31. OZMA – ROCK AND ROLL PART 3
(2000 – T11 G10 B8 UB4)Ozma hang just outside the top 30 with their debut album and peak of their career. In 2000 I was desperate for some Weezer having only released Blue Album and Pinkerton with no disappointments, before going on an extended hiatus. At this point Weezer could do no wrong, that would change. With no Weezer in sight I heard of Ozma and this album basically sounded like Weezer’s 3rd album potentially could (it didn’t, Green was a bit meh for me). This however is full of nerdy passion, Weezer-esque solos, and songs that build. The initial song that pulled me in was the song “Natalie Portman” an ode to the then 19 year old godess (turns out she has a filthy mouth, see Lonely Island). The singer, i’m sure ironically, is nearly in tears by the sounds of it during this song… but its just moog filled, waltzy, power pop full of epic guitars. “Domino Effect”, “Apple Trees” are more uptempo songs, the peaks of which are again at the ends and during the solos. “If I Only Had A Heart” could easily be a “Pinkerton” B-side. The peak of the album comes in the form of the 5 and a half minute epic of “Baseball”, from it’s chilled beginning, it gradually builds and goes full emote. “Battlescars” is along similar lines though cranks it to 8 and a half minutes. The album fades a bit with the last 2 songs, but this album totally owned me at the time, then like Weezer they gradually started to ruin their legacy (ruin being a bit strong in both cases, but neither would ever be as good after the year 2000)
32. RISE AGAINST – THE SUFFERER & THE WITNESS
(2006 – T13 G12 B11 UB2)
The highest place Rise Against album arrives in the list only a few days after “Revolutions Per Minute” which was at #35. This was their 4th album chronologically and although its close in position we have actually made a big jump in score today. There is a bit of a cavernous gap between 33 and 32, so these albums now are def breakaway 10 out of 10s. This album is the perfect combination of melody, pace and aggression. The songs are radio friendly whilst holding up to the bands more hardcore origins. As you can see by its score it is 90% bangers (84.6% to be exact to 1 decimal place, but I’ll go for the exaggerated ‘fact’ as is popular nowadays), but it only reaches true heights only twice. One of these times is in the single “Ready To Fall” with its big chorus and awesome little screamy middle section. The other stand out song and def one of my favourite songs by any band is the final track, “Survive”, as it twists and turns through a few time changes and sections, before the awesome “all smiles and sunshine… I’ve never felt so fucking great!” section and ending repeating “life isn’t like this”. Proper bo stuff. Other standouts include the haunting sounding “Roadside” with its co-female vocals. “Drones” has some awesome sections to. One song I have never got on with though is the spoken word verse song of “The Approaching Curve”, but overall this is a consistently awesome album.
Rock Sound placed it at #123 in their top 250 of the last 20 years calling it “an instant classic”
33. DINOSAUR PILE-UP – NATURE NURTURE
(2013 – T11 11 B8 UB3)
Leeds’ Dinosaur Pile-Up return for a 2nd bite at the chart with their 2nd career album of now 4. I only got into these in the last few years after seeing them support both Weezer and Motion City Soundtrack. If supporting 2 of my favourite bands wasn’t a good indicator that I would like this band, certainly hearing them live and on record was. As probably mentioned before they cross a few areas of the rock genre, mainly Weezer-y stuff and harmonies crossed with Nirvana, combined with some ballsy riffs in places. On their latest album they even bust out some rap. As for this one though, from start to finish it is full of guitar goodness, of the style you don’t hear a lot of nowadays. “Arizona Waiting” kicks off in style that throws you back to 90s grunge/punk straight away. “Derail” is next up with a nice chilled vibe to it, proper toe-tapper.”Penninsula” has the most addictive chorus this side of 2 Unlimited’s “No Limit” and some great vocal layering and guitar solos. “Heather” is another UB’er and racing along throughout. Their are too many highlights to mention each of but track 6 is reserved for the song that hooked me in. “White T-Shirt & Jeans” is a silly sounding song that sounds along the lines of “Undone: The Sweater Song” by Weezer, not only because it mentions of clothing garments but also in style. It has a very Pixies sorta sound to it too. The end when the “Always Forever” bit comes in is simply epic (for a song about clothes). “The Way We Came” sounds like Nirvana Unplugged and “Start Again” has a tasty little guitar riff throughout. This album is a shower and a grower. Probably when I started this list it was in the plus 100 range but over the year it just keeps growing on me. Now its a fully engorged throbbing stonker of an album! (too far?)
34. HELL IS FOR HEROES – HELL IS FOR HEROES
(2007 – T10 10 B8 UB3)
The Heroes make their 2nd appearance on the list with one more to go. This time its their last album which was released 12 years ago now, they’ve teased with various short returns since but no new material as yet. Their 2nd album “Transmit Disrupt” though still a very good album being at #78 was a bit of a disappointment after their incredible debut, this however was very much a return to full engorged form, though in many ways is very different in sound to the debut. The debut is all about riffs, this is more about little guitar melodies and atmosphere as songs build. The opener is 90% an instrumental and is the start of all of my car dongle playlists and is also a Charlie favourite. If I’m not quick to get random on and skip it we have to go through the full 5 minutes, but its a 5 minutes that I don’t mind at all. Its a rare instrumental that is classed as an Ultimate Banger, it just builds and builds before the couple of lyrics appear at the end. Then we hit the guitar melodies which drive the songs from then on with “Stranger In You” with near enough the same little melody playing throughout. “Acades” is a more floaty sounding song with a guitar melody that almost sounds like you could play it on a triangle (obv not really, as its all one note then). The only single off the album “You’ve Got Hopes” sounds like a song Radiohead would love to have made in the Bends days, creeping up to its arms open looking of a cliff big ending (no not Creed-esque). “My Protector” is a more up tempo riffer of a song and a def UBer as is “Into The Blood” with its flicky guitar melody. The album ends with the massive “Once And For All”. I could easily rate some of these songs higher and perhaps have been harsh on it. #34 is very highly rated and def in the 10/10 range now, but perhaps this could have reached higher.
35. RISE AGAINST – REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE
(2003 – T12 12 B8 UB3)
We stay in 2003 for a 2nd day and along comes yet another Rise Against album and the first one I owned. This is their 5th of 6 on the list and the least commercial, not that its not melodic and with hooks, its just their most pure punk, other than their debut, which is just outside my list, not helped by a ridiculous 16 tracks on it and still only 36 mins long. Anyway as for this album, which was their 2nd, this was my introduction to Rise Against and I loved it and still do; also see what did with the title there. *gif with black dude pointing to his brain*. Once the revolution has begun with the high paced “Black Masks & Gasoline”, the lead single “Heaven Knows” comes along and that is a true ultimate banger, especially with its epic slowed down build up to the ending. first class *partridge style*. “Like The Angel” is the poppiest song on the album but a damn good one. The remaining UB is “Last Chance Blueprint” which opens with a section from the film “American Beauty” before blasting into hardcore punk niceness, full with gang chants of “Lets go” to back up the chorus. The other harder screamier songs are reserved for the two 1min 30sec length songs. Its a great album combining pure hardcore punk stylings and catchy choruses.
36. MONEEN – ARE WE REALLY HAPPY WITH WHO WE ARE RIGHT NOW?
(2003 – T10 G9 B8 UB3)
It a bit of a mystery that we’ve gone this long and Moneen have not appeared yet. I love Moneen, though for only 2 of their 4 albums. Those being the middle 2 of their career, plus an awesome little split album with fellow Canadian buddies eh, Alexisonfire, they did. Moneen do songs with massive song titles and that in their early career went off in all kinds of directions. This album is halfway on the transition to more structured songs, but what they do is always epic sounding. One of my favourite gigs was seeing them in Brum with around only 50 other people… I know it was 50 as I counted them, it didn’t take long. So funny as well. Anyway as for the album. the title track kicks it off and has an awesome stabby guitar bit midway through, one of my favoruite songs for sure. “Start Angry… End Mad” is glorious too and ends with the repetition of “2 years is a long time to pretend” as the guitar layers gradually fade away. “With This Song I Will Destroy Myself” has one of the most euphoric moments in any song I love after the quiet mid section around 3:20, one of my favourite bits of any song… as you can tell, when Moneen are good I really love them. Due to some of the over convolutedness of some of the songs there are those I can pass, which includes most of their first album, but on this one as you can see by the score 80% are bangers and above. I miss Moneen. Fucking brilliant at times.
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37. BRAND NEW – THE DEVIL AND GOD ARE RAGING INSIDE ME
(2006 – T10 G10 B7 UB4)
This was Brand New’s 3rd album and also their 3rd and highest on my chart. It was quite a departure from their previous outings. A lot darker, slow burning and important sounding (if thats a valid way of describing something). The vocals are more vunerable and desperate wheras before they usually had a confident cocky tone to them. On initial listen i wasn’t sure at all about this, but it didn’t take long before this was a repeat listen with more taken from it each time. This album could easily keep climbing. the opener “Sowing Season” does the traditional Brand New quiet loud thing, so thats familiar territory, except the loud is an awesome little winding bendy riff. “Millstone” sounds like something REM might do (though not in a “Shiney Happy People” way). Then come 4 ultimate bangers back to back. “Jesus Christ” is a kinda ambiguous song, where its not clear if its religious or about a girl. Whichever it is it’s a brilliant delicate builder of a song. It really is one of my favourite songs. “Degausser” follows the quiet loud formula but awesomely with another tasty riff to lead it. “Limousine” and “You Don’t Know” are 2 epic songs totaling nearly 13 minutes together. The first of which repeats for about 3 minutes the same lines over and over, gradually building to a Radiohead style guitar breakdown. The 2nd half of the album isn’t as perfect as the first but still great stuff, especially “Archers” which musically is a lot more upbeat.
38. HUNDRED REASONS – IDEAS ABOVE OUR STATION
(2002 – T12 G11 B7 UB4)
Hundred Reasons get their highest placed album in my chart with their debut. At the time of release I felt disappointed by this album and to some extent still do. Its lofty position is still mainly due to its glorious singles, of which there were 4 and another track which was a secondary track on an earlier EP. So are large chunk of the album had already been heard prior to release. Over time though I have grown to appreciate it more. The album works best when its either faster/riffier, or the more delicate songs. The middle paced ones tend to be the lesser interesting tracks. “I’ll Find You” opens with Colin Doyles strong and unique vocals driving it along with its stomping riff. Then there’s a few of those mid paced tracks, before ” What thought Did” and “If I Could” liven things up. The delicate tracks of “Falter” and “Avalanche” are awesome and show off the vocals of the guitarist Paul Townsend too. They work perfectly together and are great songs live. “Silver” was the highlight single which also saw them appear on Top Of The Pops back in the day. It has the classic big slow Hundred Reasons chorus and faster verse. “Gone Too Far” has some of the heaviest moments of the album in it, before the aforementioned “Avalanche” gently closes the album. I just wanted more “Remmus” though. Still its a great album and one that inspired a lot of other British bands to come and that are probably in my list somewhere.
39. BEN FOLDS – ROCKIN’ THE SUBURBS
(2001 – T12 G10 B7 UB4)
This album was released on a sunny Tuesday in September 2001… which happened to be 9/11. I’m guessing it wasn’t much of a release party. Regardless this was Ben Folds’ solo debut. After 3 albums as Ben Folds Five (with his 2 band mates, not 4, don’t do the math), all of which are in my chart, with one left to go. This is his best as a solo artist and on which he played all the instruments bar a few secondary ones like the cello. It is full of the traditional Ben Folds harmonies, quirks, comedy, sadness and joy.”Annie Waits” is a fine start but “Zak and Sara” is a funky little finger clicking number which ups the ante, then comes the song for his son “Still Fighting It”, which sounds kinda sad but is just proper nice. Theres a line about 20 years from now, his son will do something and by shit we are nearly 20 years on now!!! . That toddler he is singing to is now a grown man. scary stuff. he did a song for his daughter on the album after this which was in the chart about 3 months ago. “Fred Jones Pt.2” is the saddest song on the album with guest vocals from the singer of Cake. Its a song about a guy whose retiring, and no one really notices even after 25 years. A great song though. There’s a little bit of middle filler next but for Ben Folds that means they are still quality songs. “Not The Same” which is a live interaction favourite is a song about a friend of his who went up a tree on drugs and then came down a born again Christian… true story. The title track introduces rare electric guitars into Ben’s work and is a dig at the middle class white guys rapping, which was popular at the time. The highlight is the final track “The Luckiest”, as song designed for weddings. Something Ben knows a lot about as he has been married 4 times. The lyrics are full of imagery and kinda simple ideas, my favourite being: “Next door there’s an old man who lived to his nineties and one day passed away in his sleep, And his wife, she stayed for a couple of days, and passed away. I’m sorry I know that’s a strange way to tell you that I know we belong”. The lyrics adorn a canvas thing in the downstairs toilet…. come to think of it thats an odd place for them, but that’s my wife for ya!
40. SNUG – SNUG
(1999 – T12 G10 B7 UB4)
Snug! These are one of those slightly nerdy English indie-punk-pop type bands that were seemingly right and deep up my alley in the late 90s. Bands like Symposium, Midget, Silver Sun, A. Gel, Bennet, who tended to end up being bigger in Japan than over here. Snug did a kind of Weezer, meets Green Day, meets Beach Boys, with a dash of moog keyboard, geek rock. They did 2 albums and then split. The 2nd of which was not all that great, but before that their was this awesome debut along with several non-album singles and awesome b-sides. One of these singles was what first alerted me to their presence in “Ode To The Day” which was added on the bonus CD for this album, an ultimate banger if ever i heard one… sadly doesn’t count towards this albums score. As for the album itself, it starts with the moogy “I Wonder” before the nearly pure Weezer track “4 Blue Squares” follows with its waltzy flow. “My Girl (Keith)” is classic geek pop punk fun. “Palm Trees” is packed with harmonies and a surf guitar section in the middle that is just awesome. “Beatnik Girl” was their most successful single (success being that it peaked at #55 in the UK chart… massive), helped by a video that included randomly Melinda Messenger, who was at the height of her “rear of the year” powers at the time! “Under The Sea” is almost like a classic 50s ballad or something. There’s even a barbershop quartet section at the start of the ultra fast “God Sure Don’t Like Ugly”. It’s a shame they disappeared and the album is barely on youtube and not at all on Spotify. Snug, your time was brief and odd, but fun and thank you for the random fan pack i got once, filled with signed stuff, an advert for milk and a tesco bag if I recall correctly. Ed Harcourt from the band has gone on to have a solo career which I am yet to check out, but will do.
Phil's Top 250 Albums 
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