This album starts like a compilation of television show intros. Singapore seemingly inspired the South Park theme. If not, it's a definite plagiarism case. What a different show it would be if it took place in Southeast Asia. Clap Hands has that melodic percussion drumming further popularized by Breaking Bad. Even Jockey Full of Bourbon mentions Fresh Prince's Uncle Phil has a couple of jacks up his sleeve. The rest of the album is a treasure trove of songs about outsiders on the ... read more

Pet Shop Boys are one of the most iconic electronic acts of the 1980s. A big achievement given the synth heavy vibe of the decade. Unsurprising really. Neil Tennant soft but powerful voice pairs so well with a synthesizer or drum machine it basically sets the format for the 90s clubland classics which followed. A much deeper record than I had expected with Shopping and Rent back to back songs focusing on consumerism and transactional relationships. The latter half of the album takes jabs at ... read more

50 years after Apollo 11, even hardcore conspiracy theorists can agree on Kid Cudi's Man on The Moon. There's no disputes there. This was an album of my teenagehood and it spoke to me almost nightly. Perhaps it's a result of the album's depressive, isolated throughline or perhaps it's because the album cover is one third man, two thirds crater face. I felt seen. Cudi will always have an army of misunderstood, 'not like the other boys', strugglers who sought ... read more

M.I.A starting off her debut album with a skit set the tone for the album to follow. A rap about the word Banana is less Holla Back Girl and more Minions hyping each other up. She has a distinct style genre bashing multi subgenres from reggaeton to UK grime. Only she could pull off rhyming Sri Lanka with banker. There's a lot of great stuff here. I always wonder how these musicians come across fully formed in their debut album working with other big names like Diplo and Wizard but this ... read more

This album makes your Dad feel cool and he should because it's still cool all these years later. Very ahead of it's time being one of the first to have all digital recordings, specifically marketed for CD as well as one of the first CGI music videos. Only thing that dates it is the biggest track Money For Nothing. "I want my MTV" is an iconic opening line but this quote is only said by daytime reality TV fans now. Having a singer like Sting in backing is a treat. It's ... read more

Linda McCartney is like the anti Yoko Ono. She inspired and motivated Paul to differentiate his style without needing to screech in Chuck Berry's ear on live TV. Paul likely has too much creative control here without the other Beatles counter arguments ruling out the sub par stuff. It's his approach of no idea is a bad idea that leads to creative endeavors like 'Monkberry Blue Delight' but also leads to wobbly songs like '3 legs'. Either way, it's nice to see ... read more

Hard to believe Nirvana only had 3 albums. Their influence is still going over 30 years later. Their legacy has a dedicated following of 90s rock enthusiasts and a graphic tee fashion army who got a T-shirt at their local retailer because they liked the font. Both are valid fanbases. Less polished album than Nevermind. To be expected after such immaculate produced album. Kurt's attempt to regain some musical control in a life of limited control. Lyrics are provoking and controversial with ... read more

Chaka could take the minutes of any meeting because she really knows how to hold notes. She used this as a springboard for her solo career and based on the band tensions creating this album it's no surprise. The drummer grabbed her throat during the recording of the album. That's the money maker. I don't encourage tensions and internal complications within bands but unfortunately it often produces the best results. Would Fleetwood Mac have made Rumors as well if they were trading ... read more

This was an eye opening experience as a first listen. Eye wateringly so. I can say Bon Voyage to my previous confusion for Bon Ivor as Bon Jovi. I never heard music where the main instrument is a... cabin. The isolation seeps through this album like a cold breeze under the door. The layered vocals echoes the sparse loneliness. Truly one of a kind. This supposedly had a big influence on DIY bedroom recordings. I'm not sure why as staying in a snowed in cabin in the woods can't be good ... read more

Billy Crogan smashed this pumpkin open and planted the seeds for bands like Muse and My Bloody Valentine to follow. His creative control was in full effect rerecording James Iha's and D'Arcy Wretzky's parts. The sort of group project where the one presenting the final submission overwrites anything not to their liking. James and D'Arcy should have just signed their name at the end and they would still get the same result. Hard to fault him really when the album turns out ... read more

I would say Go Bo Diddley shows how much Bo has grown as a musician from his debut album but these songs were recorded between 1955 and 1959 so likely has songs before ones on the previous album. I don't know what I'm talking about but that's all part of the fun. This was one of the first rock albums to entirely feature new material as covers and traditional songs were still the standard. Strange concept to think in modern day when Hollywood pumps out remakes, reboots, restarts, ... read more

Bo Diddley's debut album self titled Bo Diddley has opening track called Bo Diddley. It doesn't stop there, another track is Hey Bo Diddley and the B Side which I can only presume stands for Bo has Diddley Daddy. That is the sort of name recognition enforcement another Diddler further popularized. Luckily Bo didn't go down the Bo Diddley, Diddley, B. Diddley, Ellas McDaniel name variations. Bo incorporates nursery rhymes into his songs in an inventive way. Easy to steer into ... read more

Can were so destined to write Vitamin C that even some of the earlier tracks of the album sound very similar. It's almost like they're figuring their way out to get to that one specific song and wrote Pinch and One More Night along the way. I really wouldn't have guessed these guys came from Germany. There's so many influences here it would be hard to even pinpoint which hemisphere this music is coming from. Song Swan Song is a hypnotic trance lulling you into an easy ... read more

Henry Rollins is an enigma. Difficult to tell what's the man and what could be a persona. If he wasn't giving a gutteral roar for Black Flag who knows what he would be up to. Could he have adapted to office culture? Trying not to scream a printer into oblivion when it accidentally prints on both sides. The album cover effectively sets the tone for his career. Breaking a mirror should have been bad luck and arguably it was for him as some crowds would have a crack at him mid set just ... read more

I was looking for some creepy music over the Halloween period and this was what jumped out at me. An ear worm that crawled it's way deep into my brain, had a good look around, died and was reborn. There are some Vincent Price level spooky effects in this which start off somewhat haunting but then become slapstick. This builds until the final song where the crescendo surface tension breaks with a symphony of bubbling flatulence. Armpit squeaking levels of fart opera that would make a 8 year ... read more

It's this sort of soulful live instrumentation that got them the job at The Tonight Show. I'm sure it's a handy gig and they have a reliable income and a place for The Roots to put their roots down. Still, they are far too good to play briefly while Jimmy Fallon introduces Zac Efron on stage for a protein drink game. A Tribe Called Quest wouldn't play a jingle live for an afternoon gameshow so it's always a strange sight to see. Who am I to judge though, music is a ... read more

The Beatles might have defined the genre but they rarely stepped out of their comfort zone. They're often praised for their catchy lyrics but it really comes down to the simplicity of the lyrics. I'm not faulting it but there's only so many times you can rhyme do and you. I know there's a notepad out there somewhere of Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics struggling to find something good that rhymes with love. "My love fits like a glove, a mitten for your ... read more

Hard to believe this is a debut album. It's so well produced and polished as if the Go-Gos had already had four albums, two world tours and a financial dispute with their manager. Supposedly the band was surprised how the album turned out too as it was more pop than their punk start. Pop and punk have gone hand in hand since. Cyndi Lauper was a pop icon around this the time despite looking like she would throw a chair in her local pub and cut her hair with lit cigarettes. Although this ... read more

This is peak ambient music. Elevator music to Heaven. It can be filtered out in the background or focused on with easy transitions depending on your mood. Eno is a pioneer in the genre. Makes you think of those who tried something new but were unsuccessful and the ever expanding genres that never took off. In Dark Trees is one of the most beautiful tracks I've ever heard but if I had to guess the two main instruments used I would guess a freight train and flick a hair comb with your teeth. ... read more

Infamous might be a bit of a stretch as this was the first time I heard of Mobb Deep. This is my own fault as these hip hop duos used to be all the rage. Mobb Deep fall more in line with Eric B & Rakim, OutKast and Run The Jewels and less like Salt-N-Peppa and Milli Vanilli. An unexpected appearance from Q- Tip to clean out your ears of the grit was the perfect end.