Torch song - Radiator Hospital - DIY recording sound which I love, unfortunately it sounds to me like Martha style punk rock minus the quirky lyrics or instrumental hooks. Album seems to go up and down too often with these slow folk esque numbers. It's starts strong and ends strong but lacks consistent filling.
The Fame - Lady Gaga - having enjoyed her new album I wanted to go back to the beginning. I have had a soft spot for Just Dance and Poker face but the rest I never really liked. Musically it sounds like the buzz at the time; 80's revival. I don't understand why Little Boots didn't make this big. That is much more interesting than this. Lyrically it is impressive for the most part; songs about being the downside of celebrity while simultaneously being the biggest act in the world. There is also two funk numbers on here.
Too Bright - Perfume Genius - only hearing Queen before this I had hight hopes this track was played daily on 6Music. This is deceptive. The LP has more in common with a lone Piano and man album than a downtempo flavour of Queen. Tracks with synth arps have a suicide feel, Unfortunately these are in the minority. Slow and steady piano ballads don't and never have done it for me.
Well Well Well - Milburn. I don't know who came first the monkey or the Milburn but the instrumentals sound identical. The Lyrical content is also the same.
Psychic Life - Jah Wobble and Julie Campbell. What a delightful slice of electro, dub, soul by this legend of bass and upstart better known as Lonelady. Many ideas that come together so well unlike the Lady Gaga album that seemingly just smashes styles together.
Bluesbreakers - John Mayall with Eric Clapton - British blues is a curio; it birthed some of the best players in British history but it itself is just an imitation of the American stuff. This album to me sounds like a slower Dr Feelgood (I know they came afterwards but that's the context I heard it in). Yeah, there is a some great solos especially the drum solo in the version of What'd I Say.
Darkest before dawn - Pusha T - I was recommended this by the Internet but it's just really awful. The bad electronicly produced hip hop that's about bitches and money and the homies. About the evil of money and then on the same LP saying how much money you have. And the rhymes are dire. I have never heard so many Dilla references in one album.
Dead wood falls - Jen Colher - this is the debut album of the girlfriend of Courtney Barnett. It's a lot folkier than I expected but then again I do quite like a bit of folk now and again. Heartfelt songs, beautiful ballads.
Big science - Laurie Anderson - a collision of musical styles and ideas. Some work but thankfully a lot do. Laurie shows off some diverse range of instrumentation and vocal phrasing making this a very unique project. At least to my ears. Great early use of vocoder on this LP too.
Day Three -
Life's too good - The Sugarcubes. Art pop, unashamed art pop. Wacky compositions, great duel lead vocals and just great pop songs. It reminded me of Grimes in places, of a Franz Ferdinand, of Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Attack Decay Sustain Release - Simian Mobile Disco. Sounds like twisted disco. Four to the floor dance grooves with warped and distorted vocals. This has been on my to listen list for an age and it's as great as it was going to sound like in my head.
Solid Gold - Gang of Four. This is the follow up to Gang of four's Entertainment album and it's not what I expected. It has the same agit vibe to it but it's slower and not as angry sounding. The politics are still there and that great guitar sound but it lacks punch.
TV Broke my Brain - Man Made. Indie pop record from the band that features the son of the ever fantastic Johnny Marr, Nile Marr. Some gems on this album. The upbeat tracks have great hooks and the slower tracks are really heartfelt. Where the album falls down is it doesn't flow. The tempo just seems to go up and down too much for me. Don't let that stop you listening to this.
Day Four -
Instructions - Heck - hybrid of punk and metal the riffs are too technical to be punk but feels too much influenced by Hardcore not to be metal. Regards of label this is an intense noisy, punchy riff fest. Which is why it feels odd that there is some piano on here and harmonica, at first a bit odd it actually embellishes the sound quite a bit.
Good Girl Gone bad -Rhianna. This dreadful. Her breakthrough album and its just messy. Umbrella is a great pop single with an acoustic drum sound that never appears again. There are some loud hair metal riffs in the same song with 808s and afrika Bambaataa references. There is soul horn section a la Amy Winehouse on a track with the most appalling rhythm. There is an painfully bittersweet acoustic ballad no one wanted. The main thing is some of the instrumentation is good. That's it.
A Thinking Animal - Narcs. Political 90's alternative style band. Grungey punchy songs (Think Pixies) with Noisey Guitars and Pounding drums. Great Album cover too. This is my recommendation to you as it was a recommendation from a friend who is putting them on as a support for a local gig.
Follow the leader - Eric B and Rakim. You know that first album yeah, let's just do the same thing but with filler that just show off our turntable technique with no new bars from Rakim. Yeah, it's enjoyable and sampling yourself is quite funny but it isn't anything more than the first.
Day Five -
I see You - The Xx - this is perfect. Change of pace or more an increase of it. The songs are fuller sounding and just as delicate. Super clean production. Most enjoyable LP this week.
School -Jim Bob. A concept album about school with acoustic guitar and brass bands by one half of my of my fave 90s bands. Yeah. It is great. I love the comedy in Jim Bobs lyrics that speak so poetically and honestly about something we all seemingly suffer. Reminds me of Half Man Half Biscuit.
Henry the Human Fly - Richard Thompson. Where so you start with an artist catalog this big...at the beginning I suppose. This is not what I expected from the singer songwriter guitarist. From what little I'd heard I thought it would be one man and his guitar but this was a whole band affair and is all the better for it. Reminds me greatly of Billy Braggs work which is probably why I like it so much.
Talk Talk Talk - The Psychedelic Furs - when me and Vincent first listened to these guys they sounded like a poor mans cure. I don't know what we heard but this is great. A Darker sounding Teardrop Explodes / Simple Minds is the best way to describe this LP, kinda like Joy Division or Bauhaus or Echo and the Bunnymen in that sense. Glorious.
Black Friday - Cypress Hill - This is old school at it’s best. The use of sampling is dirty so you can hear the vinyl distortion. The samples come friday surprising sources (Son of Preacher man’s opening guitar appears in this album). The Beats are glorious, the flows are great (if a little disturbed) and This is the album that features the glorious Insane in the Brain.
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