Chris and Tina from Talking Heads deliver some serious hits on the front and back ends of this album, taking the funkier elements from their sister band and ramping up the disco. It's a series of focused persistent grooves with surprising, sometimes funny and abstract vocals. It's nice to get a sense of the rest of the band’s personality without David Byrne who would otherwise take centre stage. The quality of Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, On On On On… and Booming and Zooming seriously outweigh the rest of the album, which is otherwise a more patient affair.

It’s hard to imagine a label making the money available for a project like this today. Sending someone around the world to find talent for an international audience. The idea for this recording came about by chance when Ry Cooder’s planned Mali-Cuban collaboration LP fell through due to visa issues on the Mali end. It’s a story that you could base a movie on (in fact Wim Wenders did!) A large group of Cuban musicians, some celebrated locally in their time, shot into international stardom thanks to this unexpected mainstream success. You can split the album into two halves, both of which rely on the incredible musicianship which provides the record’s beating heart. The first half of the record is lively music to be listened to with large groups - there is a jubilant, celebratory vibe. The second half is a more intimate, romantic experience which you could get lost in, forgetting the rest of the world exists.

Tracks 1-4: The songs at the start of this album are kind of great and kind of terrible - they make me feel like my brain is broken. It’s as if Moby has 75% of the ingredients needed to be an amazing artist but just has something missing. Something is slightly off. Tracks 5-7: There's suddenly a nauseating variety of genres introduced. Like you're eating ice cream and gravy. The closest artist I can think of is The Flight of the Conchords. He's trying out loads of different styles. But with no jokes. And the songs are suddenly just bad, but like, in a skillful way. Track 8: Back on more even ground here. You’re starting to understand the formula of Moby’s better songs. He finds an amazing, niche sample, then puts some pretty impressive production over the top of it that almost matches, but doesn’t actually match. Track 9: Moby as an Acid House hellscape New Order. He wants to show us how talented he is and how many genres he can master. He is a musical genius. A musical tyrant. Tracks 10-13: We’ve reached the filler tracks baby! And you know what? It’s respite from all that damn flavour. Moby sedated and running out of ideas is my favourite kind of Moby. Quick - catch him while he's tired. Don’t let him loose! Track 14: Who gave Moby an acoustic guitar?! Now I’m having to contemplate the sentence “epic downtempo folk rock music.” This is unnatural and wrong. Tracks 15-16: Woah. Ambient Moby is really lovely. I feel like I’m in the hypnotist’s chair. “Your eyes feel heavy. You are feeling sleeeepy. The last hour of music has been the flawless product of a musical mastermind.” Track 17: Okay. We’ve reached the tipping point and I’m finally prepared to say it: these songs are pretentious. Moby needs to stay as far away from that mic as possible. He is talking quietly and has the mic’s gain turned up to max. It’s an ASMR nightmare. I can hear the saliva in his mouth. Horrible wet mouth sounds. Why would he want me to hear that? He has intentionally chosen for me to hear that. Track 18: Nothingness. Empty nothingness. There was life before Moby. There is life after Moby.

Thin Lizzy are a tremendous amount of fun and bring tonnes of energy in this live setting. Even as a curmudgeonly hard rock hater who is turned off my needless displays of virtuoso guitar playing was completely swept up in it all. The thing that does it is the knock out singles. You can’t deny ‘Jailbreak’ or the iconic “The Boys are Back in Town.’ It lifts the spirits.

It’s an extremely relaxed, funky record. Lots of zany keys and soulful ballads. It’s that dreaded thing though where, for me, it fades into the background and becomes just a nice “vibe.” It's definitely adding something to my day, but I won’t be rushing back for repeat listens.

After a brilliant, and sadly underappreciated comeback album in The Next Day, David Bowie clearly felt he needed to deliver something more ambitious for what he understood would be his final album. The Next Day has a comparatively packed tracklist - 14 songs to Blackstar’s 7. What Blackstar loses in length it gains in the scope and scale of the songs themselves. This is not a straightforward pop album. The title track is a multi-layered odyssey. I remember a friend of mine describing it as “weird” and not being sure about it when it was first released. Months later after Bowie's death they hailed it as “genius” and “very clever.” Well, I agree with their revised opinion. How the hell do you have a song like Blackstar in the tank while nearing end of life care? He had more energy and creativity at 69 than nearly anyone has in their prime of life. For the bulk of this album (Lazarus, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Anything Away), after a career of writing from the perspective of different characters and rarely autobiographically, Bowie talks from the first person, as someone who is either dead or dying. Given that no-one knew about his diagnosis for the first 2 days of this LP’s release, he essentially chose to present himself to the audience as one of his characters. It's a powerful and very considered choice. He sounds mournful, nostalgic and appreciative. More than that, each of these songs are beautifully melodic with a striking central performance. The jazz musicians working around Bowie enhance every move he makes. Girl Loves Me stands out, not just as part of Blackstar, but across Bowie’s entire discography. It has an edgy, jumpy quality to it. Flirtatious and scary. He is almost rapping nonsense rhymes, which makes for a nice antidote to a lot of the more reflective and sombre songs elsewhere. There are two tracks which, for me, pull Blackstar back from being a masterpiece. Sue and ‘Tis a Pity are a rerecorded single and b-side from two years prior, both in my mind feel like a significant step down from the album as a whole. But forget that and think about this. He lived to see rave reviews from critics. He will have predicted the compound public interest ultimately generated by his death. He knew that, unlike The Next Day, this album was one of his biggest hits.

Dark Side of the Moon treats its audience with respect. It trusts that people are patient and are willing to wait for good things. Structure is everything to this record, imagine if they’d tried the CD era trick of kicking the album off with this LP’s big single ‘Money’? The track listing is intelligent and rewards people for listening to it as a whole. Pink Floyd are not experimental in the sense that bands like Throbbing Gristle or Suicide are experimental, but they manage to take some relatively awkward ideas and make them palatable for a very broad audience. It is this element that makes Dark Side of the Moon one of the most exceptional albums of all time. The ability to make something pretty surprising translate it in a way that any human being could appreciate. The triumphant wall of sound moments pressed up against the modest, gentle moments are perfection. The general mix and tone of every element of this album is unbeatable. The tension between the relatable down to Earth vocals and the cinematic out of this world instrumentation is phenomenal. Basically, this is a great album.

I struggle to summon a huge about of energy for ZZ Top, either positive or negative. Its bluesy, southern rock which is a genre mismatch for me, though I do find it perfectly listenable.

Part jazz, part psychedelic rock, one hundred percent freewheeling and experimental. Facelift takes a little while to get going, initially lost in its own whirs but it settles into some genuinely compelling jazz which is somehow both uplifting and disturbing. Slightly All the Time has a more straightforward appeal. This is the song you could pluck out and show a friend, with a slow, stately build throughout the 18 minutes Moon in June brings in elements of English folk singing, or at least charming vocal wandering, courtesy of Robert Wyatt. It’s a less jazz-y more Hammond organ-y affair but no less densely textured. Out-Bloody-Ragious moves the band back to base a bit but messes with the production and gets into some nice saxophone loops. Overall there are moments that I absolutely love, and others which I’m less sure about. It’s a phenomenon though. A must listen.

Overall I find this to be a mixed record because of the inconsistent writing, tone and occasional dodgy politics. I'm sure I'm the one millionth person to point out that the Jamaican accented Coconut stands out like a sore thumb on the track list. Its hard to put myself in a mindset where I'd see this as a carefree bit of fun, even though I know this is how its intended. Comedy music is hard isn't it? Especially if you want something to never date. I'm a big LCD Soundsystem fan so first heard Jump Into The Fire via their rather straightforward cover. I'm not sure I love either version but its got a good energy to it. Listened to in a vacuum, Without You is a gorgeous number. I like the heightened emotions it delivers. But in the context of this "funny album" it sounds like a self conscious offering. Half a melodramatic joke, half a painful admission of heartbreak. Its would like to be taken seriously but failing that will accept a laugh.

Its a genius idea to create a concept album reflecting on life in the suburbs. I've always been drawn to music which explores the mundane reality of people's lives. I find "exceptional circumstances" are explored far more in art than the actual life that most people are living. I prefer the vinyl tracklisting with Suburban War moved to the backend and the infinite loop after We Used To Wait. The record splits itself neatly into 4 EPs which all have their own energy and flavour, progressively getting less urgent and more introspective.

Its wonderful how Tracy Chapman can turn her political anger into something so uplifting. Its a small shame that Fast Car, the most repeatable of all the songs here is the only one that lacks a political bent. Despite being emotional, her music is an unambiguously positive force. The front end has the hits and they still feel as fresh as ever. The latter half is less of a rush, but eminently listenable.

David Berman's vocals are absolutely gorgeous. This with combined with loose, extremely slow paced approach to country, makes for an enjoyably melancholy listen. I am a lover of sugary treats, so I must admit that the pop factor Berman later brings to Purple Mountains is more my speed, but I certainly have no regrets spinning this for half an hour.

A wide eyed, whimsical hour of uplifting instrumental twists and turns that take you on several fully fledged journeys. When it hits, it really hits. When it doesn’t, it’s still musically interesting.

This is an interesting album but I’m not sure it lives up to the hype. Perhaps others love the fact he sounds vulnerable and tired, mournful even at points. He is certainly eschewing his trademark pop sensibilities which gives this an interesting direction, but out of all the Bowie records, this is not one of the more memorable.

I thought I was partial to a soppy love song with comedic twist, I’ve certainly tried to write some myself, but I didn’t enjoy this album. The closest I got was the excellent If… which is the only one which nailed the balance between romance and comedy, with enough focus on the latter to sufficiently undercut and take the curse off of the former. Overall though just too many songs in a row about the same thing that aren’t that funny or entertaining.

I’d say this is The Beach Boys in their platonic form. It doesn’t quite have the differentiating factors that make Pet Sounds or Surfs Up so special but there is the inspirational songwriting and performances that you would expect. I particularly liked Do You Wanna Dance? which would uplift the spirits of even the most embittered troll. The album gets progressively less evocative as it goes on, especially the lyrics. For example, I'm So Young mourns how the protagonist is too young to get married, they wish they could get married, etc.

The charms of the mock provincial schtick on the opening song is lost on me. If it was just this song I’d probs be able to get on board but to a lesser extent this jokey twee charm threads through the whole album and is an annoying vibe for me. I like The Kinks in other contexts but I’m not a fan of this one.

I prefer Want Two quite a bit to Want One. Rufus is more enjoyable in this darker mode, especially when it's just him at the piano and he dials back the pomp and humour. The Thom Yorke comparisons (sorry) continue to be inevitable because he does just sound so similar, especially the major to minor transitions, but in its own way this is an enhancer. The weakest moments for me are when his trying to make the audience laugh.

Howdy partner. I unfortunately did not have a rootin’ tootin’ time listening to this record. It was a real patience tester for me. Buck Owens’ music is so saccharine that it makes Johnny Cash sound like a thug by comparison. Its open, tender heart is undermined by the repetitive subject matter of the songs - a girl is often leaving Buck!

I love the fidgety, playful energy Pretenders bring to each song. They sound like they are continually teetering on the edge of exploding, actively working to hold the whole production together. Chrissie Hynde is great, keeping the momentum going with her powerful voice and force of personality. It’s an album of peaks and troughs though - it has the singles you know and love and some more quality tracks besides.

I'm relieved the label convinced Prince to not make this a triple album. Its charms, and clear popular / critical appeal, is lost on me. There are sparks of smart pop writing on display, but it wanders around a lot, the songs are extremely long, not particularly to the point and is missing the flare and hooks that I'm after.

I’m not an Americana kind of guy and I quite liked this, so it must be a strong example of the genre. The band are passionate and the singing sounds genuine and heartfelt. Yeeehaw.

This is a highly entertaining rap quartet who bring great lyrics and a real sense of fun and energy to their flows. It sounds like a talented group of friends who are trying to make each other laugh over the top of boisterous jazzy production. There’s enough single power across the tracklist that it more than earns the almost hour long run time. There’s an interesting tension between the deliberately controversial lyrics on a song like Pack the Pipe, and the fact that you’re listening to what sounds like four classically trained theatre kids. Other tracks like Return of the B-Boy just sound like a group of boys having the most amazing party in the world. With some notable exceptions, the humour has aged very well. In fact, the skits act as spacey, rich interludes which neatly glue the songs together. It would be a much poorer release without them. It’s also a great opportunity for them to showcase their excellent singing.

I enjoyed this, but not to the same extent as others so I hope to return to it at some point. The production sounds like plunderphonics in its infancy, a collage of samples which is cool and almost certainly cutting edge for the time, but falls short given what I can listen to today. The rapping is much better than the beats but it does still sound a little late 80s, early 90s to me in a way I’m struggling to get over. It could hit harder. It's obviously influential on music that I love. I’m hoping its qualities are going to dawn on me sooner or later.

I think my three stars can't capture quite how interesting this record is. My favourite aspects of this record bring to mind the Animal Collective album released in the same year. There's a lot more to it than that though, they are far more fragmented, a lot more abstract, happy to hinge a whole songs off of a series of non-sequiturs. A patchwork album of patchwork songs. Its fascinating. I'm just not sure my brain can make it completely work for me.

This album washes over me in a really beautiful way. A beautifully controlled, patient, well composed LP. I’ll admit that the moments that grab me most though are the slight glimpses of freak out jazz pop, like the backend of Criminal. I know on later records she specialises primarily in this more esoteric approach, which is where my interests lie. That aside, the debut provides a series of accomplished ballads from a 19 year old with a phenomenal voice, who sounds several years her senior. In fact, 30 years later her voice sounds exactly the same as it did back then.

Janis Joplin has a phenomenal voice. Totally unique and highly emotional. The band is tight and working in perfect unison. I like how personable and personality led the record is. It has a real sense of self.

I am uncultured. I need to hear some Songhai Music which is not blues tinged, because most bluesy music knocks at least a star off due to my broken brain. My God I struggled with this record. I can hear that the performances are good. I'm into the vocals. I'm not into the hypnotic, winding melodies. If I was in a trance like state, meditating or at a serene cafe reading a book then maybe I'd be able to understand it better

There’s an engaging tension throughout between Pere Ubu presenting songs in the classic form and jagged jabs of uncontrolled energy and noise. The vocals have a compelling, anxious unpredictability that goes beyond post-punk’s typical form of expression. They can screech and yelp and laugh and lurch to places well beyond a conventional approach. It’s playful, artful music which is willing to stretch and contort itself. You can’t make music that engages in sound collage, or performance art that intentionally uses repetitive, monotonous, and unsettling elements, without people calling it pretentious. Ultimately whether this is pretentious to someone or not is just down to that gut reaction - did you enjoy it? I personally love it and love what it does to my brain. It makes me feel like I’m being turned inside out.

An inoffensive, charming listen of historical importance, but the impact of this album will most certainly have lessened over the years. “Famous soul singer takes on country and western classics” does not have the same impact now and it would have in 1962. Expectations radically shifted in the 60s. If an artist is not a songwriter it’s hard for them to maintain the same legendary space that they once held

The compositions are bold, brash and basic, often even underdeveloped. The humour fails to charm me, in fact the lyrics generally lack detail or focus. To top it off it’s a frustratingly long release. At best it’s pleasant and inoffensive, at worst the unearned “punch the air” moments gnaw away at you while Rufus does a Thom Yorke impression.

Sounds way more modern than 1993 to me. There were so many rappers even in 1998 still doing that annoying “hippidy hip-to-the-hop” thing. Instead Wu-Tang defined a bold, brutal and determined style which just cuts straight through. Clearly very influential on the best of hip hop today. Once this style penetrated I don’t think the genre could ever shift back. There is something crisper more substantial about the production, a finely balanced record.

I have never engaged with U2 and am dipping in mid-discography with no context. I have to ask: why do U2 sound like Take That on this album? This is quintessential 90s cheesy boy band fare. Easy listening. Adult contemporary. Whatever euphemism you want to use. Stuck in a Moment is especially toe clenching… At odds with the reputation they’re supposed to have - no? The more palletable moments veer into “cool” era Robbie Williams, but without the hit power. Bono emphatically singing the chorus lyrics “a mole, digging in a hole, digging on my soul now, going down, excavation, ionide in the sky, you make me feel like I could fly so high, elevation.” Had me with my jaw so wide you could see through to my stomach.

Soundtrack albums are meant to be more ephemeral than this. Yet 50 years after Super Fly (the movie) has faded from collective consciousness, Super Fly (the soundtrack) is still standing as one of the most famous albums by one of the most famous Soul singers of all time. Curtis’ vocal chops are no less satisfying than on his debut. For me though he is lyrically sidetracked, or even hamstrung by the task of lyrically following the plot of the movie. His trademark social commentary is significantly dialled back. Instead we have peppy, groovy songs like Pusherman, where Mayfield provides a character analysis of a drug dealer. It’s iconic silly fun. Ultimately I don't think this sits as one of Mayfield’s top albums despite its legendary status. There are three killer tracks mixed in with some less exciting instrumentals and weaker narrative tracks.

It’s a strange thing listening to this album on streamers in 2025 because you’re conscious that you’re not hearing the original 1956 LP. The original album is a swift 46 minutes with studio overdubs liberally applied (60% of the “live album”. On the “complete” version, you’re firstly delivered the full 75 minute show, which is captivating, then studio excerpts from those curious overdubs. You are then presented with what is sort of the original album, with one track subbed in and one track subbed out. The two albums sound nothing like each other! Nothing at all! I wonder if anyone at the original performance who picked up the LP months later could tell that fake audience clapping was being faded in and out! The original unaltered recordings are sensational, really showing what Duke Ellington can do with a piano. Despite being recorded in an open air environment it’s full of warmth. I’m not hearing the original record through a gramophone set up, but listening side by side with the truly live recording it quite obviously lacks that same level of warmt. But then it sold an absolute tonne in the 50s - so what do I know about anything? Both records are great and give you a proper rush. But the original is a stealth studio album.

The Pretty Things make music that is rougher, tougher and more robust than the more psychedelic elements of The Beatles or early Pink Floyd. Balloon Burning has a little bit of proto-punk bubbling away inside it. I actually had to check that this album was from 1968 on hearing Baron Saturday based on how ahead of its time it is. And (to keep the annoying comparisons going) it's the first time I’ve heard an artist who I’m pretty sure inspired The Fall. Very cool!

Dire Straits are potentially the quintessential dad rock band, one that I haven’t engaged with until now, though like most people have had a lifetime of hearing Sultans of Swing on the radio - which is a bop to be fair. The band are able to create quite a groove. There is a relaxed quality to the guitars throughout this debut, it’s very vibes based, controlled, professional. The vocals remind me of Bob Dylan and have a strong personality to them. Would I personally like a bit more flavour? Yes. Though I appreciate the relaxed approach.

The Beatles followed up the monumental critical and cultural success they enjoyed with Sergeant Peppers with easily their lengthiest and most challenging work. A huge part of The White Album’s appeal comes from its sheer variety. It’s got the hits but it also sees them taking on unexpected and even sinister new modes that have you question who this band are. To pick a song out (and feel I have to zone in on particular tracks because there’s 30 of them) Helter Skelter is one of The Beatles most exciting and surprising songs. It creates a phenomenal vision of a completely different band, perhaps even paving the way for Heavy Metal bands of the 1970s. They are saying “we could be this band if we wanted to be, and we’d be amazing at it.” And they’re right. How unbearable or enjoyable you find Revolution 9 is completely down to how prepared you are to hear songwriting icons, The Beatles, step away from music and instead create sound art. For me it’s an interesting enough idea to happily spend 8 minutes on. As a one off it’s pretty damn interesting, especially given how it transitions into the crooning old fashioned brilliance of Good Night, which has to be one of the all time most affecting transitions between songs. Good Night is another example of “we could be this band if we wanted to be...” If I was to pick one hit to discuss it would be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is in my opinion The Beatles’ best song. Across a discography dominated by John and Paul, George manages to best them with his rawest and most emotional outpouring. It’s a pop song but it’s also tough, twisted and mean. The guitar solo is as gut wrenching as it is beautiful to listen to. So why is this an 8/10 for me and not, as most would have it, an out and out classic? Simply put, I think it could do with a bit of a trim. I’d keep the big singles of course, and welcome all the bizarre outliers, but I’d cut out songs like the Honey Pies and Bungalow Bill which neither push the band into new territory, nor are particularly exciting examples of their craft. 90 minutes has to be well a truly earned and for me cuttable songs on such a long LP is a bit of a sin. Though I appreciate there will be people for whom their enjoyment of the band truly hinges on Wild Honey Pie and The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill. Mine does not, so for me this The White Album sits in the category of flawed epic.

Bluesy rock albums are often lost on me and this is not an exception. Even for me though, Maggie May is an absolutely cracking lead single. Other than that, despite the clear musical ability on display this leaves me cold. During the Amazing Grace rendition it even leaves me in despair.

I find it crazy that David Bowie’s long awaited triumphant return was met with a relatively muted reaction. This is a brilliant set of tracks stands toe to toe with albums from more celebrated eras, bringing proper pop hits to the table in spades, including Valentines Day, which stands as one of my favourite Bowie tracks. He has so much passion and the energy on this LP. I love the idea that he spent years writing, saving up these tracks, ready to reemerge.

This is a much more laid back album than I was anticipating, having been raised on the 2005 follow up. There are some good tracks, Sound Check stood out to me as having a particularly good groove to it. But I could have done with a bit more oomph generally.

Who knew that the words “surfs up” could be read negatively? It sounds like The Beach Boys stretching themselves creatively, looking at what is developing in music of the era and thinking about the state of the world. Some of the experiments work better than others, but the lasting impact is a far broader definition of what this band sounds like. It’s dark, energetic and actually pretty deep. ‘Til I Die stands tall amongst the tracklist. It has me on the edge emotionally as it seamlessly transitions, dips and dives from section to section. The Beach Boys using their well known skill of harmony for a new and different purpose. One that is sad but no less impactful. 8/10

When compiling an album I think it’s important to make sure there are mixture of tempos and rhythms so that one song doesn’t easily blend into another. There is clearly a lot of writing talent on display, but once you get beyond the genuine pop hits the mid-tempo easy listening tracks do become fairly indistinguishable from each other.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band have as much fun as Queen are having on this album. There is no shortage of flourishes as the band push each song to be the most developed, maximalist version of itself. You’d have to be a bit heartless for it to not raise a smile. A lot of it’s not to my taste - but this is clearly music as a force for good in the world. 6/10

Accounting for inflation, Shalimar is apparently the most expensive film ever made in India, with strong international appeal due to the inclusion of Western actors and a bilingual script. It takes a couple of listens to get a proper handle on this soundtrack because the first and second halves are so different from each other. At the start of this LP my brain feels like it is being juggled from performer to performer, style to style, transition to transition. The performances, and expansive range of musicians don’t just sound expensive, but like they have free reign to be truly creative. Singer Usha Uthup on One Two Cha Cha in particular is so fluid in front of the microphone that she has you questioning whether she’s ad libbing (impossible surely?) It’s experimental music in virtue of it being home to such eclectic styles sitting side by side, but also, consistently and pleasingly strange decision making being made in the writing. During the second half it settles into something much more conventional. The spine tingling, filmic instrumentation remains, but you get the feeling they would be enhanced by the visuals they were written to support. It might be an indication that I need to see the film, which I’m sure benefits from the relative lack of intensity in the closing moments. 7/10

I love that Belle & Sebastian push against the prevailing forces of cynicism but without being humourless. On this LP you get a genuine sense that you are looking into their deepest thought. This is an enjoyable album, though I do think it’s been bettered by them since, with a slightly quirkier, preppier take.

This is my first exposure to Eels and I’ve been really taken by how extreme the dynamics are - bolshy guitar noises quickly swap in and out with moments of relative silence. I also love the lyrics. E pushes the jokes in his lyrics really hard, either by developing them into something increasingly more ridiculous, or just by pushing the same joke again and again. They have the same gutsy cathartic style as Nirvana but with the humour amped up a thousand times. Fans of Elliott Smith would also enjoy their cheeky, downbeat worldview.

This is a pretty hefty document. An impressive fifth and final blow out on IRS records before shooting off into superstardom. Their incredible success as a band is in part thanks to the singles It's the End of the World as We Know It and The One I Love which both make it onto close to 100% of all mix-tapes spanning REM's 15 albums. With some notable exceptions, its a darker record than most of their output, moving closer to what we saw with Fables of the Reconstruction. Unlike Fables though, the songs are relentless, robust and overbold. Finest Worksong feels like you're in a boxing ring with the band, getting absolutely pummeled. They just don't give up. My favourite songs tend to be the brighter ones. The lyrics to Exhuming McCarthy are really funny. "You're sharpening stones, walking on coals, to improve your business acumen." The way Michael Stipe's vocals dance around the piano stabs and strumming is a genuine delight. The pummeling continues with It's the End of the World... but here they are pummeling you with kindness and slightly niche references. "LEONARD BERNSTEIN." Its a timeless song that feels more relevant with each passing year. My enjoyment of the record does cool slightly over the course of the closing tracks, but it still stands as easily one of their most important and popular albums. While in my opinion Lifes Rich Pageant from the year before stands as their best release, there is no doubting that it is Document which got bums on seats.

A great introduction to The Clash and an album that goes a significant way to defining a genre, but it is not their definitive work. They are mostly at their best on the tracks that come in at 2 minutes or less in length. The lengthier songs at the end of the record don’t have the same amount of power to them, an element of their craft they clearly master on later LPs.

The production and arrangements on Kid A are The production and arrangements on Kid A are unbeatable. The tracks ‘Kid A’ and ‘Treefingers’ put choice of instrumentation, detail and textures above everything else. This approach punishes passive listening but rewards active listening ten fold. This is true of the whole album. Even when Radiohead are kicking you in the teeth with ‘The National Anthem’, if you listen with the kind of focus required for the two aforementioned tracks, an incredible amount of additional beauty is revealed behind the focal points. Following OK Computer, which saw them master their craft, with Kid A is especially impressive because it sees them instantly master an entirely new craft. It’s the same band, yet entirely different.

I hate to admit it, but bring all my biases to listening to blues rock. I think everyone has a genre which sounds like “old people” music to them, and this is mine. The reason I say this is because I could feel this remarkable album expanding my music taste. It got me. The musicianship is out of this world and it gets better the further it goes on, with the best track in my mind being the epic In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. When they get stuck into a particular groove and just rock it out it is quite a ride. So much so that even the most cynical and difficult to please among us (me) are left pretty impressed.

Dare! is a masterpiece that would be impossible to replicate today. Even if you were to get the same keyboards in the same studio with the same personnel, the writing and production would be significantly altered due to modernity. Part of its appeal is the bluntness and boldness of the synths and creativity with which the various sounds are matched to the bright, oscillating melodies. The sheer dynamic range and variety achieved with such a ridged set up is what pushes the band into such inspiring and surprising places. I don’t want this to sound like a patronising “didn't they do well”. What I’m saying is thank God they made this when they did because it’s just perfect. There is an incredible tension between the severity of the angular rhythms and the big, bold, bright purposes that they are employed for. The vocals match the keys, each syllable is shot out in a singular punch, arranging themselves into words. The lyrics and their delivery have an odd detachment to them, while covering a range of the most dramatic human emotions and experiences. Particular favourites are Darkness and Seconds but I don’t think there’s anything even remotely representing a dud across the tracklist.

It’s a very open hearted, deeply chilled out and vulnerable folk rock record. The pleasingly jarring, conspiratorial lyrics on What are Their Names is the definite highlight for me. Though pretty pleasant, it did get a little tedious the longer it went on. Worst offender for this is the extended length second track Cowboy Movie.

There is a harder edge to this debut than the later albums that I’ve heard, potentially with less of an eye on being a commercial success. Not a criticism of either mode - both are great. The first half is full of unforgiving, relentless beats. Each song digging deep into a groove and never letting go. Three Little Birdies Down Beats goes particularly hard. The Manchester influence is there, shades of Baggy in Chemical Beats. The second half flexes to something a little more airy and open. I like the female vocals on closer Alive Alone providing a beautiful contrast to the thick clicks, thrubs and snaps around them. An impressive debut!

What a beautiful, joyful, open hearted album this is. I’ve only ever heard More Than a Feeling in ironic late night rock bars with people drunkenly overacting the lyrics at each other. Removed from that context it’s much better. It’s just a huge, unselfconscious “punch the air” moment, full of pure serotonin. I’d go as far to say this is one of the least self-conscious records I’ve ever heard. Though I haven’t heard much hard rock, so it might all be like this…! Anyone who is unfamiliar with this band should read their Wikipedia page, or even a short biography. They are more fascinating than most groups. I particularly loved that they pretended to record this record in a proper studio to make the label happy, how mad! They’re just rocking out in a makeshift basement studio having a fantastic time. Once the hits dry up the second half of the LP settles into something less “punch the air” and a more chin strokey, though it’s still a positive vibe. It could even soften you to hard rock!

The production is amazing. The lyrics are conscious and refined. Gang Starr are a very smart package. I do start to flag though after 30 minutes of such a similar rap flow. Similar to how I felt on the backend of Moment of Truth - I either want this to be a shorter record or have the introduction of a new flow somewhere along the way. The Meaning of the Name stands out positively because it does just that with Guru on more of an offensive. There’s ideas introduced though that I’m sure artists I love have benefited greatly from. A solid listen.

I have a lot of time for old English, poetry led folk music and also anything where people are trying to do something different. There were glimpses I enjoyed, but Wyatt did not win my trust over the course of the album. There’s a playful leap you need to make to be brought onside. I couldn’t get there because I’m not sure that he had fully figured the record out himself. It made me want to listen to early Pink Floyd!

A handful of hits are mixed in with what sounds like b-sides. It’s quite exciting if this is the worst The White Stripes record because it’s really not that bad. Makes me want to get more familiar with their discography. I especially like how skittish and ridiculous My Doorbell is.

Since getting into hip hop I’ve always been partial to hip house - it blew my mind to find out that this existed as far back as the 80s. Queen Latifah brings a good number of hits to this record, they make up about half of the tracklist and would be a fantastic soundtrack to a party. She’s got a variety of flows which match a strong mix of production and instrumentation - groovy basslines, saxaphones, surprising samples. She’s a good lyricist but I’m most impressed at her ability to land both serious points and humour, the result is fun but not insubstantial. The Pros made me really laugh - I love the idea of members of the public trying to match up to the Queen’s level of rap skill. The only awkward moment across the whole LP for me is the roll call of her children on Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children - I didn’t need that!

With the exception of Take Me to the River, the Al Green cover, this is only one of Talking Head’s first 6 albums which doesn’t have what are widely regarded as “one of the big hits”, but it’s no worse for it. The band have sanded off what few rough edges they had on 1977 and have arrived in their most iconic form, in part due to much plusher production than on the debut. David Byrne is in a particularly hyperactive mood contrasting nicely with a smoother performance from the band. Throughout the record there are seamless transitions between wildly different sections. Everything is made to sound effortless.

There’s a real sense of journey to this record and I love its warm and open heart, but I can’t pretend I love everywhere that it takes me. It’s certainly interesting, and I can appreciate the freaky qualities which have garnered it a cult audience.

A buoyant, passionate, energetic debut which had me, someone who struggles to connect with blues tinged rock, nodding my head enthusiastically. I predict big things for Led Zeppelin.

This album has some very impressive, cheerful singles where Christine is able to get across his incredible force of personality. When it settles into more of a groove it becomes pleasant but less exceptional. Spotify put the English version of the record first for me, I wish it hadn’t because it’s not as good. I can see the ambitious commercial rational of releasing two versions, but I’d rather he selected the version that resonates best with him.

There is always a tension in Morrissey’s music between his ability to write great pop songs and his narcissistic personality. At his best the latter enhances the former. The World is Full of Crashing Bores (a great pop song) acts as a breakdown of Morrissey’s personality. He sees himself as a victim who is much more interesting than others around him, yet he is also insecure and just wants to be loved by others. He is a self obsessed, vulnerable reactionary with a unique voice and a natural ability to playfully write about his feelings of isolation, and how difficult he finds the world. The way he writes resonates with me despite (or maybe because of) his flawed way of processing the world.  He goes further on How Can Anybody Know How I Feel. He hates himself, but not nearly as much as he hates everyone else. It’s fascinating, for as long as the music is good. On later albums we can be less forgiving. I have a less complicated relationship with The First of the Gang To Die, a cathartic anthem with a big heart which just cuts straight through every level. The effortless, bright guitar chords match beautifully with his melancholy. Morrissey fans have been peeking through their figures watching him slowly come out as a racist over the course of four decades, culminating in him proudly declaring himself in alignment with the English Defence League in 2018. The whole “judging the art, not the artist” conversation seems specifically designed for his fans. It unfortunately puts Irish Blood, English Heart in an unpleasant light. He yearns for people to see the good in England, take pride in its accomplishments and rejects the idea that flag waving is racist. But then it's difficult to get swept up in his yearning, given that he is a racist. It's a well written, passionate burst of energy with a compromised message. A perfect encapsulation of Morrissey.

Big beat indeed. Across the iconic hits on this record Norman Cook brings his very biggest beats, clever manipulation of samples and pop sensibilities from his time in a band to deliver a brash record with popular appeal. At its best these are dramatic, panoramic songs with a real sense of energy and fun to them. The bravery of the man also. To let some of these songs run on for as long as they do. When you’re in the groove with Cook and onboard with the song then this is a definite enhancer. Away from the singles there are several songs that could have done with either a trim, or removing entirely. The track names that you do not recognise in the middle of the album could all go. There is a significant uptick in quality at the end, songs which could have happily sat in the middle. The album as a whole is feast and famine with big singles followed by filler, and at 61 minutes in length that didn’t need to be the case.

It’s rare that a record can both sum up a moment in time, a movement, in the way this one can but also be so utterly timeless. An album perfect for any context with songs that still feel as fresh as when they were conceived over 60 years ago. It’s amazing that in Bob Dylan’s career he bettered this album several times, but there’s a chance he never made anything quite as iconic.

Milli Vanili meets New Order meets The KLF. But nowhere as good as that sounds. I wasn’t here for this first time round, so it feels like there is a bit of a nostalgia factor at play in people’s enjoyment of this which I won’t pooh-pooh but it just sounds boring and annoying to me. Multiple songs sound like parody music. I hope this isn’t what they were playing at the Hacienda!

Pet Sounds is such a sincere and meaningful record. The Beach Boys hit you with excellent song after excellent song. A relentless onslaught of harmonies, neat song concepts and above all - pep! They are in peerless unison as continually one up themselves to deliver another peak of emotion.

There’s enough hits on this Strokes album to sustain 4 albums by regular indie bands - and not bad bands either. It could sound like a greatest hits, if it didn’t have such a singular vision. The guitars have an addictive quality. Every song has a strong theme / concept but without sounding gimmicky. A perfect album.

Amy Winehouse was a powerful singer and a soulful writer with an intuitive grasp of what makes a captivating song. She made writing iconic songs sound easy. The way she sings about the mundane, or even disappointing aspects of her own life is fascinating, not because her life was fascinating but because she was a highly skilled storyteller. You don’t need to spend any time watching tragic documentaries or biopics about her because Amy tells you her entire story in her music, and she tells it better than any of the ghouls who have fed off of her legacy. Two albums, 92 minutes, tells you everything you need to know. The collaboration between the two producers are critical to the quality of her final album. Salaam Remi draws from the jazz standards, providing a more traditional, nostalgic backbone to the record, linking Amy to the past. Mark Ronson takes things in a much poppier, crisper direction which, despite being clearly inspired by 60s girl groups, points Amy towards the future. The two sounds are the opposites in almost every way but sat side by side they lead to a perfectly balanced half hour record. Together with Amy they were able to create an album which was both a critical success and a chart sensation. Mark Ronson is the person who helped her unlock her potential as a household name. The first album has the same level of skill, but lacks the pop sensibilities to go stratospheric.  The two albums compliment each other beautifully, even if they are a little tough to listen to at times, due to the intensely personal nature of the lyrics (see the deeply poetic Some Unholy War) which reveal more with each listen. There are deep rushes of energy balanced out with steadier, thoughtful moments where Amy Winehouse gives you a complete picture of her at a moment in time.

To my ears the Undertones are on the more sugary, poppier end of pop punk than Ramones - perhaps being a better indication of the future direction of the genre. It has an adolescent charm, like time travelling back in time to a school disco. It would be difficult for me to totally get what it would have sounded like as a teenager in 1970s Northern Ireland. There are some nostalgic qualities that almost sound like their harking back to traditional rocknroll. Teenage Kicks is the clear stand out track, but I was also quite struck by the quite strange True Confessions which sounds like a Joy Division bassline with Gary Newman meets XTC vocals. The 48 second closer Casbah Rock mission statement “you won't get pop at the casbah rock” is a genuine headscratcher that's a silly way to finish the record. Others passed me by leaving a smile on my face but without much incident.

I’m not a proggy guy but even I can see this album would act as a great introduction to prog rock, it’s an awful lot of fun and an accessible example of the genre. If you loved this it could point you to some tricksier, harder stuff. There are gorgeous performances from people who have a strong enough understanding of how to write music to be able to turn it into a full theatrical production. You don’t need to closely follow the plot of the opening 20 minute track to admire Rush’s confidence in turning half of their album into a sci-fi epic. If I was to critique this track, I think the different parts could have more directly transitioned into each other.

I loved this album as a child. I was a big Oasis fan at one time, after many years away my memories of it is better then actually sticking it on. Rock n Roll star is a great opener - lots of energy and personality. I also loved closing tracks Slide Away and Married with Children, which really caught me. But then there’s songs like Shakermaker which have aged very badly. This song has the especially unforgiving placement of track 2. The most impressive thing about this debut is that despite them being heavily inspired by The Stone Roses (note how Noel sings “SHINNNNEEE”) they have a very clear identity of its own. This identity is lost on later records.

This has aged not nearly as bad as it could have due to the chilled out funky vibes of the majority of the record. The more hyped up moments are a bit more cringe inducing for me because they are aiming to get me amped and at excited but instead make me feel like an uncool uncle at a kid’s birthday party. None of it’s particularly good, but it’s not in your face enough to offend too heavily. If you ignore the mediocre rapping there’s enough here to pass the time.

Even now, with everything that came after this LP in the form of Madchester, Britpop and a belated reunion, The Stone Roses debut still sounds totally distinct from anything else. There is magic happening on this record. Save for a couple of tracks it’s wall to wall hits and songs that are developed and robust enough that they still surprise after countless listens. Despite being influential, band’s that have drawn from them never quite recaptured their magic.

It is most definitely conscious hip hop. The through line is in the title - he’s a good kid in a mad city. He is a world away from being a gangster, even if he’s surrounded by them. You hear him talk with relief and regret over an early (almost) run in with the law on The Art of Peer Pressure. The features on this album are quite clever, in contrast Jay Rock and MC Eiht play the role of trouble makers, rapping about guns and cocaine while Kendrick’s response is "and they wonder why I rarely smoke now.” The repeated themes of prayer and religion push this further - his mind is on other things. While other rappers are rapping about drugs and gangs, he’s rapping about how his family and faith serve as a grounding force. He is exploring his struggle to stay true to their values while being exposed to the various negative forces of his environment. Okay, he’s also rapping about drinking and his hot girlfriend, but you get my point. The album manages to be robust but light and good fun throughout. On an album full of highlights Swimming Pools (Drank) is a really nice hit of pop rap. I could imagine this getting better with each listen.

It’s an interesting record in that it’s got bundles of personality and a band who are clearly keen on creating a new path. The moment where they harness this towards more complete sounding songs for me work a bit better than the sound collage elements, but it’s all good. I love the grinding chords on Interstellar Overdrive. This is clearly not the space the band stay in post-Syd but you can continue to hear little touches of what’s going on in the debut throughout their discography

It’s an interesting production but not one that I have fallen in love with like others. My favourite part is the middle of the record which swells with positivity as a more straightforward counterpoint to the esoteric beginning and end. For me it’s a reward / relief when it becomes a pop album, then a bit of a drag when it’s discordant, noodling or meditative. As a fan of his ambient albums I suppose this record sits as a bit of a halfway house between styles that I don’t personally “get”.

I did not realise how conceptual Iron Maiden were as a band. I couldn’t imagine turning up to band practice with some very literary lyrics about defending the Earth from alien invaders. I don’t know where that impulse comes from. But I’m glad someone’s done it. When you think of how many bands out there have utterly meaningless or derivative lyrics. To have a band write an ode to 1960s TV show The Prisoner, I’m all here for that. Their music is a lot of nerdy, camp fun - and instrumentally very impressive. They’re adding something to the culture that you’re simply not going to get anywhere else.

My favourite moment of this record is the opening a capella song, which suggests a straight up, very earnest traditional folk album. What you get instead is a series of extremely mid-tempo, extremely boring contemporary folk songs. Nicely produced, nicely performed, but there's little to no flavour. I've seen people rave about the Velvet Underground cover... I just don't see it. A worse and more boring version to my ears. The songs all meld into one by the end. The most I can say is its - quite "nice".

Political Science could be satirising Trump’s actions this week. It’s funny, a cheery song about bombing the world. The title track is more chilling, soon to be slaves sailing towards America, towards “the land of the free”, written as a patriotic anthem. It’s clever, world weary satire. Risky lyrics delivered in a gentle way. Musically it’s somewhat interesting, lyrically it’s very interesting. I like that you could have this on at a party and pay no attention to the subject matter of the songs.

Within a sea of 2009 landfill indie emerges Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of the decade's most impressive and enduring records. A dense and uplifting experimental sunshine pop record which bounces from shimmering, hyper melodic synths to fidgety psychedelia. This record pushed a generation of kids away from Razorlight and The Pigeon Detectives towards Tame Impala and Beach House. The shift was real and sizeable. Part of its appeal is that Animal Collective has a foot in two camps. While being uncompromising (gleefully engaging in glitchy excesses which will be annoying to some) they have created highly accessible, well crafted pop songs for those who are swept away by the drama. They are entirely lacking in self consciousness. They have spent no time considering how the outside world would respond to the record or the prevailing forces of music at the time. The results are majestic.

This is certainly in the upper echelons of Bob Dylan albums. The run of songs in the middle of the LP in particular. I Want You and Just Like a Woman have to be two of the most emotional songs he has ever written. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat then reminds you how funny he can be. I've been laughing along with that song since I was a small child. While the arrangements, finger picking and production remain phenomenal throughout, emotions do cool slightly on the back-end of the record. With the exception of the epic and powerful 10 minute long final track, the songs aren't quite as exciting. For this reason there are multiple other Dylan records which I'd rank higher - but its a high bar!

The thing that puts me off of some older jazz is just how stately it can be, it lacks a pulse that a lot of my favourite jazz has. In contrast, I love how erratic and hook-laden the first couple of tracks on Kenya are. They are going for bombast, even sitting down I could feel my body twitching, ready to dance. Machito’s Latin jazz variant adds extra layer of insatiable danceability to proceedings. When it moves away from the bombast it’s an album of contrasts and regular dynamic shifts, horns pulling in and out, percussion bubbling away, rarely sitting still. Definitely one I’ll return to.

A gorgeously produced record with Morrissey’s vocals acting a centrepiece throughout. It's very consistent with no outliers or energy dips, very listenable. The charm Morrissey brings to The Smiths records, which is missing from some of his solo work, is present here. He seems more self aware, gentler and compassionate, particularly on Hold Onto Your Friends and The More You Ignore Me. I’m not sure this is my favourite Morrissey solo album, though I think it’s the most sonically consistent and the most similar to The Smiths. Speedway is a particularly strong closer - I love the LOUD DRUMS. The Smiths' records are just hit after hit, and this isn’t that but it’s a pleasant way to spend 40 minutes, Morrissey sings beautifully throughout.

There’s so much going on throughout this record. It’s a smorgasbord of genres, styles, instrumentation. Sure Shot has Jazz flute, tight smart looping production, with a traditional rock drum kit. This transitions into Tough Guy which turns into straight up hardcore punk, which is possibly the most successful mode on this record. The instrumental tracks, particularly Eugine’s Lament and Sabrosa, featuring a prominent double bass, adds some engaging left turns and sophistication to a record which in other ways is full of reckless charm. The only downside of its sprawling nature is that it does not quite know when to end. You don’t begrudge the hour long run time too badly, because of the various strange and surprising avenues they take you down, but I think it could have been even more effective if it was a little tighter.

Most of Fever To Tell sounds like basic garage rock to my ears. It's a pleasant listen but Instrumentally there is not much to favourably distinguish them from The White Stripes, though Karen O does have a distinctive voice. Maps and Y Control squeeze themselves in at the end of the tracklist - cold, icy glasses of water in a desert. They are great songs, full of personality and flavour.

Relative to other post-punk bands this is a very eccentric album, though in the context of Pete Ubu this is a pretty sober and subdued follow up to The Modern Dance. There are two epic hits in the form of Navvy and On the Surface which will definitely be in my regular rotation, but the album as a whole is strong. It’s like listening to an evil Talking Heads. It’s interesting to hear them present themselves as a slightly more conventional rock band (again, this is all relative). I’m sure this different mode will be an improvement for some but for me gives the debut the slight edge.

This goes to some pretty surprising places and sounds great in all of them. Mike Oldfield is keen to show you everything he can do and how creatively he can assemble a pallet of different sounds that you don’t usually hear side by side. At various points something sudden and surprising happens (e.g. an unexpected voice) and continues to impact how you perceive the music well after it has left the stage. A very clever composition.

A beautiful meeting of beats and lyrics. Luck of Lucien particularly has an outstanding groove, it’s a really smooth ride which demanded immediate repeat listens from me when I first picked up this album. The good natured rap flows are just as buttery. The whole production just bubbles away like a dream. The samples throughout the record are intelligently selected and an excellent new twist is brought to them all. There is a slight drop off midway through the record, I can totally see this being the start of an incredible run of LPs though - looking forward to hearing more.

Whenever I walk into a guitar shop, there is a guy playing something almost exactly like this and I want to walk straight out. I just don’t get it. There’s a crossing point between blues and rock music that I struggle to engage with - people really getting into bending the guitar notes, closing their eyes, feeling the music. It’s just not for me. 10/10 for featuring a copy of The Beano on the cover though.

Perhaps the most potent strain of the 1980s ever discovered? It’s an awful lot of fun. Camp, extremely extraverted, maximalist music with verbose and arch vocals. Flourishes on top of flourishes. I like how ever-present and persistent the vocals are, putting the singer in frame as much as possible. Taking up all the oxygen. It leads with bombastic, huge melodic force. The 1980s sounds like it could have been a fun time to be alive. I think we need more of this theatrical fun in music.

A strong mix of huge pop hits sitting neatly alongside spookier experimental offerings. It’s dramatic throughout without ever tipping over into being cheesy. Songs sound meaningful and important without the messages behind them being spoon fed to you. It’s a work of art.

This is a very rare album. One that, in 2006, seemingly everyone in the UK all loved all at once. Music fans and people who couldn't care less all cottoned on to this group at the same time, with catchy, immediate singles leading to the release of a well rounded and (more than anything else) fun album. There is a freshness to it that almost 20 years later still manages to make you sit up, despite all of the singles having received more than its fair share of airtime. Alex Turner is at his funniest on this debut. Its his well observed, interesting or absurd lyrics that turns an album of energetic garage rock tunes and slower indie ballads into something instantly relatable for most listeners. "Have you been drinking, son? You don't look old enough to me." "I'm sorry, officer, is there a certain age you're supposed to be? 'Cause nobody told me." There are touch points that you can hear under the bonnet: The Strokes; The Streets; The Rapture; but what they're doing is a new amalgamation and created an album that still today some guy in your local pub describes as "the last time a band made proper music."

Ice Cube sounds tough, but not at the expense of a head nodding, digestible album. I didn’t realise that hip hop that hits this hard was released (just) before I was born. The Predator has a pretty flawless first half - vicious, sharp, groovy beats which Ice Cube delivers clinical rapping on top of. Wicked goes super fast, the rapping is exhilarating. It Was a Good Day feels like it’s from a different universe. Super chill beats with a smooth rap which slowly unfurls on top of it. The second half isn’t as perfect but nothing that spoils the vibe. A very impressive effort.

I love the textures, performances and general vibe of this album. I prefer the compositions when they wrap themselves around a more traditionally shaped song, some of the tracks are a little formless for my taste but make for an interesting listen. For this reason when the band points towards a pop song on the bouncy and life affirming Glittering Prize, this stands out as my favourite moment on the tracklist, even more impactful because of the overall album it sits on.

I think the trick with Muse is to not take the music too seriously. It’s supposed to be fun - a big rush of endorphins, rather than anything probing. At points they sound like a souped up, distorted Coldplay - and there’s a time and a place for that!

I think of Stereolab’s output as music for stereotypically cool people. Think: micro fringe with long hair; drinks speciality loose leaf teas; used to live in New York and Paris, is now situated in East London; is in their 30s but has solely Victorian furniture; vegan; bilingual; good looking; works with an art gallery; doesn’t use cling film for environmental reasons. This album in particular (very good, but not my favourite of their records) has a highly sophisticated, almost untouchable sound. Playful, distant, refined, beautiful, odd. It’s a real experience. I definitely feel more high status for having listened to it.

A debut album which instantly establishes Siouxsie and the Banshees’ iconic sound. Once you’ve heard this, you’d recognise anything they’ve done. It also goes some way to defining what post-punk is and what differentiates it from its immediate predecessor. The gothic tinges and pure terror in Siouxsie’s voice at times has a spine tingling effect. The band bettered this record several times as they moved into more melodic spaces, but there’s something to be said for the chaotic and rough catharsis of this album. Oddly enough it’s the final two tracks that come out on top for me.

Play anyone this album and the descriptive word that's likely to come to their head first is "smooth." Damn this is a smooth record. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone with a pulse who finds it objectionable. Marvin Gaye sounds deeply in love and out of that made one of the all time most romantic LPs of all time. Its a shock when it ends after only 30 minutes but I admire Gaye not stretching beyond the hits.

I feel bad because The Choral are putting a lot into this album to add flavour, to titillate, to entertain, but because I’m not wowed by the core ingredients it ultimately adds up to a boring listening experience for me. There are gorgeous guitar licks here and there, but there’s tepid guitar chords too, paired with plodding bass lines. No amount of unexpected sea shanty harmonies can solve that for me. There’s then Dreaming of You, gleaming from the middle of a beige tracklist, so obvious in its brilliance. It’s a finely crafted piece of pop which has earned every second of its airtime.

Chris and Tina from Talking Heads deliver some serious hits on the front and back ends of this album, taking the funkier elements from their sister band and ramping up the disco. It's a series of focused persistent grooves with surprising, sometimes funny and abstract vocals. It's nice to get a sense of the rest of the band’s personality without David Byrne who would otherwise take centre stage. The quality of Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, On On On On… and Booming and Zooming seriously outweigh the rest of the album, which is otherwise a more patient affair.

An interesting mix of traditional folk, blues and rock n roll. Taylor has a warm pleasant voice which makes for a very comfortable half hour but rarely tips over into electrifying brilliance. The highly arresting Fire and Rain is the exception to this which pairs a clarity of storytelling with extra oomph and drama in both the melody and production.

The amount of patience displayed on this record is staggering. Their willingness to let every idea ride out for as long as it can doesn’t dampen the urgency of the LP. For how long and awkward these songs are, they are oddly poppy and accessible. It would be easy for seven minute long, repetitive synth based tracks to alienate a broad listenership, but James Murphy and co seem to have no trouble in making this an album for everyone. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Sound of Silver is how different this LP is from their debut. All the rock elements are gone and are replaced with a much better and more refined set of dance sensibilities (with the exception of the closing song). LCD Soundsystem seem to realise their remit on Sound Of Silver. They take this new, improved sound and manage to fill almost an hour with no duds. Their unique blend of indie infused dance scratches an itch that music fans cannot find elsewhere. ‘Get Innocuous!’ is confident and brave opening track, it doesn’t show its hand immediately but slowly beckons the listener in before rewarding them with a belter of a dance track. We have to wait two minutes and ten seconds to get vocals on this record - which is a statement of intent on an indie album. When the vocals do hit, they are so weird, so bold, so perfect. It’s intoxicating. LCD Soundsystem do have clear influences directing their writing, but it’s their specific blend of these ideas which is inspired. James Murphy is a highly talented and versatile lyricist. ‘North American Scum’ shows off his talent for humorous observation - “And for those who think we are from England. We’re not. No.” Just one track later he is bringing us to tears with ‘Someone Great’, a track which always floors me with its brutally honest sentimentality and kindheartedness. “I wake up and the phone is ringing, surprised as its early. And that should be a perfect warning that something’s a problem. To tell the truth I saw it coming, the way you were breathing. But nothing can prepare you for it: the voice on the other end.” Wow. Perhaps his most well observed moment sits on the title track. “Sound of silver talk to me. Makes you want to feel like a teenager. Until you remember the feelings of a real life emotional teenager. Then you think again.” A line good enough to be repeated a thousand times. The repeating piano line on ‘All My Friends’ is superb and manages to pump through the entire song without getting tired. Also, the trademark DFA records cow bells* throughout this album are so much fun (*see The Rapture’s Echoes). ‘New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down’ is a great closer and acts as a reward for any listener for whom a dance album isn’t their usual bag. You could see this track fitting snugly amongst older songs like ‘Movement’ and ‘Tribulations’. I think it takes a bit of time for some albums to settle into their “classic” status. People never want to believe that 10/10 albums are currently being released. Eleven years on from its creation it is clear now more than ever that this is an almost perfect album.

The ridiculous fun of Rikki Don’t Lose That Number is the highlight of this LP for me. The rest is less of a genre match with my tastes and doesn’t give enough to overcome that - despite enjoyable instrumentation throughout. I enjoy when they stray into pop rock Bowie territory. They have a funny use of language as well, particularly the term “major dude.”

I love 60s psychedelic folk rock, so this is right up my street. It is a very rich sound full of sunshine and charm.

An album that you feel as much as you listen to, partly due to how often played and familiar it is. It's one of the pantheon of “very good albums” that sit solidly in public consciousness, its place earned thanks to big, bright, bold melodies being thwacked out in as distorted, a cathartic burst of energy as possible. Even without the grungey set dressing, these are perfectly composed and produced songs. Come As You Are cycles seamlessly between its different sections, each having a hero moment of its own which catches the ear - and how good is that iconic bassline? Territorial Pissings has electrifying guitar overdubs which are my favourite elements of the song, you get the sense that these are the product of a very intense and involved set of recording sessions. Lithium might encapsulate exactly what captured the public imagination. The choruses are so listenable that you could imagine the “yeeeaaaaah” on a toothpaste advert. Not because they’ve written by numbers commercial music, but because it's just very immediate, savvy writing which is alternative enough to be interesting to everyone but accessible enough to not alienate anybody. Something in the Way into the unlisted and 10 minutes later (on CD) Endless, Nameless are a fantastic 1-2 to close out the album. The former being recorded without a click gives it an uncanny eerie quality with the band slipping in and out of time. Then the chaotic almost hardcore punk of the later sounds like the band at their least accommodating. What a ride!

It’s hard to imagine a label making the money available for a project like this today. Sending someone around the world to find talent for an international audience. The idea for this recording came about by chance when Ry Cooder’s planned Mali-Cuban collaboration LP fell through due to visa issues on the Mali end. It’s a story that you could base a movie on (in fact Wim Wenders did!) A large group of Cuban musicians, some celebrated locally in their time, shot into international stardom thanks to this unexpected mainstream success. You can split the album into two halves, both of which rely on the incredible musicianship which provides the record’s beating heart. The first half of the record is lively music to be listened to with large groups - there is a jubilant, celebratory vibe. The second half is a more intimate, romantic experience which you could get lost in, forgetting the rest of the world exists.

This album is my first brush with Black Sabbath in the wake of Ozzy's departure from this planet; and its been an eye opening experience. I'd say this album leans more towards Hard Rock than Heavy Metal, but regardless its the first time I've found myself properly "getting" these genres. I realised that I have been missing a cornerstone of this form of expression. Black Sabbath make it make sense. Its a surprisingly tender album and has far more musical depth and detail than I was expecting. Damn me for dismissing this earlier!

I have a bit of history with Nightmares on Wax. I saw him perform in 2016 and was blown away. I’d go as far as to say it was one of the best gigs I’d ever been to, certainly the best DJ set. A couple of years later I listened to his 2018 album and was surprised that it lacked any of the drive or pulse that I’d experienced that night - it’s just not what he’s going for. I thought his 1995 effort, his most popular work, might be the thing that makes my overall experience of his music make sense. At its best, this is vibey, chilled out stoner music with a patchwork of different textures and fragments of melody. Its the excellent music that I remember from that gig. It is music that is about the journey, rather than the destination. While there are definite highs across this release its mammoth 74 minutes sees diminishing returns, getting increasingly aimless and tedious. Some of the closing tracks simply should not have been featured.

Of course I wasn’t there, but a great live album will make you feel like you were. It connects you to the artist at that snapshot in time in a way a studio album can’t quite. They are excellent musicians. They bring the hits. And the little comic asides from the band remind you of a certain type of sense of British humour which feels lost to history.

Finley sets out a set of nice, chill, dubby, reggae grooves. So chilled in fact that he doesn’t feel the need to write any hooks into his songs, which float around cheerfully for the best part of an hour. Music for patient, kind hearted souls.

I have always gravitated to the following Ziggy Stardust album, so despite being familiar with most of the track list this was my first active listen to Hunky Dory at the tender age of 32. How embarrassing, as its absolutely perfect! Its surprisingly stripped back throughout. Even songs which you would imagine are more maximalist (e.g. Changes, Life on Mars) only see new elements only see new layers being added in very cautiously. Every ingredient has its carefully considered place. Its got the hit singles but its well balanced out with finely crafted album tracks - and its not always easy to the difference between the two. The lyrics to Andy Warhol make this album track a favourite of mine "Andy walking, Andy tired, Andy take a little snooze."

Guns N Roses - it’s all in the name really. These guys are not subtle and want you to feel every emotion at once while you sit on their thrill ride. It’s not to my taste but you can’t deny that they have countless hits under their studded belts. The singles are strong enough to transcend the naffness - they have star power. The album tracks do not benefit from this though and sometimes the lyrics are beyond tasteless, bordering on annoying.

You can trust Sparks to play you a simple song in the most delightfully complex way possible. I’m amazed the frankly genius Thank God It’s Not Christmas has not made it onto any Christmas playlists I’ve ever encountered. The way they pronounce “Ch-rist-mas” is startling and exciting. Despite some excellent songs peppered throughout, this album as a whole is just on the cusp of being brilliant. Close but not quite. I love the vibe, the ambition, the approach (and the amazing song titles!) But the songs aren’t always quite there for me. It is potentially a bit style of substance in some instances.

I’m not sure anyone, including the band, knew exactly what they were going for here. The album treads water, aimlessly wandering from one mid tempo tepid track to another. I had a particularly hard time with Wonderful, which took forever to end. I agree with the band’s assessment that they should not have produced the record themselves. I dread to think of what the original mixes sounded like before Nigel Goodrich stepped in. I could imagine a much more listenable album if they had teamed up with a producer from the start.

This album passed the time without much note, but in a pleasant way which made me feel good. Not the sort of thing I’d gravitate towards but it’s very good natured and pleasing. It also makes me feel like I’m getting the full live experience, which is the key with any live album. I think I would have had a pretty chill time at a Peter Frampton gig.

Like Nike Drake, because of the tragic end of life story, people also overestimate how sad Elliott Smith’s music is. It’s melancholic, sure, but it is hardly miserable. There’s a fine balance between introspection and a sunnier side to his music that makes it a compelling listen. He has such a unique and distinctive voice. In the 28 years since Either Or it has been often copied but never been bettered. It is not experimental, it doesn’t push boundaries, but it nails a specific grungy, singer songwriter approach that no other artist has quite managed to perfect. Combining delicate, intimate folk rock with angsty, sometimes bitter vocals is another tricky balance but he arrives at something universally enjoyable. It doesn’t come across as just “music for teens”, though it would be very good for that also.

A steady and sweet album that reads like an open book. You can leave any cynicism at the door with this one and just allow yourself to be sung a series of kind hearted country songs.

So many bands want to sound like Wire. They are the exact centre point between punk and post punk. Tough, carefree vocals meeting guitars that are thoughtful when they want to be and blunt instruments when required. 21 tracks over a pleasingly short 35 minutes. You never get a chance to get tired or even stay still for a second.

OK Computer is an expansive and cinematic record. Albums of this ilk are often described as “ambitious”, as if to insinuate that they aim high but don’t quite succeed. OK Computer is an ambitious album which completely nails what it’s trying to do. It has also defined how post-production is approached by most modern rock bands. Radiohead manages to be epic in a sophisticated way. Bands who perform epic music (like Muse or Kings of Leon) sometimes sound a little pretentious as if the audience knows that the style they are performing in places more importance on the music than it actually deserves. OK Computer presents itself as epic and important in a completely unpretentious way. It has been said a million times, but this album really shows off the full breadth of how compelling and detailed a catchy rock record can be. If it wasn’t for In Rainbows I might even be able to call it the best album of all time.

My favourite bits are the saxophone, where a little bit of menace gets into it and it gets a little freaky, even though it’s subtle, with the backdrop of smooth jazz it’s very powerful for me. The opening track is particularly effective in this regard, slipping between calm and slightly manic expressions of love. My least favourite bits are the guitar, it does nothing for me. No hidden menace. Overall it’s very listenable and home to some bits that I absolutely adore.

This is an all consuming break-up album. One that wraps itself around you many times, constantly exploding outwards, spinning and expanding into ever increasing detail. It has a number of instruments that you'd more closely associate with an orchestra than a rock band. Textually it is in a million places at once but it never loses focus on its awesome singular vision. It can be difficult to pin down exactly what Spiritualized are doing because any point of comparison seems a little bit off. I can hear elements of Dark Side of the Moon; fragments of The Velvet Underground & Nico; a general sheen of My Bloody Valentine folds itself in at points. None of these parts stay still long enough to pull focus and become an obvious reference point. Dare I say it sounds… new? Unique?

For many Skepta is the absolute top Grime artist out there. So, while I have definitely preferred Wiley (and my ears pricked up when he started rapping on this!) I might have to accept I’m just not that into the genre. I like the production. I quite like rapping. But I’m not particularly into the lyrics which don’t really go anywhere. We all like a bit of hype, but I think it lyrically he needs to pack a bit more than just that. Everything lines up really nicely on Man and That’s Not Me - the best tracks on this LP.

An iconic voice, an iconic persona, giving her definitive take on an exciting selection of soul standards. She really understands and unlocks the potential of the material. When it's good, it's good, but on the several occasions that it's great, it is truly something else.

I’ve been searching for an album like this for ages. The musical diet I am fed by “the agreed canon” is very male focused, so its refreshing to get such a single heavy, uplifting new wave record that is also feminine. It’s astonishing that Beauty and the Beat is from 1981 as it sounds like acts that come from well after them. You have jangle pop guitars that I’d associate with acts from the mid-80s; harsher post-punk moments which add a nice bite to a wholesome overall production. Then, the thing that shines through this is the highly charged, overbright, overbold power pop which harkens back to the soul girl groups of a couple of decades earlier. It makes me feel so positive. I am looking forward to getting to know The Go-Go’s better!

There’s a chaotic amount of ingredients in this pot. Spirit never sit still. I don’t know if there’s one flavour I like enough to get me into the rest, but it’s interesting that it can fluctuate from (aptly) spiritual sounding music which is at one with nature and something a lot sillier and funkier.

This album has fantastic production and rap that has an actual flow to it (not a given for the time). It’s not “cool music” but it is a big blast of fun and energy. It’s Tricky comes out on top for me. Its hip hop that’s trying to show people a great time and start the party! They get plenty of credit for setting the template for so much hip hop / rap rock, paving the way for acts to come, like the Beastie Boys. Also - my perfect amount of Aerosmith is one chorus of one song - it’s a successful collaboration!

It’s one of those albums that is just so beautifully performed that, despite not having individual songs that I’d pull out and shine a light on beyond the opening a closing track, still come together as a grand and satisfying whole. The only song that I didn’t gel with is The Jungle Line which interrupts the flow a little bit. It’s stunning that’sJoni Mitchell is such an exceptional artist that this excellent release doesn’t stand amongst her best albums.

The opening track to this record is hilariously off kilter and absurd “remember people thought the world was round?” Hot Chip are not aiming for the charts with this one, they’re just vibing. In fact, there’s nothing that can really be called a single across the entire tracklist which is solid in the most part but does peter out towards the end.

I find the album tracks to be a lot more interesting than the singles. The radio friendly first half sees the band in overly bombastic territory, though I admit I was a little touched by the chorus to With Or Without You. Fans will often present this as the album to listen to if you’re a U2 skeptic, I unfortunately remain a skeptic, though I think in the right light they can be a powerful band.

Ramble Tamble is an amazing first track. The vocals have an unhinged craziness to them that the rest of the album lacks - later on I kept wanting him to loosen up a bit more. The cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine is also fantastic, but similarly, reminded me that the rest of the album had lacked some of the poppier melodic moments that this track brings in spades. Elsewhere there’s a professional mix of blues and rock n roll but not something that sets my world alight.

There will be occasional sparks of genius (such as the gnarly sliding guitar on Whole Lotta Love) which put me in the mind of the majority of people who adore Led Zep. There’s some very clever flourishes, bits of surprising songwriting. But at their core they make music which doesn’t appeal to my sensibilities. It’s a me thing.

It’s a strange sensation to listen to a thoroughly likeable album with a consistently enjoyable vibe, but not be able to just lose myself in it. It might be Bryan Ferry’s vocals that are holding me back, but there’s a lot to enjoy. Out Of The Blue has one of the nicest twistiest bass lines I’ve ever heard. There’s a whip crack propulsion to this song. I also love how tender Ferry sounds on the intro to Bitter Sweet and how a touching, mournful guitar occasionally wraps around him.

This is the best Paul Simon album, and the one I most readily gravitate towards. The fluidity of the guitar and vocals are in contrast to the band who are so crisp and tight, the perfect backdrop for him to shine. Duncan is one of the best songs ever written. So knowing, cheeky, lyrical, nostalgic. The lyrics, which keep pulling the rug from under you, are some of the best too. “My father was a fisherman, my mother was a fisherman’s friend.” “Holes in my confidence, holes in the knees of my jeans.” The silliness of the lyrics, and the tenseness of the music are a wild combination. The mixture of light and dark, funny and serious is part of what makes this LP work so well. Paul Simon is here to have a lot of fun, but it’s not fluff! ‘Me and Julio’ and ‘Peace Like a River’ sit side by side on the tracklist. Both equally as good as each other, yet diametric opposites. I always like it when he undercuts a serious point with a joke. Counterintuitively it improves the point (and the mood!)

The first half is very smart, very retrained. Exactly how I like Queen, with their eccentricities paired down and focused into a tight formula. It makes me think “huh, maybe I like this band more than I realise?” The second half is unleashed Queen with all the bells and whistles, which I would imagine is the more exciting half for a fan of the band. For a non-fan it sounds like an annoying kid in school desperately trying to get your attention, doing backflips, puffing out their cheeks, making unusual noises. I was relieved when it ended.

There is an over-polished, untouchable sheen to the production of the record. I am into melodic, well crafted forms of glam rock, but combined with hard rock it is not my vibe at all. There are elements when they push the performance into harsher or even more romantic territory where it gets a little more interesting, but I feel distanced from the majority of the performance which lacks an emotional core. It’s not bad necessarily, but very professionalised, it could use a bit of spice!

Bjork has a consistently surprising voice which is hard to describe. I keep wanting to say “fragile” but it’s actually pretty robust. Weirdly, it’s both. Part of the surprise comes from the way she chooses which notes to sing. Usually once you’ve heard someone sing a verse of a song, you can more or less guess the melody they will sing on the next verse, even with variations. But Bjork will sing one note, then shoot off to another which, while perfectly complimentary (not erratic or kooky) could never have been guessed. Another surprising thing is hearing how she has influenced other artists that I love. On Pagen Poetry, one of my favourite tracks, I can hear bits of Four Tet’s 2003 and Iglooghost’s 2017 records. Both sides of the album are excellent but my favourite is the elaborate, abstract pop songs of the first half. It’s Not Up to You is absolutely essential. It’s quite a journey in the second half riding through the even more abstract and ambient tracks which are then punctuated nicely by Unison at the end.

A very charming debut from a band who on the whole like a poppier Nirvana, which is no bad thing. They do deviate into more shouty territory on Weenie Beenie which I particularly like. I suspect I probably would have checked in with this band sooner had I been exposed to songs like these, rather than the more radio friendly stadium rock they are now better known for.