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by Skyquake87 » Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:15 am
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.