My Top 250 Albums (181-190)

181. HE IS LEGEND – I AM HOLLYWOOD
(2004 – T10 G6 B3 UB2)

I’m not sure what to describe this album as other than great noise. He Is Legend are described as post hardcore, metalcore, alternative metal etc, but this album tends to have a kinda rock’n’roll-core feel about it if that is such a thing. This was their debut album (they’ve changed quite a lot since and not in a way I enjoy), and it kicks off with the immense “Seduction” and finishes with the even more immense “I Am Hollywood” which ends in ever increasing insanity and is, probably surprisingly for some, one of my all time favourite songs. As you can see from the 6 good out of 10 tracks I only like half of it, but what a half!. Most of the tracks I like are in the first half and all tend to build and have great last 3rds, with nice guitar noodling going on.

 

182. HAVE MERCY – A PLACE OF OUR OWN 
(2014 – T11 G9 B2 UB1)

Have Mercy are a band I got into on the basis of their 2017 release which is still to come in the list. This was their 2nd album, the debut is not quite as good. They are probably the perfect definition of what emo-rock would be as opposed to post-hardcore / screamo. The singer has a great voice and then when he turns the emote up to 11 he suddenly sounds like he’s smoked 50 a day since he was 4 years old, greatly demonstrated on the break-up song “Two Years”. Given more listens this album is likely to climb the list, at first it was a bit samey but each listen it gets better. 

 

183. BEN FOLDS FIVE – THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF REINHOLD MESSNER 
(1999 – T10 G8 B2 UB1)

This is the first encounter with Ben Folds (as a solo artist or as a band of 5 #reallyonly3). Ben Folds does piano lead rock, like a cool Elton John, with a cheeky glint in his eye and fingers (erm!). This was his 3rd album and was a bit of a change up from the more high paced first 2 albums, which was a tough change up for the 18 year old me at the time also. The album did include the classic “Army”, but has many other beautiful orchestral songs full of strings and physically large sounding drums, such as “Mess” and “Magic”, which took a while to grow on me.   “Your Redneck Past” is an odd one I’ve never quite got into with its awkward beating tempo and synthy piano. and also never got into “Regrets” jazzy stylings, but this is Ben Folds, so when its good it’s really good. He’s done 7 proper albums (excluding some of the collaboration ones, including one with William Shatner!) and the first 5 make the list

 

184. CANADIAN SOFTBALL – AWKWARD & DEPRESSED
(2017 – T12 G7 B3 UB2)

Canadian Softball are a parody band (along the lines of Lonely Island and Reggie And The Full Effect) invented by a thing called a “youtube comedian” Jarrod Alonge. In this guise he takes on all things emo/hardcore and also creates some cracking tunes in the process. The album due to its comedy nature has some off moments as they all do, but when it focuses on the song its pretty sweet. “Great Again” is a song aimed at Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan and pointing out how great (or otherwise) life was in 1953. “Your Validation” takes a swipe at people who change image and attitude every year or so to be the next cool thing. The album wraps up with a song made from taking elements of 20 emo songs and joining them together in one ironic emo classic, called “Ohio is for Emo Kids”. The album also goes at math-rock complications and spoken word emo songs and Skramz! He also has an album out under the name Sunrise Skater Kids as well as one under his own name which has 7 fictional bands of various styles contributing.

 

185. YOUNG GUNS – ALL OUR KINGS ARE DEAD
(2010 – T12 G9 B2 UB1) 

Young Guns are a British rock band who sound very American and a little over produced. They suffer very much from “30 Seconds To Mars”-itis, where image appears to be very much at the forefront of their minds (guy-liner, dramatic “powerful” videos, poses etc). Difference being their first album is actually pretty good to listen to. For the most part the album is mid tempo with palm muted echoey guitar riff verses and big choruses with group vocals. It doesn’t always work but when it does for example on “Crystal Clear” which has a bit more pace to it, it’s proper good. “Weight of the World” goes along in a similar vein. Some of the album and those which follow this gets a bit samey and there isn’t much memorable, enjoyable at the time but you don’t often go intentionally back to it. At times they do some heavier metal riffs, which if explored a bit more may have made it all a bit more varied. Overall good and still very much in the 7/10 range. We are starting to get closer to the 8/10’s in the next few weeks

 

186. ZEBRAHEAD – MFZB
(2003 – T15 G11 B3 UB0) 

More rap infused rock only 2 days after Bloodhound Gang. Zebrahead are more punk/rap though and generally the poppier end of the scale of punk, though the stuff I prefer is when it has a bit more pace and edging towards the hardcore end of the stuff they do. They do have a knack for shoving a bit into a song that elevates the enjoyment of it beyond what could be mundane pop-punk. MFZB (which stands for “Motherfucking Zebrahead, Bitch”) has a few too many songs on at 15, which leads to a bit of filler. They have amassed 8 albums overall but this is the only one that breaches or comes close to the top 250. They have some decent songs on most of their albums but this ones the only one with some bangers on. “Type A” is the more hardcore pacey end of things, as are “Falling Apart” and “The Set-up”. I have the feeling this album will eventually drift lower down the list though. This type of stuff doesn’t have much staying power. For now though it’s survived and was worth the mention.

 

187. TAKING BACK SUNDAY – WHERE YOU WANT TO BE
(2004 – T11 G8 B3 UB0)

This is TBS’s 2nd album and was a bit of a disappointment after their debut “Tell All Your Friends” and having given it a quick re-listen, it still is. I’m at the point in the list now were I can’t make negative corrections as they are not enough to remove the album from the chart and there is not anything that could pop in in place. A couple of the songs should have been removed from good, eg “The Union”. This would put it about 274. The album does have a solid start though including “Bonus Mosh Pt.2″ and single”A Decade Under The Influence”, before a middle slump including a poorly done acoustic song “New American Classic”. It’s a decent album, it just was a disappointment, probably not helped by nearly splitting not long before it and adding 2 new members after lead guitarist John Nolan (who went off to do Straylight Run) left the band and the bass player, who also rejoined in 2010.

 

188. BLOODHOUND GANG – ONE FIERCE BEER COASTER
(1996 – T11 G8 B2 UB1)

Yes its the Bloodhound Gang and 1996’s One Fierce Beer Coaster. This is their 2nd album after their “Use Your Fingers” debut which was a more straight up rap album. this one added more guitars into the mix on just over half the songs, jumping on the rock/rap bandwagon before the wagon even had wheels. They cover key political talking points of the 90s, such as smelly fannies and going gay in order to get chicks. They also do a nice cover of Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky” and a variation on what I believed was Coal Chambers “Sway” with “Fire Water Burn” but turns out the BHG version was out earlier and the chorus is a version of “The Roof Is on Fire” by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three from the 80s. This is the best BHG album in my opinion but “Use Your Fingers” is not far behind and “Hooray For Boobies” also has a number of classics on it. The euro party favourite “The Bad Touch” shot them into the mainstream reaching number 4 in the UK and number 1 across much of Europe… shame it was that song though. Since “…boobies” they have lost their edge a bit and have been thumbing in a softy ever since on the 2 following albums released 10 years apart.

 

189. ACROSS FIVE APRILS – A TRAGEDY IN PROGRESS
(2003 – T11 G8 B3 UB0)

Classic screamo name right there. A month, a number… perfect. The screamy vocals are a bit more metalcore on this album rather than the traditional screech, the music can be described as heavy as fudge in places also. They have about a million breakdown sections in each song, so if you can hang with it and get used to what’s coming you can make it through a song. Their speciality tends to be the big endings which is were the payoff happens. “Around the World In A Radio Flyer” has about 10 different sections in its 4 mins and ends with the awesome repetition of “all I ever wanted was your love” as the music builds to its climax. Similar occurs on “Je Mennuie De Vous” but ending with “your beautiful in every way to me” growled at you several times. It’s a bit of a mess of an album in parts but has enough great moments for me to still love large sections of it even now, no matter how cliche some of it is, it was all fresh back in 2003. They went on to do 2 more albums gradually with different members but never reached the heights of their debut except for the odd song; “Tallahassee’s for hookers” being one.

 

190. GREEN DAY – INSOMNIAC
(1995 – T14 G10 B2 UB1)

It’s Green Day’s follow up to the previously seen Dookie. This one for me is more consistent as an album with less filler. The highs might not be so high but theres still and ultimate banger in there with “Geek Stink Breath”. “Brain Stew” is a classic with its slowly building plodding chug chug palm mute riff, which also brings images of the dodgy Godzilla movie that came out a few years later for which it was on the decent soundtrack. “Brain Stew” then somehow seamlessly flows into “Jaded” which is at least twice the pace and was released as a joint single and video. The album finishes with “Walking Contradiction” which gave a hint at what was to come on “Warning” only much better. Only one more Green Day album left (not Warning), but it appears much much later in the list