Album Of The Week - Archive 2023
Album Of The Week - 2023 Archive
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023
Reveal – R.E.M.
The first selection of 2023 see’s us going back to R.E.M.
with their 12th studio album and the fourth selected as my album of
the week, the 2001 release, Reveal.
By the time of this release the band has settled as a trio
and this was their second album following the departure of drummer Bill Berry. The
band though have since stated that it was never quite the same after he left
and there had been numerous conversations about calling it a day.
As it was, Reveal was released to favourable reviews and became
their 5th album to reach number 1 in the UK album chart and cemented
their place as one of the most commercially successful alternative rock bands of the time.
Reveal was described as a more upbeat album than their
previous offering, Up, but I thought Up was superb and to a large degree Reveal
very much passed me by upon its release. I bought the album on release but for some
reason it didn’t hit me like some of their previous albums. At the time I was
immersed in “metal” so my perception may have been unduly biased and not as open
as it now is, especially that I have very much gone back to my alternative
roots in terms of what I now pursue. Now, I think this album is outstanding and
shows R.E.M. still had plenty to offer.
Anyway, I digress, Reveal was described as a return to a
more classic R.E.M. sound after Up which was heavily electronic, but like one my
other favourite bands, the Editors, they were adept at incorporating the more experimental
electronic elements into their output without losing the essence and quality
of song writing.
Reveal produced 3 singles and the lead single, Imitation Of
Life, is a real favourite and peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart and as
such, is my first selection this week. As is often the case with R.E.M. the song came with an intriguing and innovative video.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from Reveal is the opening track, The Lifting.
It shows the melodic direction that the album was heading in and lyrically it was seen as a prequel to the track Daysleeper on their previous album Up. This was not a connection I made but then Michael Stipe's lyrics can often be oblique as well as being beautifully poetic.
Still, regardless of its interpretation, its an excellent track to open the album.
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from this week's album is the track She Just Wants To Be.
In my opinion this is one of the best of the songs on the album, a gorgeous track with a hint of melancholy and a touching lyric of not accepting one's lot, a yearning for that special "something".
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from Reveal is the second single to be released from the album. All The Way To Reno, a song about aspiration and ambition, reached number 24 in the UK singles chart and again highlights the melodic feel to this album.
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023 - Track 5
I normally like to wrap up my selections with the final track on an album but in the case of Reveal, in my opinion, the closing track is the weakest.
Instead, I am selecting the penultimate song, I'll Take The Rain, which I think is one of the strongest offerings with its gorgeous melody and pained lyrics of fractured and imperfect love. Michael Stipe has an unerring ability to deliver a vocal of loss and longing and make it really hit home which is highlighted here.
I'll Take The Rain was the third single released from Reveal and peaked at number 44 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 07/01/2023 - Summary
Revisiting Reveal this week has been truly revealing (pardon the pun) as I have finally grasped what an outstanding album it really is. As I said on Saturday, I was so immersed in metal when this came out I give it a couple of plays and put it away, maybe delving into the odd track. Listening to it this week the album has hit me with its various layers, great songs and how its fresh yet typical R.E.M.
Its for moments like this that I have been doing this "album of the week".
I hope you have enjoyed my selections and opinions.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 25/01/2023
This week’s album comes from the iconic Scottish punk/new wave band the Skids. The band were big favourites of mine as a teenager especially following a run of successful, anthemic singles such as Into The Valley, Charade and Masquerade.
However, their albums never had quite the same impact on me and there was always a degree of discordant experimentation that sometimes failed to hit the mark. What I always found compelling was the guitar sounds the drove the band and even in the early days it was evident that there was something special about their young guitarist, Stuart Adamson.
When they got it right though, which was most of the time, especially on their first 3 albums, they were outstanding which their melodic yet powerful songs which were delivered with verve and style by front man Richard Jobson.
Days In Europa was the second album released by the Skids, originally in 1979 with a remix version being released a year later with a slightly altered track listing and new cover art after the original cover came in for some criticism.
The remix version of the album I have comes with additional live tracks and was released as part of the Virgin Years box set released in 2015, along with the original 1979 release. For the purposes of this review though I will focus on the studio tracks.
Days In Europa followed on from the Skids impressive debut, Scared To Dance released earlier in 1979 but didn’t quite peak as high in the UK album charts but it still hit a very respectable number 32. For me though, it’s the strength of the 3 singles released from the album that really impressed. On the remixed version released in 1980 the single Working For The Yankee Dollar was also included,
The album is driven by some excellent guitar lines and with the subtle use of keyboards Days In Europa has a real post-punk feel, a genre that was coming into its own in 1979/1980 with landmark releases from the likes of Joy Division, The Stranglers and Siouxsie And The Banshees.
It is good to know that a version of the Skids are still touring with Richard Jobson on vocals and the Big Country father and son duo of Bruce and Jamie Watson keeping the link to the sadly departed Stuart Adamson present.
My first selection from the album is opening track, Animation, which was the third single released and peaked at number 54 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 14/01/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from Days In Europa is the second single to be released from the album, the track Charade. A full on, rousing track showing Stuart Adamson at his anthemic song writing best and Richard Jobson delivering soaring vocal although I am not entirely sure what the lyric is aiming at but its a great song all the same. Charade peaked at number 31 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 14/01/2023 - Track 3
The third selection from my album of the week is one of my favourite songs by the band, Working For The Yankee Dollar. A great song and powerful lyric about the American involvement in various conflicts.
The single peaked at number 20 in the UK charts and I remember buying the single after hearing John Peel play it. It is hard to believe that it was 44 years ago.
I have included the clip of them "performing" the song on Top Of The Pops.
Album Of The Week - 14/01/2023 - Track 4
An album track not released as a single is my fourth selection from Days In Europa. Dulce et Decorum Est is a powerful song based on the poem by the war poet Wilfred Owen who, like so many young men of his generation died in action during World War One.
Its a good song and with a superb lyric which can be seen in the video accompanying this entry.
The Wilfred Owen poem can be read via the link below. Its well worth a read, its graphic, haunting and sickening to imagine what these lads went through but its the closing line that contains the real kick.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est
Album Of The Week - 14/01/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the final track on the original release of Days In Europa, the song Peaceful Times.
This selection shows the Skids were now very much moving into the post-punk territory with the experimentation on this track. The song is a spoken word piece over the opening song, Animation, played backwards. Its works well and brings the album to a captivating close.
Album Of The Week - 14/01/2023 - Summary
Its been great to delve into this classic Skids album this week, an album that in many ways marked how punk was moving into post-punk with the use of synths and studio experimentation. Over the two releases the album contained 4 of their classic singles which captured the bands anthemic sound and set the path to what Stuart Adamson would create with Big Country.
As usual, I hope you have enjoyed my selections from Days In Europa.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023
No Rest For The Wicked – New Model Army
The second album selected as my album of the week by New Model Army and an album that takes us back to 1985 and their second release.
This was actually the first album of theirs I bought after picking it up in a record shop in Derby and then annoying my then mother-in-law by giving it a loud and thorough playing when I got back to her house, where I was staying at the time.
As I have mentioned previously, I had become really keen on New Model Army as they were regulars on the turntables of the alternative music clubs I was frequenting at the time. With the lyrics commenting on society, life and politics and music driven by solid rhythms and driving bass lines this was very much the punk/post punk of the mid 1980’s.
There is an immediacy with this album that makes it very easy to listen to and it captured me from the first listen. Justin Sullivan’s vocals are well presented in the mix making the lyrics make their intended impression. Although it’s a punk album nothing is drowned out and lost in the guitars and rhythms.
New Model Army had made quite an impact with their debut album, Vengeance, and No Rest For The Wicked carried on their early success and now on EMI the album hit a very impressive number 22 in the UK album charts.
Although not really known for their singles commercial success, the only single from the album, No Rest, hit number 25 in the UK singles chart and I remember it seemed to get a fair bit of airplay on the later evening radio shows.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, Frightened, an excellent opener which sets the tone for what is to come.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from No Rest For The Wicked is essentially the title track. No Rest was the only single released from the album but what a release, a superb New Model Army song that grabbed me when I first heard it and a song I love to this day.
For this selection I have picked a recording from Top Of The Pops in 1985, how refreshing it was to see such a fine punk rock anthem on a prime time music program.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from No Rest For The Wicked is another New Model Army classic. The lyrics of this song hit right to the core and sums up the worst of human nature all with our prejudice, hatred, division and superiority. For a band the was formed in Bradford its easy to see how this song has such poignancy.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023 - Track 4
The fourth selection from No Rest For The Wicked is another song with a powerful lyric.
Nations often talk about enemies in foreign lands but this song highlights the enemies closer to home, the corrupt politician, the war mongers, those who divide for personal gain. This song is as relevant now as when first released in 1985. My Country is yet another classic on this outstanding New Model Army album.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023 - Track 5
Bringing No Rest For The Wicked to a close is the excellent final track, The Attack. A more pensive song with its acoustic guitar and insistent yet hypnotic drums and a vivid lyric.
Its a great song to close an album that has become New Model Army classic.
Album Of The Week - 21/01/2023 - Summary
It has been a real treat delving back into this superb album this week.
This album is perfect combination of great music and insightful, provoking lyrics, a punk album full of post-punk style and verve.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023
Reason Why? – Angelic Upstarts
I first became aware of the Angelic Upstarts in the late 70’s with their powerful and impressive singles Teenage Warning and Never ‘ad Nothing, good full on punk anthems. Although I had a few of their singles I didn’t have many of their albums but what I did have I enjoyed. Not my favourite punk band but I liked their political stance although lyrically they could be a bit naïve and sometimes musically were a bit wide of the mark. I did enjoy their forays into reggae and dub as was the case with the main influence, The Clash.
Reason Why was the fifth studio album from the Upstarts and one of four in my collection.
Originally released in 1983 it took me a few years to add this to my collection and it was due to the impressive opening track, Woman In Disguise, that lead me to buy the album.
The album was seen as a “back to basics” approach after their previous release, Still From The Heart, which saw them adopt a more polished approach with electronic and new wave styles which in the main was seen as an experiment that failed.
Reason Why was more familiar punk territory for the Upstarts, melodic, guitar lead and with Thomas (Mensi) Mensforth delivering his politically and socially charged lyrics with belief and passion.
The Angelic Upstarts were not everyone’s cup of tea and their association with the “Oi” scene in the early 80’s lead to some unwanted violence at their gigs at the time. It was a shame that a band so rooted in anti-fascism drew unwanted attention from right wing skinheads, a similar situation that was also experienced by Sham 69, another key street punk band of the era.
It is with sadness to note that two of the band members on this album, guitarist Tony Morrison and founding member Mensi both passed away in 2021 after catching covid.
My first selection from Reason Why is the opening track, Woman In Disguise, a song about the divisive prime minister of the day, Margaret Thatcher.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Reason Why is a version of one of the best and most powerful of Angelic Upstarts songs.
The track, Solidarity, is about the Polish trade union of the same name that became instrumental in bringing about political change in Poland in the 1980's. There fight for workers rights and subsequent social change was instrumental in bringing down the communist government of the time and their leader, Lech Walesa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
A great song that has stood the test of time.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023 - Track 3
The third selection from Reason Why? is the title track from the album.
This track see's the Upstarts dipping into reggae, something I think they do incredibly well and with guest vocalist Terry Sharpe they deliver an excellent song questioning the futility of war.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023 - Track 4
Mensi was known for his spoken word and poetry pieces on Upstarts albums and on Reason Why is the spoken track, Georgie's Wife. A piece on unity and togetherness through strife and poverty, its a powerful and heartfelt delivery.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from Reason Why is the track Hating Waiting, a full on punk track with Mensi's usual cutting lyric.
Album Of The Week - 28/01/2023 - Summary
Its been great to revisit this album during the week and overall it works pretty well.
My version has some additional tracks, originally released as b-sides and unlike some packages they do not diminish the original release.
With that in mind my final entry this week includes one of the extra tracks, Lust For Glory.
Album Of The Week - 04/02/2023
Stand Strong Stand Proud – Vice Squad
We are turning the clock back again this week to early 1980’s punk and the band Vice Squad. Formed in Bristol, they became part of the “second wave” of punk that hit in the early 80’s and saw bands emerge who had a rawer, often more political with a very much DIY independent approach, harking back the garage band punk of 76.
By this time I was very rooted in punk and I had heard of Vice Squad via John Peel and was very impressed with their Last Rockers ep.
Although their first album, No Cause For Concern, had passed me by I bought Stand Strong Stand Proud after hearing the title track and I was impressed when I got to hear the album right through.
It’s a typical punk album, short and punchy, some great tunes with plenty of drive and strong rhythms to latch onto. Lyrically it tackles multiple subjects such as the press, animal welfare, greed and general political dissatisfaction.
There is a clean production on this album which allows the guitars and vocals to stand out and also highlights some excellent drum patterns.
Stand Strong Stand Proud was Vice Squads second album and the final one to feature the original line up including that of vocalist Beki (Bondage) Bond, who reformed the band in 1998 after band split in 1985.
The album faired well commercially and hit the UK album charts at number 47 and they had good radio exposure from John Peel as previously mentioned.
I never kept up with Vice Squad after this so at the moment Stand Strong Stand Proud is the only album of theirs in my collection but its one I always enjoy hearing.
My first selection is the title and opening track from album and sets the tone perfectly for the 11 tracks to follow, or 17 on the re-release version.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 04/02/2023 - Track 2
Today's selection from Stand Strong Stand Proud is the track Humane. Full paced and a lyrically blistering attack on animal cruelty in all its forms from blood sports to testing for cosmetics and the like. There is a very telling question asking are we really a nation of animal lovers?
Its Vice Squad at their best.
Album Of The Week - 04/02/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Stand Strong Stand Proud is the 2 minute attack on the "American way". Although a commentary of the USA in 1982 not a lot has changed in the 40 years since this track was released.
Album Of The Week - 04/02/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from this excellent album is the track Rock N Roll Massacre, a full on punk anthem about the tragedies of rock, one of my favourite songs on the album.
Album Of The Week - 04/02/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the final track from the original release, Propaganda. A more medium paced track which delivers a lyrically powerful song decrying the glory of war.
In my opinion its a very strong song to sum up one of the classic albums from what was termed the second wave of punk from the early 80's.
It is good to see that Bekki Bond still fronts an excellent Vice Squad line up after all these years.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my selections from this week's album.
Album Of The Week - 11/02/2023
Collateral Beauty (Soundtrack) – Theodore Shapiro
A complete change of direction this week as we move into another of my great musical loves, that of film soundtracks and specifically orchestrated scores.
As is generally the case with me, I have to have enjoyed the film to fully appreciate the score although there are a few exceptions to that of course.
In the case of Collateral Beauty it’s a film I love and it is part of our film collection on disc.
The story deals with love, loss, grief and the need to connect especially in difficult personal times when faced with the loss of a loved one, health problems and the torments of failed relationships that often cause long and deep rifts.
Collateral Beauty tackles this but not without some humour and dark wit as the key character is visited by 3 actors (or are they?) playing the parts of Death, Love and Time as he struggles to cope with the death of his daughter.
The film hit me immediately as did the wonderful score by Theodore Shapiro. The score is predominately orchestrated but there are some lovely electronic moments which give it a contemporary feel. There is an atmospheric melancholy to a lot of the pieces which is in keeping with the film but as this film is about recovery, healing and hope the music reflects this and that is the strength of the film and its soundtrack.
Like all film scores they can often stand alone as great movements of music but I like to know the film to give the visual connection to the pieces although one can get lost in these atmospheric pieces purely on the connection the music makes.
This soundtrack comprises of 22 pieces, generally under 2 minutes and then a song at the end by One Republic. I usually ignore any stand alone songs at the end as I more often than not do not like them and in some cases they have little relevance to the actual film score.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who has not seen it.
My opening selection from the album is The Dream And The Letters, in which the lead character, Howard, writes to Death, Love and Time from within the depths of his loss.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 11/02/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from the Collateral Beauty soundtrack is a piece called Whit's Plan.
The plan centres around the key character, Howard, and a plan devised by his closest friend Whit to help Howard come to terms with his grief. The plan is for 3 actors playing the parts of Death, Love and Time to visit Howard in person and address the letters that Howard has been writing to these entities.
Its an ingenious scheme but its results have far wider consequences than was imagined.
Album Of The Week - 11/02/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from the Collateral Beauty soundtrack is the piece Olivia.
This gorgeous 5 minute track marks a key moment near the end of the film where the lead character, Howard, in the presence of his grief counsellor/estranged wife, finally breaks down and says the name of his departed daughter and says how she died. During this scene a recording is playing showing times spent with Olivia while she was alive. It is a heart breaking yet cathartic scene in which he takes the first steps to recovery. The music is beautiful and fits the scene perfectly.
Album Of The Week - 11/02/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the track The Bridge which plays over the final scene of the film. This is a lovely scene as the actors who play Love, Death and Time stand on a bridge watching Howard walking through the park, hand in hand with his wife. As Howard turns he see's them standing on the bridge but when his wife turns how come she doesn't see them? Were they only actors after all?
Its a great scene to see how these two bereaved parents have come together bringing hope and acceptance even through their grief.
The music has that uplifting feel of hope but still in keeping with the overall theme of the music.
Album Of The Week - 11/02/2023 - Summary
I have very much enjoyed playing this wonderful soundtrack this week and in turn watching the film.
It's great when a film that really hits you is backed by a score that captures you and can be listened to as a stand alone album, as is the case with Collateral Beauty.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed this week's selection.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023
American Fall – Anti-Flag
This week we are back into the realms of punk with American band Anti-Flag and their 2017 album American Fall.
Over the years I have not really been struck by many American punk bands as some seem to veer more into the pop-punk realm and even with such big names as Green Day I have often found that to be the case. Of course, there have been exceptions with bands like Rancid, Less Than Jake and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, specifically bands that incorporate ska influences into their music. It was while trawling through Spotify I came across the song When The Walls Fall and from that track I gave American Fall a listen and was impressed enough to buy it.
Anti-Flag are known for their political and social stance and incorporate this into their music and their targets are not uncommon in punk, the government, big corporations and the right wing in general. Their anti-war stance is also a major feature as well as animal rights issues and of course, these are all worthy subjects.
This is the only Anti-Flag album in my collection and not being familiar with their other albums I cannot really say how will stands in comparison with their other albums but to me its catchy, easy to listen to, has some good lyrics and interesting themes. I would say that it has the same pop-punk feel as many other American bands but overall its an album I enjoy. Its short, sharp, punchy and to the point and has a decent punk feel to it.
It came out to mixed reviews as some stated the production was poor and the album didn’t hit the heights of some of their previous output, but as stated I have nothing of theirs to compare it to.
My first selection is the opening track and the only single to be released from the album, American Attraction. It’s a good start to the album with a damning lyric that seems to sum up quite accurately some of the less desirable aspects of American society but in truth it could aimed at many Western countries, the UK included.
The track comes with a well put together performance video.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from American Fall is the track that got me interested in this album, the ska infused When The Walls Fall.
In their own words, its a song of unity against the right wing and support for those of minority groups or those who feel marginalised due to their beliefs, ethnicity or orientation.
Lyrically powerful with a great ska beat, this is a highlight on the album.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection is more on the pop-punk side of Anti-Flag but the lyric is cracking and as such is worthy of mention from the American Fall album.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection is in my opinion one of the best tracks on the album.
Digital Blackout has a more considered approach but has bags of attack and intensity. Again, lyrically powerful and the original video has a thought provoking narrative which is well worth a listen. Any song which challenges and questions the need for war has its own merits, regardless of genre, but in the realms of punk it seems to have its own fervour, just have a listen to Discharge to bear this out.
Anyway, I digress, this is another excellent track from an album that has quite a few gems.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the final song on American Fall, the track Casualty.
As with the album opener it paints a bleak picture of some the darker side of American society and is a worthy song to conclude the album.
Album Of The Week - 18/02/2023 - Summary
Its been enjoyable delving into American Fall this week and with Anti-Flag having just released a new album I will certainly give it a listen.
As is sometimes the case with American punk bands it can delve a bit into the pop-punk territory but American Fall contains enough strong lyrics and good songs to balance that.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed this week's selection.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023
Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (Soundtrack) – Randy Miller
For the second time in 3 weeks we are heading into the genre of film soundtracks, this time with Randy Miller’s score to the third Hellraiser film, Hell On Earth.
For many, this was the last of the classic Hellraiser films and the last to have any input from its creator, the author Clive Barker, whose novella, The Hellbound Heart, the original film was based upon.
The film was released in 1992 and was very well received. Although I am not a big horror fan, I often find the films badly acted and relying too much on shocks to cover a weak story, I have a soft spot for the Hellraiser films, especially the first four in the series.
The films basically centre around lead character, The Hell Priest, nicknamed Pinhead who is a demonic inhabitant of hell and him and his followers, Cenobites, can be summoned by the opening of a puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration. Once released they inflict all sorts of horrors upon their host.
It’s the back story that gives these films some depth especially in how Pinhead became a Cenobite and in Hellraiser III we see more of his previous human character, Captain Elliot Spencer who was introduced to us at the end of the previous Hellraiser film, Hellbound.
The film features a rock soundtrack but there is also an orchestral score which was composed by Randy Newman. According to the film information, when the music was commissioned he only had three weeks to complete composition so there was a real time pressure to come up with a suitable score.
The result though is a dramatic and eerie soundtrack, as you would expect, but also very listenable. There is plenty of light and shade with some excellent choral bursts to invoke the sinister and demonic atmospheres. In some cases horror film scores can be a sequence of sound effects and discordant pieces but that is not the case here which is why I deemed it a worthy addition to my collection of film and television scores.
My one comment on the album is the order of the tracks does not match the order in which they appeared in the film, a small point but I do like the music to match the scene order in the film, and yes, I am being over fussy.
My first selection from the album is the opening piece, the title track, Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth, a suitably stirring, dramatic opening which retains the theme from the original Hellraiser score composed by Christopher Young.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from the Hellraiser III soundtrack is a piece entitled The Pillar.
It incorporates the theme from the original score and builds a brooding atmosphere centered around The Pillar Of Souls and its pivotal part in allowing Pinhead to make his entrance into the human realm.
Its a gorgeous, 4 minute orchestral piece and works perfectly as a stand alone track.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023 - Track 3
A more reflective piece today as my selection from the Hellraiser III score is Elliot's Story.
A largely reflective piece, tinged with melancholy yet with an air of the sinister and macabre. The music is from a revelatory scene where we see in greater deal how a disillusioned war veteran became The Hell Priest, a conduit of evil beyond words.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection is a short but dramatic piece called Gothic Rebirth which accompanies the scene that see's Pinhead become a physical being as he breaks free of the Pillar Of Souls, ready to inflict evil and suffering.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023 - Track 5
Brining this week's album to a close is the track Back To Hell, where Elliot Spencer and his evil alter-ego Pinhead do battle and return the depths of hell and there they wait for another unfortunate soul to open the Lament Configuration.
Album Of The Week - 25/02/2023 - Summary
Its been very enjoyable delving into the Hellraiser III soundtrack this week.
Whenever a film soundtrack is drawn as my album of the week I watch the film again but in the case of this one the soundtrack is better than film.
Although it has a good story, the acting is dreadful and the new Cenobite characters are very weak and do not carry the same menacing, sadistic air as those in the first two films. In my opinion it weakens the film but I have a degree of nostalgia over the Hellraiser films so I enjoy revisiting them occasionally.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my selections.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023
Children – The Mission
This week we are heading back to 1988 and the second full studio album from goth rock pioneers, The Mission.
I was very much looking forward to this album prior to its release, based on the strength of their debut, Gods Own Medicine. However, it was also tinged with a degree of “will this still be The Mission” when I heard the album was produced by former Led Zeppelin bassist, John Paul Jones as I was and am no big lover of their brand of blues bases rock.
Anyway, there was no need for concern as Children was seen as a Mission classic and a UK album chart position of number 2 highlighted their popularity and commercial success at the time, goth rock had become almost mainstream.
There is a maturity with the Children album, lots of styles and themes, some quiet moments and a fair degree of the epic and anthemic and with 5 tracks being in excess of 5 minutes their is plenty of room for the band to explore their craft. As with Gods Own Medicine, there is liberal use of the 12 string guitar to add finesse to the rock elements and Wayne Hussey delivers a baritone and impassioned vocal throughout. The dual guitars of Hussey and Simon Hinkler give depth as well as some very listenable lines and as usual a tight rhythm section gives a strong foundation for these songs to flourish.
The original release came in at just shy of an hour in playing time so this no short and sharp album and maybe it was the John Paul Jones influence that delivered an album of such length. Despite this I do not feel there is too much indulgence with the album and at no point do I find myself getting bored.
I had the pleasure of seeing The Mission live when they toured the album but for some reason I left the gig feeling a bit underwhelmed but maybe I was just not in the mood on that particular night. Thankfully, I have seem them live since and they were outstanding.
As well as the album being very commercially successful the two singles released both hit the top 40 in the UK singles chart, again showing how they were riding the crest of a commercial wave at the time.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, Beyond The Pale, which was the second single released from Children. Well over 7 minutes in length this is a grand statement of what is come for the next hour and in time this song has become a Mission classic and live favourite. The song features a gorgeous backing from All About Eve singer, Julianne Regan who over the years has also featured in Simon Hinkler’s project, The Eden House.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Children is the second track on the album, the song A Wing And A Prayer.
Its a typical Mission song, wonderful catchy guitar lines and a beautiful mystical lyric.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Children by The Mission is a track that was originally due to be the third single from the album but in the end did not get released.
Kingdom Come is a beautifully melodic and lyrical track with some great rhythms and atmospheres and some superb guitar lines with the power of classic gothic rock.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection is a case of almost leaving the best to last as my latest choice is the track Tower Of Strength, the first single released from the album and a song that has come to define The Mission, in all their gothic rock majesty.
The edited single reached number 12 in the UK singles chart in 1988 and it also reached number 33 in 1994 when it was re-released to promote the Sum And Substance compilation album.
To this day its a staple of their live set and seen very much as a Mission classic.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023 - Track 5
Bringing the curtain down on this week's album is the closing track from Children, the song Hymn (For America). Its a powerful song, a full on goth rock track with a commentary on the dark underbelly of Los Angeles. It's a great song to finish a very good album.
Album Of The Week - 04/03/2023 - Summary
Its been great listening to The Mission's Children album this week.
My view is obviously very biased but I rate The Mission as one of my favourite bands and I see them as one of the pioneers of goth rock and post punk and Children is a fine example of these genres.
As always, I hope you have found something of interest in my selections and observations.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022
Telekon – Gary Numan
This week we head back to 1980 with the album Telekon where we see Gary Numan at the height of his commercial success.
Telekon was the second album released under the name of Gary Numan but his fourth album in all as the first two albums were released under the band name of Tubeway Army. Due to the success of his second album, Replicas, and that of his re-released debut album his record company had agreed to his dropping of the band name prior to the release of his previous album, The Pleasure Principle. Their worries of poor sales were not realised the Pleasure Principle went to number 1.
Many Numan fans see Telekon as one his classics but in a way it was the start of a decline that took him many years to recover from.
Telekon was Numan’s fourth release in two years and the meteoric success and intense attention was taking its toll and some of this can be heard within the lyrics on Telekon.
By this time he was putting on fantastic, very expensive live shows but to wind up the Telekon tour he played 3 nights at Wembley Arena which he announced as “farewell” shows as he needed a break from the demands the success had brought and to step back from touring. He later said it was the biggest mistake of his career because when he returned to the live stage the momentum had been lost and over the next 12 years his commercial impact faded to the point he was almost bankrupt by the time 1994’s Sacrifice album was released, the album which began a rejuvenation and revival of fortunes which has brought him back to where he is today.
The release of Telekon was preceded by two singles which gave a good indication of Numan’s direction at the time, We Are Glass and I Die, You Die, but neither of them actually appeared on the original album. They have been included though on subsequent re-releases. What was instantly noticeable was a return of guitars, although he was seen as an electronic artist he had always used guitars but he dropped the instrument for the Pleasure Principle album, the only album on which he as done so in his career.
There is an overall atmosphere of darkness with Telekon and there are some very personal moments, especially with tracks such as Remind Me To Smile and Sleep By Windows.
As usual, there are the trademark anthemic tracks which gives a diversity and depth to the album and lyrically there are personal songs mixed with some of the dystopian themes as explored on the previous albums. Gary Numan considered Telekon to be the third part of a trilogy, the “machine” albums. It was telling that the next release was a massive shift in style.
As with the two previous albums, Telekon reached number 1 in the UK album charts, the last Numan album to hit the top spot but to emphasise the revival, 2022’s Intruder album hit number 2 as did the 2017 release, Savage.
There was only 1 single released from Telekon, This Wreckage, which peaked at number 20 in the UK album charts which was down on the two pre-album singles.
As such, my opening selection from the album is This Wreckage which is the opening track on the album, a version which is slightly longer than the edited single version.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 - Track 2
My second selection from Telekon is the title track and, for me, one of the real stand out moments on the album.
The song Telekon has a deep, unsettling synth base with an ethereal piano line which along with a dark, obscure lyric provides the scenery for a superb Numan song. I loved this song the first time I heard it back in 1980 and I do not think it has aged at all in the intervening 43 years.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 - Track 3
My third selection from Telekon is a song that was touted as a potential single but ultimately never got released. Remind Me To Smile is a very personal song in which Gary Numan opens up about the difficulties he was having dealing with the sudden fame he was experiencing at the time. In the space of 18 months he went fronting a small punk band to being a solo artist with number singles and albums.
The song features handclaps from the Simple Minds who were in an adjacent studio at the time of recording.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 - Track 4
My fourth selection from Telekon is the beautiful Please Push No More, the penultimate track on the original release.
Gary Numan has always excelled at the introspective, personal songs, despite his "cold" personae, and that is evident with this piano lead song about the need for calm, escape and reflection from the pressures of life. Some of the lyrics within this song are again about the demands of fame with which he was struggling at the time.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 -Track 5
I generally make the 5th track the final one of the week but from such an iconic album and from one of my favourite artists I will break from routine. Therefore, todays selection from Telekon is The Aircrash Bureau. A quietly melancholic song about the prediction of disaster with a melodic bass line which provides the foundation for some really haunting synths.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 - Track 6
Bringing Telekon to a close if the final track on the standard release.
The Joy Circuit is an uptempo song to bring this excellent album to a close. The song has a strong melody and a distinctive, and at the end chaotic, electric violin piece played by Canadian musician, Nash the Slash, who would often perform wrapped in bandages.
The Joy Circuit was also a live favourite and features on the Living Ornaments 80 album that was recoded during the Telekon tour.
Album Of The Week - 11/03/2022 - Summary
I never need an excuse to play a Gary Numan so having Telekon as my album of the week has been very enjoyable.
What is evident is that Telekon has not aged and remains a very strong Numan album and an iconic electronic release in a genre that really took off in the early eighties.
The CD version of Telekon comes with the 2 pre-album singles and the relevant b-sides, one of which is a beautiful synth rendition of the very well known Erik Satie piano composition, Trois Gymnopedies. Gary Numan's version covers the first movement which comes across incredibly well and made an excellent flip side to We Are Glass.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023
Mantaray - Siouxsie
For this week’s album we delve into the debut, and so far, only solo album from Siouxsie Sioux.
Siouxsie made her name fronting the pioneering punk / post-punk band Siouxsie And The Banshees who enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success during the late 1970’s and 1980’s and their sound and style laid the foundations for the gothic rock genre.
Following the break up of the Banshees she formed The Creatures with former Banshees drummer, Budgie, and again enjoyed some success with this project.
Although I have always liked Siouxsie And The Banshees I never got into The Creatures so by the time Mantaray was released in 2007 I had lost touch with what Siouxsie was doing. By chance I heard the single, Into A Swan, and was really impressed with the sound she was delivering as she seemed very much to be staying in the post-punk / alternative realm.
However, it was still some time after this that I bought the album and it was really a curiosity purchase purely on the basis on that one song.
As it was, I was pleasantly surprised by Mantaray and although this is no Banshees nostalgia album there is plenty going on of interest. There are a lot of musicians on the album and there is no doubt Siouxsie was trying to cover a lot of bases within the 40 minutes on offer. There is a fair degree of experimentation which does not always hit the mark but what stands out is Siouxsie’s great voice and her ability to deliver song that demands attention.
Mantaray was well received critically and commercially upon its release and peaked at number 39 in the UK album charts.
My first selection is the lead single and my reason for buying the album, Into A Swan, which peaked at number 54 in the UK singles chart.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Mantaray is the second track on the album and the third and final single released.
About To Happen is a punchy punk tinged song with a great staccato guitar riff and keyboards reminiscent of The Stranglers.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023 - Track 3
The third selection from Siousxsie's Mantaray album is the track If It Doesn't Kill You.
I can't say its one of my favourite songs but it highlights some of the variety on the album with its cinematic style and powerful vocal.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from Mantaray is the second single released from the album, Here Comes That Day.
Its a brass backed, jazzy, 1960's style song which again has an almost cinematic sound to it. It feels a very long way from her goth / post-punk sound for which she made her name. This is not really my cup of tea but it again shows the variety on the album.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023 - Track 5
Bringing Mantaray to a close is the track Heaven And Alchemy.
Where there album starts with energy and gusto it closes with an introspective look at the frailty and weakness of the human heart. A piano driven track that builds to a Motown influenced song that like the rest of the album has Siouxsie's vocals to the fore.
Album Of The Week - 18/03/2023 - Summary
It's been an interesting listen this week as I have delved back into Mantaray.
Overall, its not a bad album but with the variety of styles I feel at times its trying to be too many things to too many people. If I heard this album fresh now, would I buy it? Probably not but there is still enough in it to make Mantaray a worthy part of my collection and in all probability, we may never see another Siouxsie solo album.
I hope you have enjoyed my selections and observations.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023
The Skids – The Peel Sessions
A bit of a collectors item this week, as the selected album is a compilation of the 5 sessions the Skids did for John Peel.
John Peel was a massive influence on me from 77/78 as I was getting into punk and alternative music and the John Peel show which was broadcast Mondays to Thursdays 10pm to midnight introduced me to many of the artists I am still keen on to this day.
One of the many bands John Peel championed was the Skids as is evident with 5 sessions from May 1978 to September 1980.
From the May 78 session it was evident that the Skids were a confident and competent post punk act with tight rhythms, driven by Stuart Adamson’s distinctive and unique guitars and Richard Jobson’s powerful vocals. These session also show how good they were as a live act and John Peel was a regular at their gigs.
This Peel sessions album was released as part of the Virgin Years box set which came out in 2015 and contains their 4 studio albums, including a remixed and extended version of Days In Europa (album of the week 14/01/2023) plus this Peel sessions compilation.
The joy of this sessions release is the quality of the recordings, they are crisp and clear and really show off what the Skids were capable of and from the early sessions John Peel highlighted what they could go on to achieve, which was 3 top 40 albums in 18 months and a string of successful singles.
Although the Peel sessions is really an album for the converted it is not a bad introduction to the band.
Kicking off my selections is the first track from the first session, Of One Skin, recorded in May 78 and a song that would feature on their debut album, Scared To Dance which came out in 1979.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023 - Track 2
Today's selection from the Skids Peel sessions again comes from the May 78 session and the track TV Stars.
Although the names quoted often changed, the song is basically a run through of television characters from the time, largely drawn from the 2 main soaps of the day. The chanted chorus of Albert Tatlock still makes me smile to this day. A little bit of irrelevance, it was released as a b-side to their breakthrough single, Into The Valley.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from the Skids Peel sessions is a track that would become one of the bands iconic songs.
This session version was recorded in September 79 ahead of the Wide Open EP of which the lead track was The Saints Are Coming. The track was also included on their debut album, Scared To Dance which came out in 1979.
This cracking Skids track gained a second lease of life in 2006 when U2 and Green Day covered the song to help raise money for those effected by hurricane Katrina.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023 - Track 4
Stuart Adamson was always very adept at covering some of rocks classics (check out Big Country's Buffalo Skinners extended release) and here we go back to the Skids Peel session of February 79 for a cracking version of Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023 - Track 5
My final selection this week is taken from the final Peel session recorded in September 1980.
The track Circus Games was the lead single from the third Skids album, The Absolute Game, the final one to feature Stuart Adamson.
The track can be located at the 20 tab on the link as I was unable to find a single clip. Its well worth a listen.
Album Of The Week - 25/03/2023 - Summary
The Skids Peel sessions album has been greatly enjoyed by me this week, even those raw tracks that do not quite hit the mark.
This album is very much aimed at the converted but it is a very welcome part of the Virgin Years box set.
As always, I hope you have got something from my selections and opinion.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 01/04/2023
Hello Rockview – Less Than Jake
We head back to 1998 this week with album Hello Rockview from American ska punk band, Less Than Jake.
I first became aware of Less Than Jake when a friend of mine lent me a cassette (remember them?) which contained their first album, Pezcore as well an album by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
I was suitably impressed with their debut, the mix of ska and punk, easy on the ear with some good tunes although the punk element is certainly more in the pop-punk realm as opposed to the harder UK82 bands for instance. Lyrically, songs about growing up, drinking, friends and general observations on life. There is not the same political commentary as delivered by the likes of Anti-Flag for instance but that does not diminish the validity of the band.
As well the standard guitar, bass and drums line-up Less Than Jake also have a 3 piece horn section which feature on most tracks and that gives their sound a more melodic dimension and with the up tempo pace of their music this gives them an instant listenability.
Hello Rockview is the third studio album from Less Than Jake and was well received and even managed to break into the UK top 100 album charts, a clear indication the American ska/punk was making itself known in the UK.
Two singles were released from the album of which, lead single, the amusing All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, reached number 50 in the UK singles charts, I assume fuelled by heavy (pardon the pun) exposure on Kerrang. I remember at the time seeing the video for this track on a regular basis.
As such, All My Friends Are Metalheads, is my first selection from the album.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 01/04/2023 - Track 2
A bit belatedly, my second selection from Hello Rockview is the second single released from the album, History Of A Boring Town. A song about life in a small town and the drive to leave, especially when one is young.
Album Of The Week - 01/04/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from Hello Rockview is Nervous In The Alley, a song about facing confrontation and one of the highpoints on this very enjoyable Less Than Jake album.
My fourth selection from Hello Rockview is the album opener, Last One Out Of Liberty City. Its a full on faced packed ska/punk offering about life, moving on and how we are perceived.
Album Of The Week - 01/04/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the final track, Al's War. A fitting end to Hello Rockview with a song about moving on, a recurring theme for Less Than Jake.
Album Of The Week - 01/04/2023 - Summary
An interesting and enjoyable listen this week, delving back into Less Than Jake's third album.
Short, sharp, melodic yet punchy, one knows exactly what they are getting with this well respected ska/punk band.
As always, I hope you have got something from this week's selections and observations.
Thanks
Allt – Julie Fowlis
(with Eamon Doorley, Zoe Conway and John Mc Intyre)
This week we are delving back into the realm of folk music and one of the artists that attracted me to the genre almost 20 years ago.
Julie Fowlis is a Scottish folk singer and musician who sings predominantly in Scottish Gaelic. As such, it is impossible to follow the lyrics of her songs unless you know this beautiful language or take the time to follow the translations. For me, this does not matter at all as the music and clarity of her voice is so captivating that I am pulled right in and she could be singing the weather forecast for all I care.
Julie has enjoyed considerable success and recognition in the world of folk music with 5 albums released under her own name and this collaborative work which was released in 2018.
Allt was a live studio recording and as with her solo albums she is accompanied by her musician husband Eamon Doorley who is also a member of the folk band Danu.
The album is described as a comparison project of old and new Gaelic poetry from Scotland and Ireland. As well as featuring Eamon Doorley this project includes Irish fiddle player Zoe Conway and her musician husband John Mc Intyre who released albums in the own right and are very active in the Irish folk scene.
Folk Radio described Allt as a modern classic and hoped that this would not be the only offering from the Gaelic folk supergroup. We shall see.
I am aware folk music can be very “niche” but the genre has a had quite a revival in recent years and some the alt-folk and contemporary folk acts have enjoyed mainstream commercial success.
Allt is certainly not a bad place to get to know Julie Fowlis and the beauty of Gaelic folk music.
My first selection from the album is the opening track Port Dannsaidh Hiortach which translates as St Kilda Dance Song.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 08/04/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Allt is a Julie Fowlis written song entitled Piuthrag nam piuth'r which translates as Sister, My Sister.
This a truly gorgeous, melodic song that gives full attention to Julie's wonderful vocal. A real Gaelic folk delight.
Album Of The Week - 08/04/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Allt is a beautiful and sorrowful track, Air an Somme which translates as On The Somme. The English translation is tragically poetic and captures the despair and waste of those slaughtered in the trenches during World War One.
There is a wonderful live version available to view recorded at the BBC Radio Scotland Quay sessions in 2016.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p047ypmv
Album Of The Week - 08/04/2023 - Track 4
The fourth selection from this week's album is the track Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsa, which means I Will Find Solace. This is a real highlight on this fine album where the vocals are shared by Julie Fowlis and Zoe Conway. This is another slow, melodic song based on acoustic guitar and some beautiful fiddle playing.
Album Of The Week - 08/04/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is a wonderful piece of Gaelic acapella in which the artists on the album sing An tEarrach Thiar (Spring In The West). This is an Irish poem by MáirtÃn Ó Direáin that was voted in the Irish Times top 100 poems in 1999. (I have just learned this and certainly did not have this knowledge before writing this piece). The poem itself is beautifully simplistic in its telling and conjures rural work scenes as Spring arrives over the land and this sung version to close Allt is beautiful.
The Western Spring
A man cleaning clay
From the back of a spade
In the gentle quiet
Of a sultry day:
Sweet is the sound
In the Western spring.
A man tossing down
A creel from his back
And the red seaweed
Gleams in the sun
On the white shingle
Glorious the sight
In the Western spring.
Women stand in the little pools
At low ebb tide
With skirts tucked up
Casting long shadows
On the peaceful scene
In the Western Spring.
Gentle lapping of oars
As a currach full of fish
Comes towards the shore
On a calm golden sea
At eventide
In the Western Spring.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023
Ritual – White Lies
This week’s album takes us back to back to 2011 and the second release from indie / post-punk band White Lies.
White Lies were an instant hit when the BBC named them in 2nd place for their sounds of 2009 which focused on up and coming acts that were predicted for big things. Normally there is never anything that interests me in this yearly prediction but White Lies grabbed my interest with their big anthemic sounds, sweeping keyboards, attention grabbing guitars and deep moody vocals. Compared to the likes of Joy Division and Editors they also reminded me of Ultravox and they are part of what was regarded a post-punk revival. For me revival indicates the return of something but I am not sure post-punk ever went away given how far reaching a genre it actually is. Maybe, it refers to its commercial or mainstream appeal but there was no mistaking the impact of the White Lies debut album, To Lose A Life, which hit number 1 in the UK album charts in 2009.
Following this initial success there was a degree of expectation for their second album and it didn’t disappoint hitting number 3 in the UK and doing very well across Europe.
With songs that are instantly listenable it is no surprise White Lies continued with their early success and general appeal and to this day they have released 6 albums, all of which have hit the album charts in the top 15. Ironically, their singles have made little commercial impression which for me implies their core fan base are predominantly album buyers and not those who rely on streaming and buying only odd tracks from albums.
Ritual produced 4 singles but it was only the first one released, Bigger Than Us, that charted and as such, it is my first selection this week.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Ritual is the opening track, Is Love.
The song opens with a distorted yet insistent beat as the vocal starts to deliver its statement of life's disenchantments except that of love. The chorus opens up to give the song its full anthemic vent and gives a clear indication as to where White Lies are going with this album.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023 - Track 3
The next selection from my album of the week is the second single released.
Strangers is a full on, full blooded, post-punk anthem with a big chorus that captures the real essence of White Lies and is was this song's soaring synths that reminded me of Ultravox.
Why this song made no impression on the singles charts is a mystery but it is a real classic none the less.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection from Ritual is the track Holy Ghost, the third single released from the album but as per yesterday's selection, Strangers, it made no impression on the singles charts. However, let that not diminish what is another superb song from this album.
The lyrics are also worth delving into, very dark and seems to be posing questions of how and why to a fallen woman but from a position of admiration.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023 - Track 5
Bringing Ritual to a close is the song Come Down. A slow, reflective yet painful song of lost love, partings and endings. As much as any song on this superb album, the listener can feel the depth of emotion in Harry McVeigh's vocal. Its hard to pick favourites from such a strong album but Come Down is a great track to wrap this one up.
Album Of The Week - 15/04/2023 - Summary
I think I have no secret of the fact of how highly I rate Ritual by White Lies, especially after they such a tough act to follow with their debut album.
Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed my selections this.
Album Of The Week - 22/04/2023
Motorizer – Motorhead
For this week’s album we get one of the 13 Motorhead albums in my collection, the first of theirs to be selected as my album of the week.
An awful lot has been said and written about Motorhead and Lemmy’s influence on music but for me, it was the directness of the music that appealed. At the time I started taking a real interest in Motorhead in the early 1980’s I was immersed in punk and post-punk but the world of hard rock and metal was not my to liking at all (with the exception of some Judas Priest releases). What attracted me to Motorhead was the speed, great rhythms, drumming that was in same style of the Discharge d-beat and a crossover style that had elements of punk and metal. Without analysing too much, Motorhead made damn good music but it is telling that Lemmy said he felt they were closer to the Damned and the Ramones rather than the heavy metal bands they were associated with.
Motorizer was the bands 19th studio album released in 2008 with the line-up that had become solid since 1992 and the one that took Motorhead through to the end in 2015 when Lemmy died of cancer.
Motorizer, like all Motorhead albums to a degree, is fast, full on, direct and doesn’t outstay its welcome, filled with very catchy songs and topped with some great lyrics by Lemmy. The fact the album is under 40 minutes and 8 of the 11 songs are under 4 minutes again highlights it’s punk influences.
The album hit a very respectable number 32 in the UK album charts and produced one single, Rock Out.
I had the pleasure of seeing Motorhead on the Motorizer tour at the Plymouth Pavilions where they were supported by the Damned and it was superb gig.
My first selection is the single, Rock Out, a homage to the brand of music Motorhead are known for but I advise listeners not to follow the instruction in last verse, unless one is in the privacy of their own home.
Album Of The Week - 22/04/2023 - Track 2
A belting opening to this great album. Lemmy described Runaround Man as a dose of nonsense set to a great tune, and who would argue with the great man.
Album Of The Week - 22/04/2023 - Track 3
The third selection from Motorizer is the track When The Eagle Screams. With a pounding rhythm, Lemmy's gravel crunching vocals and powerful guitars from Phil Campbell this is classic Motorhead.
Album Of The Week - 22/04/2023 - Track 4
Bringing Motorizer to a close is the final track on the album, The Thousand Names Of God.
In the same vein as yesterday's selection, a war based lyric and a very powerful song, this time commenting on the thoughts that drives war in the name of God. A superb song to finish an album which in my opinion is up there with the best of all the Motorhead albums.
As usual, I hope you have enjoyed my selections and opinions.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023
Shades Of God – Paradise Lost
This week we head back to 1992 and a band that was largely responsible for introducing me the realms of gothic metal.
Paradise Lost are seen as one of the key architects of gothic metal but were seen as a doom/death metal band in their early days along with bands such as Anathema and My Dying Bride.
My first introduction to Paradise Lost was their 1998 compilation album, Reflection, which covered their first 6 releases from 1990 to 1997. There was a real contrast of styles on the album and enough of interest to lead me to delving into their back catalogue.
Shades Of God is the bands third album and their first on the Music For Nations label and its an album that is now considered the release that shows their move into a more melodic style from their first two releases. Saying that though this album retains Nick Holmes death growl vocals and the crushing guitar rhythms of Aaron Aedy and superb lead runs of Gregor Mackintosh.
As I first got into Paradise Lost in their more gothic rock phase this album was a bit of a step into unfamiliar territory for me as I do not always go into a bands catalogue but this is an album I really enjoy and is now one 19 Paradise Lost albums in my collection.
What I like about this album and Paradise Lost in general is their varied approach to music. Shades Of God is not a single dimension album, there are switches in style and tempo throughout which keeps them interesting.
I am aware this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but as marker to the early Paradise Lost recordings this is a very valid album.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, Mortals Watch The Day, a cracking track to introduce Shades Of God.
Enjoy.
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Shades Of God is the Paradise Lost epic, Pity The Sadness.
A crunching track that switches between fast, full on metal then slows with a soaring atmospheric guitar solo that adds depth and contrast to the song.
Pity The Sadness was selected for the 1998 compilation Reflection and is regarded as a Paradise Lost classic.
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023 - Track 3
Paradise Lost do not often do songs over 7 minutes but on Shades Of God there are 3, one of which is Crying For Eternity. This is a crushing, doom laden song which has all the characteristics of the classic doom/death realm they were occupying back in 1992.
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from Shades Of God is another 7 minute plus epic, No Forgiveness.
This is a song that ebbs and flows from quiet acoustic moments to slow, doom laden sections to create that epic doom/death style persistent throughout this album. There are some fantastic guitar breaks on this song to layer the crushing rhythms.
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023 - Track 5
The final selection from this week's album is a track the band are often best known for and a song that is still a live favourite some 30 years after its release.
As I Die is the shortest song on the album but with its distinctive riff and bruising vocal is has become a gothic metal classic.
The version I have posted is a live lockdown recording made in 2021 for the At The Mill live album/DVD release.
Album Of The Week - 29/04/2023 - Summary
I have very much enjoyed delving into this older release from a band that has become one of my favourite metal bands. Paradise Lost do not have the habit of being corny or indulgent and even on an album that has 3 tracks over 7 minutes in length, nothing feels out of place. The realms of gothic rock and metal can sometime be accused of being cheesy, generic and staid but there is none on that with Shades Of God and with Paradise Lost generally.
As always, I hope you have found something of interest from this week's album.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 06/05/2023
Another Kind Of Blues – U.K Subs
This week we are going back to 1979 and the first studio album from punk veterans, the U.K. Subs, the third selected as my album of the week.
Another Kind Of Blues was the first in a run of 26 albums, named sequentially beginning with each letter of the alphabet and completed in 2016 with the album Ziezo. They have subsequently released 2 albums of covers and their final studio album, Reverse Engineering, came out in 2022.
Another Kind Of Blues has gained the status over time as a punk classic even though it came out 2 years after the big commercial explosion of punk that saw many bands enjoy mainstream success. Formed in 1976 and building a following from playing live, initially as the Marauders then the Subversives, the U.K. Subs were well established by the time this album came out. As with the punk scene in general, John Peel was a great supporter of the band and they recorded a number of sessions for his late night Radio 1 show. With this backing and their live following Another Kind Of Blues hit number 21 in the UK albums charts and it also produced 2 top 30 singles.
There is a rawness to this album that lead to some negative reviews on its release but in a way, it has that same garage band feel that is also heard on the debut Clash album.
As is always the case with the U.K Subs, the songs are short and punchy, generally fast but full of rhythm which highlights Charlie Harpers roots in blues, the need for a good tune is evident and make the band, in my opinion, very easy to listen to. Going through the years, the Subs never lost the DIY feel to their music although the sound became more powerful with more emphasis on guitars and better production.
I bought my vinyl version of Another Kind Of Blues back in 1979 as a 14 year old who had become a big lover of punk which makes this album one of the oldest in my collection although the vinyl has been replaced by CD.
This year, the band announced their final tour and I will be seeing them at the Exeter Phoenix Art Centre in September for what I am sure will be superb gig. The fact that band founder and constant member Charlie Harper is almost 80, it is some achievement that he continued to front the band for so long.
To kick of this week’s selections I am choosing the opening track, C.I.D.
As well as the album track there is also a live clip taken from this year's final tour.
Enjoy.
My second selection from Another Kind Of Blues is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Although slower paced the track Crash Course has an excellent rhythm backing a persistent guitar riff.
Album Of The Week - 06/05/2023 - Track 3
It would be impossible to do a piece on Another Kind Of Blues without picking the track Tomorrow's Girls.
Back in 1979 the Subs were enjoying considerable success and many punk and post-punk bands were getting high placings in the UK singles and album charts.
Tomorrows Girls hit number 28 in the UK singles chart and saw them appear on Top Of The Pops and thankfully that clip is still available as per the link below.
Album Of The Week - 06/05/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from Another Kind Of Blues is the track World War. Short, sharp, fast and to the point, this song is done and dusted in under 1 minute 30 seconds but its a belter none the less.
Album Of The Week - 06/05/2023 - Track 5
Its only fitting that my final selection from Another Kind Of Blues is the closing track on the album and a single that hit the top 30 in 1979.
Stranglehold became very much a signature tune for the UK Subs and there was another Top Of The Pops performance for the band, although it was shame the audience was less than enthusiastic.
A timeless punk rock anthem to wrap up this week's album.
Album Of The Week - 06/05/2023 - Summary
It's been a real trip down memory lane with this week's album, Another Kind Of Blues by the UK Subs.
I bought the album way back in 1979 and it was a key album in my youth as I was getting into alternative music.
A great album which still sounds good after 44 years.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my selections and comments.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 13/05/2023
Waves – Dawn Of Solace
This week’s album is one of the more obscure releases in my collection, Waves by Dawn Of Solace.
As you may imagine from the band name, this is music which fits very neatly into the realm of doom metal or classic doom.
For those who follow metal and its darker sub-genres you can hear that this work has the heavy riffs and melancholic melodies of bands like Paradise Lost, Katatonia and heavy, down tuned guitars that go all the way back to Black Sabbath.
Dawn Of Solace is all but a solo /side project of Tuomas Saukkonen, who is the founding member of the Finnish melodic death / gothic metal band Before The Dawn.
I stumbled across Waves by Dawn Of Solace from a review and after listening to it on Bandcamp decided to add it to my collection.
In metal terms, its very melodic, the vocals are clean and high enough in the mix to be easy to discern, not drowned out as often the case with some of these doom metal releases.
Waves is the second of three releases so far under the band name of Dawn Of Solace and was the first in 14 years after the project was reformed in 2019.
My first selection is the opening track on the album, Lead Wings, and it was the first song by Dawn Of Solace I heard. The melancholy and dark beauty of the music pulled me in from the start along with the clean vocals and gothic dark lyrics of loss and isolation.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 13/05/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Waves by Dawn Of Solace is the track Ashes.
Another cracking track with its heavy yet slow melodic rhythm, a fine example of crushing yet engaging gothic/doom metal.
Album Of The Week - 13/05/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from this week's album is the track Hiding. With its acoustic intro and verses then switching to full on guitars for the chorus this track has a depth and variety that I very much like, with hints of Katatonia.
Album Of The Week - 13/05/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from Waves is the penultimate track on the album. The song Choice see's Dawn Of Solace opening with a captivating guitar riff over a layer of keyboards giving this track a grand, majestic feel, reminding me of Green Carnation to a degree. Anyway its an excellent track to lead into the atmospheric album closer which will follow tomorrow.
Album Of The Week - 13/05/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the final track, Ghost.
A haunting piano melody and a mournful vocal brings this fine album to a fitting conclusion.
Album Of The Week - 20/05/2023
The Ghost In Our House And Other Stories – Merry Hell
We find ourselves back in the realms of folk music this week, or more accurately folk rock, with the Wigan based band Merry Hell.
The Ghost In Our House album came out in 2015 and followed on from the 2013 release, Head Full Of Magic, Shoes Full Of Rain (album of the week 17/12/2022) which helped build on their increasing reputation for being a very accomplished folk/rock band.
As mentioned in my previous Merry Hell selection, the band were formed in 2010 after the 3 brothers, John, Andrew and Bob Kettle decided to perform together again, 10 years after their previous band, the Tansuds, had finished. Along with 5 other musicians including Virginia Kettle, wife of guitarist and song writer John Kettle the line-up for Merry Hell was set.
The Ghost In Our House is the third album from Merry Hell and it was the first one of theirs I bought after hearing the title track on a folk podcast. I was very impressed with the album and have kept up with them ever since. As yet though I have not seen them live but I hope to at some stage.
As previously mentioned, I like their variety of approach from the full on, up tempo folk rock songs to the more personal ballads. Lyrically adept with political and social commentary often infused with a healthy dose of humour, Merry Hell cover the bases in folk based music.
For those unfamiliar with the band, they are very melodic, very easy to listen to and with the dual vocal approach of Virginia and Andrew Kettle they offer a fine balance of mood and delivery.
My opening selection from the album is the title and opening track, There’s A Ghost In Our House.
Album Of The Week - 20/05/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Ghost In Our House is one of my favourite songs on the album. The track, The Old Soldier, is poignant and beautiful song of remembrance, a song about the waste of war and the enduring hope that it will never happen again. Sadly, the human race seems incapable of existing without war.
As well as the album track posted below there is also a superb live version on the bands Facebook page.
Album Of The Week - 20/05/2023 - Track 3
The third selection The Ghost In Our House is a track that shows the lighter side of Merry Hell. Summer Is a-Comin' is a fitting track for the lovely late Spring weather we are enjoying and would be a fine tune to fill the fields in the Summer folk festivals.
Album Of The Week - 20/05/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from this week's album is a jaunty folk song which serves well as statement for those struggling in today's financial climate. Although the song is 8 years old its derision of dodgy bankers and incompetent Tories is just as valid today as it was on the day it was released.
Regardless of your political persuasion this is Merry Hell with their finger on the working class pulse.
My final selection from The Ghost In Our House is the closing track on this fine album. No Place Like Tomorrow is a beautiful, insightful and poignant track that meanders gently to close this superb collection of songs from Merry Hell.
Album Of The Week - 27/05/2023
The Art Of Lying – IST IST
This week see’s us moving into the territories of post-punk and a band that has just released their 3rd studio album in 3 years.
IST IST came to my attention in 2020 via a post-punk website and there was a real clamour and excitement around the band. Building a following from playing live (the old fashioned way) and receiving great reviews there was an eager anticipation around the their debut studio album. It would be fair to say that the album, Architecture, did not disappoint in any way.
The following year, their second album, The Art Of Lying was released and its entry into the UK album charts highlighted their growing following.
Hailing from Manchester, it is obvious that they will be compared to the iconic post-punk band Joy Division, an almost inescapable comparison within the genre. IST IST combine, scratchy guitars, driving bass and layered synths topped off with a deep, resonating vocal. Generally very melodic but not adverse to dipping into more experimental territories.
Within my collection acts like White Lies and the Editors would draw comparison and even the influences of older acts such as Depeche Mode or Ultravox can be heard
As is often the case with post-punk the roots go all the way back to the late 1970’s and 1980’s but in no way could IST IST be described as copyist and I think that is evident on the two albums of theirs I have.
IST IST released their 3rd album at the end of March this year and I am awaiting the postman to deliver the copy I have just ordered.
Anyway, back to the The Art Of Lying, it has a mix of the electronic and rock based tracks with a little of the obscure to give the album depth and variety. At just over 38 minutes and with 10 tracks it does not outstay its welcome, the best albums always leave you wanting more.
The album hit number 87 in the UK album charts and produced 2 singles, the first of which, It Stops Where It Starts is my first selection.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 27/05/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Art Of Lying is the opening track on the album.
Its a gorgeous start with a slow, languid electronic opening which builds and flows with plenty of atmosphere and layers.
My third selection from The Art Of Lying is the track Fat Cats Drown In Milk.
A song about excess, I am not sure, buts its got a driving bass line and compulsive guitar line running through it, very catchy and very listenable.
Album Of The Week - 27/05/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from The Art Of Lying is the quirky track If It Tastes Like Wine. There is some post-punk eccentricity with this one which reminds of the Talking Heads and early R.E.M.
Album Of The Week - 27/05/2023 - Track 5
Wrapping up this week's album is the closing track on The Art Of Lying and as the album starts with an electronic piece, so its ends with another, the quietly reflective Don't Go Gentle. A simple keyboard based song that builds in to a gorgeous song to end this 2nd release from IST IST.
Album Of The Week - 03/06/2023
Devil’s Advocate (Soundtrack) – James Newton Howard
This week we find ourselves back into the realm of film soundtracks and the score to one of my favourite films, the 1997 release, Devil’s Advocate.
The basic premise of this film is to be very wary of vanity and ambition as the cost can be far higher than one is willing to pay.
Al Pacino does a fantastic job of playing the devil and Keanu Reeves his target as he chases advancement at the expense of morality and family. There are plenty of characters to dislike in this film, for the right reasons, and nobody comes out this story looking good, there is certainly no hero is this tale of excess and temptation.
James Newton Howard is one of the big names in film music composing and has worked on some major releases as well as collaborations with other top composers such as Hans Zimmer.
The score to the Devil’s Advocate has some interesting moments but my one criticism is there are not enough pieces over 3 minutes that one can really immerse in. However, there are some wonderfully dramatic choral pieces that I love as well as the more atmospheric, quieter and considered pieces.
As an album it is enjoyable in isolation and can be listened to without the film but as I often say, it helps to know how the music connects with the various scenes and overall story that the film is telling.
My first selection is the main title piece.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 03/06/2023 - Track 2
A short piece to accompany the scene where Kevin (Keanu Reeves) meets John Milton (Al Pacino).
A introduction to his prospective employer but as yet Kevin does not realise the power and full identity of Milton.
Album Of The Week - 03/06/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from the Devil's Advocate soundtrack is a piece entitled Cullen Gets Off. A haunting and dramatic piece as Kevin realises that for the second time his ego and desire to win at all costs means that someone will go free who is guilty of the crimes they are being accused off. His conscience has been pierced as he has willingly assisted a murderer and a child molester to go unpunished. A powerful piece of music to accompany a pivotal scene.
Today's selection from the Devil's Advocate soundtrack is another of the shorter pieces, Fire.
As Kevin rejects the Devil/his father and the diabolical plan to produce an offspring with his half-sister we see these two characters consumed by fire as Kevin welcomes death by his own hand.
A brief but suitably dramatic piece of music to bring the film to its conclusion.
Album Of The Week - 03/06/2023 - Track 5
The calm after the storm comes with my final selection this week, the track Ring.
Kevin finds himself back in the washroom where the film opens, the vision of his future should he defend a guilty man has been exposed to him. Will this knowledge now tell his conscience to act differently but will that ultimately protect him from sin the clutches of the devil?
Its a great scene and a lovely piece to wrap up this album and film.
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023
Bloodflowers – The Cure
For this week’s album we have the 11th studio album from The Cure and the second selected as an album of week.
Compared to my first selection, Three Imaginary Boys, this week’s offering shows how the band had evolved over the 21 years between releases. From new wave/post punk beginnings to becoming one of the most influential bands of their time.
Although there are only 9 tracks on the album it runs for just over an hour with only one song coming in at under 5 minutes.
Robert Smith described Bloodflowers as the third part in a trilogy that included the albums Pornography and Disintegration. Compared to releases such as Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me this album seems much more rooted in the melancholy and is more introspective with songs the ebb and flow, often becoming languid with passages the listener can get lost in.
Some may say this approach may be a little self indulgent but as long as the music is relevant and does not become boring then I do not have a problem with it.
Unusually, there were no singles released from Bloodflowers which intimates the band saw this this as a complete, connected work and not just a collection of songs.
The Cure had already hit a level of success with their large following that a new album after 4 years would be greeted with enthusiasm and its strong chart positions throughout Europe and America bore this out.
The atmospheres and textures that layer Bloodflowers makes this a very enjoyable album especially if sat in peace where it can wash over the listener, especially with headphones so all the intricacies can really be experienced.
The Cure have always been seen as one of the pioneers of Gothic rock and although I can see that there are far more strings to their musical bow and I would say that is especially evident on Bloodflowers.
Critically, the album did not get great reviews and I am not sure this is an album that would win the band a host of new fans but for those who like the more melancholic side of post-punk then the album has plenty to offer.
Despite the poor reviews Bloodflowers hit number 14 in the UK album charts showing that after 22 years The Cure still had a strong following.
My first offering from the album is the opening track, Out Of This World.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from Bloodflowers is the second track on the album, Watch Me Fall, which takes a dark turn after the album opener which I featured yesterday.
At over 11 minutes, Watch Me Fall is the longest song on the album but at no point does it ever become boring or indulgent.
Musically, its intense, chaotic and disturbed with a lyric that dives into the attraction and subsequent shame of desire and temptation. It's a dark lyric, delivered with pain and regret which makes this track so compelling, a real highlight on the album.
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Bloodflowers is the track The Loudest Sound.
There are few better than Robert Smith in conjouring a song with such beauty, pain and poignancy delivered with a gorgeous, languid track that sticks long after it has finished.
The Loudest Sound is a song about a couple who have run out of things to say to each other and they are faced with the deafening roar of silence.
This is, in my opinion, a real Cure classic.
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023 - Track 4
Today's offering from Bloodflowers is the track "39".
This is one of the more urgent songs on the album, its an incessant track with a lyric that portrays the frustration and sense of doom of moving into your 40's. (Thankfully, that is long behind me and it wasn't too bad).
Robert Smiths pained vocal and tortured guitar lines on this track adds to its sense of regret and longing for what has gone.
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close I have selected the final track, as I like to do if the track warrants it. In this case the final track is also the title track and its another example of the beauty and pain on this album.
Bloodflowers is a song that narrates a conflict between hope and resignation, you can imagine two lovers having this pained conversation of a dark Winter night. The mood and texture of this song sums up the album perfectly.
Album Of The Week - 10/06/2023 - Summary
It would be fair to say that I had almost forgotten what an outstanding album this is before revisiting it this week.
For me, Bloodflowers is classic Cure, full of intense, tuneful, mournful and poignant songs, musically compelling and lyrically thought provoking. Although The Cure have done some really good lighter, pop based songs, its the deep introspective songs that they really excel at.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my selections and opinions from this fine album.
Thanks
Album Of The Week - 17/06/2023
Good Times Will Come Again – Megson
This week we are heading into contemporary folk with the 7th studio album from the duo Megson.
Megson are a husband and wife duo of Stu and Debbie Hannah and they have been a musical team since 2004. They originate from County Durham in the north of England and their music often reflects and comments upon life in that part of the country. Now, I believe they are based in Cambridge but their northern roots are still evident in the music.
Good Times Will Come Again is one of five (soon to be six) Megson albums in my collection. I have been keen on them since I came across them in 2007 when I heard a track of theirs on the Radio 2 Folk Show which at the time was hosted by the folk legend Mike Harding. This lead to me buying their 2nd album The Smoke Of Home which I still think is their best album to date.
Good Times Will Come Again was released in 2016 and it was their first album to comprise solely of their own songs. Most folk albums usually comprise a mix of original and traditional material but it felt that it was their own compositions that really stood out.
Lyrically, there is a lot of social and political commentary, often with a deep sense of irony and even resignation giving Good Times a very contemporary feel.
Musically, the songs are very melodic with dual vocals and the use of acoustic guitars, mandolin, fiddle and accordion with a balance of slower reflective moments alongside the more up tempo tracks.
If you are new to Megson and are open to contemporary folk music then Good Times is certainly a good place to start.
My first selection is the opening track Generation Rent. Although a lively and catchy song it highlights the pressures on young people trying to get a home of their own.
The track was released as a single and a video was recorded to accompany the release.
Album Of The Week - 17/06/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from Good Times Will Come Again is in complete contrast to yesterday selections.
A Prayer For Hope is a dramatic song that shows Debbie Hannah's excellent vocal and the vocal harmony with Stu. The song is one of hope in difficult circumstances and the battle for a better life.
With dual vocals, guitar and fiddle this is a wonderful example of thoughtful, current and topical modern folk music.
Its one of the highlights on the album for me.
Album Of The Week - 17/06/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from Good Times Will Come Again is another song that comments on the difficulties faced by those struggling to get decent work.
Zero is a jaunty and bouncy song but has a serious note with its focus on those stuck on zero hour contracts.
Album Of The Week - 17/06/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection from Megson's Good Times Will Come Again is one of my favourite songs on the album.
The Bonny Lad is a mothers lament to her son, lead vocal by Debbie Hannah with a gorgeous guitar and fiddle backing. Its a real moment of beauty from these two fine musicians.
Album Of The Week - 17/06/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the title track and also final song on the album, same as last week.
Good Times Will Come Again closes the album on an optimistic note but I cannot but think there is also a healthy dose of irony within the lyrics. Regardless, its a very good song to bring this excellent Megson album to its conclusion.
Album Of The Week - 24/06/2023
Last Curtain Call – Theatre Of Tragedy
This week we have the fourth of 8 albums in my collection by Norwegian (mainly) gothic metal pioneers, Theatre Of Tragedy.
Last Curtain Call is a live album and follows on from their final studio album, Forever Is The World (album of the week 09/04/2022), released in 2009. The album is a recording of the last ever live performance by the band as the decision to cease had already been made. The band members wanted to concentrate more on their daily lives of work and family and the pressures of being a performing band were taking their toll.
In 2003, their iconic female vocalist, Liv Kristine Espanaes, left the band due to internal disputes and went on to form the highly successful symphonic/gothic metal band Leaves Eyes with her then husband.
It was rumoured that the final break up of Theatre Of Tragedy was triggered by male vocalist Raymond Rohonyi. He was unhappy that the band had moved back to a more gothic metal sound and away from the more electronic/industrial style of the final 2 albums released with Liv Kristine, Musique (album of the week 08/01/2022) and Assembly. Raymond has stated that in his opinion Assembly is his favourite of the 7 studio albums released by the band.
Ironically, Raymond has performed live with Liv Kristine as a solo artist and they cover Theatre Of Tragedy songs. This lead to some discussion regarding a reformation but this has been firmly denied by other members of the band.
With the decision made then to wrap the band up a final live album and concert film was suggested by the band but their record company refused to fund the project in its entirety so crowdfunding was used to ensure the recording could go ahead.
The result is the DVD and CD release, Last Curtain Call, and with the very able Nell Sigland on lead vocals the band run through 16 songs from their varied back catalogue. As well as the last two albums recorded with Nell on vocals this concert performance highlights how well she handles the songs originally recorded with Liv Kristine.
The set list I think does a good job of summarising their 7 studio albums with the death/doom of their first 3 albums to the gothic rock of Aegis and their last 2 albums and the more electronic style of the albums mentioned above.
I was sad to hear that Theatre Of Tragedy had decided to call it a day as they were one of the bands that ignited my interest in metal and the more gothic style in particular but the Last Curtain Call album is excellent way to bring down the curtain on this outstanding band.
To kick off my chosen tracks, I am starting with the opener Hide And Seek, which is also the opener on the Forever Is The World album.
This is Theatre Of Tragedy in their classic gothic metal phase, with a mid-temp, melodic sound, dual staccato guitars and mixed vocals of Nell and Raymond.
Album Of The Week - 24/06/2023 - Track 2
Today's selection from Last Curtain Call is a song that harks back to 1996, originally released on Theatre Of Tragedy's second album, Velvet Darkness They Fear.
And When He Falleth is a song that shows the band in their original style of of gothic/doom metal, slow, melodic with the combination of deep male growls and soprano female vocals.
At the time the bands lyrics were normally in arcane English and this particular track has a monologue from Vincent Price taken from the the film The Masque Of The Red Death.
This song is well worth a listen and it comes across very well live.
Album Of The Week - 24/06/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Last Curtain Call is the track Storm.
This is the title track Theatre Of Tragedy's 6th studio album and the first one with Nell on vocals.
This was a lead single at the time and marked the band's return to a more traditional gothic rock/metal sound.
Today's selection from Last Curtain Call is the only 1 in the set from their Aegis album.
It surprised me that from an album that was seen as iconic for the band and in terms of the gothic metal genre itself only the track Venus was selected for the set. However, its a superb song and fits well into this set.
Album Of The Week - 24/06/2023 - Track 5
My next selection from this week's album focuses on the more electronic side of Theatre Of Tragedy.
The track Fragment was part of the Musique album which marked a major shift in music and vocal approach and is a very worthy part of their final live set.
Album Of The Week - 24/06/2023 - Track 6
Bringing Last Curtain Call to a close is, fittingly, the final track of the set.
The last song performed at the last concert, Forever Is The World, the title track from the last Theatre Of Tragedy studio album.
A great song but ultimately there is an air of sadness with this one as well as celebration for the career of one the pioneers of gothic metal. As the final bars are played there is a lot of emotion in the band and the crowd.
Since then, 12 years ago, there has been talk and rumour of a reunion but so far nothing has happened and as time moves on I do not think it ever will.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023
Wishmaster – Nightwish
This week we remain within the metal genre but with a more symphonic slant as we have the first of my 15 albums from Finnish band Nightwish and their 3rd release, Wishmaster.
Nightwish are another band that changed my attitude towards metal in the late 90’s when I heard their version of Walking In The Air on a dark metal compilation album. This lead me to buying their second album, Oceanborn, and they have been a band I have followed ever since.
Wishmaster was released in 2000 and continued on in style and approach from their previous album, with songs generally of a higher tempo, prominent guitars laden with plenty of keyboard for melody and atmosphere and topped with the operatic vocals of Tarja Turunen. As well as the instantly relatable music, it was the vocals of Tarja that grabbed me, very unique in the world of rock with her impressive range and depth, a voice that would grace the best opera halls of the world.
Lyrically, Wishmaster has a fantasy theme although topical issues are also covered but it’s the world of literature, films and film scores that provide the basis for this and many other Nightwish albums, created in the main by founder member Toumas Holopainen.
It is the big, anthemic, bombastic sounds of Nightwish that have made them the hugely successful band they are today and Wishmaster portrays this perfectly. However, this is not a one dimensional album or band, and over the years they have crafted some slower, quieter, very beautiful pieces.
Wishmaster saw Nightwish achieve their first number 1 placing in the Finnish album charts and it’s a run that has continued with their 6 subsequent studio albums. Their impact, commercially throughout Europe has been impressive but not so much in the UK where there does not seem to be the same appetite for symphonic metal. It is telling, that the many bands that cite Nightwish as a major influence come from Scandinavia and continental Europe.
Although not for many years later, I had the pleasure of seeing Nightwish live on their Imaginaerum tour and it was a superb gig. Throughout their line-up changes they have always been incredibly good at producing their big sounds on the live stage.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, She Is My Sin, a big, full on opening to the album and a song that is still a big live favourite.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023 - Track Two
Two For Tragedy is a beautiful song which highlights the superb vocal range of Tarja Turunen.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023 - Track Three
Today's selection from Wishmaster is one of the more powerful songs on this album.
To this day, The Kinslayer is regarded as a Nightwish classic and still a live favourite.
A strong, dramatic track, one of the shortest on the album and lyrically its theme is based on the Collumbine high school shooting in 1999.
A great song based on a terrible but all to frequent happening in America.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023 - Track Four
One of Nightwish's great strengths is delivering the emotional and musical epics that Tuomas Holopainen is so adept at coming up with. That is portrayed beautifully in the song Dead Boys Poem, a song that ebbs and flows through its 6 minute plus playing time. As usual Tarja's vocal captures the feeling of the track perfectly.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023 - Track Five
A trawl through Wishmaster would not be complete without including the title track.
Another track easily considered a Nightwish classic, this has all the signature elements, Tarja's soaring vocal, lyrics steeped in fantasy and up tempo track built on the incessant drumming of Jukka Nevalainen.
Album Of The Week - 01/07/2023 - Track Six
Bringing Wishmaster to a close is a track classed as a bonus on the version I have but its a perfect fit and gorgeous end to this album.
Sleepwalker was written as a potential entry for Finland in the 2000 Eurovision song contest but it came the third in the national competition.
As someone who is very scathing towards Eurovision I am not sure how I would feel about one of my favourite bands competing in the show. Regardless, Sleepwalker is a beautiful, keyboard based track, pulling in Phantom Of The Opera references delivered with another stunning vocal from Tarja Turunan.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023
Ballads Of The Broken Few – Seth Lakeman (featuring Wildwood Kin)
After a couple of weeks of metal we are back into contemporary folk music this week and the first selection from my 14 albums by Devon based artist Seth Lakeman.
Coming from a family steeped in folk music, Seth has enjoyed considerable success including mainstream recognition over the years and is considered as one the top artists in the folk music realm. Brothers Sean and Sam are also part of folk based duo’s with their respective wives (Kathryn Roberts & Cara Dillon) and Sean is also an accomplished producer and has produced for many folk based acts including the Levellers.
Released in 2016, Ballads Of The Broken Few is very much a collaboration album with Exeter based folk act Wildwood Kin who at the time comprised of sisters Beth Key and Emillie Whiteside and their cousin Meghann Loney. A superb band in their own right, Seth saw them playing and brought them on board for this album. They have gone on to release two outstanding and successful albums since.
The combination of the two produced a gorgeous, at times haunting album layered with Seth’s skillful fiddle playing and the captivating vocal melodies and percussion of the 3 girls.
What this album lacks is the array of the more commercial, foot stomping folk/rock tracks that helped garner mainstream attention and achieve the commercial success of some of his former albums. Seth though has never been afraid to experiment and develop and leaving Virgin Records after the label tried to mould him into a more pop orientated direction indicates the priority is artistic control and musical integrity. With Ballads Of The Broken Few peaking at number 18 in the UK albums charts it showed that Seth’s audience were more than accepting of him not sticking to a more pop based formula.
In 2017, the album was re-released with 5 additional tracks including the single Everything and it was this song as much as any the convinced me to add this extended release to my collection.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, Willow Tree, which sets the tone for this collaboration from Seth and Wildwood Kin with a video that was filmed at Torre Abbey in Torquay.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Ballads Of The Broken Few is the track Fading Sound. A fine example of the dual vocal approach between Seth Lakeman and Wildwood Kin.
This song has a wonderful melody and a great lyric which is well worth delving into.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023 - Track 3
Next up from Ballads Of The Broken Few is one of more powerful tracks from the album. Innocent Child has a strong percussion backed beat with a deep blues feel and a great lyric which gives this song an dusty, earthy feel. One of the highlights for me on this album.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from Ballads Of The Broken Few is the track Whenever I'm Home.
A song of recognition for the joy of being in the familiar surroudings of home.
The vocal delivery of Seth and the 3 girls over a single fiddle gives this song real depth of feeling.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023 - Track 5
Taken from the re-released version of Ballads Of The Broken Few is the track Gambling Man. For me this upbeat and vocally superb song should have been on the original release and is one of my favourite tracks from the album.
Album Of The Week - 08/07/2023 - Track 6
My final selection from Ballads Of The Broken Few is a track again lifted from the re-release version of the album. I did not buy the extended version immediately upon release but after hearing the track Everything on Radio Devon during an interview with Seth I made it a point to get the album.
For me, Everything is one of the best songs on the album and made a superb single and as well as promoting the album it gave great exposure to Wildwood Kin.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023
The Planets – Gustav Holst performed by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
A complete change of direction this week as we explore one of the most iconic works from classical music with Holst’s, The Planets.
Although I have quite a few film scores and contemporary classical albums (some question if they are classed as classical music but that’s a discussion for elsewhere) this work is probably one of the most well known.
I first started to explore more classical based music about 15 years ago when I started buying film soundtrack albums, especially ones with big, dramatic orchestral and choral scores, films such as Lord Of The Rings and its subsequent parts. What interested me was some of the snobbery from purists who said these works were not “classical music”. I am not sure where the definition comes in but ultimately labels are not the most important thing when considering music. It is also interesting though that the blanket term for classical music is instrumental orchestral and choral music. This definition covers a very wide range in itself but moving on.
My acquisition of The Planets came about after hearing the opening piece, Mars, The Bringer Of War, on a film score compilation album and subsequent pieces that I heard on Classic FM.
The Planets was first performed in 1918 and since then it has been performed all over the world with over 80 versions recorded and released commercially. I am not informed enough in the realms of classical music to discuss the differences and intricacies of the various recordings.
The version I have is a re-release of a recording made in 1986 by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
I think a lot of the music within the suite will be known to many due to various excerpts being used in films, sporting events and theatre including adaptations made by the renowned composer John Williams for his Star Wars score.
On that note, my first selection is the opening piece from the suite, Mars, The Bringer Of War, a dramatic piece of music with big swathes of orchestration and powerful choral sections.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 2
After the passion and rage of Mars, Bringer Of War, the second piece from The Planets is Venus, Bringer Of Peace.
Venus is a 9 minute section of the suite with relaxing and ethereal elements that flows and weaves its way through. A lovely piece and a total contrast to the preceding drama and violence of Mars.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 3
The third piece from The Planets is Mercury, The Winged Messeger.
The shortest of the 7 movements Mercury has a light and skittery feel as it lightly skips through in just about 4 minutes.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 4
The fourth work in the The Planets is the grand and varied piece, Jupiter, Bringer Of Jollity.
An 8 minute piece that moves from light and jaunty and the more grand and majestic.
There is a section within Jupiter that is well known to many as the music to I Vow To Thee My Country which was a hymn adapted from a poem to become the anthem it is now known as.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 5
The fifth movement in The Planets is the longest piece of the seven. Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age starts with a quiet, meandering opening and builds in intensity and fades to a subtle conclusion, all the while you can almost hear the passing of time ticking away in the background.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 6
It was not intention initially to include all 7 movements in The Planets but it seems that is what I am doing. Anyway, the 6th piece is Uranus, The Magician.
A bold and strident section with marches and triumphant brass sections as the suite moves towards its conclusion.
Album Of The Week - 15/07/2023 - Track 7
The seventh and final piece from The Planets is Neptune, The Mystic. This is an eerie and haunting strings based finale with a ghostly atmosphere which is accentuated with strange yet beautiful choral lines.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023
Big Country – The Seer
This week we are back on more familiar territory with the third studio album from Big Country, a band that I have followed for over 40 years.
Their 1986 album, The Seer, is the second of my 24 Big Country albums to be selected as my album of the week and its album that rates very highly in my collection overall.
The Seer was seen as a return to their more celtic and atmospheric approach following their harder, post punk release Steeltown from 1984. With sweeping guitars, big anthems and lyrics steeped in Scottish history Big Country were treading the path they had laid down with their debut album, The Crossing. It would be fair to say this was the peak of their commercial success but certainly not their creative success but there were big tours and lots of radio play to accompany this album.
The Seer though is not a one dimensional album, there are the anthems as one would expect along with elements of hope, melancholy and some moments of real beauty contained in the 10 tracks of the original release. Stuart Adamson explained this album was look at Scotland without the nationalism and sentimentality, a look into its history and culture. An album with celtic folk traditions and almost in the same vein that Runrig (Scottish celtic/folk rock band) were following at the time.
The Seer peaked at number 2 in the UK album charts and produced 4 singles, 3 of which went into the top 30.
I have seen Big Country live a number of times and I saw them on The Seer Tour at The Cornwall Coliseum in 1986, a year that saw them play over 80 gigs as well as supporting David Bowie on his Glass Spider tour.
For my first selection, I am going to select the first track I heard from The Seer during a televised live performance. Remembrance Day is a track written about the Highland clearances that occurred in Scotland during the 18th and 19th century.
It’s a great song, typical Big Country with its big chorus and dual guitars and this live clip from their Rockpalast gig in 1996 captures the song perfectly.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Seer is Look Away, the opening track on the album as well as being the lead single.
It's selection as a single was well justified with its memorable rhythm and cinematic video it reached number 7 in the UK singles chart as well as number 1 in Ireland.
A song with a "Bonnie and Clyde" feel to it originally given the working title of The Outlaw during the Seer sessions but in fact it was based on film Stuart Adamson had seen.
It went on to become their most commercially successful single and a live favourite.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023 - Track 3
Today's offering from The Seer is, in my opinion, one of the best songs Big Country have ever recorded.
Stuart Adamson stated that The Seer is a folk album with electric guitars and that is born out perfectly on this, the title track. The song is filled with lyrical mysticism and history, a stunningly beautiful song with intricate guitars, mandolin and a dual vocal with the wonderful Kate Bush. All of this is built on the foundation of the bass and drums of Tony Watson and Mark Brzezicki,
If I ever had to choose my all time top 20 songs out of my entire collection then The Seer would come very close to the top.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023 - Track 4
The fourth selection from The Seer is a track that highlights the hope and optimism often to be found in Big Country's music.
One Great Thing was the third single released from The Seer and it peaked at number 19 in the UK singles chart.
This was one of the more rock based songs on the album, an album with plenty of scope and variety.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023 - Track 5
The next selection from The Seer is the second song released as a single. For me, The Teacher would have been the ideal lead single, with its anthemic guitars and lyrics steeped in mysticism. It laid out where Big Country were going with the The Seer, capturing the celtic atmosphere of the album.
The single peaked at number 28 in the UK album charts.
Album Of The Week - 22/07/2023 - Track 6
I have indulged myself this week by selecting 6 tracks from The Seer but in truth any of the 10 would be worthy. However, my final selection is a closing track, The Sailor, and musically it still really hits me to this day. The dual guitars of Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson work together beautifully and how they bring the song and album to an end is just exceptional.
Album Of The Week - 29/07/2023
Inception (Soundtrack) – Hans Zimmer
When it comes to the realm of film scores there are few to rival the impact and success of Hans Zimmer and he has composed the music for over a 150 films and television series since 1980. He started in music as a keyboard player and was in a number of bands including Buggles who had a number 1 UK single in 1979 with Video Killed The Radio Star. He has also worked as a producer and even produced the single History Of The World, Part 1 for The Damned in 1980, ironically, one of my favourite Damned songs.
It is film scores though that Hans Zimmer is more widely known for and by the time Christopher Nolan’s epic Inception was released in 2010 he was firmly established as one the leading and most sought after composers.
Inception was the third Christopher Nolan film for which Hans Zimmer composed the music and it is a score that has earned far ranging praise and recognition.
The score incorporates a lot of electronic elements as well as the big swathes of dramatic orchestral passages and fits in beautifully with the balance of the film between the tension, the ethereal dream scenes and the big set piece action moments.
Within the score Hans Zimmer incorporated elements of the classic French singer Edith Piaf and the guitar sections were played by Johnny Marr, a guitarist I rate very highly due in no small part to the iconic sounds he produced for The Smiths.
It is an innovative and groundbreaking film and the score perfectly compliments a film that enhanced Christopher Nolan’s reputation as a leading director. The film is complex, built on various levels of dreams and a top layer of reality that leaves the viewer questioning what is actually real.
Like other Hans Zimmer scores, the Inception soundtrack stands alone as an album to be enjoyed in isolation with its variations and changes of mood.
My first selection is the opening piece, Half Remembered Dream, the music opens with quiet, subtle electronics but gives a hint of the drama about to unfold and just touches on the theme that runs through the score.
Album Of The Week - 29/07/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from the Inception soundtrack is Dream Is Collapsing.
Although one of the shorter pieces on the album this is one of those classic Zimmer compositions that has a quiet, slow introduction and builds to a loud, brash, brass driven orchestral movement.
Album Of The Week - 29/07/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from the Inception soundtrack is the varied but urgent and dramatic piece, Dream Within A Dream.
The track accompanies the scenes where the ideas play out of multi-layered dreams within the story landscape.
One of my favourite selections from the soundtrack album.
Album Of The Week - 29/07/2023 - Track 4
The fourth piece I have chosen from the Inception soundtrack is Waiting For A Train. Hans Zimmer often writes some very in depth and longer passages of music for his film scores and at over 9 minutes this piece is the longest on the album. This is an immersive passage that the listener can delve into with its changing atmospheres and directions including the theme that runs throughout the score.
This track accompanies the final action and dreamscape set pieces as the film builds to its climax with the changing moods reflecting the varying layers of dream sequences being played out. There is also the "kick" excerpt from Edith Piaf.
Album Of The Week - 29/07/2023 - Track 5
Bringing the Inception soundtrack to a close is the music that plays out through the final scene of the film. The track Time builds from a brooding opening to a full orchestral piece and then ends with a single electronic effect leaving the viewer with the question, is the final scene still a dream or is the lead character back to the reality he has been striving for.
A superb piece of music to play out this engaging and challenging film.
Album Of The Week - 05/08/2023
The Bitter Truth - Evanescence
This week we are firmly back in the sphere of rock music with the fifth and latest album from American band Evanescence.
Evanescence shot to global fame in 2003 when their debut single, Bring Me To Life, went to number 1 in the UK singles chart as well as around Europe and number 5 in the US Billboard top 100. Their debut album, Fallen also went to number 1 in the UK and enjoyed phenomenal worldwide success, to date selling over 17 million copies.
Driven by the song writing prowess of constant member Amy Lee they have become a leading name in rock music. What has surprised many, myself included, is how a female fronted rock band, on the edges of gothic rock/metal has achieved such widespread commercial success. Despite the introspective nature of the lyrics and a general gothic style Amy Lee has distanced the band from the gothic rock genre or any general form of pigeon holing. Over the years she has incorporated many styles into the bands music, as was seen with the 2017 album Synthesis which was a symphonic and electronic reworking of some of their back catalogue. Amy along with co-founding member, Ben Moody, also felt it necessary to distance the band from the “Christian rock” label and despite Amy’s Christian faith she has always insisted that the music is not faith based.
Despite their ongoing success Evanescence are not prolific and The Bitter Truth is only their 4th album of original material and its release in 2021 came 10 years after their previous studio album of original material. However, for me, Evanescence is about quality over quantity and when I heard this album I was in no way disappointed especially given the length of time between albums.
Despite seeing Evanescence live in 2011 following their self titled album released in the same year I had not really kept up with band much in recent years but when I finally listened to Synthesis and then The Bitter Truth in late 2021 it re-ignited my interest. What struck me then was what initially grabbed my attention back in 2003, the combination of power and beauty in the music, the personal and soul searching lyrics and Amy Lee’s fantastic voice. Despite their distancing, these are the characteristics that got me into many of the gothic rock / metal bands that I follow.
Upon its release in 2021, The Bitter Truth peaked at number 4 in the UK album charts, the same as the previous original studio album 10 years earlier showing that the appeal of the band had not waned but none of the 4 singles released charted although 2 did hit the download charts.
The Bitter Truth is a full on rock album but there are the subtle moments you would expect from Evanescence giving the album depth and variation while highlighting Amy’s skill in crafting powerful and emotive songs. Lyrically, the album draws on Amy’s love of nature as well as tackling the themes of a personal nature, lost love and the like.
My first selection from the album is the opening track Artifact / The Turn, a quietly haunting, atmospheric electronic song. In a way it links back to the Synthesis project and its interesting to note they didn’t go for a full on rock track to blast into the album but rather lead you gently into what was in store.
Album Of The Week - 05/08/2023 - Track 2
Following straight on from the electronic and ethereal beauty of the opening track Artifact/The Turn Evanescence let rip on the second track. Broken Pieces Shine is a song of resistance in the face of loss, starting with a tribal and insistent drum pattern and the short, staccato bursts of guitar to grab the attention before Amy's crystal vocal kicks in.
An annoucement of what's in store.
Album Of The Week - 05/08/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from the The Bitter Truth is the fourth of the four singles released from the album.
Better Without You has the power and metallic rhythms that prevail throughout the album and the track comes with a performance video that although its slick and polished will win no awards for originality, but this does not distract from the quality of the song.
Album Of The Week - 05/08/2023 - Track 4
My next selection from The Bitter Truth is Use My Voice.
This was the third single released from the album and in my opinion one of the strongest tracks. There is enough contrast on this song to let Amy's superb vocal come to the fore and deliver a passionate song of empowerment.
The track peaked at number 39 in the UK singles download chart and came with a polished video.
Album Of The Week - 05/08/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from The Bitter Truth is a track that in my opinion should have been the album closer.
Far From Heaven was the last song written for the album, a beautiful piano lead song about faith and grief. A stunning song that for me, is a real stand out moment.
Album Of The Week - 12/08/2023
Brothers In Arms – Dire Straits
This week’s album will need little introduction for many given its status in music history.
During a career that lasted 18 years, Dire Straits released 6 studio albums, and this, their 5th offering, released in 1985, has gone on to be regarded as one of the all time greats.
The Dire Straits were part of the pub rock scene which flourished in and around London in the mid 1970’s and included bands such as Dr Feelgood, Kilburn & The Highroads and even The Stranglers. Although it did not have the anger and angst of punk there was a degree of crossover with a back to basics philosophy in response to the glam and overblown approach of the big rock bands of the day. It was on this foundation the Knopfler brothers, Mark & David along with John Illsey and Pick Withers based their guitar driven rock music which incorporated elements of blues, country and folk. These elements combined to give the Dire Straits a very unique and instantly identifiable signature sound.
By the time Brothers In Arms was released the band were firmly established as a leading and successful act with 4 top 10 studio albums in their back catalogue but it was this fifth release that catapulted them to another level.
Brothers In Arms is regarded as one of the first albums aimed at what was the fledgling CD market and was recorded digitally to enhance the sound ready for release in a digital format. Despite this leap in technology, my focus is purely on the music rather than the technicalities.
I cannot profess to being a big Dire Straits fan but I think they released some excellent singles which lead to me adding Brothers In Arms to my collection. It is though why I approach this album with a slightly more critical eye. There is no doubting there are some excellent songs on this album but there are also a couple that I find overblown and a little tedious. For a band that came from a “back to basics” approach, there are degrees of over indulgence on the album.
What initially captured my attention with the Dire Straits is the catchy rhythms and the Knopfler’s intricate and unique guitars and despite lots of keyboards on Brothers In Arms there is still plenty of these trademark moments.
What is interesting is that upon release the album was met with mixed reviews especially in the UK but was received more favourably in America and it was felt the album was specifically aimed at the US where airtime on MTV was seen as the key outlet for mass exposure.
Despite the mixed reviews, Brothers In Arms has gone to become one of the best selling albums of all time selling in excess of thirty million copies, hitting album charts across the world including 14 weeks at number 1 in the UK.
The album also produced 5 singles which seems highly exploitative of a 9 track album but maybe I am being overly cynical in my assessment given they all went top 30 in the UK singles chart and 2 went to the top 10.
Stripping away all of the commercial success, for me Brothers In Arms in not a bad album, it has some good moments, it has some dull moments but it’s a valid part of my collection.
My first selection from the album is the opening track and lead single, So Far Away.
A song of separation with a laid back rhythm and a very country style guitar. The single peaked at number 20 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 12/08/2023 - Track 2
My next selection from this week's album is one of the four songs on Brothers In Arms not released as a single, Ride Across The River.
This, for me, is one of the real high points on the album with a lyric portraying a young persons reasons for going to war. One of the verses is written from the perspective of a mercenary fighter and poses a strong moral question especially when considering the actions of the Wagner group in Ukraine for instance.
What also grabbed me about this song is the bass line, a reggae rhythm which reminded of The Bed's Too Big Without You by The Police. Considering Sting contributed to Money For Nothing I am wondering if Sting's influence was present when this song was being recorded.
Yesterday I said there moments of over indulgence on Brothers In Arms but at almost 7 minutes this song dose not get boring or outstay its welcome.
Album Of The Week - 12/08/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from Brothers In Arms is another non-single release and a song with a real epic feel to it. The Man's Too Strong seems to narrate the ills of war and conflict, a powerful lyric delivered over a track which has a county reference. The burst of guitar and the subtle base of keyboards give the song a depth but leaves enough space for the lyrics to hit home.
Album Of The Week - 12/08/2023 - Track 4
No summary of Brothers In Arms would be complete without mentioning the song Money For Nothing.
Probably one of the most well known songs by the Dire Straits, a song that went to number 1 in the US, aided massively by the mass exposure provided by MTV and also because its a very good song.
A very rhythmic guitar driven song with a great lyric of envy for the "have it all" rock star with vocals from Sting in what has become an iconic song of the Eighties.
Album Of The Week - 12/08/2023 - Track 5
The final selection for the week is the closing song on Brothers In Arms. This is the title track and in my opinion, the most powerful song on the album. With its synth base and Mark Knopfler's blues tinged guitars notes accenting a lamenting lyric from a soldier final moments on the battlefield, it has a poignancy with its power.
Rock music is highly populated with anti-war songs but this certainly stands out as a classic.
Album Of The Week - 19/08/2023
The Peacemakers – Karl Jenkins
This week we find ourselves back in the realms of classical music as we look at one of my five album by Karl Jenkins, or Sir Karl Jenkins to give him his full title.
Karl Jenkins is regarded as the most performed living classical composer with his music played worldwide as well as selling millions of albums. His most well known works are his orchestral and choral compositions but he has also composed for film and television as well as his new age project, Adiemus.
As well as being a renowned composer, Karl Jenkins is a multi-instrumentalist and his first musical role was with the jazz/rock band Soft Machine but it is as a composer that he has gained international success and recognition.
I became aware of his work about 20 years ago when I was becoming interested in orchestral film scores and after hearing Howard Shore’s Lord Of The Rings soundtracks I wanted to try out other dramatic symphonic choral works. The name of Karl Jenkins came to my attention and I took a punt of one of this “best of” compilations.
I was struck but the rhythmic, melodic tone of his work and the contrast in styles and influences and there is a cinematic element to much of his output. It is some of the big, dramatic choral pieces though that I really took to although I do find his more subdued and passive pieces very engaging.
Released in 2011, The Peacemakers was viewed as a follow up to the record breaking The Armed Man – A Mass For Peace, which has recently passed a thousand weeks spent in the Official UK Classical albums chart.
The Peacemakers comprises of 17 compositions based on religious texts and quotes from respected peacemakers such Nelson Mandella, Gandi, Mother Teresa and the 14th Dalai Lama.
The music on the album ranges from the big and brash to the quiet and reflective and the choral pieces are stunningly beautiful in places. The choral parts, which quote from the Bible, the Qu’ran and respected people of faith never comes across as preaching but more as moments of consideration. Regardless of faith, or lack of, there is much within the lyrical content to ponder upon whether on a personal front or in context of the “bigger picture” especially in a time when war and conflict are still widespread.
There are a couple of moments on this album as with other Karl Jenkins offerings where you can hear traces of his jazz roots and these are the parts that do not stick with me as I have no liking whatsoever with any form of jazz based music. Thankfully, for me, these moments are few and far between.
Karl Jenkins was in attendance at the recent coronation of King Charles as one if his pieces was being performed prior to the main service. His presence was commented on by certain people who claimed he was actually Megan Markle in disguise. A very bizarre claim that was very quickly dismissed as utter rubbish (the great British press for you) but it was a story that caused some amusement.
My opening selection is the first composition on the album, Blessed Are The Peacemakers which caries the Biblical line “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God”.
Album Of The Week - 19/08/2023 - Track 2
Today's selection from The Peacemakers is Healing Light: A Celtic Prayer.
The albums notes state the words/prayer are anonymous while Karl Jenkins musical and choral arrangement for these words are sublimely beautiful. A subtle drum provides an understated rhythmic foundation over which the folk instrumentation and choirs give this glorious piece a calm yet commanding aura.
Album Of The Week - 19/08/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from The Peacemakers is The Peace Prayer of St Francis of Assisi.
St Francis is revered in Christian tradition as a peacemaker as well as the patron saint of animals and also the patron saint of Italy.
He was canonized a little under 2 years after his death and it is believed that he received the stigmata, marks of the crucifixion suffered by the extremely devout.
This beautiful piece contains a text that was written anonymously but is linked to St Francis.
Album Of The Week - 19/08/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from The Peacemakers is one of my favourite pieces from the album, Let There Be Justice For All.
Another very rhythmic passage of music with starts quietly with a male choral part and builds to a full rousing choral piece.
The lyric is taken from The Long Walk To Freedom, a book by one of the modern day peacemakers, the former South African leader, Nelson Mandela.
Album Of The Week - 19/08/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from this week's album is the closing track on The Peacemakers, Anthem Peace, triumphant peace.
As per the title this is an uplifting and hope inspiring end to the album with a full blooded orchestral track and a big, bold, rousing chorus including The Really Big Chorus, Britain's largest choral society.
Words come from Carol Barrett (Karl Jenkins wife) as well as an excerpt from Ann Frank whose diary and notes of her families hiding from the Nazi's during the Second World War has become a modern literary classic.
Album Of The Week - 26/08/2023
Never Born To Follow – The Men They Couldn’t Hang
We are back on more familiar territory this week with one of the six albums in my collection by folk/punk band The Men They Couldn’t Hang.
Originally formed in 1984 TMTCH (to make life easier) became popular with their folk based sound incorporating a punk edge with songs rooted in social and political history as well as commenting on present day themes and issues. Songs such as Ironmasters, Shirt Of Blue and The Ghosts Of Cable Street clearly signposted where the band were coming from.
They were championed by the late John Peel and their first 5 albums were all well received but in 1991 they decided to stop before reforming in 1996.
TMTCH are a band I actually saw live before I had any of their albums. My only exposure to them was songs played in alternative clubs as well their single, The Colours which made a big impression in 1988. In 1996 they played as part of the free Soundwaves festival on Plymouth Hoe and I was there primarily to see Stiff Little Fingers. I had heard of TMTCH so decided to watch their set with my wife, Julie, and we both really enjoyed their set though I cannot remember what they played.
As a result of seeing them at Plymouth Hoe, I acquired Never Born To Follow, actually as a gift from Julie, and it was one of those albums that grabbed me instantly. Although their roots are more folk/punk based, this album is more a straight forward punk inspired rock album.
Covering both personal themes and social commentaries there is a good mix on this album and the dual vocals of Stefan Cush and Phil Odgers add a variety of approach and delivery. There are still a few elements of folk and hints of Americana, a style which would become more prevalent in later releases.
Sadly, in February 2021 Stefan Cush died after a heart attack, he was only 60.
However, the band have carried on and although no new material has been released they continue to play live.
My first selection The Eye, the opening track and the only single released from the album, a song which comments on the surveillance society we live in.
Album Of The Week - 26/08/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Never Born To Follow is a tribute to the 1970's.
A lot of the people and items quoted in the song such as Hattie Jacques, Henry Cooper, Denis Law, spacehoppers, choppers and Curly Wurly will bring a smile to the face of those of a certain age who remember these times. A very tongue in cheek song with a sense of playful nostalgia.
Album Of The Week - 26/08/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from Never Born To Follow is my favourite track on the album.
Our Day is an anthem against corruptive businesses and politics that does nothing to aid the average working person in this country. A great song with a lyric delivered beautifully by Stefan Cush, full of passion and a promise that things can get better.
For me, this is a song that should be broadcast far and wide and nowhere more so than right outside the Houses Of Parliament.
lbum Of The Week - 26/08/2023 - Track 4
Today's offering is one of the more punk tinged tracks on Never Born To Follow.
I Survived is a song of disgruntlement and strength through adversity. The song takes a rightful swipe at those who profit from others labour, who lead people into debt and are generally thieves in disguise.
Another great song from this superb album.
Album Of The Week - 26/08/2023 - Track 5
To conclude this week's album I have selected the title track, Never Born To Follow.
Here we see The Men They Couldn't Hang delving into Americana to deliver this superb song with a lyric which has a wonderful resonance.
In all honesty I could have selected any of the 12 tracks from this fine album and if you are looking at this band for the first Never Born To Follow is a good place to start.
Album Of The Week - 02/09/2023
The Light At The End Of The World – My Dying Bride
This week we focus on one of my favourite metal bands, My Dying Bride and their 1999 album, The Light At The End Of The World.
This is a landmark album for me as it was the first one I bought of the 15 I now have by them. Back in the late 1990’s I was exploring metal and in particular the gothic side of the genre and My Dying Bride were described as being one of the leading names in the gothic/death/doom sub-genre of metal, along with label colleagues Paradise Lost and Anathema.
I bought The Light At The End Of The World purely on chance and thankfully it was a good decision, unlike some following metal purchases which ended up being culled from the collection.
What struck me about My Dying Bride was the slow, grinding, doom laded guitars laced with atmospheric keyboards along with the spoken and growled vocals of Aaron Stainthorpe.
Lyrically, My Dying Bride are one of the best metal bands I have encountered, there is a poetic and cinematic quality covering themes of love, loss and yearning as well as a religious and spiritual context. The imagery conjured along with the music creates a wonderful gothic landscape to delve into and one can imagine dark moors, tall gothic towers, the drip of tears as a lover departs, the cold graveyard and the caw of a crow.
I am fully aware that doom metal can be challenging and not instantly accessible and there are not that many bands in the genre that I follow but there is something that really grabbed me with this album and why I went further into their catalogue.
The Light At The End Of Tunnel is the 6th studio album by My Dying Bride and was seen very much as a return to familiar territory after the experimentation of the previous release, 34.788%...Complete.
My first selection from the album is the opening track, She Is The Dark, and 8 minute plus opus that sets the tone beautifully for what is in store, with moments of intense guitars, growls which then switch to spoken parts over a drawn out guitar note.
Album Of The Week - 02/092023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Light At The End Of The World is the longest track on the album, Edenbeast.
Eleven minutes of crushing doom metal, superb down tuned guitars throughout with Aaron's pained vocals painting a scene of debauchery and despair.
Album Of The Week - 02/092023 - Track 3
My latest selection from The Light At The End Of The World is the only track on the album under 5 minutes. The Fever Sea harks back to the death/doom roots of My Dying Bride with harsh vocals and a increased pace. Lyrically, its a very bleak song which seems to me to be detailing the horrors of war but that may just be my interpretation buts its vivid and tortured in its imagery nonetheless.
Album Of The Week - 02/092023 - Track 4
I have left the best almost to last this week with today's selection, the title track from The Light At The End Of The World.
This doom metal classic tells the tale of a man, a lighthouse keeper whose love is taken from him while still young. The gods feel his pain so agree that she will be returned to him for one night but after this he must spend the rest of his life in solitude. He willingly pays the price and spends the rest of his life, alone upon the rock, tending the light, immersed in sorrow with only his memories for company.
Its an epic song full of melancholic and tragic beauty.
Album Of The Week - 02/092023 - Track 5
Drawing this week's album to a close is the final track on The Light At The End Of The World.
Sear Me III is the third of the "Sear Me" tracks, the fist sung completely in Latin appeared on My Dying Bride's debut album, As The Flower Withers with another version appearing on the following album, Turn Loose The Swans.
Sear Me III is shortest of the 3, this time with English lyrics and delivered with no growls. The song is a slow, keyboard heavy lament with a beautiful lyric of full and committed love.
Its a wonderfully atmospheric end to this excellent album, one of those tracks that makes you want to go back and play the album again.
Album Of The Week - 16/09/2023
Can’t Touch Us Now – Madness
Following last week’s break, the return album takes us back to 2016 and the 11th studio album by Madness.
The purchase of Can’t Touch Us Now came from seeing Madness on a televised BBC gig and being curious as to what their more recent music had to offer. After listening to a couple of tracks I took a punt on this, their most recent studio album.
As I stated previously when their compilation, Divine Madness was my album of the week in April 22, I have never really kept up with Madness and it took me a while to appreciate them after the Ska revival of 1979.
After years of chart topping singles and albums Madness have become regarded as national treasures to a degree which can often lead to nostalgic approach especially when it comes to viewing newer material objectively.
What we have with Can’t Touch Us Now is a modern Madness album which is not reinventing the wheel but is still typical Madness. There is a mix of the jaunty, up tempo ska based tunes along with the slower, more contemplative tracks which gives the album a good mix of styles and moods. As always, Suggs delivers some insightful lyrics with his very distinctive vocal approach.
As I only have 2 Madness albums in my collection I am not knowledgeable enough to know how it really compares to previous albums but in isolation I think Can’t Touch Us Now is a very good and enjoyable album. With 16 tracks and running for almost an hour it may be considered to be a bit on the long side but the album flows nicely and there seems to have been a rich vein of creativity which produced an album of this length and quality.
What is evident after such a long career is their enduring appeal, Can’t Touch Us Now peaked at number 5 in the UK album charts and if you look at their tour details they are still playing the major indoor venues throughout Britain.
My first selection from the album is the opening and title track, Can’t Touch Us Now. Some of the reviews did not speak favourably of the song but I very much like it and gives a good indication of the where the album is heading.
Album Of The Week - 16/09/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Can't Touch Us Now is the track I Believe.
Musically this is typical Madness with a great lyric tackling the subject of forced or imposed belief. Back in the 1980's this could have surely been a successful single.
Album Of The Week - 16/09/2023 - Track 3
My third choice from Can't Touch Us Now is the excellent Mumbo Jumbo.
There is a feel or real old time Ska with this song, a bouncy jaunty melody and a great vocal. Lyrically this is a strong track which takes aim at politicians and so called experts who love to hide the truth behind deceptive language.
This is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
Album Of The Week - 16/09/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from this week's album is Good Times. A song from the album which has a more mature Madness sound but still sounds typical of the band. A lyric that has a tinge of regret and longing for yesterday.
Album Of The Week - 16/09/2023 - Track 5
To wrap up this week's album I have left the best to last, in my opinion.
The track Mr Apples rings of classic Madness with a a great piano melody and catch rhythm over which Suggs tells us of a man who is leading a double life.
This was the first single released from Can't Touch Us Now and shows us that Madness still have the magic that has made them such an enduring and widely loved band.
Album Of The Week - 23/09/2023 - Track2
My second selection from this week's album is a track initially released on ELO's 1979 album Discovery.
Don't Bring Me Down is a full on, powerful, classic rock song that ended up being one the bands most successful singles in the UK, peaking at number 3 in the singles chart.
Over time Don't Bring Me Down has become one of ELO's most iconic songs.
Album Of The Week - 23/09/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from All Over The World is another song originally released on the Discovery album.
The Diary Of Horace Wimp is a song about a downtrodden man who finds the love of his life but as the last verse kicks in is this really what Horace wanted.
It was another successful single for ELO, one of four from Discovery to reach the top 10 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 23/09/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from this week's album needs little introduction.
Taken from ELO's Out Of The Blue album Sweet Talkin' Woman was the third of five singles released from the album and peaked in the UK album charts at number 6.
With its mix of orchestration, electronics and Jeff Lyne's distinctive vocals this is classic ELO.
Album Of The Week - 23/09/2023 - Track 5
It would be impossible to summarise an ELO "best of" without focusing on my final selection for the week, Mr Blue Sky.
Another of the bands loved and widely known songs, Jeff Lynne wrote Mr Blue Sky after a couple of weeks of dull weather and creative block. He woke one morning to a sunny blue sky and the rest is history.
Mr Blue Sky was another single taken from Out Of The Blue and as per yesterday's selection, peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart.
Album Of The Week - 29/09/2023
King Of Kings – Leaves Eyes
This week’s album is the 6th studio album from Norwegian symphonic metal band Leaves Eyes.
Leaves Eyes are a project initially put together by former Theatre Of Tragedy vocalist Liv Kristine Espenaes and her (then) husband Alex Krull. Following Liv Kristine’s sacking from Theatre Of Tragedy, Leaves Eyes were formed when Liv backed by her husband’s band Atrocity came together to create a symphonic/gothic alternative to the more death metal approach of Alex’s band.
As I am very keen on Theatre Of Tragedy it was a natural progression to take an interest in Leaves Eyes as Liv Kristine is one of my favourite female vocalists. Upon their debut release, Lovelorn, in 2004 it struck me that this project with her husband was very much a band based vehicle for Liv and Lovelorn could very easily have been a Theatre Of Tragedy album.
As per Theatre Of Tragedy, Leaves Eyes adopted the “beauty & the beast” style of vocal approach which marries the angelic, often operatic female voice alongside the male growls but with Leaves Eyes the growls of Alex Krull are less prominent and in my opinion, sometimes weakens their songs.
King Of Kings, released in 2015 is the 6th album from Leaves Eyes and by now the band sound had evolved into full on symphonic metal with live and sampled orchestration and choirs. Lyrically, the album was highly steeped in Nordic history and continued in the same vein as previous albums Vinland Saga and Njord.
There were multiple versions released of the album, an 11 track standard release, a 13 track version and a double album version which included instrumentals of all the album tracks.
What King Of Kings has in abundance is the powerful guitar riffs, soaring orchestration and the captivating vocals of Liv Kristine. As always with Leaves Eyes, there is a strong melodic approach making them very listenable.
Seven months after King Of Kings was released Leaves Eyes announced that Liv Kristine had left the band but the exact reasons were differing depending on the source. The fact that the marriage between Liv Kristine and Alex Krull had ended it was no surprise that their creative partnership had also ended.
Although, as I mentioned above, Leaves Eyes were a vehicle for Liv Kristine the band has continued with another female vocalist and two further albums have been released and another one is being recorded.
My first selection from the album is The Waking Eye, the first video track released and a good introduction to what was coming from this fine album.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 29/09/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from King Of Kings is the title track from the album. A song that tells the tale of the first king of Norway and comes with a lyric video.
Album Of The Week - 29/09/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from King Of Kings is the first single released from the album. Halvdan The Black is another song on the album steeped in Norse mythology.
Another very melodic song backed with some superb choral sections to give the track a real grandeur.
The band put together a video of tour clips to back the song which is well worth a watch.
Album Of The Week - 29/09/2023 - Track 4
Today's selection from King Of Kings is the final track on the standard release. Swords In Rock is again rooted in Norse mythology but musically it taps into celtic folk which has often been used by Leaves Eyes and other symphonic metal bands. In this instance I think it works well and adds a tunefulness to the track.
Album Of The Week - 29/09/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from King Of Kings is the track Blazing Waters.
This song captures the symphonic metal sound of Leaves Eyes brilliantly with some majestic choral sections and the celtic rock influence with an excellent guitar section in the middle of the song.
The version included here is the 2020 re-release of Blazing Waters which features Elina Siirala on vocals who has turned out to be an excellent vocalist to fill the gap left by Liv Kristine.
Album Of The Week - 07/10/2023
My Cousin Rachel (Soundtrack) – Rael Jones
This week we are back into my collection of soundtracks with the score to the 2017 film version of My Cousin Rachel, an adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name.
The film is a story of revenge, deception and desire. Set mainly in Cornwall in the 1830’s a young man becomes enamoured with the woman suspected of killing his older cousin. Throughout the film the viewer is asked "did she, didn't she?" and the lead male character is left carrying this doubt and accompanying guilt right to the end of the story and beyond.
It’s a very good film but as I have not read the book I cannot compare it to the source of the story.
The film received generally favourable reviews which features as lead actors Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin. What took my attention when I saw the film, as well as the actual story, was the score and very soon I added the soundtrack to my collection.
Composer Rael Jones has some impressive composing credits behind him in both film and television including the Sherlock, The Salisbury Poisonings, Quantum Of Solace, Suite Francaise and most recently Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris.
As well as composing Rael Jones has appeared as a guitarist is the Guillemots and is a member of the prog rock band Thumpermonkey.
The soundtrack to My Cousin Rachel is made up of 26 pieces, mostly under 2 minutes and the general theme is one of subtle mystery and melancholy which captures the mood of the film perfectly. Most of the tracks are under 2 minutes so some of them can leave the listener wanting more.
There is a running, haunting piano theme running through a number of the tracks to give a feel of continuity.
Overall, I find this a very enjoyable score to accompany a film I am very keen on and is a part of my film collection.
My first selection is the opening track on the album, Who’s To Blame, which gives us the first taste of the recurring piano theme mentioned above.
Album Of The Week - 07/10/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from the soundtrack to My Cousin Rachel is the piece Signing.
It carries on the piano theme that was introduced in yesterday's opening an accompanies scene in which the viewer wonders is our male lead making a big mistake with his inherited wealth.
Album Of The Week - 07/10/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from My Cousin Rachel is the track Laying In Bluebells.
A moody and haunting piece that accompanies an unpleasant scene in the film where the male lead character Phillip becomes aggressive towards Rachel as his suspicions towards her grow.
Album Of The Week - 07/10/2023 - Track 4
The fourth selection from this week's album is the track Gallop To The Coast.
One of the longer pieces from My Cousin Rachel this is a track that builds from a suspenseful start then ebbs and flows but with an air of melancholy throughout.
The track marks a key moment in the film where our male lead, Philip, realises he may have made a fatal error of judgement.
Album Of The Week - 07/10/2023 - Track 5
Closing this week's album is the final piece from the soundtrack to My Cousin Rachel.
A sweeping piece that has a feeling of serenity at the opening but an undercurrent of something darker, something troubled. My Torment plays out over the final scene of the film, Philip is now married to his lifelong friend, he has two children, the image of a happy marriage but he tormented by the everlasting memory of Rachel and how he drove her to her death.
Album Of The Week - 14/10/2023
Hunger – Then Comes Silence
Hunger is the 6th and most recent release from a band that are now very well established in their style and approach. For me, they occupy a space that goes back to the 1980’s when bands like Killing Joke found themselves crossing the thin divide between post-punk and gothic rock, although some could rightly say they are one and the same.
I first became aware of Then Comes Silence in 2015 when I heard a track from their 3rd album Nyctophillian and I was impressed enough to add the album to my collection.
What has impressed me throughout the 4 albums I have of theirs is how listenable they are, very melodic yet with powerful guitars layered with sweeping synths and strong rhythms. On top of this are the baritone vocals that add to the gothic tinge of their music. It’s the guitar bursts though that really capture my attention and the tones painted with the extended notes give reminders of the already mentioned Killing Joke as well Fields Of The Nephilim.
However, this is not nostalgia or tribute music in any form but part of a post-punk scene that is flourishing and producing some great music.
So with Hunger, we find a band that are in top form with the big anthemic rock sounds running throughout the album which choruses that grab the attention. The electronics introduced keeps a level of variety which keeps the album interesting.
Some of the reviews for this album also point to influences from the likes of The Cult and even Billy Idol but all of this paints the picture of gothic influenced rock and post-punk as I mentioned above.
All in all, this is an excellent album and a good starting point if one is new to Then Comes Silence.
My first selection from Hunger is the opening track, Tickets To Funerals, which has an eerie keyboard opening before launching into the guitars. Vocalist/keyboardist stated that although this was the last track he wrote for the album it was a mission statement as to where Hunger was going, making it the ideal album opener.
Album Of The Week - 14/10/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Hunger is the track Blood Runs Cold.
A medium paced song with a guitar line reminiscent of Nirvana layered with synths to create a anthemic goth rock track. One of the highlights of the album.
Album Of The Week - 14/10/2023 - Track 3
Selection three from Hunger is the song Worm.
A three minute slice of superb post-punk which for me has a great chorus and hints of The Mission.
Another song with an excellent and catchy guitar riff.
Album Of The Week - 14/10/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection from Hunger is the track Weird Gets Strange.
Again, another melodic song with an interesting lyric and more captivating guitar riffs.
Album Of The Week - 14/10/2023 - Track 5
The final selection from this weeks album is the closing track, Unknowingly Blessed.
A lyric that seems to be questioning inherited or indoctrinated belief and with a guitar riff that I could imagine Billy Duffy from the The Cult producing.
The track is an excellent uptempo song to close the album.
Album Of The Week - 21/10/2023
Evinta – My Dying Bride
This week’s album is the second selected from my 15 released by doom metal band, My Dying Bride. However, Evinta, released in 2011 is not a metal album but instead is an ambient, classical reworking of their older material.
The 9 selections on this 97 minute offering though are not just built on instrument substitutions but complete re-workings and rearrangements.
Originally released in 2011, Evinta was a project to mark 20 years of My Dying Bride and according to the release notes the idea of this album had been with the band for quite some time and the 20th anniversary seemed like the perfect opportunity to turn the idea into an actual release.
As this was no “greatest hits” compilation it came with an element of risk. My Dying Bride had made their name as a metal band, firmly ensconced in the sub-genre of doom metal, or death doom or gothic doom if you really want to get into genre labelling.
There are no guitars on Evinta, it is purely a contemporary classical/ambient album laced with long instrumental passages, the only common theme linking it to their standard work is the landscape of doom, woe and sorrow. There are dark, deep synth passages along with pianos and strings and some wonderfully evocative choral passages. On top of this there are the spoken lyrics which give space to appreciate their scenic and poetic beauty.
There is a soundtrack quality to a lot of the music on the album, one can almost conjure images of a bleak, windswept Bronte landscape where love and has been abandoned and ghosts wander lonely moors.
I bought this album as soon as it was released and I was blown away by it as I was already keen on contemporary classical and soundtrack music especially music that has a melancholy to it so Evinta, for me, ticks all the boxes.
For some fans of My Dying Bride this project may be a step too far away from their previous work but its imaginative and challenging and is a very worthy part of their catalogue.
As well as the 9 track double album that I have there is also a 3 disc version with an additional 5 tracks but I have not been able to get this so my review is based solely on the version I have.
My opening selection is the first track on the album, In Your Dark Pavilion. A 10 minute ambient piece which sets the stall perfectly for what the next 90 minutes has in store.
Album Of The Week - 21/10/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Evinta is the 2nd track on the album, You Are Not The One Who Loves Me.
Another beautiful song, a deep, hypnotic keyboard note overlaid with piano and a mournful violin with Aaron Stainthorpe's spoken verse. Just shy of 7 minutes, this is gorgeous, melancholic wistfulness to get lost in.
Album Of The Week - 21/10/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Evinta is one of my favourite pieces on the album, That Dress And Summer Skin.
This gorgeous track is built on two distinctive My Dying Bride riffs, the opening section is from She Is The Dark (featured in my album of week 02/09/23) and My Wine In Silence from the Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light album.
The result is almost 10 minutes of ambient and atmospheric beauty.
Album Of The Week - 21/10/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection from this week's album is the track And Then You Go.
This is a synth heavy piece laced with some wonderfully atmospheric ethereal keyboard effects that give this song a heavenly, angelic feel.
Album Of The Week - 21/10/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from this week's album is not the closing track as in this instance I believe its the weakest one on Evinta. Instead I have selected The Distance, Busy With Shadows, primarily a piano driven piece built on the tune of the song For You, of which the original version was from the album Like Gods Of The Sun. In both versions its another example of My Dying Bride's ability to deliver mournful yet beautiful music.
Album Of The Week - 28/10/2023
Rhythm Collision Vol. 1 – Ruts DC
This week we go back to 1982 and a definitive album for British punk band Ruts DC.
Ruts DC are the band originally known as The Ruts who enjoyed creative and commercial success in the late 1970’s with their reggae influenced style of punk rock, a style not uncommon in punk and championed very much by The Clash.
Most people will know of the band from the song Babylon’s Burning that hit number 7 in the UK singles chart in 1979. They were enthusiastically supported by John Peel for whom they recorded 4 sessions from 79 to 1981.
It was their song Jah War, from their debut album, The Crack, that emphasised how adept they were at delivering a fine reggae song as well as the more conventional punk songs. The album hit number 16 in the UK album chart.
Before they could complete a second album, tragedy struck when singer Malcolm Owen died in 1980 following an ongoing problem with heroin addiction. A compilation of singles and completed songs was released as Grin & Bear It.
The band decided to continue as Ruts DC (DC being short for de capo which means “back to the beginning”) and as such they produced two more albums including this collaboration with renowned dub producer Mad Professor.
Rhythm Collision Vol. 1 was very well received but in 1983 the band decided to split.
The attention on The Ruts / Ruts DC was kept alive with various compilations and re-releases and in 2007 Ruts DC came back together to play a benefit gig for their guitarist Paul Fox who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Paul Fox died not long afterwards but the two remaining members, John “Seggs” Jennings and Dave Ruffy recruited guitarist Leigh Heggarty and went back into the studio. Along with additional musicians and again teaming up with Mad Professor Rhythm Collision Vol. 2 was the superb fruit of their labours.
It was this release that reignited my interest in Ruts DC and their album of complete dub reggae was pure class and as such I finally added Rhythm Collision Vol.1 to my collection.
There are many links between punk and reggae and ska and the fusion is one I always find compelling and engaging but there are few, if any, that do it better than Ruts DC.
It was the two Rhythm Collision albums that made me realise there are times when I love this form of reggae, with the bass heavy rhythms, hypnotic drum beats and electronic effects. It’s music I can easily get lost in and is a nice diversion from the other genres I enjoy.
Since getting back together in 2007 they have remained an active recording and touring band and have released 2 original albums and two semi acoustic albums.
I have since seen them live 4 times including twice supporting The Stranglers and twice headlining on the tours for the albums Music Must Destroy and Counterculture and I can say they are a great live band. I will be seeing them for a fifth time when they play the Phoenix Art Centre, Exeter in December.
My first selection from this fine album is the opening track, Whatever We Do. This is an instrumental track but there is also vocal version on the album.
Album Of The Week - 28/10/2023 - Track 2
The second selection from Rhythm Collision Vol. 1 is the title track from this fine album.
Another instrumental offering with a great bass line and compulsive rhythms running through the track.
Album Of The Week - 28/10/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Rhythm Collision Vol.1 is Weak Heart Dub. A dub version of the Weak Heart single that was released in 1983. There are some sparse vocals within this track but it is another primarily instrumental offering with some great bass lines and effects.
lbum Of The Week - 28/10/2023 - Track 4
My next selection from this week's album is the final track on the original release of Rhythm Collision Vol.1.
Love And Fire is 8 minutes of superb dub reggae with a lovely chilled feel to it.
Album Of The Week - 28/10/2023 - Track 5
Bringing this week's album to a close is the shortest track on the album, the track Militant has a disco infused guitar riff and an effects laden vocal.
Album Of The Week - 04/11/2023
Lights And Offerings - Mirrors
A complete change of direction this week as we explore the one and only album from Brighton electronic band Mirrors.
I have had a liking for synth based music since getting into Tubeway Army/Gary Numan in 1979. Like any genre though there are bands that I find too lightweight but it is such a wide ranging genre and bands that have a slightly darker, more gothic or industrial sound I find more appealing. Acts such as Blutengel, Covenant and VNV Nation spring to mind as electronic bands that really capture my imagination and attention.
Often with this type of music there is a depth and grandeur mixed with great melodies enhanced by multiple layers of synths. Some music purists have said the synthesiser is not a proper instrument but I have never gone along with this elitist mode of thinking.
Anyway, back to this album, Lights And Offerings is the only album from a band that were highly lauded and their debut album was received very favourably. Although released in 2011 there is a real retro feel to the atmospheres created on the album and you can hear the influences of Kraftwerk, early Depeche Mode, Human League and OMD. You could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to one of the pioneers of electronic music.
I am not sure exactly how I became aware of them but my wife, Julie, was also very impressed with them and we both loved this album when it was released.
Lights And Offerings is packed with soaring, catchy electronic rhythms with a vocal style from James New that reminds me very much of Andy McCluskey from OMD.
Following an EP released in 2012 Mirrors have been inactive and the band members have been involved in other projects.
It is fair to assume that Lights And Offerings is to be the sole album we are likely to see from Mirrors although it is hard to find a definitive statement to say the band have folded. For me this feels like a wasted opportunity given the quality of their debut album.
My first selection from the album is the opening track Fear Of Drowning, a 6 minute electronic masterpiece.
Album Of The Week - 04/11/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Lights And Offerings is the track Write Through The Night.
A soaring, anthemic synth track with a dark vocal that highlights what Mirrors were capable of delivering.
Album Of The Week - 04/11/2023 - Track 3
My latest selection from Lights And Offering by Mirrors is the track Ways To An End.
This is another very melodic synth track with a chorus that reminded me of Blancmange when I first heard it.
Album Of The Week - 04/11/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from this week's album is the track Somewhere Strange.
Starting off with a strident electronic drum this song builds into a layered synth anthem with shades of Kraftwerk and New Order.
Album Of The Week - 04/11/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from Lights And Offerings captures all the best elements of Mirrors.
Secrets is a 10 minute epic incorporating various styles and atmospheres encompassing the anthemic, experimental and darkly captivating nuances. The last two and half minutes play out with a superb Numan/Ultravox influenced spoken section over an hypnotic instrumental.
Secrets is the perfect ending to this excellent electronic album.
Album Of The Week - 11/11/2023
20 – Kate Rusby
This week we return the world of folk music and one of the artists who really helped draw me into the genre.
Kate Rusby is a folk musician of some pedigree and has been a recording artist for over 30 years with a string of acclaimed albums. She has been releasing under her own name since 1997 but prior to this she recorded an album with Kathryn Roberts who now is part of a folk duo with husband Sean Lakeman. Kate was also part of the folk band Equation again with Sean Lakeman and his brother Seth Lakman, another big name in contemporary folk.
In 1995 Kate released her debut solo album, Hourglass, and since then she has gone on to become one of the most successful and highly acclaimed folk singer / songwriters of our time.
Like most folk artists, she combines her own songs with traditional tunes, backed with fine and renowned folk musicians along with her own musical prowess and her captivating vocals. It was her voice that really captured my attention and marks her out as one of my favourite female vocalists.
I started getting seriously into folk music 20 years ago and in 2007 I heard Kate Rusby on the BBC folk show and as a result I bought the album Awkward Annie and have been a fan since. Kate’s voice makes no effort to hide her Northern roots and for me that adds to the authenticity of her delivery. Folk music is often about roots and heritage and Kate’s music is steeped in these virtues. My one and only, rare negative is very occasionally there is the odd twee track but all artists sometimes veer off course a little.
Kate has never been afraid to push the boundaries of the genre and although folk is often based around traditional songs, in 2020 she released an album of modern covers entitled Hand Me Down which has some very interesting interpretations.
This week’s album, 20, was released in 2012 to mark Kate’s 20 years as a recording artist. This is a double album featuring re-workings and collaborations featuring such artists as Paul Weller, Edi Reader and husband musician Damien O’Kane.
The album shows the depth and quality of Kate’s output but for me, she could sing the weather forecast and make it beautiful. Where Kate really excels in my opinion is on the slower, more reflective folk ballads, where her exceptional vocals really take flight and can leave the listener completely immersed.
The “20” album is a great place to explore Kate’s music if you are new to her or dipping your toes into the world of folk music generally.
My opening selection is the Unquiet Grave, a beautiful sorrowful song of loss.
The original version appeared on the 1999 album Sleepless and this re-worked version has American singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan collaborating on vocals.
Album Of The Week - 11/11/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Kate Rusby's 20 is a track written specifically for the album.
Sun Grazers sees Kate duetting with Paul Weller on vocals in another example of her magnificent song writing and her ability to pen a beautiful lyric.
Album Of The Week - 11/11/2023 - Track 3
My latest selection from "20" is a song originally released on the album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly.
The Lark is another of those Kate Rusby songs that really hits with a poignant lyric delivered with her angelic voice. This version recorded for the album features guest vocals from Nic Jones, a singer/songwriter who has been credited as being instrumental in the folk revival.
Album Of The Week - 11/11/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from "20" is a track initially released in 2003. The song Underneath The Stars is the title track from Kate Rusby's 4th solo album and this rendition is accompanied with backing brass from The Grimethorpe Colliery Band. The band hail from South Yorkshire as does Kate and they featured in the 1996 film Brassed Off.
Album Of The Week - 11/11/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from Kate Rusby's "20" compilation is the closing track, Bring Me A Boat.
A song that originally appeared on the Underneath The Stars album, this superb re-worked version includes guest vocals from Irish folk singer/songwriter Declan O'Rourke and is a gorgeous song to close this excellent summary of Kate's first 20 years as a solo artist.
Album Of The Week - 18/11/2023
Endless – Soviet Soviet
This week’s album takes us into the area of modern post-punk with Italian band Soviet Soviet and their 2016 release, Endless.
I came across this band while trawling through postpunk.com and their review of Endless was very positive.
As a lot of my music collection falls into the category of punk/post-punk/alternative I took a punt on the album after hearing lead single, Pantomime, and was suitably impressed.
The music is typical post-punk, heavy, strident prominent distorted bass, tight rhythms and lashings of atmospheric guitar riffs topped with melodic vocals. There is a good mix of the up tempo anthemic songs laced with moments of echoing guitars but consistently anchored with some excellent bass guitar. I always find it appealing when bands allow the bass to be more prominent as not uncommon in the realms of post-punk and gothic rock.
Sometimes with these type of albums the vocals get lost in the mix but not in this case but it’s the actual music that takes centre stage and drives Endless into being a very good album, worthy of the positive reviews it received.
At the time of writing, in the intervening 7 years, their has only been 1 further EP release from Soviet Soviet but they seem to be still active and playing live. They have contributed a cover of In Between Days for a Cure tribute album.
I would hope that there is another album in this band as they seem to have a lot to offer on the basis of Endless.
My opening selection from the album, is as quoted above, the lead single Pantomime which is one of the three tracks on the album timed at just over 5 minutes.
Album Of The Week - 18/11/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Endless is the opening track, Fairy Tale.
A full blooded post-punk anthem to kick off the album and let the listener know what's in store for the next 40 minutes from this excellent album from Soviet Soviet.
Album Of The Week - 18/11/2023 - Track 3
My latest selection from Endless is the track Going Through.
The song starts with a strident bass line which does not relent as the drums and intense guitars kick in until halfway through we have a complete change of pace the song slows and plays out with plenty of effects and distortion. Reminds a little of The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Album Of The Week - 18/11/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from this week's album is the longest track on Endless.
Rainbow see's Soviet Soviet in a more reflective mood with a song about togetherness.
The song is layered with an echoing atmospheric guitar riff anchored with a prominent and rhythmic bass.
Album Of The Week - 18/11/2023 - Track 5
Brining this week's album to an end is the closing track, Blend.
Endless closes in the same up tempo manner in which it started and this excellent song of devotion is a fitting track to wrap up this excellent album.
Album Of The Week - 25/11/2023
Songs Of Innocence – U2
From a modern post-punk band to one of the early artists that fall into that genre, this week we have the thirteenth studio album from Irish band U2, their 2014 release Songs Of Innocence.
U2 are a band that divide opinion, especially since 1987 when the massive success of The Joshua Tree elevated them to one of the biggest bands in the world. With a steady line-up and a string of great albums, an ability to develop and evolve they have become one of the most relevant rock bands in history.
For me, I go back to 1981 and seeing them on a late night television broadcast alongside Stiff Little Fingers. I had no idea who U2 were but watching them play songs from their debut album, Boy, I was blown away by the vibrancy and urgency of the music, the superb guitar sounds and the passion of their energetic front man. It was a pivotal moment in the musical history of a 15 year old boy who was becoming immersed in punk and alternative.
U2 have often courted controversy, especially with their social and political activities but I see the causes they support as worthwhile and many punk and post-punk bands certainly have never been afraid to comment on social issues, if it was good enough for The Clash it was good enough for U2.
Songs Of Innocence saw U2 end a break of 5 years between albums and this release certainly saw U2 grab the headlines, especially with their decision to release a digital version free to all iTunes users. The album was downloaded automatically all users which caused a fair degree of backlash, despite their status not all users were U2 fans. I believe in recent years the band have since admitted it was a mistake.
The album itself is one I was very impressed with upon release and I saw this as very much a return to form for U2 after the inconsistent No Line On The Horizon from 2009. Bono’s voice seemed stronger and some of the guitar lines from Edge were classic U2.
The foundation of the album is a look back to the days of the band growing up in Dublin and forming a fledgeling punk band originally called Feedback.
The band have made no secret of how they were influenced by The Clash, The Jam, The Stranglers, Sex Pistols, the bastions of the original punk explosion. In a recent interview Bono said that seeing The Clash live completely changed their outlook on music and it was more about the passion of the music rather than proficiency.
On this recording they recount growing up in those days, developing as a band as well as people and Songs Of Innocence is certainly an apt title for the album. The lyrics are very personal and cover topics related to family life including the death of Bono’s mum at an early age.
The album cover also touches on this innocence with a picture of Larry Mullen embracing his son giving an idea of the personal nature of the album.
Songs Of Innoncence peaked at number 6 in the UK album charts, the lowest placing since 1981 with their second album, October. The album also produced 3 singles none of which charted but two of which, in my opinion, are the strongest tracks on the album.
As has been the case for many years, there was a big tour which tied in with the next album, Songs Of Experience which toured from 2015 to 2018.
For the final performance of the 2015 leg in Paris, U2 invited the Eagles Of Death Metal to close the show in recognition of their gig at the Bataclan that was interrupted due to the awful terrorist attacks in the city in November 2015.
I have seen U2 live twice and can state they are an outstanding live band although I would have loved to have seen them when they were still playing the smaller venues as I no fan of the big stadium gigs.
My first selection from the album is the opening track and lead single The Miracle (of Joey Ramone). The Ramones were a big influence on U2 and especially Bono as he was developing as a singer. The track has a raw, buzz effect guitar line giving a raw feel in keeping with its homage to The Ramones.
Album Of The Week - 25/11/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Songs Of Innocence for me is as much about the subject matter as well as the actual song itself.
According the sleeve notes This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now is for Joe Strummer and its a fitting tribute to acknowledge the influence of The Clash when U2 were a young band starting out.
Album Of The Week - 25/11/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from Songs Of Innocence is one of my favourite tracks on the album and in my opinion one of the top 10 U2 songs from their whole catalogue.
Every Breaking Wave shows how U2 can deliver an understated, intimate song as effectively as the big anthems and this is often down to Bono's insightful lyrics. It reminded me of their classic song One from the Achtung Baby album in terms of its poignancy and lyrical impact.
The version I have selected today is a stripped down piano and strings live recording done for Jools Holland and this rendition really lets the song breathe and gives full attention to the vocals.
Album Of The Week - 25/11/2023 - Track 4
My latest selection from this week's album is another track that I consider to be a U2 classic.
A song of innocent love which lyrically is from Bono to his wife, Ali, who met as teenagers and have been together ever since.
Musically, it contains one of those riffs that is trademark Edge backed by the tight rhythms of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
Album Of The Week - 25/11/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from Songs Of Innocence is the last track on the standard release. The Troubles takes it's title from the sectarian conflict that raged in Ireland but lyrically it is far more personal than just a social commentary. Its song of loss, despair but also hope and reconciliation.
Its a beautiful and powerful song to conclude a superb U2 album.
Album Of The Week - 02/12/203
Streetcore – Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
A landmark release is the only way to describe this week’s album as it was the final release from Joe Strummer who was most well known for being part of the iconic band, The Clash.
Streetcore was actually released 10 months after Joe died but with the album mainly finished band members Martin Slattery and Scott Shields completed the album ready for release in 2003.
For me, the the Mescaloros is a real feel good story and allowed Joe Strummer’s music career to finish on a high, especially after the debacle of the final Clash album, Cut The Crap, released in 1985.
Following the breakup of what was left of the Clash, Joe was involved in numerous music and film projects, some of which did not earn him much praise but it was when he put together the Mescaleros in 1999 that he really got back on the front foot musically.
With this new line-up of well acclaimed and well travelled musicians Joe was able to immerse back into a band environment, something he said he missed during his “wilderness years”, especially after temporarily standing in for the recently departed Shane MacGowan in the Pogues in 1991.
Musically it allowed him to explore musical directions that were evident in the final 2 proper Clash releases, Sandinista and Combat Rock. Although The Clash came from punk, Joe Strummer was certainly no one trick pony with his forays into reggae, dub, jazz, blues, funk, techno and world music.
Streetcore, the third Mescaleros album, was seen as a more straightforward rock album and a return to roots in a way. The album received very favourable reviews and was in retrospect fine recognition for Joe Strummer’s achievements and influence in music and beyond.
The album contains a tribute to Johnny Cash who he greatly admired and a cover of Bob Marley’s wonderful Redemption Song, a very poignant and fitting cover.
Although I had all the Clash albums this was actually first Mescaleros release I bought and I was delighted to hear such a great album from him. As well as musically, Joe Strummer’s attitude to life, art, political, social and environmental issues struck a chord with me and going right back to 77 he was a key voice when I was teenager.
With Joe dying so young, he was only 50, I believe the music world was robbed of more great work as he was clearly back to his creative best and had regained his zest for music.
Joe played his last gig only 2 weeks before he died and in his penultimate show he got to share the stage with Mick Jones for the first time in 20 years. Although they had worked together on Big Audio Dynamite’s second album, No.10 Upping Street, to actually play together again was a great way to lay the ghost of the acrimonious ousting of Mick Jones from the Clash to rest.
Streetcore is the final, and fitting, last piece of Joe Strummer’s legacy and it’s a great album to bring down the curtain on the recorded work of this much missed man
My first selection from the album is the opening track, Coma Girl.
Album Of The Week - 02/12/203 - Track 2
My second selection from Streetcore is a song Joe Strummer wrote for his friend, Johnny Cash.
Sadly, Joe died before he got a chance to present it to the Johnny but it was finished and included on this final Mescaleros album. Its a fitting tribute to both of these icons who have made such a massive impact in music history.
Album Of The Week - 02/12/203 - Track 3
My third selection from Streetcore is primarily instrumental track called Midnight Jam.
Its a great piece of music overlaid with samples taken from Joe Strummer's radio broadcasts London Calling that he did for the BBC World Service. These radio shows captured the breadth and depth of his interest and love of music.
Album Of The Week - 02/12/203 - Track 4
Today's selection from Streetcore is, in my opinion, one of the strongest tracks on the album, and that is saying something from an album packed with great music.
Get Down Moses could have been a Clash song from any of their albums, with a reggae beat and a lyric about a people striving for hope and redemption from the bonds of oppression. It is Joe Strummer at his very best.
Album Of The Week - 02/12/203 - Track 5
Its only fitting that my final selection from Streetcore is one great man of song covering another great man of song.
Redemption Song was written and recorded by Bob Marley and appeared on his final album, Uprising, released in 1980, less than a year before he died. Lyrically, its a song tailor made for Joe Strummer and the fact that it also appears on his final album gives it added poignancy.
Album Of The Week - 09/12/2023
The Cure – The Cure
This week we are heading back into my Cure collection with their self-titled 12th studio album, released in 2004.
It took me a number of years to add this album to my collection and I bought it mainly to fill the gap between 4:13 Dream and the outstanding Bloodflowers (album of the week 10/6/23).
The reviews for the album indicated it was an album that emphasised the guitars and had a very alternative rock feel to it, and on listening to it I would say that the description is accurate. To be fair though, Robert Smith has never allowed The Cure to be one dimensional even given their reputation for morose gothic rock. What is a constant though is Smith’s impassioned vocals and on this album they have to compete with the complex and challenging instrumentation.
What I like about this album is the post-punk feeling which gives the album a very fresh feel especially compared to the more goth rock sound of it predecessor, again showing The Cure do not like to live on past glories.
What this album does highlight is that we are due some new material from The Cure as their has only been 1album since The Cure and Smith has stated that there are 2 albums in the offing, albums which are surely to be successful given the fact they are still a massive draw live.
The Cure hit a very impressive number 8 in the UK album charts as well as going top 20 across Europe and produced 3 singles, the lead single, The End Of The World which reached number 25 in the UK singles chart.
As such, The End Of The World, is a good place to start my selections. Despite some of the heavier tracks on the album this has some the jauntiness and melody to make it feel a typical Cure song.
Album Of The Week - 09/12/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Cure is the opening track, Lost.
This is no easy album opener, its a fractured and discordant song full that captures the pain of being swallowed in a claustrophobic relationship.
Its a brave track to open the album with but it works.
Album Of The Week - 09/12/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from The Cure is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
Anniversary has a darkness and a sadness which is reflected in the lyrics as well as the brooding intensity of the music. These are the atmospheres that The Cure create beautifully.
Album Of The Week - 09/12/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from this week's album is The Promise. The Cure are superb and turning out these epic tracks and The Promise is no exception. An intense 10 minute plus song with a lyric questioning the foundations of relationship, heartfelt with an air of accusation and questioning.
Album Of The Week - 09/12/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from this week's album is the closing track, Going Nowhere.
After some of the noise and intensity of what's gone before this is a gorgeous song to close with.
Going Nowhere is song of committment and reassurance and captures the Cure in a more wistful frame of mind. A very good end to a very good album.
Album Of The Week - 16/12/2023
Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (Soundtrack) – Howard Shore
The Two Towers is the 2nd part of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy which was adapted into film at the turn of the century, films which became monumental successes and very quickly gained the status of cinematic classics.
The realms of fantasy was never really my thing but the first film, The Fellowship Of The Ring caught my interest and I thought the film was magical and captivating, opening me up to Tolkien’s world.
As well as what was happening on screen it was the music that also hit me and in 2001 the soundtrack to the Fellowship Of The Ring was one of the first film soundtrack albums I bought, if not, the first.
What I love is the drama, the big orchestral moments, the moments where the full symphonic output becomes all consuming and then in an instant it can switch to a quiet, reflective piece instantly changing the mood and atmosphere. On top of this there are choral moments, again at times bold, demanding of attention, almost manic and chaotic and then suddenly becoming slight, whimsical and ethereal. What I have since learnt is that some of choral parts were sung in the Elven language that JRR Tolkien created for his Middle Earth mythology.
All of these elements are captured beautifully in the heady mix of Howard Shore’s soundtracks to the Ring trilogy and beyond into the Hobbit trilogy which came out 10 years later.
The Two Towers, being the second instalment in the trilogy was released into cinemas in 2002 at which time the soundtrack album was also released and was awarded a Grammy for best soundtrack album of 2002.
What I really love about the Lord Of The Rings soundtracks is there are plenty of pieces in the 4 to 5 minute range, so one gets the time to really let the music seep in making it a more complete musical experience rather some of the shorter snippets that often occur on other soundtrack albums.
I make no secret of the fact that I think Howard Shore’s soundtracks to the Lord Of The Rings films are among my favourites in my collection of 126 soundtrack albums.
My first selection from The Two Towers is the opening piece, Foundations Of Stone, which picks up the big, dramatic orchestral sounds as described above and set us on a 72 minute trip into the awe and majesty of Middle Earth.
Album Of The Week - 16/12/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from The Two Towers is The Uruk-Hai, a dramatic piece named after the the fighting orcs bred in Isengard by Saruman.
The track accompanies a scene that see's 3 principal characters tracking a party of Uruk-Hai who have captured 3 Hobbits and are taking them to Saruman.
Album Of The Week - 16/12/2023 - Track 3
My third selection from The Two Towers is the atmospheric piece, The Forbidden Pool.
One of the 5 minute plus tracks on the album and accompanies a scene in which Frodo saves the life of the tortured Gollum who has become his guide to Mordor.
Its a lovely piece of music to go with this pivotal scene.
Album Of The Week - 16/12/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from The Two Towers is The Hornburg.
One of my favourite pieces on the album, it references the last defence of the kingdom of Rohan as it is attacked by the evil forces of Saruman's army of orcs and Uruk-Hai.
A dramatic yet mournful section of music which packs a lot into its 4 minutes.
Album Of The Week - 16/12/2023 - Track 5
My final selection is the last track on the album taken from the actual score.
Samwise The Brave see's Frodo and Sam, guided by Golum, continue their trek to Mordor and in a lighter moment, Frodo tells Sam that in years to come he wants to hear the legends of Samwise The Brave, a true and loyal friend of Frodo.
Its a lighter scene to bring the film to a close, a scene which emphasises the bond between Frodo and Sam, a bond that will be severely tested in the final film, The Return Of The King.
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023
Metal Rhythm – Gary Numan
We head back to 1988 this week for the 11th studio album from Gary Numan (including 2 originally released under the name of Tubeway Army) and the 5th to be selected as my album of the week.
Although Metal Rhythm was from a period when Gary Numan was not completely satisfied with his musical direction and output it is an album that was favourably received among the fan base and personally, an album I rate.
Musically it still incorporated elements of the funk infused rhythms, saxophone and backing female vocals but it also has an edge and aggression which gives it an industrial feel in places.
Much has been written, especially by Gary Numan himself, about the wilderness years between 1983 and 1993 but during that time he was still producing some excellent music. He has indicated though that he was trying to reclaim past glories and in hindsight going about it the wrong way leading to a general dissatisfaction with some of the music he was producing during this 10 year period.
There is an array of contributing musicians on the album and this approach goes back to the 1983 Warriors album where Numan wanted to employ the best musicians he could but as he later admitted he had lost confidence in own abilities.
For me, I was very impressed with Metal Rhythm upon release, with its variation, edge and general atmosphere. There is a high prevalence of guitars which works well, unlike the later Machine + Soul (album of the week 11/12/2022) which blends well with the dark and menacing keyboards, although I would have liked the keyboards to have been higher in the mix in places. Lyrically, by Numan’s own admission, the album is angry and aggressive with potshots taken and various people and situations.
Metal Rhythm saw Numan return to a record label as the previous 3 albums had been released through his own Numa records, but poor album sales had lead to Numa being a very costly project, coupled with expensive tours Numan was losing a lot of money that would lead to near bankruptcy not far in the future.
Given the quality of albums and success since 1994 I think Metal Rhythm stands up well to Numans later much more industrial based releases and there are hints within Metal Rhythm of what was around corner.
Metal Rhythm peaked at number 48 in the UK album charts and produced 2 singles which also just managed to hit the top 50.
My first selection from the album is the lead single, New Anger, which captures the aggression and directness of the album. New Anger peaked at number 46 in the UK singles chart.
Enjoy
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from Gary Numan's Metal Rhythm album is the track Respect.
Much in keeping with the general feel of dissatisfaction and settling scores on this album, Respect, covers the topic of lack of respect. It has been suggested the track is about a band on Gary's Numa records who did not endear themselves and left a bad taste with him. Whether that is true or not only he can answer but whoever the subject is there is no doubting Numans feelings on this song.
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023 - Track 3
Today's selection from this week's album is pretty much the title track.
Cold Metal Rhythm was the name Gary Numan wanted the album to be named but the record company said it wanted to go for the more commercial sounding Metal Rhythm on the basis that it didn't seem as negitive and confrontational. Ironically, the American release was retitled New Anger.
The song itself is a commentary about Gary being back with on a record label after the failings of Numa and the complete lack of airplay that he was experiencing at the time. As we can hear from the lyrics it was not a marriage made to last.
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from Metal Rhythm is my favourite track on the album, Voix.
In my opionion this is the most Numan souding song on the album as there is an atmosphere that is not evident on the bulk album which is predominantly a rock album. The balance of the guitars, ethereal female vocals and synths seem to work more on the this track than the rest of the album.
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023 - Track 5
My final selection from Metal Rhythm is the closing track from the original release, Don't Call My Name.
Gary Numan had a habit of closing his albums with a more sentimental track and that is the case on Metal Rhythm. It is a contrast from the funk rock dominated songs that preceeded it. Its not a bad song but I do not like the over emphasised saxophone but I like the mood of the song.
Album Of The Week - 23/12/2023 - Summary
It's been interesting going back into Gary Numan's often discreditied "middle period" with his album Metal Rhythm.
Numan had been openly scathing about some of the music made between 1983 and 1992 but there was some stuff during that period but there were some very non-Numan efforts.
Metal Rhythm certainly tapped into a rock direction and this was later taken to the extreme with 1992's Machine + Soul, which he openly admitted would earn the radio play he had been lacking for a number of years.
The CD release of Metal Rhythm contained a couple of b-sides and remixes including the song I Don't Believe, originally the flip side to New Anger. I believe, with a bit of polishing, this should have been an album track so I have included it here as closing note to the album.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my selections and opinions this week.
Album Of The Week - 30/12/2023
Scum – Anti-Nowhere League
To close 2023 we have the 3rd studio album from notorious UK punk band, the Anti-Nowhere League.
Scum saw a return to action for the band after their break up in 1987 following their widely criticised second album, The Perfect Crime.
The band re-started low key activities in 1992 and in 1996 signed a record deal which enabled the release of Scum in 1997.
Scum saw a return to the punk rock roots of ANL, a style that had gained them success and infamy with their We Are League album in 1982 (album of the week 22/01/2022). Back were the biting, expletive laden, caustic lyrics and a full on rhythmic punk sound. Gone were the keyboards and commercial approach of the previous release. This was more like the ANL that people had become used to. There was also a sense of cross over into metal with some of the guitars riffs, something that bands like GBH and Discharge were doing and added more punch to the music. The dual guitar players again added depth and power to the music and with Scum the band got it spot on.
Over 11 songs they delivered some classic punk anthems, the slower, rhythmic metal infused tracks and full on no holds barred punk assaults, basically, the Anti-Nowhere League were back.
Despite my enthusiasm some of the rock critics didn’t view the album that favourably but I am not sure all got the irony of the output.
My first selection is the is the open track, F**ked Up & Wasted which sets the tone perfectly for the delights in store.
Album Of The Week - 30/12/2023 - Track 2
My second selection from this week's album is the title track, Scum.
This is one of my favourite songs on the album with its punk/metal rhythm and lyrics reflecting modern society and the destruction in store.
Album Of The Week - 30/12/2023 - Track 3
The third offering from Scum is the track Suicide...Have You Tried.
Probably the most "metal" track on the album and lyrically looks at mental health, a subject that would get more in-depth and personal coverage with their 2007 album, The Road To Rampton.
Album Of The Week - 30/12/2023 - Track 4
My fourth selection from Scum is the track Pig Iron.
Pig Iron was the lead song from an EP which also included The Day The World Turned Gay and The Adventures Of Peter Vile, tracks that the band wanted included on the album but their record company were not keen because of potential fall out. The band relented but the tracks did get an album release in 2006 when the remastered version of Scum was released with the omitted tracks under the name of Pig Iron-The Album.
Pig Iron comes with promo performance video showing the Anti-Nowhere League in full flow.
Album Of The Week - 30/12/2023 - Track 5
There is no better way to wrap up this week's album than with the closing track, Long Live Punk.
With the Anti-Nowhere League's return to their punk roots then this anthem is the perfect closing statement to their comeback album.
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