21. SAVES THE DAY – THROUGH BEING COOL
(1999 – T12 G11 B8 UB5)
33 minutes of raw pop-punk, emo before it became emo, greatness is next with Saves The Day’s 2nd entry and 2nd album, the cooly titled “Through Being Cool”. This is Saves The Day at their best, its a shame they basically have tweaked their style on nearly every album, and none are close to this. The punk pop riffs on here are glorious. Hard to believe this was released 20 years ago. I didn’t know it at the time it was only retrospectively after getting “Stay What You Are” (#91). The album kicks off sounding closer to their frankly rough debut album, but soon gets into stride, with tracks 3 to 8 being a great run of songs. “Shoulder To The Wheel” is a classic and obvious road trip fodder. love the chorus and its line “Dave steps on the gas, The world that’s flying by is slick and smooth”. The bitter emo classic “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic” is up next with it chuggy verse and some pretty dark lines “And if not, I’ll take my spoons, Dig out your blue eyes, Swallow them down to my colon, They’re gonna burn like hell tonight” . Dude… get over it! “Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots” is full of rolling little riffs and a jaunty little middle 8. “Third Engine” and “The Vast Spoils Of America” are travelling songs again, the first of which has more creepy possessive lyrics “Did you know, my sweet, That I once took the liberty of watching you in your sleep? I rolled over and over, Trying to touch our knees underneath the sheets”. The final track “Banned From The Back Porch” has a proper dirty little punk riff to kick it off and is a great way to finish the album, which only started half hour ago. Top 20 begins tomorrow… large scenes!
22. MILLENCOLIN – PENNYBRIDGE PIONEERS
(2000 – T14 G14 B11 UB3)
This album is probably a lot higher than a lot of people would expect. Its just such a solid album and over time I’ve gradually liked it more and more. Its melodic punk at it’s best with vocals that lift the music up by adding plenty of feels. It was a bit of a change in direction for the Swedish crew after some primarily ska based albums as there are only hints of that past on this album; primarily in single “Fox” which happens to be one of my least favourite songs on the album. Opener “No Cigar” featured on Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 which probably brought the band to a wider audience, but its track 3 “Material Boy” where things really get going for me. It’s a high paced pop-punk piece of glory. It’s not doing anything clever but its just perfect, esp the sort of breakdown bit later on. “Duckpond” chills things slightly but amps up the emotional vocal style, this was not expected from Millencolin. “Penguins & Polarbears” was the initial single off the album and while it doesn’t have much range, once it’s started it kinda stays the same, its still a belter. “Highway Donkey” is another UBer along the same lines as “Material Boy” but with a darker sound to it, but it totally rips through its 2.5 mins, may lead to speeding if listened to when driving. The closer is an acoustic song and possibly the best song on it. Appropriately called “The Ballad” its a song about a kid being bullied at school, and its just spot on.I’ve realised that my scoring system is biasing towards greater numbers of Bangers, rather than as a percentage of the overall tracks. This worked for lower down the chart but not so much here. Either way, cracking album and would def still be in the 30-21 range.
23. IDLEWILD – HOPE IS IMPORTANT
(1998 – T12 G12 B9 UB4)
Right back to 1998 now and the debut album of then Scottish noise-niks Idlewild. This followed their awesome and mental in parts EP “Captain”. Its fair to say they have calmed a lot since and still do good stuff, but the energy in this is awesome. It’s like your on the verge of a breakdown or something listening to it. The opener “You’ve Lost Your Way” is a song I would want playing in headphones in the (unlikely) event of me being about to beat the living shit out of someone! It’s frantic and full on chaos punk screaming gloriousness. “A Film For The Future” has a great twitching sorta riff to it and some proper slam your guitar breakdowns in. The audio tape spoken word bit with the rewind squeels adds to that near psychological collapse feel I was talking about. “Paint Nothing” gives some relief with a bit more melody but still has it’s edge and pace. “When I Argue I See Shapes” was the last single off the album and the biggest hit, getting to number 19, which at the time is incredible. It’s looping lyrics just sink into your brain, even if you have no idea what you’re singing about. A particular highlight is the high pitched “do” in the bridge. “4 People Do Good” is back to full paced fury. The screamed “I’ve got no motive” at the start of the chorus was a favourite to do in 6th form when listening to it. “I’m Happy To Be Here Tonight” was a sign of things to come, an acoustic song full of harmonies. Somehow it fits and is a fully needed respite and still a banger. BANG!! “Everyone Says You’re So Fragile” back up to speed. I prefer the single version (I think), which had a slightly different guitar line after the chorus (I know this as I used to be able to play this song once upon a time, humble brag) but this is still in full UB territory. “I Am A Message” was another single and is a lot like “When I Argue..” in style. The last few tracks lower the standard a tincy bit but still good. “Low Light” is a dark sounding scream-a-thon, if you weren’t jerking violently in a disturbed manner before this you sure are now as you ask for the lights to be turned down.
24. NAME TAKEN – HOLD ON
(2004 – T11 G11 B9 UB4)
Probably a band not many know. I heard of them off a Vans Warped Tour CD I think. This was the only album they managed to do before splitting a year later. They basically do emo-pop punk, not all that originality in it, but it is done to perfection on this album; and who needs originality when you can do songs like these. The things that elevate this above their rivals (bands like Taking Back Sunday, Hidden In Plain View, Armor For Sleep etc), is the vocal style and the drums. The vocals kinda have a lethargic style to them, not the totally clean cut wine you may expect from an California emo band. It might not be obvious what I mean by that, but either way I like it. The drumming is next level, theres a probably a fill every few seconds and this is a great album to air drum to, even if you have no idea what your doing like I don’t. The album has some proper nice little rolling guitar lines to it too. The opener “Control” kicks off at high pace and cruises through its near 3 mins full of urgency, before the quiet floaty guitar near the end and the bouncy climax. Love this song. “Hold On For Your Dearest Life” has probably the most cliche emo vocals on the album but its def a ultimate banger, primarily due to its climactic final third. “Panic” has the line “Panic at the Disco” in early on and is apparently or possibly the inspiration behind the now uber big Panic! At The Disco. Shame they turned out shite in the end. “Cover Up” has the line “Do you remember when you and I were less than us and we?” which i’m sure I’ve used on a Valentines card at some stage as a result. “It Sounds Prettier In Spanish” is a belter of a song with a fast verse slow chorus combo before a nice breakdown finish. Overall a great album with just the right level of production, else this could have come out sounding a lot like the rest of the pack.
25. WEEZER – WEEZER (THE WHITE ALBUM)
(2016 – T10 G10 B9 UB4)
It’s been quite a while since we had a Weezer album in the chart. This is one of 3 in the top 25 and those 3 so outweigh the other mixed bag they have released, so much so that they are still my favourite band. This was a totally unexpected surprise in it awesomeness and throwback to the Weezer of the 90s, 20 years on. There are songs on here which could sit just nicely in on either Blue or Pinkerton, obv they would be slightly different due to modern production quality but in pure sound they could. This is an album about California and appropriately stars with “California Kids” filled with surf rock harmonies and seagulls that you can almost taste the waves. “Thank God For Girls” is def one of my favourites on the album but I know it splits opinions in the Weezer community. I just love the way Rivers sings and also half raps on this song and also the jokey epicness of it all. The build up at the end where he uses parts of the Adam and Eve story to explain how he is smited by girls is genius. “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing” has a chorus straight out of the 60s and is a proper head nodder. “Do You Wanna Get High?” is basically a modern Pinkerton track or what to me “Slob” off Maladroit should have sounded like. Its solo is so Pinkerton. “King Of The World” appeared to be a favourite of a colicy 3 month old Charlie as he always seemed to calm when this among others was played loudly… and for that, if nothing else, it is an Ultimate Banger. “LA Girlz” is a classic and is such a Blue Album song, this time with the solo and harmonies matching perfectly that albums feel. The album finishes with 2 songs that almost don’t fit, yet so do. “Jacked Up” I love with its bouncy piano and falsetto vocals. Sticks right in the old noodle. “Endless Bummer” is what “Island In the Sun” was trying to be except this time they nail the Hawaiian summer vibe. This album was and is a joy. I just thought we’d never hear anything this good by Weezer again… perhaps we’ll have to wait another 20 years again, hopefully not.
26. SAY ANYTHING – SAY ANYTHING
(2009 – T13 G12 B9 UB4)Say Anything’s 3rd of 4 albums in the list now. This was their follow up to the slightly disappointing double album which was at #147. This was far more like their “debut”. I say “debut” as their original album was basically a demo in sound quality. Anyway, this album…. is an album. My love of Say Anything was in full rod mode at this point in their career, their output after this has wilted that somewhat but I love this album. There are 4 UBs on this all filled with the odd lyrics and varied vocals of Max Bemis. The album starts of with a sort of intro song “Fed To Death” which again is a song with lyrics spouting from his Jewish upbringing, more an ironic commentary on religion. “Hate Everyone” follows and was the lead single, this is almost a clear attempt at a hit single with it catchy, near irritating at first chorus, but due to the delivery it more than passes the banger test. Next come 2 funky less guitar based songs, “Do Better” driven by a synthy string rhythm and “Less Cute” a norty little brass section. Then come 4 solid songs, 3 of them UBs. “Eloise” is a straight up rock song about a split. “Mara and Me” is the highlight of the album for me with is multiple sections and very odd lyrics, the opening lines being “There are babies with guns beheading their friends, In shopping malls around the world, Yet somehow the Kings of Leon, Still find time to write songs about girls, I don’t suck much less” before the song stops and “Wait a second – I can’t write the same damn song over and over again” and the song changes. There are some awesome full on blast guitar section in this song. You just need to hang on round the twists and turns. “Crush’d” is a keyboard based song which, as Say Anything often do, ironically use the cliche “did it hurt when you fell from heaven girl” lyric to close it out. “She Won’t Follow You” is a belter of a song and prob my 2nd fave. The album fades a bit in the latter section but is still good. The finale more than makes up for it with “Ahhh… Men” which is a builder that ends with epic finale and is the ranty song which Say Anything often do. Say Anything prob aren’t for everyone, especially with their later stuff, its not even for me, but at this point they were awesome, in the range of places they would take their songs.
27. JIMMY EAT WORLD – BLEED AMERICAN
(2001 – T11 G11 B10 UB3)Now you know were into serious stuff when “Bleed American”, as it was called when I bought it, appears in the chart. It had is name changed after 9/11 to just “Jimmy Eat World” but pah to that “Bleed American” it is. This is known as a critical album in the history of emo, sort of like a gateway drug, it opened the door to a whole other type of music and bands for those who loved it. That includes me, prior to this many of the bands in this list (not just due to pure timing) would have been way off my radar. Though this album is at 27, there are still 2 more JEW albums to come. The opening track was the first single off the album and again was called “Bleed American” at the time but changed to “Salt Sweat Sugar” post 9/11. Its a classic. Filled with a killer riff and sweaty sounding emotion all over it with Jim Adkins wobbly (not as in dodgy) vocal giving the words umph. My favourite song and partly life changing song, is “A Praise Chorus”. I say life changing as I think when listening to it aged 25 suddenly a couple of lines in the song impacted me:
“Things are never gonna be the way you want
Where’s it going to get you acting serious?
Things are never going to be quite what you want
Even at twenty five you got to start sometime”It was almost directly talking to me. I was a sheepish young man, kinda full of inner confidence but externally transparent. I was as it goes on to say “living my life standing at the back, looking around”. From then on I gradually started saying stuff in my head (jokes and shit, not like arsonistic thoughts or anything), and generally be more like the person I wanted to be and internally felt I was. Anyway enough emo bullshit, the album means a lot to me. “the Middle” is classic emo pop, with similar messages to the previous one. “Your House” is nearly like songs of “Clarity” an album at this stage I hadn’t heard. The 3rd UB is “Hear You Me” which is totes emosh and clearly about someone whose died. The album is full of bangers, the only non-banger being “Authority Song” which is good, but just below the mark. “Sweetness” I’ve poss heard a bit too much with its wo”s but is still a classic. “My Sundown” is a perfect ending song for this album. First Class (as Alan Partridge may say post coitus)
28. EMERY – THE WEAK’S END
(2004 – T10 G10 B8 UB4)
“ARE YOU LISTENING??!!” *cough* sorry, thats the first screamed line of the album. An album that for a while in the mid-00s was my bestest favouritest. It’s obv drifted a bit since but not by far really. This is the 6th and final Emery album on the list but was their debut. It’s obviously very much a screamo album, but their USP has always been the way the dual vocals are used and overlap each other, especially in the melodic sections. The way they flip between the 2 styles is also pretty different to most stuff in this genre. The pace changes a frequent but on this album they fit better than later efforts. The songs can go from screaming angst to arching epic orchestral sounding sections in seconds. “Walls” which is the opener referred to is very much one of my favourite songs, maybe top 10. It best demonstrates the differing sections they often have in their songs, from it scrreamy beginning to its dual screamed breakdown ending, through the awesome bridge with line swapped and split between the two singers. “Ponytail Parades” is a slower affair but builds towards the end into pure epicness (again dual vocals doing the trick). “Disguising Mistakes With Goodbyes” doesn’t repeat any section of a song but all sounds like it belongs. There is a slight lull in the middle section of the album but its still good, before the last 3 generally slower sadder feeling sounds come along. “As Your Voice Fades” is about someone dying and had a big impact on me as this album was released the year my dad died. The finale is an masterpiece “The Secret” is just immense, and about a break up (standard) but its done in such a great way. The build up to the ending is awesome.
29. OASIS – (WHAT’S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY
(1995 – T10 G10 B8 UB4)So bring on the complaints about position again…. Being #29 is no shame its solidly in my 10/10 range and def an album I love. Part of that affection is because it also brings back all the memories of being a teen in the 90s and Britpop, a time when mainstream music inspired people to pick up instruments rather than talk aggressively about knifing people, brap brap etc over a load of clicks and whistles, yes that shows my age but it was great time, Euro 96, Jumpers for Goal Posts, Chris Evans on the radio, Johnny Vaughn on the Big Breakfast, TFI Friday…. glories. It also invokes memories of the Blur/Oasis rivalry and the big fuss over who would get that number one in the “Country House” v “Roll With It” back in August 1995. Controversially at the time I was more a fan of Blur’s “Country House” and maybe still am-ish, but Blur have never done enough good songs on a single album to get anywhere near this list. And yes this for me is the better album compared to “Definitly Maybe” (again spelling), not by a lot it just has an extra banger and 2 more ultimate bangers and doesn’t have “Shakermaker” and that was enough for a 19 place difference. “The Masterplan” which is the glorious collection of B-sides would have made it to No.43 as we saw the other day if it was eligible.. “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” and its oddly placed brackets and “?” was massive and probably by far the biggest album in the UK on my list. 6 of the 10 songs on the album got released as singles in one way or another. “Wonderwall” is probably the song that most represents this whole period for me and an orchestral version of this was played while the soon to be Mrs was walking up the aisle at our wedding. “Don’t Look Back In Anger” was the Noel sung song on the album and has only got bigger over time, esp after it’s use in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing. Once middle filler to me “Cast No Shadow” is now one of my favourites also, I guess at 15 I just wanted more fun in my songs. “Morning Glory” is just a ripper of a song from the helicopter noise to the gradual build up and then the blast in of the iconic guitar solo. “Champagne Supernova” is a perfect chilled way to end the album and even that has its massive moments. The album is a classic of its time.
Why’s it not higher? well as seen in the rest of my list most of my stuff is not of this type so it would be odd for this to be a massive outlier, but believe me 29 is very high. All of the remaining albums are solid favourites and any could accompany me to the proverbial desert island dependent on mood.
30. MONEEN – THE RED TREE
(2006 – T11 G10 B8 UB4)
The top 30, which is now full serious business, kicks off with the 2nd helping from Moneen in the chart. This one is ranked not much above their other entry and gets there primarily based on consistency. The highs may not be as high but its chock full of bangers. On this album Moneen kinda tidied up their sound, which loses a little something but also gains as the sometimes too high level of musical atmospheric indulgence is lost. The first 6 are all bangers and the opener also has the quirk of being based on a line from Lost “Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do”. “If Tragedy’s Appealing, Then Disaster Is An Addiction” is an awesome emo-esque title and is the lead single off the album and it flows along like a good-e with its kinda unusual drum beat through out it. “Bleed And Blister – Version 3” has a great little guitar melody, which was my ringtone for a while. The first big epic song on the album comes in the form of “The Day No One Needed To Know”. The “Sing for…..” moment in the lyrics later on is almost like some kind of arms to the sky gospel appeal (though not in a religious way, it just has that feel). The long titles continue throughout the album so I won’t mention all. The final highlight comes in the frankly depressing last song “The Song I Swore I Would Never Sing” but is possibly my favourite on there. Mainly just piano based its full of atmosphere and about someone needing space or what not but when the music stops and it comes back in with “Kill yourself, surprise your friends. Raise a toast to everything we once had” to finish the song, its an awesome way to finish the album.
Phil's Top 250 Albums 
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