexico. Better. Moments of great beauty to revisit.
4
Jul 25 2024
View Album
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
Never quite a classic imo but does stand up well. Still like it, still sounds clean
3
Jul 26 2024
View Album
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
From the more accessible end of The Fall's catalogue, still with enough weirdness and dread to keep it interesting
3
Jul 27 2024
View Album
Urban Hymns
The Verve
It's tricky; I like quite a lot of it. Maybe somewhere in here lurks a 38-minute, tight, 4-star album. But I find it a bit too narco nod-off in places, sludgy, or like a low(er)brow Spiritualized.
3
Jul 28 2024
View Album
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
I've never really felt drawn towards getting into Jane's Addiction but I enjoyed this a lot today. Very solid record.
3
Jul 29 2024
View Album
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
Bit more tuneful than I anticipated. Exhausting though
2
Jul 30 2024
View Album
In Rainbows
Radiohead
It's great. Not quite as avant-garde as some would have you believe. Rich and intriguing.
4
Jul 31 2024
View Album
Teen Dream
Beach House
Strong start, tending mid
3
Aug 01 2024
View Album
Marquee Moon
Television
Simply magnificent. It's lean, it's smart, the playing is superb.
5
Aug 02 2024
View Album
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
Really inventive, really good
4
Aug 03 2024
View Album
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
What is this? Sort of prog pop? A wee bit camp. A wee bit funky. More than a hint of Joel/John piano-man. A dash of Pink Floyd. Quite enjoyable really.
3
Aug 04 2024
View Album
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
I almost forgot to get to this today.
It's pretty good. Smart lyrics, tight production. Starts very strong, declines
3
Aug 05 2024
View Album
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
Insufferably pleasant, swingless jazz-lite. Boring, soulless, nepo-baby shoppingmall musak.
Maybe this will stir you if you want to feel like you're hanging out in a Starbucks on your own, in 2003.
2
Aug 06 2024
View Album
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
So beautiful it almost becomes cliché.
Soundtrack to 1,001 soaring-vista'd HD nature documentaries 🫠
3
Aug 07 2024
View Album
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
I'll level with you, this possibly deserves a better mark but I listened while commuting and I'm not sure I gave it the level of attention it deserves. Sounds good, missed some nuance
3
Aug 08 2024
View Album
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
Legitimately pretty good fun
3
Aug 09 2024
View Album
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
Quality silliness with some old skool bangers
3
Aug 10 2024
View Album
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Ambivalent. More murky muddy than I remember, overlong; vs. actual genius at work, heavy blue jazz.
3
Aug 11 2024
View Album
A Northern Soul
The Verve
I know it's not meant to be '1,001 BEST albums...' but still, not sure how this makes it onto the list. Nor can I understand how The Verve were so popular at the time, particularly with their indie-lads fanbase. Ponderous music under some very maudlin songs. I mean, it is pretty good but you know...
Overdose dirges atop the pop chart? Different times 🙃
3
Aug 12 2024
View Album
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
Strange one: I don't really like much of it. But I can appreciate its edge. Very brave subject matter for its time. And 3 or 4 classic tracks on there.
3
Aug 13 2024
View Album
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
The hits are pretty epic to be sure. The rest, I find rather forgettable.
3
Aug 14 2024
View Album
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
Frequently wonderful though not necessarily the sort of thing I'll naturally reach for. +3 indeed
3
Aug 15 2024
View Album
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
Not as bad as I feared it might be. Not my vibe but I suppose I can see how it's popular. Rock/hip-hop crossovers can and should be more exciting than this though.
2
Aug 16 2024
View Album
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
Hadn't drawn a parallel in my mind before, between Annie Lennox and Grace Jones. Giving similar synth-funk ice-queen vibes.
The production on this is just so sharp and shiny. It's good. I still probably won't want listen to it again but it is good.
3
Aug 17 2024
View Album
Back In Black
AC/DC
Stupidly, hilariously bombastic. Formulaic, but man, what a formula. Excellent
4
Aug 18 2024
View Album
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
Righteous, focused anger and right-on social commentary. Smart, direct lyricism. Dope beats. Strong recommend.
Absolutely all the subject matter is still highly relevant 32+ years later 🤯
Franti is basically a sage and we collectively have learned almost nothing.
4
Aug 19 2024
View Album
Yeezus
Kanye West
Abrasive.
I didn't get into this so much at the time. I rated '...Dark Twisted Fantasy' much more as a record but, with hindsight, this is also close to bringing the Ye-game.
The sense I get from Kanye is that despite always acting hard, he's essentially a soft lad, full of yearning. Aside from his well publicised foibles and troubles, it makes him an oddly compelling character. The musical landscape always feels more interesting when he's releasing his better material.
4
Aug 20 2024
View Album
Hotel California
Eagles
Competent schmalz-rock balladeering. Goes in one ear and out the other, signifying very little that I can discern.
2
Aug 21 2024
View Album
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
Don't think I'd ever heard of this guy, or this record. Good; I'm up for obscure discoveries (or unknown to me at any rate). This is a bright, jangly, enjoyable country rock romp.
3
Aug 22 2024
View Album
Rocks
Aerosmith
Swaggering
3
Aug 23 2024
View Album
Live!
Fela Kuti
Right on, man. Right on.
3
Aug 24 2024
View Album
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Darn good set
4
Aug 25 2024
View Album
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
Nice to see this on the list, if a touch surprising: in my mind it's maybe SFA's 4th or 5th best record. And I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment; more a testament to the strength of the Furries' catalogue.
Some surf-pop vibes. Some soaring ballads. A bit of a melancholy vein throughout. Still very inventive, still really good.
4
Aug 26 2024
View Album
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Certified banger 👍
4
Aug 27 2024
View Album
My Generation
The Who
It's fairly good
3
Aug 28 2024
View Album
Atomizer
Big Black
To be honest, the Village Voice review quoted on the Wiki link summarises this better than I could: "...its creators deserve credit for finding each other and making their obsession real". And R.I.P. Steve Albini.
3
Aug 29 2024
View Album
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Man alive. What a singer. What a gig.
4
Aug 30 2024
View Album
Konnichiwa
Skepta
Decent grimey heaters. Liked it
3
Aug 31 2024
View Album
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
None more 80s-sounding. I reckon I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I enjoy the hits but found much of the rest a bit po-faced.
3
Sep 01 2024
View Album
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Couldn't really be bothered digging this one out. I mean, it's decent, coherent as a record, and pretty easy to see why it was a big hit. Just a bit too needily provocative. Production on a lot of the tracks is a bit hokey. It's too long. The skits are wack. The smelly spectre of Dre and Iovine is all over it. Lots of the subject matter has aged badly (though tbf, I think we can give MM the benefit of the doubt most of the time). Just can't get right behind it. Begrudging respect and no more than that.
2
Sep 02 2024
View Album
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
I find something slightly over-produced about this. It's alright. Couple of good tracks. I'm feeling stingy with the score today
2
Sep 03 2024
View Album
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Seems to me largely aimless noodling, even if there is talent, a nice voice, and the odd snippet of excellence. Hard to gauge
2
Sep 04 2024
View Album
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
Wasn't sure I was going to like this much but it was diverting enough. Birthday obviously excellent. Plenty more interesting tracks to explore as well. Needs a revisit.
3
Sep 10 2024
View Album
Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
Breezy DnB rollers. If that's your jam there's a lot to love. Suspect a lot of listeners might get a bit bored?
Stop press: I'm starting to think I may be listening to the wrong version of the record here. Difficult to tell; confusion reigns 😬. I'm not listening to the whole 2+ hours if I can't be sure.
3
Sep 11 2024
View Album
Technique
New Order
Kind of more hi-nrg than I remember. Really good though, can still see its influence decades later.
Some naive melodies and dated programming, but it sounds distinctive and it works.
4
Sep 12 2024
View Album
The Visitors
ABBA
Found it pedestrian.
2
Sep 13 2024
View Album
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
Very silly, pretty great.
3
Sep 14 2024
View Album
Moon Safari
Air
Sappy-yet-catchy, pure essence of wafty 2000s french synth pop wussiness. Quite decent for all that.
4
Sep 15 2024
View Album
Take Me Apart
Kelela
Part of the challenge with best-of lists is that they tend to be dominated by a certain type of older/male-er/whiter listener/collector/wannabe-curator. So I am absolutely here for hearing more new stuff from young woman artists/producers.
Whether I actually like this or not isn't that relevant. I thought it was alright; quite sexy, although modern RnB is probably never gonna be my jam in a big way. I enjoyed discovering this record.
3
Sep 16 2024
View Album
Black Monk Time
The Monks
Wilfully obtuse freak-zone garagey art rock from way back. Probably groundbreaking in its time.
I found it intriguing if a bit of a tough listen, though I was glad to give it a spin.
3
Sep 17 2024
View Album
Parachutes
Coldplay
In an alternate universe, Chris Martin was rightly clocked as a sort of crap Nick Drake, the band played the indie circuit for a couple of years, and wrapped up before they were 30 so they could all go off to work in the city.
I remember thinking 'yellow' was a stunner at the time. Not much going on beyond that. Passive-aggressively pleasant. How they now routinely pack the biggest stadiums is a total enigma to me. Album is ok in itself, albeit no indication of greatness.
3
Sep 18 2024
View Album
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Tiring
2
Sep 19 2024
View Album
The Cars
The Cars
Solid power pop. Good fun listen
4
Sep 20 2024
View Album
Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
Along with Rocket from the Crypt, these guys were part of a sort of naughties noisy, garage-punky, rockabilly renaissance. Fun, taut album with barely an ounce of fat and loads of energy.
4
Sep 21 2024
View Album
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Don't consider myself a disco fan but this absolutely rips. The chic sound is tight as ever, the musicianship on vocals is equally superb.
4
Sep 22 2024
View Album
Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
I enjoyed this a lot. Accomplished
4
Sep 23 2024
View Album
Chris
Christine and the Queens
It's about twice as long as an album should be, imo. But it's still pretty bloody good.
And then I discover it's bilingual twin versions of the same record. All is forgiven 🙏😅
4
Sep 24 2024
View Album
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Green onions? Hammond cheese sandwich, more like 🙄
Real tasty as a quick snack; tiresome and bland as a multi course meal.
2
Sep 25 2024
View Album
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
It could almost come off as a bit too wilfully hip but it deftly skirts that. Genuinely engaging.
Some dubby parallels with the likes of Sabres of Paradise.
I think it feels authentically true to its cultural source material, while modernising that in a credible way.
It's a nuanced and well executed production. Definitely not 'stick a house beat under some samples and collect the advertising money'. Still sounds fresh 23 years later.
4
Sep 26 2024
View Album
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
For a 5-track (long-ass tracks) prog rock jazz odyssey this is surprisingly accessible. It's actually a gas.
4
Sep 27 2024
View Album
The Grand Tour
George Jones
I used to have quite a bigoted assumed dislike for country. I'm over that. This record is great. Old fashioned, tear-jerking country ballads.
3
Sep 28 2024
View Album
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
Superb. I wasn't sure it was on a par with the Folsom album at first, though by the end I was absolutely vibing.
4
Sep 29 2024
View Album
American Idiot
Green Day
Loved Dookie at the time but I've never actually sat all the way through American Idiot before. It's alright.
3
Sep 30 2024
View Album
A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
Horrible operetta prog pop. Respect the will to create, dislike the creation.
2
Oct 01 2024
View Album
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
Astonishing playing but a bit indulgent for my tastes. Fretboard wankery extraordinaire.
2
Oct 02 2024
View Album
John Prine
John Prine
This is pretty amazing. Elegiac, working-class, junk country or something. Cutting lyrics, humane politics. Resonated with me today. Excellent.
"There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes" I mean, bloody hell.
4
Oct 03 2024
View Album
Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
Never even heard of this before. Quite a fun hippy wigout. Bits of Doors-esqe organ.
3
Oct 04 2024
View Album
Street Signs
Ozomatli
Ozomatli are great. Sadly, this is one of those albums that doesn't come up properly on my streaming provider and while I feel fairly confident it's probably a 4 star record I'll have to give it a 3 as I'm not getting the full picture.
3
Oct 05 2024
View Album
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
Stunning voice, heartfelt songs. Really can't fault it.
4
Oct 06 2024
View Album
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
I don't normally tend to check others' reviews while I've literally got the album on but I just had a peek at some for this. Alternately scathing, hilarious, and in some cases richly insightful. A bit like the man himself.
There's a full spectrum of responses from active dislike, through simply not getting into it, right up to hero worship. Put me somewhere in the middle. I find the music and production here quite unedifying for a lot of the time, though the sarky, sardonic, poetic lyrics always hold plenty interest. 2.5, tending to 3
3
Oct 07 2024
View Album
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
Another one with the curse of the streaming-services-special-edition-re-release. How long was the original record? Can't we just listen to that? An hour and 3/4 of anything is liable to get boring.
That said, sounds like there's some decent tracks on here. It doesn't quite float my folk boat like some bands can. And it's a bit parochial seen through a rock lens. But it's likeable enough. Coward's score from me: a 3.
3
Oct 08 2024
View Album
Station To Station
David Bowie
One of my less favoured Bowie records though to be fair, after the first track it picks up a lot.
3
Oct 09 2024
View Album
Vespertine
Björk
I like some Björk but jeez, I simply didn't get on with this at all.
2
Oct 10 2024
View Album
On The Beach
Neil Young
Neil really is the main man. Long after his 'Decade' golden era, he was/is still regularly churning out work of incredible quality. I feel like this album was quite overlooked at the time, though in retrospect it's a cracker.
4
Oct 11 2024
View Album
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
Suppose the clue was in the band name: way less heavy than I anticipated. Other than the eponymous title track (which largely kicks ass but is preposterously long) I didn't much care for it. Too noodley.
2
Oct 12 2024
View Album
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
Man alive, feel the influence. While Johnny Lydon and chums were still flicking bogeys at each other up the back of the class, these white German cycling nerds were in the lab laying down the blueprint for some all-time-great hip hop, house and techno samples. Even if those eventual end-points are often more fun to listen to than an entire album of cool-blooded Teutonic metronomy, this is astonishing gear. I for one welcome our peculiar, analogue-techno overlords.
4
Oct 13 2024
View Album
Protection
Massive Attack
For me, Massive Attack's best album. Exquisite.
The choice collaborators. The mirrored, twin-sided format. The mood, the flow. The instrumentation. Analogue dub heart with digital flourishes. Not a bad track on here. Brilliant.
5
Oct 14 2024
View Album
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
There are brilliant moments on here but man, it's just too flipping long. Daunting.
3
Oct 15 2024
View Album
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
They may be most known for the 100-mile-an-hour, music-for-pirates hoedowns. But it's the slow airs that get me. Greatness is here if you care to look for it.
4
Oct 16 2024
View Album
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
Must admit, although I like the Chemical Brothers a lot, they're normally an act I listen to in fairly short snatches. There's only so many epic-buildup breakbeat slammers a man can take... but this record does reward a full listen through. It ebbs and flows nicely and sort of captures the dynamism of a live set. Strong.
4
Oct 17 2024
View Album
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Bleak and dirty literary hymns. I'm genuinely ambivalent towards this.
3
Oct 18 2024
View Album
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
When this popped up today I couldn't really be bothered to listen but I persevered and it was decent. Fun (and often quite funny) camp disco pop.
3
Oct 19 2024
View Album
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Wearing. Man, I want to like these guys, and I frequently do, in small doses. The guitar and drum sound are phenomenal by any measure. But I just can't abide Robert Plant's caterwauling vocals for more than about ten minutes at a time. I thought this was going to earn a high score but by the end I was relieved it was over.
2
Oct 20 2024
View Album
Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes
2
Oct 21 2024
View Album
A Little Deeper
Ms. Dynamite
Some of it's pretty great, coming on like an English Lauryn Hill. Some of it feels a bit dated now.
3
Oct 22 2024
View Album
Moving Pictures
Rush
Prog but with every ounce of fat trimmed. Master craftsmen.
4
Oct 23 2024
View Album
Paris 1919
John Cale
Glorious rococo pop. Earnest rather than than twee. I find it beguiling.
4
Oct 24 2024
View Album
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
New to me. Enjoyed it. Well worth a revisit.
3
Oct 25 2024
View Album
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Ronseal album: sounds like it says on the cover. And that's no bad thing.
4
Oct 26 2024
View Album
The Joshua Tree
U2
The frontiest of front-loads. Starts in euphoria then falls off like a mf. Still remarkably solid for all that.
4
Oct 27 2024
View Album
Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
Good record but I'm feeling harsh.
3
Oct 28 2024
View Album
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
Hmmm, one of those ones. I feel there's a really strong 10 or 11 track album lurking within but, for me right now, the overall affect comes off a wee bit MoR and sprawling. Of course, being as smart as they are, this in itself might be a deliberate allegory for suburbanism. Who knows. On another day it probably gets a 4 from me but today it's landing a bit flat
3
Oct 29 2024
View Album
OK Computer
Radiohead
Masterful but - unlike most people my age it seems - to my mind not Radiohead's masterpiece. It's great, I just don't want to listen to it very often as it's too depressing.
4
Oct 30 2024
View Album
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
Some tremendous stuff on here. Warmly humane boom bap.
4
Oct 31 2024
View Album
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
Although it's good it won't compel me to come back often.
3
Nov 01 2024
View Album
The Specials
The Specials
Pretty much unimpeachable excellence.
4
Nov 02 2024
View Album
Violator
Depeche Mode
This is strong
4
Nov 03 2024
View Album
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Pretty much the apex predator of 70s singer-songwriter funk-tinted soul. Rooted in its time and also somehow completely transcendent.
4
Nov 04 2024
View Album
Ramones
Ramones
Almost goes without saying that this is absolutely tremendous. An awesome wave of daftness. Churlish to give it a 4 really but compared to some true 5s, it is mono-paced (which I know is also kind of the point, but still...)
4
Nov 05 2024
View Album
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
In which a metamorphosis occurs, seemingly almost in real-time. Young players become mature artists. Hokey pop takes a psychedelic turn. The end of the 60s is foreshadowed, even while that decade is barely starting to peak (a peak both created and destroyed by this record as much as anything). The band cements its status as giga-stars while at the same time renouncing the accompanying circus. All while playing the meta game of literally creating the circus.
I feel slightly mad not giving this a 5 but I reckon that even though on cultural impact, this is a 5 all day, there are better albums, and even some better records by the Beatles. It's hard to listen afresh, as it is a pillar of my early childhood. It's phenomenal, it's just that I no longer feel a drive to listen to it very often.
4
Nov 06 2024
View Album
Nowhere
Ride
Not feeling it today. Finding it monotonous.
2
Nov 07 2024
View Album
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
Lovely stuff. Coming at this expecting White Light, White Heat stompers will yield disappointment but there's loads of introspective niceness here.
4
Nov 08 2024
View Album
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
Woah, second Bunnymen record in the space of 2 weeks. What are the chances?
This is a very strong record
4
Nov 09 2024
View Album
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
This was enjoyable and seemed to be a shoo-in for a 4 but in truth I felt like its momentum dropped off pretty hard after A Forest.
3
Nov 10 2024
View Album
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
I'm not saying the guy is untalented, but I don't like this album and find most of the songwriting childish and wack.
2
Nov 11 2024
View Album
Like A Prayer
Madonna
When the title track kicked in, I was thinking steady on here, we might be looking at a 5 star record. Sadly, the rest of the album can't quite live up to that but it does have several great singles. Also evoked fond memories of being 9 years old and hearing this music via my friend's big sister.
4
Nov 12 2024
View Album
The Clash
The Clash
Still sounds genuinely exciting. Garageland is a self-aware statement of intent and this is the closest The Clash came to a straightforward pub-rock album, but there are still signs of greater ambition throughout. Tight harmonies, tighter rhythms, and the first shoots of the reggae influence that made them extra special. It's probably the purest expression of the punk energy the band had and might be their best record in that sense. It lacks the sprawling ambition of later efforts but who says that's a bad thing?
14 songs, 35 minutes, barely a couple of duffers on there. It's like an early Beatles album or something: pure pop sensibility but cranked up to 11 with frustration and boredom. And it's hard to think of a stronger opening to many records than the 4 song run from Janie Jones to White Riot. Brilliant
5
Nov 13 2024
View Album
Tank Battles
Dagmar Krause
The Sorrow and the Ditty*
With respect, this is genuinely, crazily, bleak.
Thanks to whoever uploaded the source material. It's not a suite of music I'm likely to seek out again, but I am glad to have made the effort to listen through it all. It's quite impressive in its scope.
*Review headline if I were a sarcastic Melody Maker sub-editor (which, tbf, might have been a dream job)
3
Nov 14 2024
View Album
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
Something quite Californian about the sound of this, even though it's meant to be an English riff on delta blues. It's excellent in places, though way too long. Everyone knows Layla of course, but I'd not heard the album in full before.
Always that slight lingering thought in the back of my mind as well, that although we can all admire Clapton's virtuoso playing, he is still an absolute knobhead.
3
Nov 15 2024
View Album
Nevermind
Nirvana
Not so much a tower of song as a monolith of pure sonic regret.
4
Nov 16 2024
View Album
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Spine tingling opener, bum fiddling closer.
4
Nov 17 2024
View Album
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
Amazing guy. Some top joints on here.
4
Nov 18 2024
View Album
Viva Hate
Morrissey
Hmmm, could be tricky. I think 'Every Day Is Like Sunday' is a genuinely classic track. I used to think 'Suedehead' was one as well. However, although it's certainly a catchy tune, I have an awful feeling that, knowing what we know now, it can be re-read as racist. Troublesome at best. The rest of the album feels inconsequential by comparison. Morrissey himself has now repeatedly shown himself to be so unlikeable that it's hard not to view his work a lot more harshly.
2
Nov 19 2024
View Album
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Atmospheric and generally pretty excellent
4
Nov 20 2024
View Album
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
An astonishingly lovely set of songs ☺️
Some of the worst cover art 🥲
4
Nov 21 2024
View Album
Virgin Suicides
Air
Young Dry Keiths. As bland as can be, imo.
2
Nov 22 2024
View Album
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays' cultural profile and influence is way bigger and more powerful than their actual back catalogue. A handful of stomping great singles. Quite a lot of dreck. Still an interesting listen.
3
Nov 23 2024
View Album
Beautiful Freak
Eels
Super record.
4
Nov 24 2024
View Album
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Beautiful voice and I was glad to listen to this. Unlikely to track it down again I suppose but a nice discovery.
3
Nov 25 2024
View Album
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
Til the cops come knocking eh? Dodgy.
Slickly produced and all but this vibe is not for me.
2
Nov 26 2024
View Album
All Directions
The Temptations
Interesting one. Some stone classics, couple of superb cover versions, couple of relatively throwaway tracks. A rich listen.
4
Nov 27 2024
View Album
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
Must admit I couldn't get through this in a single session today. It's interesting and fairly challenging. Some proto-krautrock/math-rock mullarkey going on. Did I like it? Sometimes. Am I a big time convert? Not really.
3
Nov 28 2024
View Album
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
First time listen.
Big production, quite high concept. Bit better than expected.
Faint praise.
3
Nov 29 2024
View Album
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
Angle-grinder abrasive beats. Historically and socially conscious lyrical context. Boom 🧨
4
Nov 30 2024
View Album
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
Surprised but pleased to find this on the list. Not heard it for years. Awesome, distinctive sound. Maybe a bit less varied in scope than some of their later albums.
3
Dec 01 2024
View Album
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
Astonishing really. Sick bed of Cuchulainn is a winning statement of intent and extremely on-the-nose reflection of Shane's own struggles. Folk punk tales featuring a knackered and broken cast of rentboys, boozers, squaddies and navvies. And maybe that's just the band. Squalid and vibrant, thrilling and tragic.
4
Dec 02 2024
View Album
Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
Not a fan. Over produced, over-loud and r-r-repetitive. Golden skans is alright, and the idea of indie-rock/dance crossover they're going for sounds appealing in theory but I'm not sure this is it. Second-best track is a cover version that's not as good as the original. Landfill indie. Sorry.
2
Dec 03 2024
View Album
Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
A relic from a time when Creation Records stood for something. Boo Radleys hit a rich vein of form starting with this record. Sunshine melodies crossed with shoegaze distortion, and plenty of studio experimentalism. I hear some parallels with labelmates like Super Furry Animals, Teenage Fanclub, Ride. Ultimately though, it runs a bit too long and the high spots (Wish I Was Skinny, Lazarus) are spread just a wee bit thin.
3
Dec 04 2024
View Album
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
Incredible voice.
3
Dec 05 2024
View Album
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
Hard to contextualise this awful greatness. I suppose that is the real root of awe but that doesn't mean we'll all enjoy the listen.
Like a brutalist building of sound. Sharp, repetitive forms. A sublime harshness. Scoring it seems even more pointless than usual; simultaneously a 5 and a 1.
3
Dec 06 2024
View Album
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
Ooft. Had to break this down into separate segments as it got too annoying for me to listen to more than about half an hour at a time. An act of pointless endurance. A technically decent singer, I just don't like the vibe or the songs.
2