My Top 250 Albums (51-60)

51. BILLY TALENT – BILLY TALENT
(2003 – T12 G10 B7 UB3)

We last saw Canadian spikey punk noise merchants Billy Talent back in the mid 100’s with their 2nd album. Just outside the top 50 we find their highest placed album, which is their self monikered debut album from 2003. This was a great debut and from the moment I heard probably their still biggest song “Try Honesty”, I was hooked and the little “I’m insane! It’s your fault!” breakdown is awesome. The album just has a different sound to a lot of stuff, its just got a kind of twitchy craziness to it, from the bass line in the chorus of the first song to the stabbing guitars of the finale. As mentioned on the last review if you don’t like the sharp semi scream high pitched vocals then you will struggle with this band, but if you do it fits perfectly with the vibe. The album has a strong start and a strong finish with the 7 bangers being the first 3 songs and last 4. The middle is still good and has the song sung from a prostitutes point of view “Standing In The Rain”. Riff of the album comes on “Cut The Curtains”, and runs in one way or another through the entire song. “Nothing to Lose” is a big ballad song about a depressed loner and suicide, the album then closes with the spikey fast punk of “Voices of Violence”. Saw them around the time of this albums release in the Little Civic in Wolves and it was belting stuff.

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52. ARMOR FOR SLEEP – WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE DEAD
(2005 – T11 G8 B7 UB3)

This is the 3rd of the 3 Armor For Sleep albums on the list and was their sophomore release. As with the others this has a theme and this time is dying, what its like to be dead, regretting dying and being a ghost. Its also their best musically in my opinion. The songs have more urgency, more variation in the vocals and passion when needed. The first half is first class and everytime I listen to it I feel this album should be higher but the 2nd half lets it down. Up until the track 6 slow dreamy filler song its banger after banger. “Car Underwater” introduces the death in a car crash and calling for the search to be called off, seemingly after a split with the missus. Then the album moves on to say its actually a bit shit in heaven, terrible precipitation apparently. “Remember To Feel Real” has some awesome guitar parts on the chorus, perfect for air guitar. “Awkward Last Words” is my favourite of the album, classic emo. By the time we reach the synth and drum machine filled “Basement Ghost Singing”, he is haunting the girl he liked and trying to contact her. “Walking At Night, Alone” perks up the 2nd half. The final track is basically a reprise of “The Truth About Heaven”, but ain’t very good and by the time the big soul singing church wailing sounding female vocal kicks in, its lost me (its a strange combo). It’s like one of that large mid 40s women X factor contestants has shown up and wants to show off her range…. horror scenes. Otherwise its a grand album that just misses a bit and so hovers outside the top 50.

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53. BELOVED – FAILURE ON
(2003 – T10 G10 B8 UB1)

Now if you want to sample Beloved you have to make sure you find the album, the Beloved spotify page is full of other Beloveds, from a female solo artist to, christian music, to indian music, to a female country band. This Beloved are far from that and ride in the post hardcore / metal-core area. They only released one album properly, there is a debut album they released independently but it sounds more like a demo, and then an EP which is somewhere closer to what this masterpiece is. One of the strong points of the album is definitely the vocals, from the strained cleaned vocals to a very aggressive scream vocal. The music also flows from uber melodic to arm throwdown riffs, which are at the heavier end of my musical taste radar, but definitely inside it as it is used perfectly and appropriately. One of my highlights of the album comes in this form in my favourite song “Death to Traitors”, where about 2/3rds in “we were born for battle” is screamed over an awesome little breakdown, before it opens up into its big sweeping sounding melodic parts. The first 8 tracks on this album are all bangers, and only the last 2 don’t make that grade, but thats not that they are bad, they could very easily slip up a grade. “Aimless Endeavour” was the main single off this album and managed to get its video on Scuzz, P-Rock or whatever music channel it was at the time, but other than that they drifted under the wider scene radar and then seemingly split before any more material was recorded…. which is a great shame.

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54. PRESS TO MECO – HERE’S TO THE FATIGUE
(2018 – T10 G9 B7 UB2)

Possibly the most recent release on the list. This is Press To Meco’s 2nd album and their 2nd on the list. The very british vocally sounding Press To Meco, have a unique sound combining very clean singing and harmonies with sometimes proper heavy riffs. Its a strange combo at first but once you get it, you can’t get enough. This album improved on their debut with just more solid songs, perhaps less randomness but also some bigger riffs… when needed. The naughtiest of them all being that in “A Quick Fix”, its almost like Symposium never died, but consumed a bit of early Biffy Clyro instead. This song I just can’t resist air guitaring too or bashing some 78% nitrogen drums. love it. Their singles fill the front half of the album with the album title song being my favourite of them, and probably the most conventional. The chilled out “A Place In It All” is a steady builder and has grown on me a lot since I bought this album. “Howl” has one of my favourite little melodic near mathy guitar parts in, it also goes near death metal for a few seconds around 2:40 in, before a Queen-esque “we will rock you style” chorus. I’m yet to see them live but I imagine it would be awesome as all 3 of the band sing with the drummer taking lead on some songs and the riffs would prob sound even better. Their singing and harmonies are shown off in some of the acousitc re-workings of the songs they have done on youtube. All in all Press To Meco are one of my favourite new bands.

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55. THRICE – THE ARTIST IN THE AMBULANCE
(2003 – T12 G11 B8 UB1)

Thrice with their 2nd appearance of 3 in the chart so far. “The Artist In the Ambulance” was their 3rd release and took the sound to a heavier riffier metalier place, compared to the more punk hardcore style of their previous outings. The album has a great first half and an awesome last 2 tracks with a little bit of filler in the middle. Its a nice filler but the weaker section for me. Having said that the opening track isn’t one of the best on the album, that is reserved for the 2nd for me, with the riffilicious “Under A Killing Moon”. The riffs at the end are definitly recorded at volume setting 11. In fact ending riffs is a common theme of the album, many a song is taken up a notch with some awesome breakdowns and finishes. “Paper Tigers” is probably one of the heaviest songs they’ve recorded, if it wasn’t for the slightly dull chorus this would be a def UBer (i’m probably being too harsh there). The singles “All Thats Left”, “Stare At The Sun” and the title track are the poppiest songs on the album, but are all solid bangers. the final 2 tracks have epicness all over them. From the final minute of “The Abolition Of Man” is brutal and “Don’t Tell And We Won’t Ask” is full of atmosphere in its closing half.

This album is still growing on me as at first I wanted another “The Illusion Of Safety” and this was different, having re-visited it for this list I can see if may eventually make it higher up. I can’t wait to see them with Refused later in the year.

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56. BEN KWELLER – SHA SHA
(2002 – T11 G11 B6 UB3)

In the 90s there was a young grunge band called Radish, who had a ridiculously young singer called Ben Kweller. They had a couple of minor hit songs and were the first band I ever saw live with them being on about midday at V97 (when it was an indie / rock festival). Ben Kweller was barely 16 then! (younger than I was?!? …. just 😮). Anyway after a couple of albums Radish split and Ben went solo. “Sha Sha” was his first release and he has now done 5 total. This is the only one that makes the list, most of the others have all gone a bit country sounding. There is a tinge of that on this album, but for the main part its kinda a cross betwee Weezer and Ben Folds (who he has done an EP with as The Bens). The main single of it “Wasted & Ready” is an alt-rock classic and is very early Weezer sounding. The Ben Folds sound is shown off on “In Other Words”, which is a slow piano song that builds into a summery big ending. “Lizzy” is a pure acoustic song that def has the country tinge and gives you the image of belting it out on s swing chair on some porch at sunset. The close “Falling” is another piano led track and probably my favourite song on there and finishes in classic Ben Folds style with harmonies and “ba-ba-baaaah”‘s going on. As I say though the rest of his work isn’t really my thing. The self titled album is ok and has some decent stuff on it, but this album I love.

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57. GLITTERBOX – TIED & TANGLED
(1997 – T11 G11 B6 UB3)

Back in 1997 again and a band that very few people ever heard of. I assume I only heard of them on the evening session and they have been described as a mix of Radiohead and Manic Street Preachers, neither bands that I overly like oddly. This was their only album and . This album used to be my favourite for a while back in 97/98. I loved the passion in the vocals (which I guess lead me in to emo stuff a few years later), but it was at a time I hadn’t heard stuff sung that way. Their main singles “Houdini”, “Scared Of All The World” and “Can’t Live On Mars” are solid favourites on the album. I think one of the main things I love, other than the vocal style, is the drumming, it just seems an unusual style, theres a lot of extended or short drum rolls. In the song “Woody Allen” during the climax, the song basically becomes one long drum roll, its awesome and sounds unique. The closer “Tonight To Hell” is a slow builder and is still one of my top 20 or 10 favourite songs. They even had some great B-sides. I never managed to see them live and I was proper gutted when I found out they split about a year after this release. I only found out about it by using a “comp-uter” with “inter-net” at a local college one day, when i searched for their “web-site”. Sad scenes. I stil truely love this album though and it is one of the main reasons I search out new stuff instead of it being handed on a plate, you miss gems like this. The album’s not on Spotify sadly but is on Youtube, though the playlist misses the last song.

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58. BRAND NEW – DEJU ENTENDU
(2003 – T10 G9 B6 UB3)

Theres been a collection of albums by the same bands recently. This will open up again soon as we head towards the top 50. This is the 2nd Brand New album in the chart, one more to go. This was also their 2nd album released and was a definite development in sound on their debut. This for the most part was the emo pop punk of their debut. A large chunk of the songs are well over 4 minutes, rather than the circa 3 minutes of the debut and in general have a darker tone, especially in the verses. The initial single “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades”, is the classic quiet load formula but done brilliantly and is about a kinda reverse date rape where the man is the victim. The descriptive lyrics are a theme of the album and also obvious in the song “Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t” with is arrogant sounding verses. “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” is the big pop single off the album but has a great little riff over the chorus, and I love the delayed drum strike in the sorta breakdown about 3:10 in. “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” is another song I love and is a near acoustic about how his partner constantly forgives his sins and I love the line “You are the smell before rain.” The atmospheric sound that started to appear on this album would be further developed on their 3rd which we’ll stumble across at some point.

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59. IDLEWILD – 100 BROKEN WINDOWS
(2000 – T12 G12 B7 UB1)

Scottish noiseniks (as I’m sure they would have been referred to as at one time) Idlewild return with their 2nd album in a week. So basically I rate them about the same. This was also their 2nd release and at the time I was massively into them. As mentioned previously they have a very definite career ark from chaos to calm. This one is part way between the sound of their debut ep and album and the cleaner “Remote Part”. The album starts with the first single “Little Discourage” which probably best demonstrates this slightly more controlled sound with is quiet verse loud chorus dynamic but with that near iconic sounding Idlewild verse guitar riff. “Roseability” is a highlight of the album and also a single and had the kids shouting about someone called Gertrude Stein (any ideas who he is without googling?). “Idea Track” is an odd thing but also one of my favourites with is loud bridge and then sorta big echoey chorus. “Let Me Sleep (Next To the Mirror)” is very much more along the “Remote Part” album style of things, and is a great flowing song with an at the time unexpectedly delicate ending. My favourite song is definitely more of their original style in “Listen To What You’ve Got”. the rest of the album still has its good to great moments but the majority of the best songs for me are in the first half. I used to love the last two tracks more than I do now, but they are still great songs.

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60. THE OFFSPRING – IXNAY ON THE HOMBRE
(1997 – T12 G12 B8 UB0)

Yes it’s 1997 again. I didn’t fake this! And its another massive punk band to follow Green Day. This is the only Offspring album to make my list of the 9 they have done. (though “Smash” should have been 239 after some recent re-evaluation). “Smash” for a lot of people is the superior album but for me I only like just over half of it, its a damn good just over half, but not enough. “Ixnay” on the other hand I like every track and a lot of them a lot more than just like. The album kicks off with a comedy disclaimer before the high paced “The Meaning Of Life”, a definite banger which could have done with a time change at some point to reach UB level but a great song nonetheless. “Mota” follows which until yesterday I didn’t realise was another word for weed. Obviously the songs about someone smoking away their life, but never knew thats what that word meant (so niefff). Anyway its funny that Charlie likes saying the “mota”, in a mexican accent, part. “Cool To Hate” is an anti-school, anti-jocks, anti-geeks etc anthem, which must be half done ironically as singer and songwriter Dexter Holland is clearly a bit of a geek with his Biology PhD. Most of the album is high paced skate punk but in the 2nd half of the album there are 2 more grunge based songs in the form of “Gone Away” and “Amazed”, the first of which was a massive single in the US, and both great. The most iconic start of a song on this is the “ya ya ya ya ya” at the beginning of “All I Want” which rips through its 2 minutes in double time (not possible I know, it would be 1 minute long then). A quick mention to “Me and My Old Lady” which is possibly an overlooked song on the album and kind of a not quite so good “Come Out And Play”, but still got a great little riff.

After this album they hit it big time with some dodgy tracks off “Americana” though it does have some great moments too and was just outside the 250 at 278. Beyond that the quality gradually drifts away and they become a mock version of themselves. As for prior to “Smash” there a a couple of decent songs but the issue is they sound like they’ve been recorded via 2 cans on the end of a piece of string.

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