How that name got passed publishers is beyond me. Only two songs too? Who approved that? As a customer seeing only two songs listed with full album prices my response would be "Expensive Shit" too. Luckily the afrobeat doesn't stop too soon with both songs over 25 minutes in total. Turns out the album is in reference to the police waiting to inspect Fela's shit after weed was planted on him. Surely there's still a better name. From The Soil A Garden Grows would be my ... read more

This album goes hard. Blood pumping across the board. When he's not pumping blood into his brain feeding into the delusion that he's a god, he's pumping blood elsewhere. This would be a great workout album. That ego is built up whether you notice it or not so you're better off to be doing something high octane. I listened to this in the office. I felt motivated to drop the Kind from my Kind Regards sign off when Kanye was demanding to hurry up with his damn massage and ... read more

I thought I was seeing things when I noticed this album has 43 songs. Surely that would be a band's entire discography. To add further confusion it's only 1 hour 15 minutes. What kind of highlight reel playlist of choruses could this be. I wasn't far off in my estimations. This album is start and stop the whole way through. First drafts of ideas that don't go far. Why they didn't blend the songs together cohesively to form something new is beyond me but I admire it. Who ... read more

Honky Cat sounds like such a novelty track but boy does that fat cat cook. It's Friday night and Garfield is heading for the big city lights. Such an upbeat suicide song as a means for attention is interesting from a musician on the cusp of stratospheric fame. I think we've all considered the notion of dying to see what imprint it would leave on your social circle but this song really points the finger at you for considering. It's not unusual to hear a plea for suicide in a late ... read more

The album cover's combination of the inflammable material sign with basic Helvetica font is the most 12 year old boy's bedroom door aesthetic. Supposedly the first album of the trip-hop genre. A UK based music genre transfusing American jazz, soul and R&B mainly started from Massive Attack's Bristol. Banksy is also from Bristol which incorporates American things with British culture. What is going on in Bristol to cause such a partnership? American TV influencing Bristolians ... read more

Tracy Chapman came speeding into the scene causing a revolution with a protest album. The acoustic guitar doesn't soften the words that follow. A young voice with plenty to say covering women's rights, domestic violence and corruption. Behind the Wall is especially powerful as the stripped back instrumental really make you pay attention. This album was way ahead of it's time in some respects with it becoming a fight song during Bush's reign. Tracy refuses to let her music be ... read more

Coat of Many Colours seems like the name of a Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat knock off to avoid copyright infringement. Dolly Parton is as sweet as apple pie but boy do the men in her life let her down. Her mother gets dragged into it to. She starts with a beautiful tribute to her mother who stitched love into her jacket then in the very next song she's naming and shaming her for going off with her travelling man. Stitches get snitched on. Dolly has beautiful voice but her humming is ... read more

Damn, I thought the Beatles were British. These guys are next level. Makes Monty Python look American by comparison. A song about a troll called Grimble Grumble could be the soundtrack to Ronald Dahl's life. The comfort these guys have in their music is admirable. They seem to jump back and forth between well constructed melodies and lyrics to whimsical derangement. Pow R. Toc R is like a competition of who can do the best animal sound but gets steers into mating season at the watering ... read more

Couldn't find this album on Spotify but someone was nice enough to make a playlist for it. Debut album from Devo. What name recognition when their album name introduces themselves in a Q&A way. No further questions. Their song really hammers home that they are Devo too not to be confused with anyone else. I wonder when the first song of a band's debut album is such a recognisable hit how that comes about. Do they put their strongest foot forward and move their best song to the ... read more

DJs get a bad reputation compared to transitional instrumentalists. There's a limit to the notes a piano or guitar can knock out but a DJ can pull a sample from anything. DJ Shadow is a master of the sampling game but should get more credit for his play on words. Entroducing is worthy of an album to start again as soon as it ends like Pink Floyd's isn't this where we came in. Organ Donor where he pulls from a church organ sample is a real highlight. Song name definitely came ... read more

This album cover for Unknown Pleasures is iconic. It has a more widely known T-shirt than music. I've seen the exact design countless times without much knowledge of the band behind it. It's like finding out the Nike Swoosh has an album from the late 70s or The Banksy balloon girl has an associated novella. Wasn't to my usual liking but I'm intrigued for more. Everyone seems to get a lot more out of this band so I'm happy to research them further. The glass smashing at ... read more

Fiona Apple has a distinct sound. There's an aggressive tone in her singing that is never too far away. Like she stubbed her toe in the recording studio and is working through the pain. Her lyrics are also unlike anything I've experienced before. On paper it wouldn't make any melodic sense which can make it hard to follow musically when listening for the first time. The only thing I knew about Fiona Apple prior to this is that she quit cocaine after an overlong coked conversation ... read more

Joni Mitchell doesn't get the credit she deserves. She has 4 albums on the rolling Stones top 500 albums list but isn't as widely recognised by the public as some of her contemporaries. I had her confused with Janis Joplin but that's my own miseducation. I'm still part of the public and should know better. Where is her post credits scene soundtrack in Guardians of the Galaxy 2? These reintroductions are how younger audiences found Fleetwood Mac and Boston. Joni has a ... read more

Complete David Bowie virgin. Humbling to say. I have popped my music cherry and trying not to fall for the first person who showed any interest. Bowie doesn't remember making this as he was so coked up. I also don't remember much after a day or two. I enjoyed it but couldn't always make out the lyrics so it's more difficult to make a mental imprint. Worth a relisten to fully appreciate. The vibrado vibration he inflicts on his voice is so unique to him. Did they have to roll ... read more

This is truly ahead of it's time. Not decades off but at least a couple of years. 1977 is so early for this sort of electronic record. John Travolta was still tearing up the dance floor to the Bee Gees. Star Wars was causing parade level queues outside every cinema. In a Galaxy far far away in Dusseldorf a group of red traffic cone wearing guys were making this. It was noteworthy for it's sequenced rhythms at the time which is a wild statement. Supposedly it's known as krautrock ... read more

This is the closest thing to a greatest hits album. It's actually better than a greatest hits album because that would include Get Lucky instead of Versus Quo. These motorcycle helmet enthusiasts have influenced so much electronic music that followed and that's just in regards to headgear. Deadmau5, Marshmallow, etc. Even Sia grew out her bangs for a taste of Daft Punk anonymity. Very few issues with this. Slightly repetitive and overly long in parts. Too Long the last track of the ... read more

Randy Newman is the voice of Pixar. Some would argue its John Ratzenberger after appearing in 23 films but it's Randy. Without Randy, Pixar would be DreamWorks or even worse Illumination. His vocals turned Antz into A Bug's Life and that's no easy feat. Interesting to visit his earlier work. I expected it to be very different but he really didn't change his style all that much when the cartoon cheques came in. Half of these songs could be for future Pixar releases. One ... read more

What an intro. Good Times is as iconic as Happy Birthday as far as songs go. Textbook celebration music that fits every occasion. Clocking in unexpectedly at over 8 minutes is a bit of an after party. Like finding out Happy Birthday has additional lyrics "From good friends and true, from old friends and new. May good luck go with you, and happiness too." Just when you think it's over Chic come in with essentially a for he's a jolly good fellow verse. The rest of the album is ... read more

Easy background listening. So much so the album played in full and I didn't realize it was playing again until the start of the third song. Not a criticism. Having something comforting humming along in the background is high praise. Anyone can make an album that challenges all your senses but making ambient noise to soundtrack your day to day tasks is not easy. Grateful Dead always held a much grungier expectation in my mind. That name doesn't match this band. That name is more ... read more

I'll always remember hearing Love Lockdown live for the first time during the 2008 VMAs. That bass coming through my parent's oversized Hitachi speakers could be felt in my chest. I didn't realize the whole album would also be felt in my chest. I listened to 808s almost daily as 15 year old struck by unrequited love. Cupid was only carrying one arrow then and it was lodged deep. It's strange to revisit it all these years later and be struck by the reminder of my teenage ... read more