Jackson Jackson- The Fire Is On The Bird

It seems that even The Cat Empire's music wasn't left-field enough for its trumpeter! So he formed Jackson Jackson as a side project and they released this debut album in 2007.

A Hole In The Garden is mystic, incoherent and rambling. So it makes the perfect introduction to this madhouse of an album!

Things become a lot more accessible for The International Society Of Bad Dancers. Not only are the lyrics amusing, but the hooks are every bit as effective as the pop hits it parodies. Highlights are the fantastic afro-beat and very catchy chorus.

I don't really know what Cats Rats and Pigeons actually is, but I like it! The strange tangents kinda upset the groove (as is common on this album), but that's just part of the quirky appeal.

Eliza is an epic intergalactic electronica journey. Yet it is also a humble and personal story. Somehow these contrasting aspects manage to sit together perfectly, thus creating my favourite song on the album. The build-up to the enormous ending is also a highlight.

The Flicker And The Spark, Grab A Gun and The Fire Is On The Bird are a long way from my typical musical taste, and just a bit too left-field for me. The same applies to Intelligent Evolved And Insane, but everything is forgiven thanks to its epic bass!

Down To The River is up there with Moby's finest efforts for combining electronica with traditional music. The boogie-woogie element works a treat here to create an oddball yet catchy hit. Also, the narrative is cute.

Speaking of narrative, the lyrics of Waxed World are beautifully endearing and philosophical. It's not muscially the most interesting song, but I do enjoy it for the lyrics alone.

Favourite songs

The International Society Of Bad Dancers, Cats Rats And Pigeons, Eliza, Down To The River, Waxed World

Worthwhile?

Yes. Totally unique and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Angels- Their Finest Hour

This Best Of was released in 2008 and covers the band's career (in its original incarnation) from 1974 to 1999. The majority of the hit singles were produced between 1976-1980.

Kicking things off is the timeless pub-rock anthem Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again. Vivid and poetic lyrics are an Angels trademark, and here they combine perfectly with a simple, catchy chorus. Of the two versions on this compilation, the opening track is a bit dulled, partly due to a dirty sound with lots of feedback. My preference is the "Original Single" version (the final track), thanks to a crisper sound and a more frenetic feel. Also, the opening riff is also a great addition. It is the icing on the cake for a fantastic pop song.

Comin' Down sounds to me like a poor cousin of an AC/DC song. The musical ideas are pretty bland, and they are flogged to death. The verdict for Can't Shake It is very similar, although the song has potential. If the bass guitar sound was bigger, I think I would like it.

Thankfully, it's back to their trademark angry rock'n'roll brilliance with I Ain't The One. It closely follows the formula of most of their hit singles, but there's no point trying to mess with perfection!

After The Rain keeps things fresh, thanks to its solid slow-burn rock style. The ideas are all quite simple, but well executed. Marseilles is similar, although not quite as catchy. No Exit is another, and features a great singalong chorus. In all three, the craggly voice is unusual for this style, so it makes for a unique highlight.

On the other hand, the ballad Love Takes Care is simply awkward. Clearly their style isn't suited to getting in touch with one's softer side! Be With You is a much more coherent effort. Regardless, both ballads are worthwhile for bringing some variety to the album.

Take A Long Line is wall-to-wall brilliance, from the first note of the pulsing bassline. The crunchy guitars over the top work a treat, as does the simple yet infectious chorus. But distinguishing it for the thousands of other headbanging rock tunes is the fantastic imagery of the lyrics. The tale of the underdog getting the last laugh shines through with lines such as:
Pulled out his teeth and told him to grin
He gave them a smile, pulled out a bottle of wine
And said "I never existed, you've been wasting your time"

Out Of The Blue is very aptly named. Compared with the rest of the album, it sounds like something from another planet! Very strange, but I do appreciate the variety. The chorus sounds to me a lot like "Wild Thing". Also, I'm always up for a bit of organ, so that adds a nice element for a novelty song.

Finally, The Angels making a disco song?! Yes! I really dig Open That Door. The gravelly lyrics make for a wonderful contrast with the saccharine musical style.

Favourite songs

I Ain't The One, After The Rain, Take A Long Line, Open That Door, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (original single version)

Worthwhile?

This might be a surprise, but the answer is a definite "no". Any Best Of by The Angels can't possibly be complete without their timeless classic No Secrets...

Pulp- Different Class

Different Class is Pulp's hugely successful sixth album, which was released in 1995. This was during a golden era for britpop, as Oasis and Blur were also at their prime.

For many people, much of Pulp's appeal is due to the lyrics and the charismatic lead singer. For me however, both these intertwined aspects are often downsides of Pulp. The singer often comes across as a cloistered arts student tosser, preaching as the self-proclaimed spokesman for the working class. On top of this, there are often undertones of a creepy stalker-esque vibe. Anyway, I'd better get off my soap box, because there is an album here to review!

Thankfully, it starts out well with Mis-shapes. The gentle opening builds anticipation, ramped up further by the energy of the pre-chorus, and then resolved with a wonderfully catchy chorus. Pop perfection. But then the cycle repeats a few more times without any real overall direction or injection of new ideas. So by the end of the song, it has gone quite stale. Monday Morning suffers the same "Groundhog Day" fate, which is a pity because the sparse guitar introduction and deconstructed ska groove are great sections.

In Pencil Skirt, I am struggling to overlook the really creepy stalker-esque lyics. Though I do enjoy the subtle hammond organ sounds and the bridge section. However, the awkwardly tacked-on ending is a bit of a shambles.

From the first time the infectious guitar and keyboard melodies of Common People are heard, it marks the beginning of a wonderful journey and a pop anthem masterpiece. Despite my opening rant, the narrative of the lyrics is a wonderful highlight of the song. It is brimming with vivid and touching accounts of working class life, for example:
You dance and drink and screw, 
because there's nothing else to do.
Although the lyrics (especially towards the end) have an undertone of a bitter class war, I prefer to view them as a celebration of "ordinary" lives; as viewed by a naïve and curious female subject, who just happens to have a rich father. Viewed through this lens, it is a wonderfully uplifting experience (not least as a drunken singalong!).

The instrumentals on Common People perfectly support the lyrics, but they also do so much more. It builds and builds and builds, with countless instrumental cameos adding to the layering. The melodies are all quite simple and catchy, but their blending leads to a wonderfully rich tapestry. And the climax is a colossal ending. Common People is a fantastic arrangement, and represents Pulp at their best.

Similarly, I Spy is another grandiose masterpiece. And the lead singer's creepiness fits perfectly here! The sneering and sucking through teeth perfectly complement the narrative. As per Common People, the instrumentals create a captivating journey through the song, again with countless subtle hooks all blended together perfectly.

Disco 2000 makes great use of a... ummm... disco style. It's great bouncing fun. And I do also enjoy the lyrics for this one, especially the chorus.

Here is where the album is pretty much over for me. If Live Bed Show has any musical merit, it is completely dwarfed by the extreme creepiness of the lyrics. A story where the bed is the main character? Really?! And Underwear is almost as cringe-worthy.

Sorted For E's & Wizz thankfully brings some enjoyment to the second half of the album. The style perfectly captures that wonderfully surreal feeling of being absorbed in a music festival. The Theremin sound is a great part of illustrating that it feels like we are on some kind of magical spaceship. The lyrics of the chorus are a bit of a killjoy for me (when you're in the zone, the last thing you want to think about is tomorrow's hangover!), but musically it is very captivating.

Favourite songs

Common People, I Spy, Disco 2000, Sorted For E's & Wizz

Worthwhile?

Yes. When the stars align for a handful of songs, the musical greatness overcomes my philosophical grumblings about the lyrics.

Bodyjar- How It Works

How It Works is Bodyjar's fourth studio album, which was preceded by No Touch Red. It was released in 2000, the same year as Warning by Green Day, Pennybridge Pioneers by Millencolin and Conspiracy Of One by The Offspring.

Kicking things off with a brilliant opening is Not The Same. From the moment it starts, it is pop-punk perfection: biting lyrics, fast-paced, nice arrangement, brilliant main riff and a great singalong chorus. This song was the sole reason I bought the album, and it remains an all-time favourite song of mine.

From there it goes downhill badly. Such is the tight definition of the pop-punk artform, the mediocre songs are probably 99% similar to outstanding ones, but somehow these do nothing for me. Not helping the cause is that the recording of the cymbals sound like a badly compressed mp3.

And the fade-out ending of Feed It? Lame.

A rare exception is the other single, Fall To The Ground, where the storytelling stands out as wonderfully captivating. Therefore, I suspect that the lyrics are the perhaps the reason why the rest of the album completely misses the mark for me.

To avoid dragging out the trainwreck, here endeth the review.

Favourite songs

Not The Same, Fall To The Ground

Worthwhile?

Absolutely not. I should have just bought the single for Not The Same.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones

2006 saw big releases from Muse (Black Holes and Revelations), The Killers (Sam's Town), Eskimo Joe (Black Fingernails Red Wine) and... the second album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It all seems like just yesterday, can't believe it was 9 years ago!

Usually for these reviews, I pick out some individual songs and prattle on about genres, choruses and composition. But a couple of songs into this album, I realised that approach would be missing the point here. This album is not a collection of songs, it's a single 38 minute experience. My first listen to this song was while reading a biography of a sports star, and it fitted perfectly. Just as the readers followed this boy through family life to being a promising rookie and eventually a superstar, this album somehow has a strong sense of familiarity throughout, with gentle evolution around a central arc.

As the entry point, Gold Lion works perfectly, establishing a grand sense of scale and a trance-like mood. There are no memorable hooks to reflect on afterwards, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Way Out follows the same recipe (as does much of the album), but the new melodies keep things fresh at all times.

Cheated Hearts stands out as a catchy pop song. This is just an observation, and does not imply that the other songs are lacking somehow. After all, you'd hardly criticise an orchestral masterpiece for lacking a melody that gets stuck in your head!

Eventually, we are returned to reality with Turn Into, which is a perfect conclusion to the experience. At face value, I really dig the gentle lullaby with the subtle build-up. More philosophically, to me it is a vision of hope for the world, as we depart planet Show Your Bones and bravely re-enter reality. Sorry for going all metaphysical! ...but the beauty of this album is a strong emotional connection.

Favourite songs

None of them, yet also all of them.

Worthwhile?

Absolutely. This album is a prog-rock masterpiece that never gets stale, thanks to gentle ebbs and flows.

Various- Stoneage Cameos

On the chopping block today is the 2005 album of covers from the Hoodoo Guru's 1984 breakthrough debut. Unfortunately, I don't have a reference point for these covers, since I'm not familiar with the original album. So, for better or worse, these songs will be judged on their own merits.

Luckily, that's not a demanding task for songs like Turn On by The Wrights and I Was A Kamikaze Pilot by Grinspoon, since both follow the proved recipe of infectious, bouncy pop-rock.

While I quite like The Spazzys and Even, for I Want You Back and Arthur respectively, it feels like they're struggling with material to work with. I Want You Back's chorus and Arthur's main riff are great highlights, but otherwise they're pretty lacklustre songs. Even worse is Spiderbait's My Girl which has no memorable hooks and quickly becomes a case of flogging a dead horse.

Surprisingly for an album comprising various bands, there's quite a strong trend throughout regarding the audio quality. Unfortunately it's the messy and harsh treble sounds, usually in the form of excessive distortion on the guitars (although thankfully the Grinspoon song is an exception).

Ok, I'll stop whingeing now! Death Ship by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males, Zinzibar by The Blackeyed Susans and My Girl Part 2 by Spiderbait are all completely left-field, but they work really well here as quirky interludes.

I really hope that Dallas Crane's Dig It Up isn't about necrophilia! Because otherwise it's a superb effort of grunty riff-rock.

Finally... Leilana by The Living End. The jungle drums, the slapping bassline, the soaring guitar, the epic story about love and volcanic sacrifice- this song is actually the sole reason I bought the album. It all comes together perfectly, making for one of my all-time favourite songs. The groove sets the scene of tropical island voodoo perfectly, I could listen to it for hours on end.

Favourite songs

Turn On, Dig It Up, Leilani, I Was A Kamikaze Pilot, My Girl Part 2

Worthwhile?

As a fanboy of The Living End, it is totally worth it. Otherwise, there are a few good moments, but I probably wouldn't bother (probably due to being unfamiliar with the original songs).

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood Sugar Sex Magik

The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in 1983, however it was 1991 when all the stars lined up and Blood Sugar Sex Magik shot them to international mainstream success.

Funk isn't normally my cup of tea, but I ended up buying it anyway as a pop album. So please excuse me if I miss the point entirely! In that vain, the thin sound of the vocals isn't to my taste.

Even without really being into it, I can appreciate that songs such as The Power Of Equality, If You Have To Ask and Mellowship have absolutely slammin' funk grooves. Unfortunately it's a bit over-the-top for my taste.

Also completely over-the-top is Suck My Kiss, Give It Away and Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but this time it's a good thing. The rampant sexuality suits the music well and, as usual, the heavy funk grooves are wonderful. It's also amusing how the lyric "suck my kiss" was used to sneak the song past censorship; no prizes for guessing what "kiss" is meant to mean!

There's a couple of funk songs here that I dig, without being able to put my finger on why. In other words, I quite enjoy Funky Monks, The Righteous & The Wicked and The Greeting Song, but I don't know how they're different to The Power Of Equality etc. My Lonely Man is a nice blend of funk and rock.

Under The Bridge was absolutely everywhere back in 1991. On its own merits, I'm not really into the song itself. But I've so many memories wrapped up in that song, so it has a lot of nostalgic value.

I always dig unusual time signatures in pop music! So Breaking The Girl is a walk-up winner. And it has a flute! So it's an oddball favourite  of mine.

Favourite songs

Breaking The Girl, Funky Monks, Suck My Kiss, Give It Away, The Greeting Song

Worthwhile?

Before writing this post, I would have said that it wasn't worth it for me. But listening to the album for this review, I actually enjoyed a lot more of it than I was anticipating. So the verdict is yes, this iconic pop-funk album deserves a place in the collection.

Mission Impossible (movie soundtrack)

In 1996, everything Tom Cruise touched turned to gold. So when he "rebooted" Mission:Impossible as a movie franchise, it became a must-see movie. The soundtrack was also a big deal in its own right, since it featured various big-name artists. This was my main reason for buying the album, as a cheaper way to obtain a handful of pop songs I liked.

The theme song and instrumentals from the score aren't something you'd bother listening to years later, so I'll skip straight to the pop songs.

Spying Glass is vintage Massive Attack, starting with the backbone a gentle, yet driving beat. The effects and vocals on top create a wonderful feeling of spaciousness, making for a great song.

Somehow, a song commissioned for a film ended up being one of Pulp's greatest efforts ever. The instrumental arrangement of I Spy hits the same fantastic heights as Common People. And since I've always found Jarvis Cocker to be quite stalker-creepy, he is perfectly suited to the lyrics! Witness the following disturbed, yet poetic, brilliance: 
My favourite parks are carparks.
Grass is something you smoke,
Birds are something you shag.
So take your Year in Provence,
And shove it up your ass.

Unfortunately, Bjork is just too weird from me. I've tried to appreciate it, but I can't help thinking the songs are messages from a distant planets where the staple diet consists of LSD! The song Headphones is no exception. At the other end of the weirdness scale, Weak by Skunk Anansie is generic 90s rock. In my book, it hasn't aged well. And Alright by Cast was, and always will be, just generic britpop.

Dreams by The Cranberries may have been played to death on the radio, but I still dig it. The Irish accent of the vocals is a highlight for me, and it works a treat in the harmonies. Dreams is another song for the list of "songs with weird bridges", but somehow I like how the tortured whining breaks up the song. A nicely catchy pop effort.

You Me And World War III by Gavin Friday accompanies the movie's plot well. Unfortunately in isolation it doesn't have anything particularly captivating. The combination of rollicking drums and crisp acoustic guitar in So by Salt works very well. Reminding me of the band Pollyanna's style, I find it a moody and fascinating pop song.

Channelling Massive Attack in a big way is Nicolette with No Government. It works well, with the eastern influenced dub giving gives good variety to the soundtrack.

Favourite songs

Spying Glass, I Spy, Dreams, So

Worthwhile?

No. There are many albums I gladly own for four (or less) good songs. However, the albums for each of the four favourite songs are worth owning, so I should have saved my pennies for them...

Richard Cheese- Silent Nightclub

Here are a pair of universal truths: Christmas albums suck, and Richard Cheese is awesome. So where does that leave this Christmas album by Richard Cheese?

Released in 2006 (the same year as his mid-career Best Of), this is his sixth studio album.

Holiday In Cambodia may be drawing a long bow regarding the Christmas theme, but I thoroughly approve of its inclusion. The original is a favourite of mine, particularly due to the poignant lyrics. And it's perfectly suited to this jazz parody version.

On the other hand, I don't rate Madonna's Like A Virgin and this puts me off the Cheese version too. And Jingle Bells is a cheap gag dragged out for too long.

Christmas In Las Vegas is a rare original composition by Richard Cheese. The lyrics are nicely amusing and the instrumentals are very... ummmm... cheesy. So it meets the brief perfectly.

Who would have though that Ice Ice Baby would make a fantastic gentle lounge tune? The arrangement works really well and, of course, there is great novelty value in turning Vanilla Ice inside out.

Maybe I'm a bad person, but I really enjoy hearing the saccharine Do They Know It's Christmas torn to shreds! Especially the "that's too high" joke at the end. I Melt With You doesn't appeal to me musically and the lyrics aren't that funny, however the Weird Al cameo at the end is comedy gold.

Comedy aside, the adaptions of Personal Jesus, Naughty Girl and The Trees are brilliant songs. The bebop style of Personal Jesus injects some nice variety into the album, in fact I kinda wish the vocals weren't hammed up so much, so that the song could be enjoyed more seriously. Naughty Girl strikes an incredible combination of being super-catchy yet hilarious at the same time. Great stuff. Finally, The Trees has a seriously cooking boogie-jazz beat. The song is a bit all over the place (like the original), but it's tied together well so somehow it just works.

Favourite Songs

Holiday In Cambodia, Christmas In Las Vegas, Ice Ice Baby, Do They Know It's Christmas, Naughty Girl, The Trees 

Worthwhile?

Yes. To answer the opening question, even when shackled with the handicap of a Christmas album, Richard Cheese is indeed awesome.

Rage Against The Machine- self titled

Warning: explicit language ahead.

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Motherfucker

Worthwhile?

One hundred percent.






...ok so, Killing In The Name Of is one of those generation-defining songs, not to mention all all-time favourite of mine. However, let's see what else this album holds...so...

This is the 1992 debut album from the band, which shot them to international fame. I find it amazing that this was the band's first effort, because it's such a polished and "mature" effort.

Bombtrack is a bit too "nu-metal" for my taste (an unfair criticism since this album pre-dates the genre).

There aren't enough superlatives to describe Killing In The Name Of. It starts with a brilliant guitar riff. Then the lyrics, which are bristling with emotion, to say the least. Then another guitar riff for the ages. Then another. The song is just wall-to-wall excellence, from the gentle simmering through to the intense explosions of angst. Incredible.

The recording quality is also deserving of praise. Even after almost 20 years, it doesn't sound dated. While a modern recording would have a more enveloping bass-guitar sound (chorusing effect, I think?) and more digital effects on the drum sound, this album is still a delight to the ears.

Settle For Nothing has no appeal to me at all. It feels like spoken word, with a mindless "wall of noise" chorus tacked on. Also, the whole song feels a bit disjointed to me. The slow-burn funk verses of Take The Power Back are very nice, although I find this song is let down by its chorus. Know You Enemy has a great swung guitar riff., however the dog's breakfast of the arrangement kills the vibe for me.

Bullet In The Head uses a similar recipe to Take The Power Back, tweaked to perfection. It plods along menancingly at the start, and then the second half explodes thanks to a brilliant riff. Then the vocals kick in to take it even higher, creating a stellar climax.

None of the remaining songs on the album really appeal to me, so let's leave it here. A short, but incredibly intense journey.

Favourite songs

Killing In The Name Of, Bullet In The Head