My Top 250 Albums (151-160)

151. TAKING BACK SUNDAY – LOUDER NOW
(2006 – T11 G8 B4 UB0)

Well we are 100 albums in now and hopefully someone still cares. I ploughing on regardless! this position was nearly 3 other albums, but on closer inspection they have been promoted. So just missing out on a top 150 spot is Taking Back Sundays 3rd album and their 3rd of 4 on the list. “Louder Now” also appeared as 1 of 2 TBS albums on Rock Sounds list at number 55. I don’t quite rate it that highly as it does miss on a couple of songs, but it also has 4 crackers on there. This album is basically a better “Where You Want To Be”, the choruses are better and the songs are just well, better. “Miami” is a catchy flowing song and songs at the start of the album “Liar (It Takes One To Know One)” and “Spin” are classic TBS songs in structure and style; “Spin” has a particularly awesome stabbing guitar breakdown in the middle. The last quarter of “Makedamnsure” with its big chorus and change in drums and guitar melody over the top are glorious. Yes its moany wingey girly nonsense but its done so well.

 

152. BILLY TALENT – BILLY TALENT II
(2006 – T13 G12 B3 UB0)

The collective known as Billy Talent are a Canadian band who make what I would describe as spiky punk music. Spiky from the squarky tones of the lead singer to the gruffer but still spiky second vocalist, all joined together on short, yes spiky, riffs, but sometimes the odd big slow song. This, as you may be able to tell, is their 2nd album after their debut which is way higher up the list. They have done 5 overall and the latter 3 don’t quite make the cut, but all have their great moments. For II though, all but the final song make my good list and it is therefore a solid album, and 3 have elevated to banger status. Those 3 being “This Suffering”, a mid tempo song, with a classic Billy Talent dual vocal swapping snappy chorus, “Surrender” being the slow builder on the album and “Sympathy” being a faster one. This album appeared in Rock Sounds top 250 since 2000ish at number 167 btw. I’ve only managed to see Billy Talent once at the Little Civic in Wolves in 2003, but they were awesome, esp in such a small room

 

My Top 250 Albums: #153
MOVEMENTS – FEEL SOMETHING
(2017 – T11 G10 B3 UB0)

Movements are a new band who dropped (as the kids say) their debut album in 2017. They are a post-hardcore band who are asking you to “Feel Something” and try to do this with a close to clean guitar sound and bass lines which are higher in the mix. Song topics include alzheimers disease on “Deadly Dull” and the video for “Full Circle” depicts a gay couples ups and downs rather than the boy/girl imagery typically used. This isn’t because the song is about that, its just been used in a way any other relationship song video would… any why not. Favourite songs on the album include “Full Circle”, “Third Degree” and “Suffer Through”. The first couple mins of “Deep Red” are great also with its driving bass line. I can tell this album is going to gradually climb this list as it ages.

 

154. THE GET UP KIDS – GUILT SHOW
(2004 – T13 G8 B4 UB1)

This is the follow up to #175’s “On A Wire” and kinda combined the sound of that and the classic “Something To Write Home About”. Their new album coming in a month is looking like its along similar lines which is nice. Guilt Show blasts off with “Man of Conviction” which is over and done in 90 seconds before the laid back, seemingly effortless, single “The One You Want”. This is an album that has grown a lot on me and if the last 3 tracks had been cut off it would have been a lot higher. The album kinda wilts off into a bit of a mess of atmospheric stuff, which is a shame after the first 10 tracks which are mostly great. This was their last album before a 7 year gap before “There Are Rules” which I didn’t like at all (and appears to have been taken off Spotify) and then another 8 year gap before the new one coming up. My Ultimate Banger off the album is “How Long Is Too Long” a classic Get Up Kids middle 8 bit but the whole song has an awesome flow to it, before a sweet little ending.

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155. THE STEREO – THREE HUNDRED
(1999 – T13 G8 B4 UB1)

The Stereo are a band that existed for around 5 years at the turn of the millenium. This was their debut album, the 2 albums that followed weren’t anywhere near as good. This album in 2009 was apparently rated as one of the ’10 most influential albums from 1999 that shaped Punk today’, which is a very specific title. Most of it though you wouldn’t describe as punk. The best song on it though “You’ve Got Some Nerve” is definitely along those lines though, ripping along through its 2.5 mins. Some songs like “You Can’t Go Home Again” and “Ramona” are very Weezer-y, while other songs are more Ben Folds and piano led. Their best stuff is the faster songs “Count Me Out” being another banger. Unfortunately they are now so off the radar this album does not appear on Spotify and only bits are on Youtube. It’s good stuff though if a little up and down.

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156. SILVERSTEIN – DISCOVERING THE WATERFRONT
(2005 – T11 G8 B3 UB1)

Silverstein are one of a chunk of Canadian bands who make the list. They have 8 albums and this is the only one represented here, the others have varying degrees of goodness but this was their peak for me. They are a classic standard screamo band of that time in the early to mid-00s. “Discovering the Waterfront” though was always a favourite of mine from that era. “Smile In Your Sleep” being the primary single off the album and is the UB’er, that breakdown just after half way, classic scr-emo! Other faves include the high paced opener with twiddly riff “Your Sword Versus My Dagger” and “Always and Never” with is poppy chorus but its nice palm mutey twiddle twiddle (technical term) verses. The title track introduces a string section and is the classic we can do a slow song, song. Another single “My Heroine” is more like the Silverstein when it doesn’t quite his the mark and is a bit of a lifeless song. The band are still together and are releasing a first ten years album which is a reworking of some songs from their first 4 albums, which would include this one.

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157. LOWER THAN ATLANTIS – WORLD RECORD
(2011 – T12 G11 B3 UB0)

This is LTA’s 3rd album on the chart and its their highest placed. “World Record” was the 2nd album they did and was before the more produced sound of later albums had started to kick in. So it relies on dirtier riffs and the lazy accent filled vocals to do its post-hardcore rawking. It kinda sounds like a second rate Reuben. The highlight of the album is unlike the rest of it in the super slow “Another Sad Song” where his unfortunately mistake was being himself, poor fella. The album kicks off with “(Motor) Way Of Life” complete with synchronised pogoing int he video. (something I can’t stand, music has never made me want to jump vertically up and down repetitively and usually off beat), either way its a nice song with a riff that again reminds me of Reuben’s “Stux”, just not as good. The album gets a little less memerable as it goes on but its still all good stuff and it made #117 on Rock Sound’s top 250 albums since 2000ish.

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158. REAL FRIENDS – THE HOME INSIDE MY HEAD
(2016 – T12 G11 B3 UB0)

Real Friends (which is a real bad name for a band) are again an emo-pop-punk band out of Chicago. This is their 2nd album and best one. The thing I like about Real Friends (still terrible name) is the way the songs have a flow to them, they can drift in and out of the chorus without you really knowing you’ve been there. Also the singers voice sounds a bit like the dude from Moneen, which is no bad thing. Most of the songs are uptempo and can sound a bit samey but on this album I don’t half enjoy them. To be honest this could get a lot higher as time goes on and good’s become bangers. The standout tracks for me are the 2 openers “Stay In One Place” and “Empty Picture Frames”, which has a great chorus. The other banger is “Mess” which is the first song I heard by them. Their recent 3rd album is a lot cleaner produced and has thus lost a bit of the edge but is still decent, but just has a tad too much sheen on it. To Real Friends!…

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159. SPITALFIELD – STOP DOING BAD THINGS
(2005 – T11 G10 B3 UB0) 

I’m not sure what the name of the band is all about but a Spitalfield doesn’t sound like a nice place to be. They were a primarily pop-punk band with emo tendancies for their first 2 albums. Their 3rd “Stop Doing Bad Things” is the only one of theirs to make this list and that is primarily due to its slightly different feel to the majority of that style of music. The songs seem to have a kinda confidence about them to strip it back and have sections where its mainly bass and a bit of melodic echoey guitar over the top and even some slight riffage. To be honest I wouldn’t have expected to like this album for that long but its still a good listen and each song has its own feel so they don’t all merge into one. My favourites are “Gold Dust vs State of Illinois” with its odd little riff chorus, “From The Desk of B Larsen” with its wandering bass line and chilled out verses and the choppy “Building A Better City By Design”. They went on to do a 4th album with went along the same lines with the new style but not quite as good.

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160. MY AWESOME COMPILATION – ACTIONS
(2005 – T11 G10 B3 UB0)

This is MAC’s 2nd album on the list and is their cheeky debut. It’s full of poppy little keyboard backed rock nuggets. Their staple is the dual vocal repetitive chorus which sticks in your noggin. As mentioned previously they would fit great into the late 90s brit rock pop genre along with bands like Midget, Snug, Silver Sun etc, but came along a bit later. “Put Up A Fight” has a pleasant tingly keyboard and guitar start before kicking into their trademark chorus style, “Set To Go” is even more infectious and its not advised to listen to this anywhere near bedtime. “What You Do” slows down the pace significantly and despite its distorted vocals is better than the filler you may expect it to be and towards the end “As Always” is re-worked from the version on their EP, not quite as well but its a cracker

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