rock

Alice Cooper – Killer (1971)

February 8, 2025

Whilst not quite reaching the heights of Love It To Death, Killer is another decent Alice Cooper record. The songs don’t quite jump out at me here on album number four, but the sound is still excellent and the journey is enjoyable for every second. To it’s credit, there are no pacing issues with Killer; it seems more solid and consistent a version of Love It To Death, but is somewhat more generic as a…

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Alice Cooper – Love It To Death (1971)

Things take a general uptick for the better on Alice Cooper’s third album. The production, once again, is absolutely fantastic in every possible way and makes this a dream to listen to. Speaking of dreams, opener “Caught In A Dream” (doesn’t Napalm Death have a track with the exact same name? ha) gets us off to a flying start, a start made even stronger by the incredible “I’m Eighteen”; one of Alice’s biggest hits for…

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Alice Cooper – Easy Action (1970)

February 5, 2025

A decent follow-up record and a solid sophomore effort in general. Easy Action feels more grounded, even if it is quite progressive in parts. It is experimental, but not “Zappa weird” (for lack of a better term) like the band’s debut. If I thought Alice (the man) had developed his trademark snarl out of the gate with Pretties… then boy was I wrong, as on Easy Action, right out the gate with the (absolutely excellent)…

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Alice Cooper – Pretties For You (1969)

Pretties For You is the debut full length album from Alice Cooper (the band, not just the man) from all the way back in 1969. Other than the bizarre inclusion of a live track about 2/3 of the way through the tracklist, this thing is produced wonderfully for the time and sounds fantastic. Musically, Alice’s (the man, not the band) vocals are distinct even at this early point in time, but as a whole the…

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Pussy Galore – Exile On Main Street (1986)

February 2, 2025

So this is what, a re-intepretation of Stones’ Exile album? If there’s a joke (or even a purpose here) then I’m afraid it’s gone over my head. Like… I’ve listened to some shit in my time, I’ll be honest with you. This does absolutely nothing for me.

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God – Breach Birth (1990)

Breach Birth is the first EP by experimental collective God. It is significantly shorter even than some God songs (lol), but it’s a brilliant, if slightly rougher around the edges taste of what would come with the full lengths. Admittedly, they are more sprawling in scope and weirdness, but the experimental carnage was there from the very start. An excellent EP.

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Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (2021)

A Short of Mdou Moctar playing live popped up on my YouTube account a few months ago. I have no idea how, or why, it was recommended to me, but I’m sure as fuck glad that it was. Afrique Victime is a fantastic album. It’s a bit outside of my wheelhouse so forgive me this somewhat lacklustre review. The production is clear as day, allowing the ever-flowing inspiration that is Mdou Moctar’s music to unfurl…

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Oblachniy Kray – Стремя и люди (1985)

January 17, 2025

Truly, a wild ride! I go into this with little to no knowledge of the band or the expectation of the sound that they perform. My first impression is that this is some sort of Soviet version of Mr. Bungle, and whilst I suppose aurally I wouldn’t be too far wrong with my summation, that does do a little disservice to the uniqueness and quirky nature of these guys and their music. Let’s not forget…

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Swans – Young God (1984)

January 13, 2025

A slow, harrowing, disgusting crawl through a painful set of songs. Like wading through tar, or something. Production seems infinitely worse than both Filth and Cop before it; the sound has this strange hollowness to it; as if you’ve been dealt a catastrophic blow to the head and are listening to this whilst drifting in and out of consciousness. “I Crawled” is easily the highlight here, and the song went on to reoccur several times…

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Public Image Ltd – Happy? (1987)

January 1, 2025

Without wanting to be too melodramatic, Happy? is everything I worried that Album would be (yes, the album before this album, which is called Album). Album was so poppy and drenched in a sunny, up-beat 80s production, that I worried it would be the death of PiL’s experimental and weird side. Whilst Album retains PiL’s uniqueness, I unfortunately cannot say the same for Happy?, which succumbs far more heavily to the vices of the 80s…

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Baazlvaat – The Higher Power (2021)

December 31, 2024

Excellent black metal. Perfect measures of melody and necrotic lofi hell. Matches the horrors of the unknown and the profane darkened secrets of the universe with the more grounded and relatable experience of the simple pleasure of loud music. Entranced together, we must drink of this cup and become ascended. Or something.

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Public Image Ltd – Album (1986)

I’m almost loathe to say it, because naturally I’d like to think that I would personally prefer more challenging and experimental music, but PiL’s Album – a fairly straightforward and pleasant record in comparison to some of their others – is their best album to date chronologically. The meandering weirdness of the previous records is dialled back, and the songs whilst not particularly traditional in how they are laid out are indeed more streamlined than…

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Public Image Ltd – This is what you want… This is what you get (1984)

December 29, 2024

A surprisingly streamlined and focussed effort from PiL, who have thusfar been getting more and more abstract with each passing studio album. Their 4th does not eschew all of their postpunk weirdness, but the rigid, military-precise backbone of 80s synth pop underpins most of the songs here. The band have had tight rhythm sections in the past, but you could set your watch by this one. John Lydon also has a lucidity to his presence…

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Liquify – Illusionary Reality (2021)

December 28, 2024

Thoroughly enjoyable psych / doom / stoner stuff with very cool artwork. As you would except, this thing meanders all over the place, with lots of guitar solos and spacey musical motifs throughout. Do not expect the wheel to be reinvented, but if you want a solid, well-written and fun album, look no further.

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Public Image Ltd – The Flowers Of Romance (1981)

December 26, 2024

This album is just one giant breakdown and I am absolutely here for it. The underpinning monolith that is Jah Wobble is very clearly absent, but despite this I would not say that PiL has suffered massively for his absence. Perhaps they are even more meandering and dreamy now than before, but they still do a good job of keeping their maddening songs grounded in a solid bass rumble. I can’t say that the other…

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The Beatles – Yellow Submarine (1969)

Considering how great the later Beatles albums are, Yellow Submarine seems like a bit of a side step. The records have been growing and growing in experimentation and I suppose maturity for lack of a better term, but Yellow Submarine just seems totally pointless to me, especially considering it’s significance in the overall cultural zeitgeist and image surrounding The Beatles. Granted, a lot of this has to do with the film, but I can’t help…

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Thule Thule – Under The Spell Of (2018)

December 25, 2024

One of the better “off the beaten track” offerings in the “magick metal” world. At first, it comes across as yet another murky entry in the style, but as the record unfolds it takes some surprising twists and turns. The guitar playing in particular is of note; with doomy, stoned riffs and ripping, widdly soloing. Despite this, the production is decidedly low key, ensuring that we remain fully entranced by and firmly Under The Spell…

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Public Image Ltd – Metal Box (1979)

I’ve come back to Metal Box countless times over the years, but I have never really been able to put my finger on what’s going on here. It walks an incredibly strange line between three things; pop sensibility, post-punk obtuseness, and chill-as-fuck dub. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be feeling, and that’s ok, but it’s not really helped in allowing me to form some coherent thoughts on what’s actually going on, before…

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Public Image Ltd – Public Image (1978)

December 22, 2024

PiL are a band that has always passed me by. I’m not sure why, as they surely spearheaded the post-punk movement along with other bands from the late 70s, such as Wire. The Fall, Killing Joke, and even Christian Death on the other side of the Atlantic. Sure, all of these (PiL included) would go off on their own paths, but at their gestation, the core of their sound was based on weird and angular…

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The Beatles – The Beatles (1968)

December 12, 2024

As a Beatles novice, their self-titled double album (or “white album”) is not an undertaking to be scoffed at. Whilst it is long and varied, and sometimes full of perplexing stuff (“number nine… number nine…. number nine…”), I do think it’s the best showcase of Beatles stuff yet, beating our Revolver which currently held my chronological top spot. It reminds me a lot of Sgt. Pepper’s too, in that for all its experimentation, there is…

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Tarot – The Warriors Spell (2015)

An excellent collection of tracks and a brilliant place to start with Tarot. Personally, for me, the best tracks come at the beginning (the hat trick of “The Watcher’s Dream”, “Twilight Fortress” and “The Wasp” is unbeatable) but the whole record is incredibly solid and very well produced. Some folks have drawn comparisons to Black Magick SS and whilst I can see that (some passages in particular are very similar) Tarot haven’t a speck of…

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The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

December 9, 2024

I struggled with this one, to the point where it took several goes even just to get through it in one sitting. The previous two Beatles albums are my favourites thus far chronologically so I was surprised to find this one such a slog. I got there in the end however, with multiple listens, and was surprised to find that there’s a lot of “classics” here despite the experimental nature of the tracks in general….

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Sisters Of Mercy – Vision Thing (1990)

December 5, 2024

Holy smokes! What a left turn! Straight off a cliff! Holy fuckski! LOL. If I was the ancient Egyptian god Horus I’d be pretty fucking pissed that my eye was on the cover of this dreck. Does Eldritch even know what it is? Is that what the “vision thing” is? Man probably banged a goth girl once who had it on a necklace or something. Cosmic. Anyway… what the fuck is this? Like, I’m two…

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The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Drugs. That’s how I would describe this: Revolver with more drugs. The Indian instrumentation is ramped up, as is the songs about seemingly random shit. It sounds great, though. Production, again with the silly panning of shit, is off the chart. In amongst the madness there are “regular songs” to keep the album grounded. I’m not sure why the album seems to close with a reprise and then comes back with one more song afterward?…

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Sisters Of Mercy – Walk Away / Poison Door (1984)

December 4, 2024

Much more solid than the previous EP. “Walk Away” is like a shot in the arm, but “Poison Door” is probably the better song. The others on the 12″ / compiled version aren’t bad either.

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Sisters Of Mercy – Body And Soul / Train (1984)

A fairly drab affair out of what I would otherwise consider a classic era of output from this unusual outfit. Neither of the songs really strike me, at least not in comparison to the other absolute belters this band was releasing in 1983. If you’re lazy, the full 12″ 4 track versions of this and the following single/EP, Walk Away / Poison, is available as a bonus disk to some versions of First and Last…

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Sisters Of Mercy – First And Last And Always (1985)

December 3, 2024

It’s interesting, because of SOM’s murky and unusual beginnings, I was expecting their commercially successful debut to be much more cohesive and brighter. Alas, their first album is a pit of depressing despair; each song – even if not super slow in pace – oozes out of the speakers like molasses. Eldritch’s baritone is used consistently here, a stark contrast to the yelped or barked Adam Ant but on crack cocaine approach of some of…

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The Beatles – Revolver (1966)

December 2, 2024

Revolver is the best Beatles album to date, chronologically. The sound is warm, even, and whilst the record is chock full of bizarre panning nonsense, the songs are for the most part absolutely excellent. Best track is probably “Eleanor Rigby”, which is iconic as we all know. The only thing that sucks about this is the cover art (like what the Jesus creeping shit is that?).

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Sisters Of Mercy – Body Electric / Adrenochrome (1982)

The double single of “Body Electric / Adrenochrome” bridges the gap between the distinct SOM sound and the early post punk efforts nicely. The bass is much more prominent in these tracks, and whilst the vocals are still manic rather than the sultry baritone of later years, this single is very much an enjoyable SOM release.

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Sisters Of Mercy – The Damage Done (1980)

Sister of Mercy’s first release centres around the single “The Damage Done” and its associated songs. It’s harsh, noisy post punk but again with that rigid drum machine backbone, which stops things from getting too chaotic. It’s pretty good for what it is, but it isn’t unique and is pretty nondescript. If anything it reminds me of Nick Cave’s first band, The Birthday Party.

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Sisters Of Mercy – Temple Of Love / Heartland (1983)

“Temple of Love” is much jauntier and up-beat, reminding me of the stuff you’d find on albums like Floodland. It’s a change of pace from the more morose and depressing stuff found on the previous few releases, but with that same trademark rigid drum machine sound. “Heartland” is kinda meh and the Rolling Stones cover was so unexpected for me that I honestly don’t know what to make of it.

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Sisters Of Mercy – The Reptile House (1983)

The Reptile House is the second EP release from Sister of Mercy, at least chronologically, in early 1983. It is, truly, a masterpiece of dark rock, and reminds me of Killing Joke crossed with Christian Death. The sterile drum machine and prominent bass also reminds me of other dark 80s acts such as Big Black or even Swans (especially with the same baritone style vocals used by both bands) but whilst SOM is perhaps more…

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Sisters Of Mercy – Alice / Floorshow (1982)

“Alice” and “Floorshow” are both a great start, with the sound of the project in its infancy but also already possessing hallmarks which would continue throughout. They aren’t the strongest tracks by the Sisters, IMO, but the production is highly enjoyable. The re-release of the 1983 12” includes some absolutely fucking fantastic pieces of music, the cheeky “1969” but most importantly the excellent, repetitive, droning, spectral (lol) track “Phantom”, which is easily the highlight here.

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Sisters Of Mercy – Some Girls Wander By Mistake (1992)

A vital exploration of the early SOM singles and EPs, even if it’s missing one or two after 1983. The back to back bangers of Alice, Reptile House and Temple Of Love are reason enough to get into this thing, but the earlier material at the end is also worth checking out for completionists, even if it’s not as good as the first few releases collected here.

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Christian Death – Catastrophe Ballet (1984)

December 1, 2024

Christian Death’s Catastrophe Ballet has, IMO, one of the greatest cover art pieces of all time. I have so many questions about it, and it is also very visually striking. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the music. I appreciate the work of Christian Death and their impact on the scene but honestly, the apathetic vocal style of Rozz Williams (I fully understand that this is the whole point) is so disconnected to the…

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The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)

November 27, 2024

Another Beatles album that sounds like how I expected the Beatles to sound. I am now in more firmer territory (no doubt before we go off the deep end with the experimental shit haha). This one is very well produced indeed, but personally I preferred the Help! soundtrack which came not so long before this one. Whilst I find the production is more “present” and warmer here, the songs on the previous record were just…

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Earth – Hibernaculum (2007)

Hibernaculum is a series of re-recordings of old “classic” Earth “tracks” in the “new” (for 2007) semi-acoustic, washed out western / Americana style Earth adopted from say 2005 onwards (or thereabouts). The songs are given a new life here, and it was the right move to put “Ouroboros Is Broken” at the start. For me, I find that track dominates the very early Earth days and it also dominates here. Hibernaculum gets more “droney” and…

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The Beatles – Help! (1965)

November 25, 2024

Jelp! Now this is starting to shape up to sound more like what I expected from the Beatles. It helps (lol) that there’s several classic tunes here, including the massively (but understandably) overplayed “Yesterday”. Again, haven’t seen the movie of the same name, but as an album it flows very nicely, better than A Hard Days Night which was good but seemed like a series of unrelated vignettes rather than a cohesive whole. Help! flows…

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The Beatles – Beatles For Sale (1964)

November 22, 2024

Listening to the Beatles albums chronologically, I found that Beatles For Sale was the least enjoyable of the lot thus far. It took me a little while to put my finger on it; initially things seemed like they were in their right place; that early 60s rock and/or roll sound that I have come so familiar with now after being 4 albums deep was in full effect, and the production is more grounded, with less…

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The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

There’s a lot of songs on this thing but it just flies by. I haven’t seen the movie and have no plans to so unsure how they tie in, if at all. I’m assuming this may be the reason why the songs seem a little shorter than usual? Either way, song quality is up there, as in there’s very few moments where I want to skip forward. Not as many stand outs as the previous…

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The Beatles – With The Beatles (1963)

November 19, 2024

Yo dawg I heard you liked your rhythm section panned hard left? Say no more, say no more! I suppose quality wise this is on par with Please Please Me and it certainly feels like a “part 2” to that album. The songs here though are not quite as good IMO, I really start to lose my way in the middle with shit like “Please Mr. Postman” and friggin’ “Roll Over Beethoven” (what is this,…

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The Beatles – Please Please Me (1963)

November 18, 2024

I didn’t expect much for the first record from the Beatles knowing the “roots” in American “rock and roll” (Beach Boys tae fuck) and I expected very traditional full band pop music. I was very much shocked at how much I enjoyed this thing out of the gate. I was also surprised however that I knew a few of these songs, such as Love Me Do and Misery. I also feel that this thing sounds…

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Future Of The Left – To Failed States And Forest Clearings (2016)

November 17, 2024

A decent selection of tunes, with some interesting ideas (nice to see a prominent return of the synthesizer elements from the earlier days). After a couple of listens though nothing really jumps out.

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Future Of The Left – The Peace & Truce Of Future Of The Left (2016)

November 15, 2024

“Running All Over The Wicket” has the sickest bassline since “Beneath The Waves An Ocean”. Generally though, I struggle to pick stand-out songs here compared to the other FOTL full-lengths. Despite this, I find myself preferring the general tone and production (all of which is a little darker than usual). So, it’s a strange balance for me. I will always no doubt be picking an earlier release over this one, though.

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Swans – Forever Burned (2003)

The once (and possibly still) elusive companion piece to Various Failures. I never found much value in it myself, because I owned an original copy of The Burning World, but for a very long time, Forever Burned was like the missing puzzle piece for fans who only had Various Failures. You have to remember for a very long time, before all of these recent reissues, the only way to get a lot of Swans was…

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Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky (2010)

Like a transitional album with many elements from Gira’s previous project, The Angels Of Light. I bought the 12″ of this at a Swans show in Cardiff in 2010 and I swear there was like 50 people there. It was crazy seeing them in the following year (We Rose / Proto-Seer era) and how much their sound and audience had developed. I was really gobsmacked! Anyway, My Father… has some incredible songs on it, namely…

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Jarboe – Disburden Disciple (2000)

An interesting mix of vibes and ideas. From lo-fi beats to the more regular dirging sounds of various instruments such as pianos and guitars and what have you, Disburden Disciple showcases the many ways in which Jarboe can creep the absolute fucking shit out of you. Tidy!

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Future Of The Left – Human Death (2013)

It’s clear that there has always been a streak of influence from Steve Albini in this band’s work (the man also produced an album by Falko’s previous band) but “Prescriptions” is a little too uncanny valley even for me. It’s a tidy song, though. Generally, the rest of this EP is very chilled out; there are no big moments, (as in loud/abrasive), just solid songs played at a more moderate level than some of the…

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Future Of The Left – How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident (2013)

November 14, 2024

If anything, the previous two EPs and their extra noisy / unusual songs were a good litmus test for how this would unfold in the form of a full length albums. Several songs from such EPs are reprised, along with a flurry of brand new head scratchers. Honestly, some of this shit is absolutely massive; huge cascading walls of sound crafted from slabs of bass and angular guitars. On paper that sounds like something influenced…

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Future of the Left – Love Songs for Our Husbands (2013)

4 songs, 8 minutes, that’s what I’m talking about! Great high quality studio tracks on a short 7” EP. Side A is probably better than Side B but this whole thing is great, with my favourite track being “The Male Gaze”.

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Future Of The Left – Man Vs. Melody (2012)

After the strange Polymers EP I did not have high hopes for the Man vs. Melody EP. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised by how good it was. “Future Child Embarrassment Matrix” and “He is Not a Hymn” are some of the heaviest FOTL tracks I’ve heard, particularly the former which reminds me of Blackjazz-era Shining of all things. The latter has that Every Time I Die / Daughters kinda anxious heaviness; again not something…

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Future Of The Left – Polymers Are Forever (2011)

November 11, 2024

Polymers Are Forever is a short EP from FOTL, released a few years after the previous record and shortly before the band recorded their third album. The first thing of note here is the sheer drop in production quality compared to the first two albums. The Plot Against Common Sense has a similar muffled production but the tracks here seem like demos, if anything. That also seems to make them more experimental, I’d say. FOTL…

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Future Of The Left – Curses (2007)

November 10, 2024

I know little of Future Of The Left’s music and have only really been into them because of some friends who enjoy their stuff. This has given me a somewhat lopsided “casual” fandom of the band, where I’m familiar with songs rather than albums (excluding Travels with Myself and Another – that thing fucking rules). Curses is of no exception. If anything tbh, it’s “quirky” late 00s artwork style put me off – but more…

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Ozzy Osbourne – Under Cover (2005)

Ozzy Osbourne doesn’t owe us anything, and to be fair, he can do whatever he likes. However, was this really necessary? Outside of the firecracker rendition of “21st Century Schizoid Man” and the hilarious version of “Fire” (Paedofinder General did it better), this album is a total self-wankfest and a chore to get through. The cover of Mott The Hoople’s “All The Young Dudes” (famously written by David Bowie) even has fucking Ian Hunter on…

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Saxon – Denim and Leather (1981)

November 2, 2024

Do the Brits really do it better? For this kind of RAWK (read: metal) Saxon have got it locked down. From the production, to the riffs, it’s popping off over here on Denim And Leather. The songs are catchy as hell. I’m not suuuuper sold on Byford’s vocals at this point but hopefully they will grow on me. Fire in the Sky!!!!

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Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin (1986)

An interesting one. At first note, it sounds heavier than any of the previous albums, but as the songs progress there’s actually less “metal” here than ever before and more so is just “rock” dressed up in a big sound. It may feel like I’m splitting hairs, but fuck it. Also, Ozzy sounds tired as fuck on this one, like he just can’t be arsed. Production-wise, things are still pretty top-tier but the boxed in…

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Black Widow – III (1970)

October 28, 2024

I have a love / hate relationship with Black Widow. I appreciate the timeline of the releases and their importance in the gestation of heavy blues into metal, and of course some of the more experimental songs that they performed, but there is also a malaise to their music that I guess is like some sort of stoned stupor or hash haze. III is interesting, at least on the surface, but if I stop and…

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Steve Earle – I Feel Alright (1996)

October 25, 2024

Steve Earle’s “Feel Alright,” the opening track here, appears in Season 2 of HBO’s critically acclaimed The Wire. I think for that reason, it feels more like a closing track than an opening one, but here it is in its original format, steering us into the smokey world of Steve Earle a la 1996. Steve’s been through some shit. I know nothing about the guy and I’ve only heard this one album, but this guy…

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Freya Beer – Beast (2021)

A fresh mix of fuzzy rock and angelic pop. Like Lorde joined one of these several hundred revival blues rock bands that are around right now. It’s an interesting mix, and reminds me of Fleetwood Mac in some regards, and also stuff like Blood Ceremony or Jex Thoth. There is something that really just tells me that Freya’s songs would be better with a piano or even an electronic beat behind them, though. But hey,…

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Swans – Oxygen (2014)

October 22, 2024

A curiosity of an EP, worth it for the early version (off a M. Gira CD from the past) as well as the acoustic version (which is just harrowing. All are worth hearing, especially if you love the version on To Be Kind. The edit and the live version are pretty pointless, though.

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Swans – Not Here / Not Now (2013)

A great live album, and one of the few that I personally own. There are some great takes here, and the sound is fairly clear, but the additional demos are lacking somewhat. In regards to the album itself, it stands in the shadow of We Rose… which came before it and was much more prominant with a full pressing release (not just limited), and it also stands in the shadow of the monumental The Gate…

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Swans – Time Is Money (Bastard) (1986)

I am beyond shocked that after 13 years of writing about music mostly full time I have yet to touch on the epic that is Swans’ Time Is Money (Bastard) single. One of my favourite songs ever, if only for it’s intense and unforgiving drum attack. The title track is all drums, reverb, snarling vocals and not much else. Truly uncompromising and terrifying music. They don’t make ’em like this no more!

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Swans – Cop (1984)

In a word: punishing. I suppose you could say that Cop is more focussed than Filth, and I also suppose that this kind of “focus” on sheer brutality would continue into the Young God EP and the more precise mixed-electronic works of Greed, Holy Money and the singles associated with those albums. Cop however, is like a bunch of New York’s most experimental and uncompromising musicians accidentally stumbled upon sludge / doom metal. The cuts…

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Swans – Children Of God / World Of Skin (1997)

October 21, 2024

This was my first CD purchase when it came to Swans, and I played this thing to death. It was a great introduction, I think, to the worlds of both Swans and World Of Skin (even though the Skin tracks are credited to Swans here, confusingly). I don’t like some of the Young God reissue covers, but the Children Of God one is pretty simplistic and effective, IMO.

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The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil (Remix) (2003)

When I saw this thing on the shelf at the local Woolworths, I mistook it for new Stones stuff and immediately bought it and took it to my dad at his place of work. He seemed very confused, even annoyed that I had shown up at his place of work to give him a CD, and he quickly ushered me the fuck outta there not giving a second look at the fucking CD, which hurt…

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The Rolling Stones – Forty Licks (2002)

This CD stayed in our family car for about a decade, and we listened the absolute death out of this thing. CD1 is essential Stones, IMO – as are a few of the classics at the start of CD2, but it starts to fall off after that as the later decades material is shoehorned in. I mean, I get it; they wanted this to be a retrospective of all the eras (but there’s plenty missing).

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Candlemass – Chapter VI (1992)

October 9, 2024

An interesting entry into the Candlemass discography. Chapter XI is noticeably different from the series of Messiah-led albums that preceded it. Yes, even outside of that evolving sound, Chapter XI is a huge leap forwards (or perhaps sideways) into a more “modern” sound, at least for the time. I’m reminded of some of the more straight forward efforts of Tony Martin’s Sabbath days, such as Cross Purposes. I’m not sure if this has held up…

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The Fall – I Am Kurious Oranj (1988)

September 25, 2024

You must understand that this review is from someone going in blind to the world and legacy of The Fall. At the time of writing I know them as a revered and extremely prolific British band that are held in quite a high regard. I Am Kurious Oranj is indeed a kurious listen and first impressions remind me of early XTC or even Killing Joke in some ways, but my comparisons are mostly trite, I’m…

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Hawkwind – Space Ritual (1973)

September 24, 2024

I’m probably going to catch some shit for this but Space Ritual has always been one of those albums that I *thought* I loved, rather than an album that I genuinely loved. I have slowly come to terms with that in recent months. There may be some correlation between me accepting this and the lack of cannabis in my life for nearly a decade. Is there a chance that there is a correlation between the…

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Gitane Demone – Love For Sale (1999)

July 13, 2024

I can’t speak for the original live album / EP but the “compilation version” of Demone’s Love For Sale is a test of patience. The recording quality isn’t so bad but the songs are bland and grating on the nerves, which is a real shame.

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Robot God – Portal Within (2024)

June 29, 2024

Wow, imagine being able to make stoner / doom / prog / jam style music and to NOT make it boring as shit! Come on in Robot God, sit down, you can stay a while.

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Goat – Requiem (2016)

June 15, 2024

The main problem Goat have is that they will never be able to top their debut album, World Music, which is wall to wall, front to back, banger to banger – a total classic. Requiem is much the same as Commune before it in that it is an absolute pleasure to listen to; the production is glorious as is the various instrumentation (in particular the percussion) but none of the songs hit home with the…

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Van de Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts (1971)

June 12, 2024

Gorgeous, bright, vibrant, incredible, exciting, exhilarating – these are some of the words I would use to describe the absolute aural treat that is Pawn Harts. I’m no prog guy, as you can probably tell, but this was an incredible experience.

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Melvins – Ozma (1989)

June 10, 2024

More refined and streamlined than the Gluey Porch debut, and infinitely more punishing for it. Ozma is a dry heave in direct blunt force heaviness (with some mandatory Melvin’s groove, of course). That’s more like it!

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The Ancient Order – Neu Schwabenland (2020)

June 1, 2024

Sounds like a decent bit of psych that was recorded into a music box or something, but then it got dropped so it’s all fucked up and wonky; not so fucked up that it won’t play anymore but fucked up enough so that everything sounds broken and slightly off-kilter. Oh, also you are on acid. That’s what this Ancient Order single sounds like.

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Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark (1992)

May 29, 2024

The title of this record carries such a high reputation one could be fooled into thinking that this is one of the classic Maiden albums. You would of course, be wrong. Fear Of The Dark is a puzzling affair where the first and last tracks (especially the last!) are great whilst the rest of it is an ocean of bad rock music. Like, I’m sorry but what the fuck is Bruce doing with his voice?…

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The Gates / Behrosth – Split LP (2022)

May 28, 2024

Nice split. The Gates are really solid, with excellent production and a down to earth 70s kinda sound with just the right amount of added flair. The Behrosth side is a little more unstable, which arguably allows for more exploration and expermentation in the black metal meets occult rock style. With both their similarities and also their differences, these two bands match each other perfectly for this split.

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Behrosth – Оазис (2021)

May 27, 2024

I’m not entirely sure what to call this whole subgenre of “Black Magick SS worship”, there simply must be a better name for it? Anyway, Berosth, in their recent release of Oasis, if you’ll forgive my heathen anglicisation, is a solid example of how to operate in the genre. Black metal is mixed with kooky occult sounds and a little dollop of Uriah Heep, and voila, she lives! Oasis has the benefit of also being…

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Uriah Heep – Salisbury (1971)

May 26, 2024

Salisbury didn’t resonate with me as much as the debut, with it feeling – if anything – like something of a side-step. The incredible organ playing seems toned back and the vocals are ridiculous in parts. That being said, the production, being clear yet deep with an analogue warmth, is fantastic, and the final (title) track is seriously epic. The band seem to let loose here; organs, flutes, choirs, solos for days. It saves the…

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Magic Moss – Volume 01 (2018)

May 24, 2024

Few bands come out the gate with a debut as strong as Magic Moss. Oddly, it’s the b-side which shines the most here, with “We Are the Ones” being a bluesy, psych-heavy romp through an upbeat soundscape of 60s/70s swagger, fuzz and rushes of organ sounds. Production is excellent; warm, balanced and with a decent soundstage. Recommended!

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Uriah Heep – Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble (1970)

May 12, 2024

A great album, but one that is sometimes dragged down by the tedium of tracks such as “Come Away Melinda” or “Lucy Blues”, which really affects the pacing in the middle. It is a crying shame because this thing bolts out the door with its opening track, “Gypsy”, a song that is easily one of the greatest rock songs of all time. In fact, this album is worth it for “Gypsy”’s organ performance alone. Side…

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Black Widow – Return To The Sabbat (1969/1998)

May 9, 2024

I’m not an expert on early British psych / rock music, but Return To The Sabbat is the supposed original version of the Black Widow debut. I am incredibly glad that it saw the light of day however because this archival recording from the dying embers of the 60s is head and shoulders above anything else that I have heard under the Black Widow name. Granted, I have not heard it all at this point…

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Wicked Lady – The Axeman Cometh (1993)

May 8, 2024

Feel good hard rock / proto heavy metal is the order of the day. I’ll be honest with you, I was not aware of the sheer age of the original recordings when I listened to this thing. I am blown away, in that regard. The production should have been a give away, really. The guitars are ear-piercingly thin, but their distorted jangle gives this thing it’s charm, along with the loose feel of the drums…

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Black Sabbath – Headless In Vienna (Live in 1989) (2003)

April 28, 2024

Excellent quality show. Even better than the perhaps more commended “When Death Called ‘89” from earlier in the same tour. Sure, there are a few audible artefacts on the recording, but it’s a small price to pay for what is an excellent line-up performing songs from all eras of Sabbath (Gillan and Hughes aside lol). As with other boots in this era, it’s a pleasure just to hear Cozy playing Ozzy and Dio era stuff….

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Black Sabbath – Death Called ‘89 (1989)

Black Sabbath – Death Called ‘89 (1989)

The best thing about this particular live recording is hearing Cozy Powell play with the band in the arena space; for his three albums with the band his time on the road with them was often fairly limited for various reasons. Hearing his super awesome interpretations of the fills on tracks like “War Pigs” is a real treat. Quality is pretty good here, although there is like a flutter effect that’s appeared on the tape,…

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Black Sabbath – The End 4th February 2017 Birmingham (2017)

Black Sabbath – The End 4th February 2017 Birmingham (2017)

April 27, 2024

Wow, this get’s off to a shaky start! The drumming on “Black Sabbath” is so bad (not to mention Ozzy’s appalling singing) that I almost gave up before I started. I’m glad that I did stick with the whole record though, because I missed out on the Birmingham shows in person and felt like I had missed a momentous event in history. However, having consumed this entire live album several times, I don’t feel like…

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Black Sabbath – Asbury Park, New Jersey, 5th August 1975 (1993)

Black Sabbath – Asbury Park, New Jersey, 5th August 1975 (1993)

April 26, 2024

Quite possibly one of – if not the – greatest live album that I have ever heard. The fact that I’ve been listening to Sabbath for over 20 years and have never stumbled upon this recording until this week is nothing short of embarrassing. I feel like I have unlocked some sort of secret. Anyway, the release itself is phenomenally good. The production, for a 1975 live recording, is absolutely fantastic. I’m not sure how…

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St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home (2021)

St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home (2021)

April 24, 2024

Stunning LP from St Vincent. I’m not much informed on her music other than Mass Education, but this random pick was fantastic. Sultry and sassy, with a nice dollop of funk in between the lush, low key vocal performances.

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Black Sabbath – Past Lives (2002)

Black Sabbath – Past Lives (2002)

I’d originally written off Past Lives for being the “official” version of Live At Last but with a bunch of extra shit added onto the end. In some rather dim world views that is perhaps correct, but Past Lives is so much more than that, as I have recently found out. Yes, disc 1 is the same as the Live At Last album so if you’ve heard that, there’s no point in bothering with the…

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Black Sabbath – Headless Cross / Anno Mundi (2024)

Black Sabbath – Headless Cross / Anno Mundi (2024)

April 23, 2024

It’s very cool to see the Tony Martin era music start to get some of the attention it deserves. I’ve probably been a bit harsh on some of the material myself. But I gotta say the remaster of both the title track of Headless Cross as well as “Anno Mundi” from Tyr sounds absolutely great. This single has definitely raised my excitement for the rereleases of all of these albums. I’m not going to buy…

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Earth – Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method (2005)

Earth – Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method (2005)

April 14, 2024

Hex is Earth reborn anew – the dawn of their “clean” period. It started here, reflected backwards with Hibernaculum, and was then arguably perfected on Bees Made Honey… but here is where it all began. Hex is probably one of my least listened to releases from Earth. I’m not really sure why, but the songs have never stuck with me. They are not necessarily bad in any way, in fact they are very much enjoyable,…

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Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel – Nail (1985)

Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel – Nail (1985)

April 12, 2024

I’m probably not qualified to talk about this in all that much detail, but what I can say is that Nail is a bizarre collection of sounds, sitting somewhere between Holy Money era Swans, Big Black, Test Dept., Mr. Bungle, The Cramps and Nine Inch Nails, whilst also having the honour of predating most of the bands in that list. It is an album that’s taken me multiple attempts to digest, not because I find…

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Christian Death – Only Theatre Of Pain (1982)

Christian Death – Only Theatre Of Pain (1982)

March 28, 2024

Apathy: the album. The analogue production and the bubbling post-punk (to become “deathrock”) is fantastic but Rozz Williams delivers his vocals in such a way that he sounds like he is already done with this band before it has even begun. Yeah I get it, that’s part of the vibe, but things are delivered with such a nonchalance I’m left wondering why I should ever bother give my time in return to listen to it….

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Swans – Die Tür ist zu (1996)

Swans – Die Tür ist zu (1996)

March 23, 2024

I’ve always had a stand-offish relationship with Die Tur Ist Zu because well, what’s the fucking point in this thing? “Helpless Child” (slightly extended here) and “All Lined Up” sang in German is little more than a novelty, and the hodge podge of other cuts and live bits are just… well, just there. Considering SFTB is such a gargantuan and groundbreaking album, this “EP” stands entirely in its shadow. Don’t get me wrong, nothing on…

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Rainbow – Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow (1975)

Rainbow – Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow (1975)

March 21, 2024

A stunning debut from this legendary band. Personally, I think the Rainbow sound was perfected on Rising, but there are some frankly excellent songs on this album, including the now immortal opening track, “Man on the Silver Mountain”. The production, seemingly shared between Blackmore and producer Martin Birch, is organic and flows nicely through the various styles of songs present on the album. (Apparently I enjoy listening to this so much that I reviewed it…

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Toad – Stop This Crime (2001)

Toad – Stop This Crime (2001)

March 20, 2024

Stop this crime? What crime? The only crime here is this band’s attempts at ballads. If you wanna go ahead and stop those, I’m with you 100% of the way, my dudes. Toad’s 4th album, released 26 years after the previous studio album, is a bit of a wet fart of a comeback. The production is fantastic, but the album is top-loaded, with excellent numbers at the start, but the record soon meanders off into…

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Fela Kuti – Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971)

Fela Kuti – Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971)

March 19, 2024

As a white man in a western country I can only empathise with the themes of this record. That’s not to say Kuti’s music isn’t for me, as music is for anyone who is willing to listen. Knowing the sensitive political situation around Kuti and the severity of the confrontation between him and those that were in power, one can really feel the weight of every word in these epic, sprawling tracks. On top of…

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Baby Woodrose – Blows Your Mind (2001)

Baby Woodrose – Blows Your Mind (2001)

March 10, 2024

I am undecided on whether the art is fantastic or downright awful. Either way, it was the bold cover that drew me in to the world of Baby Woodrose. I came expecting Harsh Toke – style obnoxious stoner metal but instead found something a bit more nuanced. This debut is a record based primarily in fuzzed out garage rock, but the songs are delivered with a variety of vibes, styles and paces to call Baby…

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Jesu – Sun Down / Sun Rise (2007)

Jesu – Sun Down / Sun Rise (2007)

March 6, 2024

How this was released the same year as the cumbersome Conqueror is anyone’s guess; this EP brings out the absolute best in Jesu. Broadrick’s hazy, dream-like songwriting can unfurl in its full glory and really soar. I had this on vinyl for many years, I must have sold it because I can’t find it anywhere, which is a shame as it’s really grown on me in my old age (ha).

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Devil Moon – Fucked By The Devil (2023)

Devil Moon – Fucked By The Devil (2023)

March 5, 2024

If I had to describe this album in as few words as possible I would say: it’s fucking class. Traditional black metal riffery underpins a punky (dare I say) black’n’roll-infused set of songs. I don’t mean BnR as in, endless boring ass d-beats, I mean genuinely sleazy, head-nodding tunes that invoke hazy memories of the exploitation world of the 1970s, helped along of course by the amazing artwork and that inherit Finnish sense of melody…

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