2025: 1st Quarter - Albums & Conclusions

Originally posted April 2025

ALBUMS

Marking Key At Bottom

Ringo Starr “Look Up”

..... and why not kick off with Ringo? I’m happy with that. A lot of people don’t I speak to don’t realise that, aside from 2 periods, Ringo has churned out an album every couple of year (and it was more frequent on the 70s). The 1^st period of silence was from the early 80s into the 90s, although you could still catch him if you tuned into Thomas the Tank Engine. The 2^nd was just now – his last studio album was mid-2019.  He surrounds himself with great musicians, songwriters and producers – so the results are always passable at least. Plus....  its Ringo. Its always been difficult not to really like the guy. This offering is essentially ‘Ringo does Country’ which is a smart move given its current surge in trend. However, he opts for the ‘classic’ approach. It doesn’t sound modern..... which is arguably also smart because there might be cringey results if the near 85-year old attempted that. I used the phrase ‘churned out’ and it has always been just that. Since the 80s hiatus (and some would argue even before than) Ringo albums tend to have all hovered somewhere around average. There’s no change here. But, it’s Ringo! Always great to hear him. I’ll always give a listen and always enjoy it whatever my honest critique. 5 (or 8 because its Ringo). Simon independently came to the same mark.

Franz Ferdinand “The Human Fear”

I really liked Franz Ferdinand in the early days. They were a perfect mix of traditional rock taken seriously with their own brand unique energy, fun and quirkiness thrown in. I say the early days because I lost contact after the 3^rd album, just because I lost contact with everything. The reviews of this were mixed, although none said it was amazing. With the opening of the album and 1^st track, I thought they were all wrong – it was sounding incredible. The rest of the album doesn’t meet the peak of the opening track but it’s still pretty good. It sounds like Franz Ferdinand exactly as I remember. I’m undecided whether that’s a great thing (given their fairly unique traits), or if it’s just means it’s all got a bit monotonous. 6

Lambrini Girls “Who Let The Dogs Out”

It’s good old-fashioned punk really. Its fast, loud, hard-hitting, political, and fun. They do it really well. 7

Ethal Cain “Perverts”

Wow. Now this is something. I’d defy anyone to say this wasn’t at all interesting, even if they hated it. Its a challenging listen with 9 tracks at a running time of 90 mins. I would describe many of the numbers as ‘sound-pieces’  and even the few that are more song-like are not particularly conventional. Opening with what sounds like an old recording of “Nearer My God To Thee” on an album (and 1^st track) entitled “Perverts” I knew we were going somewhere dark. I wasn’t prepared for quite how dark. This is followed by over ten minutes of a low distant rumbling sound with snippets of unintelligible voices and other very disturbing sounds coming through in small snippets. After almost ten mins of this, although the whole sound is quite disturbing I was feeling quite secure that the snippets of sound were short – so I felt genuinely anxious when one final snippet continued on and on. It final stopped abruptly and a voice exclaimed ‘it’s happening to everyone’. The second track “Punish” begins and there’s a indistinguishable noise that repeats (almost like a riff) and sounds something like someone rocking back and forth on a creaky piece of furniture. I wondered if this was all just montages of sound but a piano/vocal track ensues. Her voice is quite enchanting – I was immediately reminded of Enya when she does solo voice (rather than her multi-layered vocal tracks) with piano/synth accompaniment. Despite the simple beauty in this tracks there is still a backdrop of disturbing noise. I don’t wish to do a track by track description but track 3 “Housofpsychoticwomn” reverts to the ‘soundpiece’ idea with something that sounds like a baby’s heartbeat on a sonogram. There are indecipherable voices again but as the track progresses a voice repeating ‘I love you’ becomes clearer. Given the disturbing backdrop of sounds this ‘I love you’ seems unlikely be anything good and it’s interesting that the lyric of the next track, “Vacillator”, is ‘if you love me keep it to yourself’. The track “Pulldrone” fascinated me because it featured some very extensive and unpleasant noises that sounded like drills. But I realised as I was listening that there was actually tonal organisation. These awful sounds were actually forming a repeated succession of chords. I do love this album but there is something about it that doesn’t fully gel for me. As I’ve said above much of it is not ‘songs’ or even anything close to it. However, some of the tracks, while not ‘standard’ by any means are ‘song-like’. They feature sung melodies in song-like structured, are very harmonically conventional, and even use standard ‘band’ instruments, guitars, bass, drums, keys etc. And, in my opinion, these moments (while they might be wonderful if you played them in isolation) pull the album back a little. I think that’s done deliberately for balance....... but I’m not entirely convinced by it. That said I’ll go with........ 7       (...... and I will struggle to sleep tonight!!!!)

Teddy Swims “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Part 2”

I had a fear with this album. As great as Swims is, his style on “Part 1” was fairly limited in range and the song-writing, while great, was formulaic. My fear was that more of the same might start to wear thin. In a sense, it IS more of the same but there’s a definite sense  of moving forward. Mainly, it’s the instrumental and vocal arrangements that branch out here. Whether it be moving away more regularly from standard 4/4 time signatures, the ‘harder/rockier’ sound of “Not Your Man”, the slightly bizarre vocal backing of  “Your Kind Of Crazy”, the wah-wah guitar sound in “Are You Even Real”, the rapping in “She’s Got It” or the vocal quirkiness in “Hammer To The Heart”, there’s a little bit more to get your teeth into than “Part 1”. I think, overall, it’s a little better than “Part 1” (which I gave a 7), even though that album probably has the best track in “Lose Control”. 7

Rave Immortal “Alt Blk Era”

Having seen some reviews and general anticipation of this album I was going in expecting a 7 or even 8. After the opening “Straight To Heart” and next few tracks I was disappointed. It was more like a 5. The first track was a middle of the road ‘indie’ offering and the next few leaned towards a harder grungy sound but delivered in an unimaginative manner. However, it did pick up as the band start playing around with the sound and introduce their own little mannerisms. More like a 6. Then towards the end it got brilliant. A 7. There’s some drum and bass-like musings thrown in and there’s definitely a nod towards groups like the Prodigy in the final title track. The penultimate track “Catch Me If You Can” is my favourite. So, this is more evidence of my observation that modern albums often adopt a formula of starting with weaker tracks and getting stronger later on. The theories I have as to why that might be are bit flimsy so I’m still working that out. Overall..... 6

Central Cee “Can’t Rush Greatness” (#1)

I tend to like the interesting use of beats/samples etc., with this guy – and his rapping style. I’ve found it doesn’t enthral me for the extension of an entire album but its still good enough. I particularly enjoyed the line where he states it shouldn’t be a problem getting an album to #1.....  because the bar’s not that high!!!! Slay haha 6

FKA twigs “Eusexua”

Well this is a name I didn’t know and assumed to be a new artists only to discover they’ve been around well over a decade - so there we go. This was a strange one as there were ‘nuggets’ of experimentation, interesting ideas etc., but that’s all they were..... nuggets that didn’t seem to go very far or develop in any way. These nuggets of interest are interspersed against a backdrop of fairly standard and conventional electronic dance music. Although a completely different genre, imagine someone playing “Rock Around The Clock” but adding interesting noises and effects here and there. In a way, although a different genre again, I was reminded of Elbow who seem to forever hint and something different and interesting happening, but never quite getting there. There is a collection of tracks within the album I really like very much – “Drums of Death”, “Sticky”, and “Keep It, Hold It”. If all the tracks were as good as those we’d be looking at a 7. I am interested to hear previous music and would wager it is quite brilliant. 5

Mogwai “The Bad Fire”

I was quite into Mogwai, a largely instrumental outfit, in the late 90s. “Come On Die Young” (1999) was a staple on my stereo for a few years. Although I heard bits and pieces (a friend at my Uni was a fan) I kind of lost them a little through my musical snobbery era. In 2013 they provided the music for the mind-bending French TV series “The Returned” and I really liked the album for that........ but again lost them since. So, I was excited to hear this album. It didn’t quite live up to my inner hype through. It’s sort of like they find a musical idea then just play it and play it until they are bored with it thenselves. Then ask, ‘what next?’...... and just say ‘well let’s make the guitar a bit distorted’ and then carry on for 3 days. Next? Change the drum pattern slightly and carry on for a week. Next? Add a couple of piano notes. That’ll do. OK, I'm massively exaggerating but it nicely summarises my point. Now I think of it, you might say something similar about Mogwai in general. But, when listening to them I used to always get imagery, even full scenes playing out in my head. But that wasn’t really the case with this album. 5

Jasmine.4.t “You Are The Morning”

This has got a fair bit of attention because there’s a bit of a story behind the lead singer, the band, and the album. In honesty, it’s good enough...... but not absolutely incredible by any means. Its a fairly standard ‘indie’ format with significant folk influences. There’s a touch of experimentation..... but only a touch. It definitely has some great moments and is good overall. I won’t pretend to be that excited by it, however. My advice would be give the track “Guy Fawkes Tesco Disassociation” a go – and if that doesn’t grab you then I’d probably move on. 6

The Weeknd “Hurry Up Tomorrow” (#1)

This album was highly anticipated as it is meant to be the final album. I am dubious about this. Firstly because so many have said this only to eventually return...... even if it takes 30 years like Cat Stevens. Secondly because so many say things like this and change their mind. Finally because he talks a lot about ‘this persona’ which strongly suggests to me that he will continue.... just not under the same name.

Now, I talked about this during 2024. Any criticism I make of The Weeknd almost feels silly. I say that because his ‘best of’ collection that I listened to during 2024 had been in the charts for over 3 years (apart from 1 curious week) at no lower than 32 but almost all in the top 20 and 2 year’s worth in the top 10. It continues to reign. His music is clearly loved.

Actually, when I started listening to The Weeknd in 2024 I quickly discovered a handful of tracks that were superb. I imagine they must be among the very best of the last decade. But, as I listened on, I realised that for every 1 brilliant track there were 9 mediocre to poor ones.

Actually, that’s not particular reflected on this album. That's because there are no tracks that blow you away...... but there’s none I’d call ‘poor’ either. This is probably because its all gone down a slightly ‘creative’ route. A box ticked for me. There are tracks that link together or change midway, musical interludes etc. A good example is  “Given Up On Me” which goes on a journey before reaching a somewhat bizarre conclusion. Another track that summarises this is “Big Sleep”, probably my favourite, which seems to be about death.

That leads me to another point. Although there’s a fairly uplifting ending, that ending is about afterlife. The whole tone of the album is fairly dark. Another tick for me. And another tick would be that it all works fairly well as an ‘album’ – a piece of art that should be listened to as such for best results. Tick.

However, I do have criticisms. I have mixed feeling about the album. There are positive points of interest throughout. But, simultaneously there is always something lacking. For example, “São Paulo” is very interesting musically but is melodically monotonic.  In contrast “Baptized In Fear” has a strong melody but lacks in dynamic. Considering my claim of ‘lacking’, the clocking time of 85 minutes is a bit much.

There's one more curious thing. There are a number of guest artists and they all make a great contribution. Weirdly, the least interesting factor of the album is the vocal performance from The Weeknd. I’m struggling to work out in my head if that makes any difference. I don’t know.

This album has some great qualities. There are amazing moments. I would recommend a listen......... when you’ve got 85 minutes spare. But, given my reservations it has to be a....... 6

Maribou State “Hallucinating Love”

I did enjoy this group’s sound. I enjoy the fact they don’t conform to song structure and standard formats. However, I found that having set a track up in the 1^st 10-20 seconds, very little happens after that. 4

RØRY “Restoration”

I was immediately reminded of Wheatus. You know when your bog-standard pop artists throws a heavy metal track in there? Well it mostly feels like that – although there’s a more  hip hop leaning track in there. To be fair, it’s ok, but no 1 track or any moment grabs me by the throat and threatens me to pay attention. 5

Inhaler “Open Wide”

Pretty standard middle-of-the-road rock music. This was listenable and had its moments but overall was just OK. 5

Block 33 “The Promised Land”

When bands model themselves heavily on a subgenre/subculture (mod in this case) it sometimes works but often lacks something. This is probably because they were not part of the society they evolved from or experience the events that gave rise to them. They cant possibly authentically recapture that energy. Strangely, and I’m not entirely sure why, this only applies when they are being ‘serious’. Bands that take a more comedic approach and parody the music of subcultures seem to do a much better job at it. Weird. All that said, these guys are very good. If you’re a modern music fan, then here’s some NEW music for you.... its not bad. However, I think it works the other way round. I don’t think if someone who has never heard this sort of music before plays this they will be rushing to create a classic mod playlist on their Spotify account. (Other music streaming services are available). 6

The Weather Station “Humanhood”

I’ve mixed feelings about this. Its good. But its like it’s straightforward folk-rock with random moments of ‘avant-garde’ juxtaposed on top of it, rather than integrated into the sound. It’s fairly consistent with that so maybe that’s it’s intent. To my ear, it did sound a bit like there someone was having avant-garde ideas but no-one really knew what to do with them so..... just plonked them in there any-old-how. That said, it made for an interesting listen and I did enjoy it. 6

Manic Street Preachers “Critical Thinking”

I’ll start by saying I was pleasantly surprised.... although not blown away. My relationship with the Manics has been up and down. Their peak was one of my least favourite Manics eras. I absolutely loved their early punky/grungy sound and hard-hitting lyrics. Their debut “Generation Terrorists” (1991), although it felt a little disjointed was a solid 7 in my book. “Gold Against The Soul” (1993) & “The Holy Bible” (1994) both 9s. When we got to “Everything Must Go” (1996), the 1^st album without the still-missing-presumed-dead Richey Edwards, there was a marked change occurring. There was a reliance on things like orchestral string backings to give a ‘big’ sound, and the lyrics were softening. Its no good singing too much about prostitution, consumerism imperialism, the Holocaust, serial killers, the death penalty, fascism and suicide if you want a #1 hit to perform on Top Of The Pops is there? That said it was still an 8 for me. But then, at their height in the late 90s/early 00s, they lost me slightly.... and then a lot. They then became everything they said they never would............. but....... once I got passed that and accepted it for what it was, I quite liked them again in the late 00s / early 2010s. But by the time we got to “Futurology” in 2014, I was basically bored. Same old boring Manics. Because of that, I’ve not really bothered with their albums in the interim.

So, my expectations were low. But this has a really strong opening that is not that old boring Manics sound. In fact, if I’d heard it without knowing, I would not have guessed it was them. It does slip somewhat back into familiar territory as the album progresses, but not ‘boring Manics’. ‘Good solid Manics’. There is unfortunately a lull of about 3-4 tracks mid-album that I thought were pretty weak. So it a mix of everything really (apart from early Manics). There’s some boring old Manics, some good solid Manics, and some Manics being a little different. 6

David Kushner “20 Years From Now” (E.P.)

Responsible for my favourite track of 2023. This is pretty good. None of it really matches that track, however. I really like “Breathe In, Breathe Out” 6

Tate McRae “So Close To What”

McRae has been an interesting one in my project. When I began, “greedy” was on my top 10 playlist. I thought it was a bit ‘m’eh’ and got bored with it quickly. However, later in the year I found it stuck in my head for some reason. I went back to it and found I’d changed my mind. My conclusion was that, because of this project, my ear was sort of re-tuning. New singles started coming out and I found I did quite like her. She had a bit of an ‘edge’ in comparison to her peers. But then, the more I listened, the more I thought it all started to feel a bit ‘samey’.

So, does this album reflect my thoughts. Kind of. But, not as much as I expected. She definitely has this edgy quality I heard. A bit heavier. A bit bassier. A bit more ‘attitude’. It IS kind of ‘samey’..... but not much more so than anyone else. “Miss possessive” is a strong opener “2 hands” has a great falsetto figure in the chorus. “Revolving door” is a really strong track. “Purple lace bra” with its string backing, and lighter-breathier vocal style is an argument against my ‘samey’ statement (as it the final track “Nostalgia”). I’ve talked about “Sports car” and it’s whispered chorus in the singles post. I’m not sure what the weird vocal thing is post-chorus in “No I’m not in love” but I really like it. Its like when you slow a vocal down – but then it’s somehow put a few octaves higher.  I like the different rhythmic drive of “Means I care” – and this is consequently my favourite track. Pretty good really ........ considering I didn’t like her initially. 6

The Wombats “Oh! The Ocean”

It’s almost 20 years since their debut so I think they fall into an ‘older acts’ category at this point. I’ll be honest, I know a little of them but haven’t ever listened to an album all the way through. Its very basic indie with Britpop leanings that  goes off at a few different angles in places. So there’s no ground being broken here or anything. However, its bloody brilliant. 7

Drake/ PARTYNEXTDOOR “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U”

It’s not doing a lot for me. However, despite me getting better and more knowledgeable about this genre and it’s associates I’m still miles away from being the best judge. That said, I’ve probably heard enough to say that while it’s not necessarily the worst there’s a lot better around. There are some good tracks and others that have interesting things about them. The whole affair does seem to pick up about 2/3 of the way through. I do like the tracks “Gimme A Hug” and “Meet Your Padre”. “Nokia”, a more up-tempo number than the rest, also ain’t bad. I think the problem is that there’s a theme – songs that are slow/sensual/sexy or whatever..... and it doesn’t really work. It probably WOULD lure me into bed. But strictly to sleep. Out like a light. 4

Louis Dunford “Be Lucky”

I wasn’t going to listen to this. The idea of someone who was Linda Robson’s son plus a prolific murder witness saying ‘hey here’s me making music’ just made me feel ‘ugh’. But I re-thought. I’m not convinced a connection to Linda Robson has much influence these days..... I’m not sure it ever did even in the mid 90s at the height of her Birds Of A Feather fame. So I listened...... and its not bad. Its got that ‘pop trying to be rock’ feel to it. The song-writing is OK. The trouble is he seems to like to touch on political/social/philosophical issues but, for a man in his 30s, seems to have a simplistic view of them (although I agree with his general stances). The music is pretty good but not innovative. 5 .

Sam Fender “People Watching” (#1)

This guy is OK at best. I’m not a big fan. The album reflects this. Of course, he is very popular and this is his 3^rd #1 album in the UK. It reminds me of the faction of Indie bands in the 90s that were deliberately ‘middle of the road’ because that type of music was SO popular that it wasn’t necessary to ‘try’. Passable song-writing but never veering from traditional song-form, predictable harmonic structure, broad lyrics, and largely devoid of dynamic. 4

Saya Gray “Saya”

This kinda reminded me of Regina Spector a little. Like... a bit weird.... but not overly so. Not fitting neatly into any genre.... you’d go with something broad like ‘indie’ or ‘alt-pop’. There’s some rock, electro-pop, one track goes a bit country etc. Lots of innovation and some weirdness sprinkled in. I definitely liked it. 7

Edward Skelectrix “Museum Music”

This is sort of ‘sound pieces’ with a hip-hop backdrop. Its very interesting. Spoken dialogue over a haunting choir fading in and out, followed by what sounds like strings sped up and played backwards over rapping, followed by standard pop singing over backwards wind instruments...... there’s a part where it sounds like sellotape is being used as an instrument.... etc. Its good – although I could help but feel that at times I was listening to noise for noise’s sake. Lacking substance, maybe. But I’m not sure. This one definitely required further listens. So this is where I declare a preliminary mark only. 6

Jeshi “Airbag Woke Me Up”

Sort of electronic hip-hop but quite unique and innovative. I liked the social commentary. Despite the interesting quirks and creativity nothing really really inspired me. 6

Heatmakerz “The Anti-Social Experiment”

Curious. Supposedly a hip hop duo that’s now down 1 person. But this sounds like a band set up with hip hop leanings. Except, it tends to just be one musical phrase repeated over and over (with small variances) with some backing vocal samples. Its very strange to me. Its almost like these are instrumentals.... but not intentional instrumentals. More like karaoke instrumentals. Its as if there should be a vocal track there but it’s been accidently removed. I’m thinking there may be some kind of point to this that I’m missing or unaware of. Given the title, is there a hidden vocalist being anti-social? But this is the lowest mark I’ve given an album during this project t (and joint lowest mark ever). 2

Lady Gaga “Mayhem” (#1)

I’ve summed up how I feel about Lady Gaga – or rather ‘the Lady Gaga project’ previously. This album only solidifies my stance. I like Lady Gaga but have been completely frustrated with the whole thing since the album “Born This Way” (2011). In summary, Gaga is clearly a talented an innovative artist of real calibre. However, this has not been reflected in the music for some time.

The Fame (2008) was a superb album. One of my 8s. It took the traditional pop format added a unique flavour, a little innovation and some Lady Gaga quirkiness. This resulted in something of a ‘Lady Gaga formula’......... but it was a great formula. The Lady Gaga formula I speak of it great song-writing and melodic prowess, extravagant imagery (in both lyrics and visuals), and a ‘Lady Gaga stamp/quirk’ which would usual be found in intros or bridging passages. There was evidence of real artistry. Whether it be the music / fashion / delivery of political messages or social commentary, other performances..... everything.

I remember watching her performance in Britain in 2011 not long after “Born This Way” (2011) was released. I believe it was Radio 1s Big Weekend but my memory could be tricking me. It was incredible. It contained flutterings of strange avant-garde moments. A performer also broke out into an extended free-jazz trumpet solo at one point. I loved it. Even though I thought “Born This Way”, good as it was, was a bit of a weak reiteration of “The Fame”  I truly believed we had an artist akin to Kate Bush or even David Bowie.

She announced she was to record an album of ‘jazz classics with an edge’ or something like that. However two things happened after this. First – there was lukewarm critical reception to that performance I just mentioned – amazing as I thought it was. People didn’t seem to like those strange moments. Also, the jazz album never materialised. A little while later there were rumours that Gaga’s team, producers, label etc., were pressuring her to stick to her tried and tested formula because pushing boundaries is a gamble. Now, who knows what the truth is. Its hard to imagine Gaga folding. And even harder to imagine she would accept that position long-term. What I can say for definite is, in my opinion, the ‘Gaga project’ flat-lined.

And this album confirms this. Yet, here’s a curious thing. The critics seemed to recognise everything I’ve just said in their own reviews......... but still sing their praise. One critic even went further that my broad observations and pretty much panned the album....... but still gave it 5 stars out of 5. Its too long and indulgent......... but you’ve got to let an artist like Gaga be indulgent, right? The typical Gaga lyrics are too extravagant in their imagery and very un-relatable............ but that’s just theatrics and showmanship, right? It’s all to loud and bassy. But that’s just depicting the Gaga ‘monster’, right? She’s stuck in 2009......... but sometimes it’s good to be behind the times, right? And so on and so on. Quite strange.

That’s not to say it’s not good at all. It’s just frustrating. Because I watched that performance. Because I wanted that missing album. Because her various performances over the years demonstrate that Gaga is a 1^st class and versatile performer. But, for some reason it continues to be absent from the actual music. I struggle to gloss over that the way many seem to be able to. 5

Architects “The Sky, The Earth, & All Between”

I’ve always only ever been able to take so much metal music in one go but this is pretty good to be fair. There’s a nice contrast between melodic sections and pure screaming, mellow moments and double-paced rocking out (with some impressive precision and skill in places), and high pitched throaty vocals vs low growly ones. I enjoyed it overall. 6

The Lathums “Matter Does Not Define”

It’s your basic indie-band..... a little Britpoppy. Very strong song-writing and melodic competence. It did lack a little something tho. I wasn’t ‘inspired’. 6

Doves “Constellations For The Lonely”

Yea, this was really good. I knew their big “The Last Broadcast Album” (2002) (their 2^nd I think). It contained a sort-of cover of a King Crimson track and I wrote a short paper about in my post-post-graduate studies. I was aware of an album in 2005 but only heard a few tracks on Radio 2. And that’s it. This seems to be a higher level than most of the albums I’ve heard from older bands. I think that’s because they haven’t been churning albums out every couple of years. I looked them up and it turns out I’ve actually only missed a couple of albums in the interim! Maybe that’s why I found the Libertines’ album so good last year too. 7

Bradley Simpson “The Panic Year”

The guy from The Vamps. I think I’ve heard some Vamps over the years..... and seem to remember I really liked it. But this is pretty dull and unimaginative indie. 4

JENNIE “Ruby”

Starting really strong with unusual vocals, use of chromaticism and a dark texture that is thick at the bass end. “like JENNIE” (despite the self-name drop which I’m not keen on) & “start a war” are particularly great tracks. Do I rate the album just because it has Dua Lipa & Doechii on it? Well, actually I found “Handlebars” with Dua Lipa to be one of the weaker tracks on the album and “ExtraL” doesn’t have the real stamp of Doechii..... that vocal could have been done by anyone. But I really like the mash of R&B, hip hop, dance, teeny-pop, & Korean Pop with a dash of experimentation. However, I must say that things do tail off a little in the 2^nd half. The final track “twin” is a nice sentimental (without being corny) offering about lost friendship that closes things nicely. It’s one of those borderline 6/7s. After some re-listening and deliberation I came to a conclusion. 7

P-Lo “For The Soil” (E.P. (?))

Somewhere amidst the hip-hop genre (emphasis on ‘amidst’). It’s pretty good. I enjoyed much of the music used (such as the notorious “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers). The deep aggressive percussion sounds and beats added some grit to the proceedings. I didn’t feel it particularly stood out from its contemporaries in the genre however. 6

Playboi Carti “Music” (#1)

The ‘pro’ was I really liked the music. It was often striking. I liked all the different voices, rapping styles, and musical styles merged into the hip-hop backdrop. The ‘con’ is that, like so many albums in this genre, it feels like it’s time to wrap things up around 40 mins in...... but you’ve still got another 40 mins to get through. 5

Steven Wilson “The Overview”

I went through quite an extensive period of being very into..... and academically studying..... progressive rock. I’m always suspicious of new stuff. New artists and groups tend to either be poor imitations of more classic progressive rock groups or try far too hard at the ‘progressive’ element and forget to actually be any good. The older artists that are still knocking about tend to be flogging a dead horse at this point. This was pretty good to be fair. It did lean towards nostalgia, however. The opening was very reminiscent of Pink Floyd (as were many other passages), some of the vocal work reminded me very much of Jon Anderson's (of Yes) solo offerings, some of the guitar was very Steve Howe (Yes) in some places and very Steve Hackett (Genesis) in others. There was a bass part where I was reminded of a bass section of Mike Oldfield's in “Tubular Bell”....... and so on. I mention this because I’ve seen several reviews claiming that this album is really adding something significant to the progressive rock canon. It doesn’t. Such a statement only serves to expose those critic’s severe lack of knowledge on the subject. 6

The Lottery Winners “KOKO”

This was a very entertaining listen. It has a style that I’ve become very familiar with whilst doing this project. Its that rock/pop crossover idea that groups like Scissor Sisters & Maroon 5 championed in the noughties and early 2010s. So many seem to have adopted this since, including bands that were big before that time. Also, I hear undeniable nods the The Streets, Primal Scream, Deacon Blue (which is quite a coincidence because they are up next) and so so many others here. I mention this because, before I reach my verdict, its important to point out that there’s nothing particularly original or unique about this. That said, my verdict is that it’s brilliantly done. Bravo. 7

Deacon Blue “The Great Western Road”

It’s always great to hear Deacon Blue. I have very fond memories of seeing them live with Craig Woodhall almost 25 years ago now. They were always a ‘class act’. They were interesting because came to song-writing, they rather lacked in melody skills. They tended to rely on improved-sounding repetitions of note 1, 2, & 3 of the root scale with the occasional 5 & 6 thrown in – suggesting they’d write the lyrics first and then just improv a melody rather than crafting one. This was the case with many a band. What set Deacon Blue apart was that they more than made up for it with the lyrics, musical quirks, musical arrangements, the interaction of the 2 vocals, and the energy of the upbeat tunes contrasting with the passion of the slower numbers. This is a collection of pretty decent songs. I particularly like “Wait On Me” (particularly the vocal arrangement), “Turn Up Your Radio!” & “Curve Of The Line”. However, it seems that energy and passion that was the real icing on the cake of classic Deacon Blue has faded. 5

Selina Gomez & benny blanco “I Said I Love You First...”

When I saw this I assumed it would be some sort of awful telling of their love story. And it isn’t. At least I hope it’s not. So that was a plus. Its OK. Interestingly, there are little snippets of innovation....  but the snippets never deem to go anywhere much. 5

BØRNS “Honeybees” (E.P.)

Great old-school sound - and traditional strong song-writing. Unoriginal but solid. 7

Mumford & Sons “RUSHMERE”

I was a sort of background fan of Mumford & Sons. I really liked the 1^st 2 albums and did kind of wonder what had been going on in the meantime. Turns out, although it’s been 12-13 years I actually only missed a couple of albums. It doesn’t sound like I missed anything significant either. Not that it’s bad. It’s good enough. The great songwriting is still there. The wonderful vocal arrangements are still there. Their densely arranged folk/country sound with snippets of interesting percussive work remains intact. On the one hand, it still sounds pretty great. On the other hand, it’s just exactly the same....... with a little bit of what inspired them in the first place beginning to tire a little. 6

Lucy Dacus “Forever Is A Feeling”

The first couple of tracks were fine but that was about it. Then things started to pick up a bit with “Limerence” with its pizzicato/sliding strings and piano that sounds like it just needs a little fine tuning, followed by “Modigliani” with its fragmented percussion, dissonant piano and  fingers moving up and down the fret board between guitar chords that are dull and muted. The interest continues with “Talk” with its tricky layered vocals over a distorted guitar playing in low register (almost grunge..... but not quite). However, although it has its moments thereafter, the interest tails off somewhat again. The final track, “Lost Time”  is a great finish. Overall, there are some brilliant innovative tracks in the mix. But the whole album doesn’t reflect that from start to finish. 6

Nemzzz “Rent’s Due”

While anything around the rap/hip hop area is still my weakest point I have been getting better. At this point I can say I tend to enjoy it if the music used is interesting, if the artists puts their own stamp on proceedings (perhaps with their rapping style, for instance) and it isn’t far too long. This ticks all three boxes there so it has to be worth a 6. I don’t think its quite brilliant enough to go any higher though. 6

The Darkness “Dreams On Toast”

I loved the Darkness 1^st album. I also loved the 2^nd one that was more or less universally panned resulting in their initial demise and split. I've been massively unimpressed with rock music whilst doing this project. Its seems to me that, since the notion that you needed a guitar in your hand for your music to be taken seriously was crushed, rock music has been like a territorial guard dog....... pissing on the same lamppost over and over and barking at anyone who dares to pass by. Yet, the dog is actually totally aware that no-one else even wants to explore their territory anymore. It would do the dog some good to go and sniff a new lamppost and accept some loving scratches behind the ear before is completely dies.

I’ve had an interesting time with rock fans over the years. I imagine what I’m about to describe is now a thing of the past, but I’m not sure. It was like a gang that you must prove yourself to enter and those who are not in the gang are not to be respected. The main rule seemed to be that you must love rock music (and rock music only), you must have lots of fun, however you must not treat rock music as if it is fun. It’s serious.

I would consider myself a rock music fan. I was probably at least much more knowledgeable on the subject than some ardent hardcore rockers. But I was never allowed in the gang. I experienced this at University. There was a small group of rock fans in the year below me. And, I was DEFINITELY, more knowledgeable on the subject than any of them were. They really struggled against me in any debates. The debates took place because they simply couldn’t square the fact that their own favourite rock music would blast out of my room as they walked by, but Phil Collins or Pet Shop Boys might also be heard. They were genuinely unable to compute that data. They became increasingly hostile.

Turning to what I said about serious vs fun - I couldn’t navigate this correctly and had quite a scary experience once. In 2005, I went to a nightclub with fellow work colleagues and it was the club’s ‘rock night’...... filled with stereotypical rockers...... all having a great time to be fair. And..... I was loving it too. In fact, I really went for it. I think it was clear I was enjoying it immensely and my air-guitaring and drumming evidenced that I knew the tracks very well. The problem was, I’m not sure how you do real proper air-guitaring and headbanging without it looking a bit over-the-top and perhaps a bit mocking........ especially if your not dressed in the appropriate attire. I was having way too much fun with the music. I first realised it when a young lady came right up to me, stared me dead in the eye for a moment before raising her middle finger and departing. I brushed it off. However, myself and a colleague became aware of a small group of males standing at a slight distance.  They had formed a line and were staring silently at me. The group of us didn’t leave but moved to the other side of the club..... and near a couple of Bouncers. And, I toned it down massively. I was having less fun but was safe. It was all my own fault. I’d forgotten that as much as a fan as I might be, I was not in the gang.

What’s all this got to do with the Darkness. Well.... they became a problem with rock fans. At first, they bloody loved them. And so they should. The 1^st album was fantastic. 8/10 on my marking scale. But, the issue was that the Darkness were ‘sending up’ rock music, particularly glam-rock. They were poking fun at it whilst actually making genuinely brilliant music to boot, which was probably difficult to navigate. I don’t think many rock music lovers totally caught on at first. But once they did, they felt mocked. So, the Darkness were one minute the saviours of dying rock music, the next minute were kicked out of the club. And they seemed to tone it down a little in their second album (like I toned it down that night) - which actually meant it wasn’t quite a good (like my night was less good). That album wasn’t very well received. However, for me it was still a 7. It took me some years to find someone who agreed but I later met George.

I didn’t expect this to be any good but they seem to have re-injected that sense of fun and still have the ability to pen a great rock tune. 7

2025 SUMMARY (A Conclusion Of Sorts)

So – having gone through many singles and albums from this year, I am thus far underwhelmed. My favourite singles are not saying a lot for the year so far. Also, the highest mark given to any album this year is 7. By the end of the 1^st quarter of 2024 I had given two albums a mark of 8.

But! Its only a quarter of the year.

Marking key (in a nutshell)

10 – Perfect (only 3 albums in history)

9 – Basically 10/10 (I just don’t quite view them in the same way as the 3 albums)

8 – Outstanding (possible nit-picking criticisms)

7 – Brilliant

6 – Good

5 – Average

4 – Has potential but below average

3 – Some good points but not very good overall

2 – Poor (possibly a few good points)

1 – Abysmal