Latest Music Purchases.

[inflatable dalek]

That just makes me feel horribly old (albums play at 33 and singles, generally, at 45 rpm).

The amazing thing is I ended up getting three brand new albums on LP to go with the player, and one of them was ****ed to buggery from the start. That's not a great sell.

Unless Elton's new greatest hits is supposed to open with a most mash of all of side A.

[Skyquake87]

If it's the new Elton John one, where it's modern pop star reinterpretations of his back catalogue, then yeah, it's probably supposed to sound like that...

The Slits 'Cut' (1981)
Still the only Slits album to ever get reissued (annoyingly, since 'Return to the Valley of The Giant Slits' is brilliant), this is nevertheless a decent entry point into The Slits wild and chaotic sound. Budgie's solid drumming underpins everything, stopping the record veering too far off into weirdness. I love Ari Up's almost barked vocals and the sort of swirly, kaleidoscope sound they have.

Duran Duran 'Rio' (1982)
The album with probably the most '80s looking cover ever - pop art as done by Athena. It's a spot on pop record, unashamed of its superficial nature and all the more joyful for it. There's a bit of pathos with 'The Chauffeur' which closes the album, but othewise it's pop glory all the way. This 2005 reissue chucks in some US remixes of the singles, which aren't sufficiently different enough to make them feel essential.

Killing Joke 'Fire Dances' (1983)
Setting into a fine groove on this, their fourth album, Fire Dances is a glorious thundering beast of an album. Whilst their output to date had been great, this just dials things up a notch. Brilliant stuff, smoldering, clattery and broody. Its the sort of sound that I can hear in a lot of the style and production that came to characterise metal in the US - that clean, sharp, expansive (and, whisper it) radio friendly sound that certainly British metal lacked in this era. This 2008 reissue chucks in non-album single 'Me Or You', it's b-side and versions of 'Dominator' and 'The Gathering', plus a few Peel Sessions.

Dream Wife 'Dream Wife' (2018)
Excellent fresh-sounding indie/punk. Hasn't been off my stereo since I bought it, it's such a good album. Absolutely love them. Smart, funny, take-no-shit songs lit up with some excellent perfunctory playing. Direct, to the point and FUN.

Ministry 'Amerikkkant' (2018)
Much like George Bush Snr's gung-ho presidency was ripe for satire on their excellent 'Psalm 69' (probably not what the album's called, but most folk refer to it as such), so the antics of Trump are firmly in Ministry's sights here. It seems to have given the band a shot in the arm too, as they seem much more relevant again. Although I say this as something of a lapsed fan, as I tuned out around the time of 'Dark Side Of The Spoon'. Sonically, not much has changed in the world of Ministry, which is kind of comforting and there's not much in the way of development from their early '90s heyday, but its still a well honed and well delivered album that carries an air of embarrassment and frustration at current US politics.

Paradise Lost 'Medusa' (2017)
Fantastically doomy gothic opus that received rave reviews last year. Not hard to see why, this is probably PL's most assured album for sometime. I like that it's one of those albums where you can't pick out a favourite song because they all hang together so well, and the titles, man 'Gods Of Aincent', 'The Longest Winter', 'No Passage For The Dead' - all brilliant, full on goth. Love it.

Belly 'Dove' (2018)
Oh my God. I was so excited to find out Belly had got back together. Easily my favourite band of the whole grunge / US alt-rock explosion hearlded by Nirvana. Second album 'King' was my favourite thing ever and used as a great antidote to the tide of same-old same-old Britpop was churning out. And I had a massive crush on Tanya Donnelly, I'm not ashamed to say. I was sad when they broke up, and this album here... well, it just rolls back the years. It follows straight on from where the band were at in '95. Lovely, glorious shimmery, melancholic sounding pop. Fantastic.

[Skyquake87]

The Human League 'Reproduction' (1979)
Brilliant, sinister sounding synth music, that's more industrial and bleak in its out look. Phil Oakey's monotone barritone seems right at home on this soundtrack to a scarred post-industrial world.

Tubeway Army 'Replicas' (1979)
Perhaps a bit overlong, but the narrative thread of surveillance, stifling conformity under the rule of a technology that has birthed replicants makes this a great, immersive listen. One of the greatest pieces of work of Numan's career.

The Cure 'Seventeen Seconds' (1980)
I love how dark and 'other' The Cure sound on these early records, their sound setting the template and standard defining 'Goth' as a genre, but something they seem oddly apart and distant from. Whilst never a super-uplifting band to listen to, I like the bleakness and fragility in their records. This one sounds like ghosts and zylophones blowing through a skeleton hanging from a gnarled old tree in a darkened forest. Which is appropriate, given that 'A Forest' tentpoles the album.

X-Ray Spex 'Germ Free Adolescents' (1978)
Poly Styrene's rather unique voice takes a bit of getting used to, so shrill and harsh does she sound, but this is wonderfully offset by a punch and brassy sounding band who deliver some pointed barbs at the commodification of youth culture and crass commercialism. And without being a bunch of preachy dicks about it. Shame it all fell apart and we ended up with the band turning into Classix Nouveaux.

Chic 'C'est Chic' (1978)
Thumpingly majestic funk-disco that, at 8 track long, doesn't outstay its welcome and is one of the best dance albums, never mind disco, out there. Chic are bloody ace and that's really all there is to say.

Joy Divison 'Closer' (1980)
More clanking misery from the excellent Joy Division. Never an easy listen, but I love their marvellously cavernous, and strangely insular sound. It's funny how bands like this sound more metal than a lot of, well, metal.

Siouxsie And The Banshees 'Kaleidoscope' (1980)
More haunted fairy tales and suburban gothic from The Banshees, here with a record that ups the creepyiness and pop-suss. A really great, fresh sounding dark pop record.

The Cure 'Faith' (1981)
Never a cheery day in the world of The Cure, here with such jolly ditties as 'The Drwoning Man' and 'The Funeral Party', but there's something engrossing about their tangental world view. A beautifully cracked record. Love it.

OMD 'Organisation' (1980)
Always found Andy McClusky's foghorn like voice a bit hard to get past, but once you do, you're rewarded with some belting synth pop. Huge hit 'Enola Gay' dominates, so its good that's on first and you can get to the proper business of the album after that. Which is fantastic. Not too sweet, not too sour just great great pop.

Cocteau Twins 'Garlands' (1982)
I love the Cocteau Twins wistful, layered pop. Garlands isn't quite as ethereal as their later work, here sounding almost as bleak as Joy Division. I bought a ridiculous Rhino records Goth compilation some years ago (came wrapped in a pvc lace up cover) and was surprised to see them included. Listening to this, it suddenly makes sense. Great record, stark and sharp but with that lovely reverb and wooziness they'd make their trademark sound.

Visage 'Visage' (1980)
As with Ultravox - many of whom can be found playing on here - the glorious synth anthem 'Fade To Grey' belies a band who were far more rock than you might imagine.

The Police 'Regatta De Blanc' (1979)
There's something deeply uncool about The Police, but you can't deny that they had a cracking run of singles and made some good, if not great, albums. More than any other band that coalesced in the post-punk era, these were the ones that seemed nakedly ambitious in terms of their very commercial and radio-friendly sound.

The Cure 'Pornography' (1982)
Starting the bands full on descent into goth weirdness, this is a seedy, skin-crawly record and is my favourite of these early years. Its a beautiful sounding record, for all its horrors and psychosis.

The Jam 'All Mod Cons' (1978)
Lively and er, mod, flavoured gituar pop that even at this early stage is full of swagger. Easy to see how massively influential they'd come to be on the mid '90s Britpop scene. I like that this is a very cohesive album where anything could have been a single off it.

[Auntie Slag]

Wow, what a superb selection of albums! Have you heard any of Gary Numan’s most recent stuff, and how do you think it compares to Replicas?

Again, all these bands in your most recent post; are they a mix of vinyl, CD, cassette?

For my part I’m sticking to CD. I’ve been to vinyl shops and heard all the spiel about how wonderful and warm it sounds, but I just remember the crackling. I also remember all the adverts about how CD was a superior sound of perfect digital clarity and what not. I believe that, and find that The Cure, Numan, Soft Cell, Kraftwerk, Jarre, Human League etc sound fantastic on CD.

[Skyquake87]

I like 'Splinter' I picked up a few years ago, that's bloody ace. I bought his most recent one where he's stood in the desert or something, but wasn't so struck with that one. His sound is a lot more beefy, almost industrial sounding these days and I think it suits him.

Yeah, CDs. Since vinyl became beloved by hipsters, it's too expensive and I don't have room for it anyway. That said, I did buy the recent Adam And The Ants 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier' vinyl boxset. But that is pretty special and was worth a punt.

Electronic music generally sounds suited to CDs more than any other format, I find. Especially on a decent stereo.

[inflatable dalek]

Got my first vintage rather than reissue vinyl, The Man With the Golden Gun soundtrack (for some reason it's the only one of the first ten Bonds not to have been rereleased). I can see why all the current releases go on about being heavy, this was a flippy floopy light thing.

Great fun score though. Not Barry's best by a mile, but mediocre Barry is what other musicians wish they could do on a good day and the honky tonk version of the title song is lovely.

[inflatable dalek]

Being ill meant I've now got a vinyl backlog to get through (largely down to Mr Cliffy, though not this first choice), and have pushed into starting with the Star Trek Nemesis score. It's great music because Goldsmith, but boy does it sound sad to be associated with that film.

[Skyquake87]

The Cure 'Japanese Whispers' (1983)
Grab bag of 'something to put out in 1983' whilst the band underwent some line up changes. Has 'Love Cats' on, so there's that. Decent, but inessential.

Talk Talk 'Spirit Of Eden' (1988)
The Q Magazine Reader's indie band. One of those odd bands who always sound terribly grown up and serious. This is a neat sort of ambient, sort of rock beast that makes me think of Clannad, minus the dry ice and Celtic fiddle de-dees.

The Cocteau Twins 'Blue Bell Knoll' (1988)
Speaking of dry ice, it's The Cocteaus! Love their clattery in the distance heavy sound. Bloody brilliant. And with song titles like 'suckling the mender', what's not to love?

Frankie Goes To Hollywood ' Welcome To The Pleasuredome' (1984)
Ridiculous sounding pomp-pop. Like Queen on synths and heroin, this is a monstrous bloated piece of pop magnificence that's probably more about Trevor Horn showing off in the studio than anything else.

The Pet Shop Boys 'Actually' (1987)
Superb dour-pop from the droll Londoners. Still sounds fantastic after hundreds of years. Just the right level of production to stop it sounding dated.

The Cure 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' (1987)
Shimmery misery-pop from The Cure that helped them properly break America. Probably the best album to get if you're starting out on The Cure. Probably one of the best pop albums ever made.

The Fall 'I am Kurious Oranj' (1988)
An album that sounds like an unruly child made to go to a family wedding wearing a suit, and really doesn't want to go, because 'Aunt Jean is awful', so much does this sound like The Fall trying to plough their unique noisy path whilst trying to break the charts. Their Eleventh album at this time. Jesus.

Voice Of The Beehive 'Let it Bee' (1988)
Man, VoTB should have been huge. They wrote such fantastic pop songs. Anyway, this is a great bit of FM radio rock for the ages.

Jane's Addiction 'Nothing's Shocking' (1988)
Another of the signs of a shift in American heavy music, this is a bit of surprise to me ('Ritual De Lo Habitual' from a few years later was my first album of theirs) as it's much more straight forward alt-rock, not a million miles from R.E.M. Good stuff.

Happy Mondays 'Bummed' (1988)
You forget sometimes what a genuinely great band Happy Mondays are. Shaun Ryder and Bez's cartoonish antics (recently seen trying to rig the result on Bargain Hunt, of all things...) often eclipse what are some fun, original and inventive dance/rock songs. This album also has some amusing vintage porn for the interior sleeve art, which I'd forgotten about.

Bow Wow Wow 'Your Box Set Pet - The Complete Recordings' (2018)
A bit of footnote in pop history these days, Bow Wow Wow were what McLaren did after the Sex Pistols. Difficult to divorce from the events of their formation and various tabloid controversies makes it hard to judge their music on it's own merits. The first album 'See Jungle...' (1981) is easily their best, an infectious jumble of excitement and urgency. Second 'When The Going Gets Tough...' (1983) is much more straight forward and less fun as a result. The rest of the box set is made up of, well, pretty much everything else they ever did. This being a Cherry Red releaase, it's just a straight forward resissue of everything with no remastering, so some of the B-Sides and whatnot sound a bit ropey as they seem to have just been straight transfers from vinyl. Still, its nice to have these available on whizzy CD again.

Killing Joke 'Night Time' (1985)
Hitting the big time chart bothering album containing all the hits; 'Love Like Blood' and the awesome 'Eighties'. A band at the peak of their powers and it's a bit of a shame they kind of go back to being the shadows somewhat after this.

[Skyquake87]

Deacon Blue 'Fellow Hoodlums' (1991)
I can still remember the TV ads for this, as much as the album - now at Andy's Records and Our Price (who they?). Funny band, Deacon Blue. Hit the ground running in the late '80s mining the same sort of mainstream guitar pop sound peddled by The Beautiful South, but like them, they got big with no-one admitting to buying their records.

Blur 'Leisure' (1991)
Nice, if unimaginative bit of early '90s jangle pop that straddles the divide between baggy and indie rock.

Inspiral Carpets 'Life' (1990)
Love the Inspiral's '60s flavoured Hammond-rock. This is probably their best album, as whilst they wrote fantastic singles, their albums were always a bit patchy. Like a worn out carpet, appropriately.

The Cure 'Wish' (1992)
Bit of a 'what do we do now?' album, after the almighty gloom fest of 'Disintegration' and their remix album, they decided on more the same shimmery pop as '87s 'Kiss Me...'. So its good, and a fab listen and fits well with contemporary shoe-gaze outfits, but doesn't feel like it's pushing things on so much.

REM 'Automatic For The People' (1992)
Inescapable album from the early '90s and one that made REM properly massive. Not hard to see why - there's no duff songs on this from start to finish, and feels like a more crytalized version of what the band had been aiming for since they signed to the majors.

Inxs 'X' (1990)
Like Roxette, Inxs of this period seem to happy with a great radio rock sound that isn't beholden to trends or changes in the pop scene. Probably why they managed to weather the changes in rock and metal at the time - they just ploughed on regardless.

Jesus Jones 'Liquidizer' 2xCD + DVD (2014)
Never was an album more aptly named. I love Jesus Jones, but there's no denying that it does sound kind of same-y throughout. This reissue stumps up loads of decent extras - b-sides, remixes, live performances and the videos.

Jesus Jones 'Doubt' 2xCD + DVD (2014)
Great pop album that takes the Mondays template and adds a bit more welly too it. The remixes are all excellent here, being good dancefloor work outs. Easy to see why this did so well for them.

Kula Shaker 'K' (1996)
Ridiculous brit-pop staple that was curiously popular at the time; depsite the earnestness and pretentiousness of Crispian Mills' middle-class spiritual journey. Still can't listen to 'Tattva' without hearing The Shirehorses 'Ta,La' instead...

Everything But The Girl 'Walking Wounded' (1996)
Bedroom miserablists get a cool dance makeover, thanks to some decent remixes of their morose sounding pop.

Pixies 'Death To The Pixies' (1998)
Cash in best of,which purists hated, but Johnny come latelys like me didn't mind. Good snapshot of what they were all about, if you can't bear listening to music bores drone on about how important they are before they recommend which of their albums to start with.

..I will get back to twenty first century at some point...

[Skyquake87]

Bloc Party 'A Weekend In The City' (2007)
Neat second album that throbs, jerks and pulses in a slightly less urgent manner than their debut.

Jamie T 'Kings & Queens' (2009)
Still a crying shame that cobblers like Ed Sheeran is massive, whilst actual interesting male solo guitar pop goes largely ignored. On his debut, Jamie T doesn't do anything particularly different to the legion of skinny jeans guitar bands that clogged up the 2000s, but it's great fun.

Lady Gaga 'The Fame Monster' (2009)
Annoying 2009 reissue of 'The Fame' with an EP of all-new material which happens to contain some of her best singles (notably the excellent 'Telephone'). I hate this record label bullshit of getting you to buy the same stuff twice. Fair enough, an enhanced edition at the same time, but a year later? Yeah, I'll be picking that up when it hits Poundland.

Cocteau Twins 'A Collection 1981 – 1990' (2000)
Remember the days when bands had decade long careers? Heady days. I've really got into the Cocteau Twins recently, and this is a good primer of what they're all about.

The Hives 'Tyrannosauraus Hives' (2004)
After the compliation 'Your New Favourite Band' made everyone sit up and pay attention, The Hives dropped this fantastic album (lead single 'Walk Idiot Walk' is still bloody brilliant). Always head and shoulders above the early 2000s fusion of Punk/New Wave and '70s Rock. Great stuff.

No Doubt 'Rock Steady' (2001)
A great thumping POP (in capital letters) album that's great, but bears little relation to the ska / pop-punk of their early career. Perhaps no surprise that Stefani launched a solo career after this. It's not a million miles away from her solo debut just a few years later.

Kylie 'Fever' (2001)
A triumphant blast of slick dance pop from Kylie, who seemed to be a bit lost in a mire of experimentation towards the late '90s (although 'Breathe' remains a lost gem from this period). This, from her imperial phase, put her firmly back on the map. And it's great.

Kylie 'Body Language' (2003)
After the full on slab of four to the floor of 'Fever', this is a bit more of a soul/funk workout from Kylie. If 'Fever' is the night on the tiles, 'Body Language' is the morning after, waking up sweaty, sticky and wondering who you're in bed with.

Delphic 'Delphic' (2010)
Also rans who would probably massive today; their synth-pop sound would give the likes of Pale Waves a run for their money. The only downsides? They're a little too dour for their own good and sound like you're shopping in Topshop.

Moonspell 'Inglorious' (2011)
Lovely shimmery Goth music. Not really much more to say on this one.

Jinjer 'Cloud Factory' (2012)
Prickly sounding metal from the continent. Album artwork is pretty awful, but don't let that put you off.

Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter The Wu-Tang/ 36 Chambers' (1993)
Excellent smoky Gangsta Rap before the genre all became a little silly. Always at the more arty end of the shooty hip-hop spectrum, its probably why I find their albums a jolly good listen.

Black Honey 'Black Honey' (2018)
Shrill hook-leaden synth/guitar pop that's at the more strident side of Goldfrapp. Thumps, parps and belches in all the right places.

The Blinders 'Columbia' (2018)
Refreshing indie-rock that reminds you there's still life in the format of pasty white boys playing guitars. Quite 'concept album' as a band, and the singer wears eye make-up, but don't let that put you off.

Shining 'Animal' (2018)
Fun power metal beamed in straight from 1985 from the Netherlands. Good fun, but easy pickings for sniffy critics.

Evil Scarecrow 'Antartartica' (2018)
More assured silliness from ver Crow, with (whisper it) the hallmarks of them turning into a proper metal band. The horror!

Black Peaks 'All That Divides' (2018)
Should be the soundtrack to every Black Mirror episode ever, as well as whatever Adam Curtis does next. A bleak portrait of world that's gone mad. Because it actually has now. I hope we all die soon too, because this is ridiculous.

Oceans Of Slumber ' The Banished Heart' (2018)
Brilliant expansive, laconic sludge-metal. I can't properly put into words this band. They're incredible and worth a listen.

Gunship 'Dark All Day' (2018)
Yay! Gunship! It's their new album, and it's better than their first! Hooray.

The Birthday Massacre 'Superstition' (2014)
Holy crap The Birthday Massacre! Where have you been hiding all my life? Oh, Canada. That explains it then. Jesus H Jones, this lot are brilliant. Go listen to 'Superstition' and 'Destroyer' and then buy their stuff. Fantastic.

Ice Nine Kills 'The Silver Scream' (2018)
Shout-metal inspired by all the horror films. Pretty good, but not particularly memorable.

Slaves 'Acts Of Fear And Love' (2018)
Excellent third album that pushes their punk/ new-wave sound into more thoughtful and interesting shapes. Still about as authentic as an AC/DC T-shirt bought from H&M, but who cares?

The Struts 'Young & Dangerous' (2018)
More massive sounding rock from the band who would be Queen. Great from start to finish with no duff songs and a neat team up with Ke$ha, of all people.

Queen 'Greatest Hits II' (1991)
Like everyone else, recent patchy bio-pic Bohemain Rhapsody has had me rummaging around in Queen's back catalogue. This second 'Hits' collection covers 1981 – 1991, and the more pop/rock sound they developed over this period. Whilst stuff like 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'Under Pressure' are brilliant, it's the throaty rock of 'Headlong' – with it's silly choruses – and 'Invisible Man' that show there's still an incredible rock band under all the wild deviations into pop and disco.

Queen 'Innuendo' (1991)
My god, this is fantastic. Their last proper album* is pompous, overwrought, and slightly silly - 'Delilah', for example, is about one of Mercury's many cats. Whilst it's hard to divorce from the circumstances in which it was made, it's reach and scope is impressive. 'Innuendo' itself is brilliant, a 7 minute-long opus encompassing flamenco guitars (because why not?) and easy to dismiss single 'I'm Going Slightly Mad' is an understated bit of genius (* Yeah, there's the ghoulish 'Made In Heaven', but no thank you).

Queen 'Jazz' (1978)
Their last great, full on rock album (it has 'Fat Bottomed Girls' and 'I Want To Ride My Bicycle' on it), this is all long hair, leather and flat beer. It's a solid album, and probably one of their more accessible efforts and less likely to be side-tracked by too much whimsy.

Queen 'The Game' (1980)
Christ, but isn't 'Another One Bites The Dust' fantastic? Stands out a bit on this album, which is edging into funk and disco in places. Love the deeply un-PC 'Don't Try Suicide', which would have woke snowflakes the world over reaching for their Twitter accounts if it were released today.

Killing Joke 'Brighter Than A Thousand Suns' (1986)
After some surprising chart success with 'Night Time', Killing Joke swerve into a darker and heavier sound. It's not that far from what came before, but got fans very cross indeed at the time.

[Skyquake87]

Phew! That's a lot, and I've still some more I've bought recently...

[Auntie Slag]

I have to take back my words about the Sargeant Peppers album, really starting to like it now. And "Yay" for Gunships new album, really glad you like it. I've only heard the singles they've released off it so far, but it sounds very cool. I also really like what you said about Innuendo, Headlong and The Invisible Man, I was reading some muso critic recently who ripped into those very songs something awful (especially Innuendo), and I couldn't agree at all.

Yo La Tengo 'Stuff Like That There' (2015)

I think I saw a music video of theirs on YouTube and liked it, probably their cover of 'Friday I'm In Love', which led me on to check out some other songs of theirs. This album is very nice and chilled. Maybe its called slacker music, but its nice in a kind of 90's-grunge-that's-cooled-down-somewhat kind of way.

The Czars 'Goodbye' (2004)

I fell in love with John Grant's voice about five years ago (and his lyrics, and his wonderful piano style) and heard 'Paint The Moon' off this album and it never left my head. Sadly this isn't a great album by any stretch. I'm really not into Country twangery and I probably should have just bought the single. Win some, lose some!

Team America: World Police 'OST' (2004)

**** YEAH!

Yo La Tengo 'Fade' (2013)

Again, lots of blissed out tracks. Imagine having a fat cat fast asleep on your stomach, then it stretches its arms and legs and rolls over, still fast asleep. This album feels a bit like that.

Michael Jackson 'Thriller 25th Anniversary ed' (2007)

A little known album by a kid who left his boy band brothers and went solo. Still a really great album, although all the additional 25th Anniversary songs are utter garbage. Have you ever heard Beat it feat. Fergie? Would you want to listen to Wannabe Startin' Somethin' with Akon rap/stuttering over the top? They're truly horrible efforts, worth listening to once just to hear how try-hard and out of date they already sound. Following that, just love the original album!

Daft Punk 'Tron: Legacy Soundtrack' (2010)

Naff film, but I love it so. I don't really care about the plot, the actors or whatnot. Its purely the aesthetic style and the unbelievable soundtrack. You can make the film better by removing the script and just play the music over the top of it. The track 'End of Line' was like a laser shot from Prime's rifle into the centre of my brain. How did they so effortlessly overlap 70's/early 80's synth with today's modern tech sound? How did the VFX guys make the film look so good, how did everyone else involved manage cock it all up so badly?

Its beautiful realisation... and I used to hate sodding Daft Punk with a passion!

[inflatable dalek]

The Licence to Kill soundtrack on LP! Which is an odd one as the first side only has one track of the actual score, the rest is all either the opening/closing songs or source music from within the film. That means side 2 is very compressed and each track takes stuff from all over the movie. Very odd.

[Skyquake87]

Jesus Jones 'Passengers' (2018)
After touring relentlessly since 2001, the Jones boys get around to putting out their first new stuff since 2001's 'London' album and 2004's 'Culture Vulture' EP and it continues very much in the vein of those earlier albums. The stripped back and some-what lo-fi electronics still come as a surprise and slight disappointment to me, given how much a part of their sound they were. I miss the bombast, y'know? Still, what we do have here is some fine indie noodlings and interesting soundscapes.

Chvrches 'Love Is Dead' (2018)
Yet to put a foot wrong three albums in, Chvrches have just grown in confidence, if anything else. The indie-shoegaziness of their debut has gradually given way to some excellent pop suss, it's a bit like watching a flower blossom.

Machine Head 'Catharsis' (2018)
I'm so pleased that a metal band I grew up with is still around and still putting out incredible stuff like this. It feels fresh, relevant and inventive. Probably the best thing they've done since 'The Blackening'.

Fickle Friends ' You Are Someone Else' (2018)
Shiny synth pop confection with some sweary lyrics and sleeve art straight out of Athena. Good fun, if not particularly deep or resonant.

The Prodigy 'No Toursits' (2018)
Hmm. More nu-rave from The Prodigy. Does exactly the same as their last two efforts. I feel like I should like this more than I do, as it's not a bad record. It's just...I dunno, we've already had two albums of this brutal C21 on early '90s Rave now and it just feels like they're stuck in a rut. Bet this all sounds amazing live though.

Let's Eat Grandma 'I'm All Ears' (2018)
Sickly synth pop, a bit like Chvrches with a hangover. Sounds like a woozy soundtrack to a film I haven't seen but would probably quite like.

[Skyquake87]

I've been to HMV to pointlessly try and save it from extinction (I will genuinely be sad if it goes. It is the last music shop in my town)

New Years Day 'Diary Of A Creep' (UK edition) (2018)
Neat covers EP from NYD whilst they sort out their next album. It's all straight forward enough, except for their cover of 'Only Happy When It Rains' with Lzzy Hale joining in. That's proper ace, if only to be reminded of how completely different Garbage's songs sound without the technological whistles and bells. Could have done without the Linkin Park cover. I think I'm too old for Linkin Park. They always sounded terrible to me and even Ash Costello can't make me like them.

Alien Sex Fiend 'Possessed' (2018)
2018 has been a year of surprise returns for me...all the bands I grew up with crawling out of the woodwork. Or, in the case of ASF, out of the woodworm. Last album of theirs I bought was in '97 when they'd tapped into the dubby nature of a lot of their 12" mixes. Anyway, this made me super happy. Its more in the vein of their scabberous, clattery early stuff and this is no bad thing. F**king brilliant and a nice way to end the year.

Gang Of Four 'Entertainment!' (1979)
Magnificent album that mixes the spikiness of punk with funk, reggae and dub. This '95 reissue (with some extra stuff from the singles) has some nice comments from Flea, Tad Doyle and Michael Stipe, showing what an influence this kind of stuff had on them. Definitely one of the best post-punk albums out there and one you should seek out if you thought Radio 4 were good - this was the band they pinched their sound from.

The Human League 'Travelogue' (1980)
Now unfortunate cover of 'Rock 'N' Roll' notwithstanding, this is another excellent piece of gloomy pioneering synthpop. I like this more than 'Reproduction' as it seems to be a more coherent record and slightly less noodly than their first. Would have been interesting to see where they'd have gone from here if they hadn't split up.

Grace Jones 'Nightclubbing (1981)
Grace Jones is magnificent. And this album is bonkers and brilliant. That is all.

[Denyer]

Bit late (this was apparently released circa 2016) but discovered that the Wildies put out albums of their Earth Vs and p.h.u.q. anniversary tour gigs and got the latter --

Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Outdrunk ... 01J1G5TPO/
( Digital's cheaper here -- https://round-records.com/product/the-w ... -download/ )

I went to an Earth Vs gig but missed this one and do kind of wish I hadn't now, the songs benefit greatly from enthusiastic live treatment. (The original album's good but as a recording doesn't have as much energy). Wouldn't say it's a mainly-for-fans release, there's a bit of whimsical interaction but very little distraction from the music.

Here's hoping there's mileage in other album retrospective tours -- Endless, Nameless would be favourite but Fishing For Luckies has some belters too.

[Skyquake87]

Cool! Did enjoy The Wildhearts when I saw them, lo those many years ago. Listened to a few of the tracks off that live album and they sound on top form. And Ginger doesn't sound fed up, or is being a needless dick which is always a plus.

Quick to HMV..!
George Michael - 'Faith' (1987)
Good, solid grown up pop from a man clearly wanting to leave the Wham! days behind him. Which is a bloody good job, as Wham! were sh*t. This 2010 remastered edition throws in a bonus disc full of the stuff that was on the singles. It's okay as an extra, just b-sides and remixes. Don't know that it needed an extra disc for it though.

Blondie - 'Eat To The Beat' (1979)
Assured post-punk ramalama from Blondie. 'Atomic' sounds odd in context to the rest of the album, which is decidedly less disco, but hey-ho. This 2001 reissue throws in two live contemporary recordings and also live covers of 'Heroes' and 'Ring Of Fire' which are both fine, but a bit pedestrian and don't add anything to the originals.

Queen - 'A Kind Of Magic' (1986)
Unofificial soundtrack to Highlander and a more solid effort than their last few prior albums (to my ears, anyway). It is perhaps nakedly commercial, but quite honestly, when you've got a good ear for tunes, what's the harm? It's certainly no worse than the bubblegum metal that clogged up the '80s and has a damn sight more soul.

N.W.A. - 'Straight Outta Compton' (1987)
Brutal tales of life on the edges of American society and a neat counterpoint to Public Enemy. Whilst P.E. were all about political rage and trying to appeal for change, N.W.A. were about carving out a place in society through, drugs, guns, exploitation,violence and extortion as a means of getting ahead in America. In a way, it's kind of a shame that N.W.A's approach came to dominate hip-hop and set the template for all the 'hos and money bullsh*t that came in their wake. Thanks for that. Good album though. And if ever you wanted a sign of how cartoonish and ridiculous Gangsta Rap would turn out to be, check out this 2007 20th anniversary edition which has covers by er, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, WC and Snoop Dogg (by this point staring in comedy movies).

And from the bins in Poundland...

Mercury Rev - 'Deserter's Songs' (1998)
Merucury prize winning album now available for £1. Insert your own joke here. Facetiousness aside, this is a charming and soulful album and easy to see why it was one of the great albums of the year.

The Dandy Warhols - 'Welcome To The Monkey House' (2003)
Good album and good band perhaps unfairly neglected due to the rise of punk/ rock tinged skinny jeans bands of the time. The Dandy Warhols, ladies and gentlemen - arriving too early and starting their own party.

Blackstreet - 'Another Level' (1996)
Not Another Level, although it's hard to argue which is worse. Fantastic single 'No Diggity' aside, the album quickly descends into that over-produced treacle that characterized a lot of black American music of the time. The album offers few other pointed highlights and is too bloody long (76 minutes?! really?) for it's own good and is peppered with irritating interludes.

TLC - 'CrazySexyCool' (1994)
Fantastically slutty soul/hip-hop that pisses over the likes of SWV and En Vogue from a great height. Yeah it has interludes just like Blackstreet, but here they add to the narrative of the album, rather than just being some pissing about in the studio. Singles 'Creep', 'Diggin' On You' and 'Waterfalls' still sound fresh!

The Automatic - 'Not Accepted Anywhere' (2006)
One of a number of bands from the mid-late 2000s who had monstrous success but then couldn't follow through on it, losing band members and the things that made them fun. Probably didn't help that this was well into the era of new guitar bands coming along every 5 minutes being touted as the next big thing. That and the now sad phenomenon of the internet being very excited about things and then immediately losing interest - which is why nothing arranged online outside of mental conspiracy theories ever sticks. Andy Warhol was wrong; in the future, everyone is famous for 5 minutes (if they're lucky).

[Skyquake87]

Code Orange - 'Forever' (2017)
One of those albums best described as 'bruising'. It's a thumping great album and a bit like being hit by a musical sledgehammer. Not a real one. That would kill you.

Venom Prison - 'Animus - Deluxe Edition' (2018)
If Code Ornage are bruising, Venom Prison are probably best described as 'shredding'. They sound like a tornado of razor blades. And are bloody brilliant. This Deluxe Edition throws in a live e.p. which is energetic, furious and fab.

Inkubus Sukkubus - 'The Anthology' (2013)
Double-disc retrospective of the bands then 25 year (or thereabouts) career. Definitely at the folk end of the goth spectrum, Inkubus Sukkubus are nevertheless, capable of rocking like a chair.

Queen - 'The Miracle' (1989)
Insert your own tasteless joke about the album title here. First of two studio bound albums following Freddie's AIDS diagnosis in 1987, this one finds the band energised and delivering their best album of the '80s since... 'The Game', I'd say. It's full of bombast and is much more of a straight forward rock album compared to their more pop orientated output of this decade. My favourite is still 'The Invisible Man' because its quite silly. Just don't watch the weird and slightly creepy video. What are you doing in that young lad's bedroom...?

The Jam - 'Setting Sons' (1979)
I like The Jam and this is a good record, but their singles are so strong they tend to put the rest of their albums in the shade. And this is very true here, so it's quite good that biggie 'The Eton Rifles' is held at the back of the queue.

The Police - 'Outlandos d'Amour' (1978)
Good skittery, cod-reggae infused pop-punk. I don't care that The Police are about as punk as Busted, they did some good tunes!

[Skyquake87]

The Smiths - 'Hatful of Hollow' (1984)
Never a massive Smiths fan, but this has always been my go to Smiths album. Just for 'How Soon Is Now?', which is easily their best tune. Rest of this album is a hodge-podge of session tracks and singles. Nice to have it back, as my vinyl version was scratched to buggery.

Pet Shop Boys - 'Please' (1986)
Sardonic sounding synth-pop. And brilliant it is too. This is a fab debut album, I like how melancholic and cavernous they sound here. Singles are all great too and don't dominate the album.

Madness - 'One Step Beyond...' (1979)
Fresh and infectious sounding debut from the Nutty Boys, full of charm and musical hall sensibilities. Not surprising they quickly outgrew the 2-Tone/ Ska influences that underpin a lot of this album. Still sounds brilliant 40 years on. This 35th anniversary edition I picked up tacks on some horrible sounding demos (why do people want these?) and slings in a DVD with the videos for the singles, some TOTP performances and some live ones from the Old Grey Whistle Test. Best bit of it for my money is the inclusion of the BBCs 2000 airing 'Young Guns Go For It' segment on Madness which runs through their career up to their full reformation in 1998. Doesn't shy away from the split and their er, glory years as The Madness.

Kate Bush - 'The Kick Inside' (1978)
Ethereal and shrill sounding debut from Kate Bush. In the context of the late '70s mix of post-punk, disco and plodding AOR (not to mention all the browns and oranges that seemed to be in fashion at the time - bleurgh), this sounded so different and out there. It feels so much more thoughtful and alive than a lot of what was around. Brilliant. Love 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes'.

Siouxsie And The Banshees - 'A Kiss In The Dreamhouse' (1982)
For their fifth album, The Banshees tip into full on Goth weirdness with this album of off-kilter fairy tales and physcho-dramas. My favourite tune on here has to be 'Slowdive', which is bloody ace to dance to. As well as some pretentious and self-important sleeve notes from Paul Morley (brilliant music journalist, but does tend to swing things around to himself these days), this reissue throws in a b-side and a couple of 12" mixes. Nice.

Judas Priest - 'Screaming For Vengeance' (1982)
Iconic sleeve art aside, I've found this a bit of a plodder next to their earlier stuff. Nothing seems to stand out. Think I need to give it a few more listens, but it's just not grabbing me in the same way as their earlier stuff. Hmm.

The Pretenders - 'Pretenders' (1979)
Great debut album that has a neat undercurrents of Motown seeded through it's 12 tracks of new wave pop. Sounds as fresh as a daisy too!

Tears For Fears - 'The Hurting' (1982)
Bleak and somehow uplifting synth-pop that packs an almighty wallop. I love how TFF used such good production that none of this stuff sounds dated at all. Stuff really gets you in the chest. If it didn't sound so bloody cheery, this stuff would give Nine Inch Nails a run for their money.

Cocteau Twins - 'Heaven Or Las Vegas' (1990)
I don't know what's got me hooked on the Cocteaus. They were always a band I remember being around, but moreso for their derivatives - Slowdive, Curve and MBV, who all took their template and did different things with it. Mostly I think I like how they make a formidable racket that's great for being monged out to.

Within Temptation - 'Resist' (2018)
Injecting a bit of technology - loops, samples and whatnot - seems to have given Within Temptation a shot in the arm. One of a number of symphonic metal bands, they always seemed a bit indistinctive to me. Techno-rock and Grebo are favourite genres of mine growing up, so anything that mixes different styles together like this is playing on easy mode for my ears, but nevertheless, this sounds amazing!

Feels - 'Post Earth' (2019)
I love indie music, but I've struggled to find much of it that appeals to me in the last ten years. I've been listening to Marc Riley on 6 Music and this lot grabbed my attention. They have that same vibe as Sleater Kinney, that general lo-fi sound, that's not been under-produced so it sounds grubby and impenetrable, but lively and distinct.

While She Sleeps - 'So What?' (2019)
Metal Hammer called this album "mental" in a recent interview with WSS. It's not, to be honest, but it does push WSS into some interesting new directions. I love how urgent and immediate it sounds all the way through. It's a really loud, colourful sounding boom of a record and a definite left turn for the band which does them a world of good. They've always been great, but this is something else.

[Rurudyne]

Do CDs bought at estate sales count?