FASTBALL / Make Your Mama Proud (1996)

I wonder how many people even know that this exists? As soon as I was on board with All The Pain Money Can Buy, I immediately tracked this down and was blown away by how incredibly different it is from everything else they've done. The majority of what's on display is very fast and somewhat abrasive. That's not to say that the lyrics are lacking. They aren't. They're just carried along by much faster time signatures.

This consequently holds a teenage sense of nostalgia for me that's still able to be married to my long-held standards in regards to songwriting. I've always not-so-secretly hoped that they'd do something like this again, someday. A VERY special record well worth exploring if the songs of note appeal.

Songs of Note: Make Your Mama Proud; Nothing

4 Verses Max Bemis Would Be Proud Of out of 5

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND / Crash (1996)

While a few of these songs are too abrasive to be pleasing to my ear, or are disagreeable to me lyrically, a healthy majority find them switching effortlessly between languid, beautiful exhalations and their patently infectious ADHD-hiccuping. The cover art is, consequently, particularly apropos. It’s also worth noting that although many of these tracks are on the lengthy side they never fall entirely into self-indulgent noodle-ing for its own sake. Here, DMB are quite adept at being concise while still not overtly limiting themselves.

Songs of Note: Two Step; #41

3 Voraciously Satiated Appetites out of 5

RICHARD WRIGHT / Broken China [1996]

Richard Wright's second solo studio album, 1996's Broken China, has Pink Floyd stamped all over it, beginning with it's textural mood then leading into it's structure and conceptual narratives.
 The keyboardist's final full-length studio outing, before his death in 2008, is drenched in a deep depression that makes for an unusual and disjointed listen compared to Wright's previous efforts.  Where, someone like Roger Waters who's sadness came out in anger, Wright's sadness mirrors his persona, gentle, dreary and somewhat mysterious.  It's a conceptual album stuck in it's era but still manages to conjure up some pretty interesting musical ideas complimented by some fascinating lyrics.  For the average listener it'll probably be lost but for a Floyd fan this is one of the better solo efforts.

3½ tributes to Mildred out of 5

Songs of Note: Night of a Thousand Furry Toys; Breakthrough (feat. Sinéad O'Connor)

CRADLE OF FILTH / Vempire (or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein) (1996)

Is it V Empire or Vempire?  Fuck knows, but it sits nicely between the raw aggression of The Principle of Evil Made Flesh (1994) and the technical polish of Dusk... and Her Embrace (1996), and thus will likely appeal to fans of both eras.
Dani's 'cat with balls trapped in cat flap' screech is perfectly contrasted by the deeper, ghoulish narration that elevates the level of cheesy but effectively dramatic theatrics at opportune moments.
It's the first appearance of Sarah Jezebel Diva, who provides some spoken word and additional backing atmosphere.

Songs of Note: Queen of Winter, Throned; Nocturnal Supremacy

4 whispering forests out of 5

COUNTING CROWS / Recovering the Satellites (1996)

While trying to find his way home, Adam serendipitously veers inside a seedy back-alley bar where Dan Vickrey is shredding his wicked little heart out. The Duritz is entranced and invites him to score his increasingly complex laments, forever more. Voice and abused steel caterwaul in imperfect harmony, completely unafraid to tread into the night August hesitated so quaintly at the edges of. Is it possible to be this forceful and almost mean at times and yet ready to fall into shambles, all simultaneously?

Yes.

This is gloriously rough around the center and takes a measure of patience few probably have. Don’t even begin to think this is anything like A Long December would indicate out of context.

Songs of Note: Angels of the Silences; Recovering the Satellites

5 Beautifully Ragged Pairs of Coke-Can Wings out of 5

BECK / Odelay (1996)

Beck was the counter-culture beat poet of his generation. He's slipped in recent years, but back in the day he was unsurpassed. Odelay takes eclectic cues and influences from all over. There's folk, country, garage, atonal electro, hip hop, calypso, eastern percussion, Beastie Boys style rap and much, much more. It's the musical equivalent of a hazy but purposeful collage of colours and textures cut from magazines with crinkle scissors. You'd maybe imagine that would produce a jarring aural experience, but everything flows beautifully from one trip to the next, meaning the album should be enjoyed as a whole, not split for a playlist.

Songs of Note: The New Pollution; Jackass

5 scratchy record sounds out of 5

BOOTH AND THE BAD ANGEL / Booth And The Bad Angel [1996]

Booth and the Bad Angel is an one off album from film composer Angelo Badalamenti and James lead singer Tim Booth.

It's a pretty simple sounding project that comes off sounding like a lite-pop Peter Gabriel/David Bowie hybrid.  It becomes pretty clear, without Julee Cruise's ethereal vocals, Badalamenti' pop music is really nothing special at all.  It's not particularly offensive or anything, in fact the production is quite nice as are Booth's moody lyrics.  An intriguing curio that might have been more effective in it's own era.

2 Bernard Butlers out of 5

Songs Of Note: Dance Of The Bad Angels; Life Gets Better

GODFLESH / Love and Hate in Dub (1997)

Love and Hate in Dub is considered an E.P., but with 12 tracks and a running time of 71 minutes, I'd call it an album. Either way, it's a collection of remixed tracks from the similarly named Songs of Love and Hate (1996). It deconstructs and rebuilds them as ambient, dub, drum 'n bass, and even breakbeat versions. Some are much more interesting than their source, while others are meandering and go on far too long. It divided fans, and I've yet to meet anyone that likes all of it.

Songs of Note: Wake (Break Mix); Frail (Now Broken)

3 angels by your side out of 5

GODFLESH / Songs of Love and Hate (1996)

The Godflesh machine added a real live drummer for their fourth album, which coincided with a significant musical shift. The inclusion of some of Justin K Broadrick's other interests lessens the stark industrial sound even further than the previous album; there's hip hop blood in the veins of Songs of Love and Hate. It has moments that capture the early sonic assault, but mostly it's tamed, which is not to say it's lightweight, rather that it's less like a ton of gravel on your face and more like a ton of soil. Yes, a ton is still a ton, but if I'd a choice I'd choose the gravel.

Songs of Note: Wake; Angel Domain

3½ frail fears out of 5

DIABOLOS RISING / Blood, Vampirism and Sadism (1996)

The second and to date last full length album from the satanically inclined electronic/industrial dance/darkwave duo is similar to their first release. I'm still unsure if they're having a laugh or being serious about the whole thing, but there's a more obvious attempt to produce something atmospheric this time, something less in-your-face aggressive. If Mika and Magus had continued the project and incorporated some of the finer elements from their day jobs, then Diabolos Rising could have spawned something really exciting.

Songs of Note: Satanic Propaganda; Necromanteion

3 Knight Rider themes out of 5

VARIOUS ARTISTS / The Best of Peaceville (1996)

If you hadn't already guessed, it's a best of Peaceville label sampler.~ Being released back in 1996 means there's no Opeth, Akercocke, Katatonia or Darkthrone on the roster. It's dominated by the three biggest artists they had at that time: Anathema, My Dying Bride, and the gloomy Paradise Lost. There's one track from the short-lived Dominion, from an album I've yet to buy.
There's nothing to encourage existing fans to buy, but as a sampler and a snapshot of an important label for British metal, it's a great collection.

Songs of Note: MDB / A Sea oo Suffer In; Anathema / Lovelorn Rhapsody

4 vile acts out of 5

THE ALMIGHTY / Just Add Life (1996)

If not for the distinctive sounds that come from vocalist Ricky Warwick I'd have thought this turd was labelled wrong and that I'd picked up a lame-ass trendy Pop-rock album by mistake. I didn't. It’s lame-ass trendy Pop-rock on purpose. Avoid.

Song of Least Fail: Afraid of Flying

0½ a waste of time except for the 43 second song out of 5

BURZUM / Filosofem (1996)

The Count stepped out of the shadows with Filosofem but managed to bring the essence of the darkness with him. The sound retains the fuzzy coldness of previous releases, while downtuned guitars wail their repetitive pains into your brain. The vocals are less screechy and more distorted than previous albums because he asked a confused sound technician for the worst microphone he could find; it works beautifully. Side one is perhaps the most perfect example of extreme but accessible Norwegian Black Metal ever created. Side two has an extended ambient track that is longer than it seems. Overall, the album is the perfect place to start if you're new to the scene.

Songs of Note: Dunkelheit; Jesu død

5 clarion calls out of 5

NEUROTIC OUTSIDERS / Neurotic Outsiders (1996)

It's Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses) and John Taylor (Duran Duran) together, having fun. Vocals are shared among the members. The drums are heavy-handed but impressive.
It occasionally sounds like Nirvana minus the grunge production, or Sex Pistols minus the essential attitude. In short, it's rock n roll with power-punk overtones.

Songs of Note: Nasty Ho; Six Feet Under

3½ nods to old band mates out of 5

FIRE + ICE / Rûna (1996)

Neo-folk! I love it. Ian Read (Current 93/Sol Invictus) formed Fire + Ice to express his views on "…magic lore, runes, tradition, renaissance medievalism, Nordic mysticism and other esoteric and occult mysteries." Phew. That'll work. It's typical of the genre, with slow acoustic moments and traditional skin drums played in a very harmonious, ancient, pagan way. Part of the album is a runic poem; the lyrics are multi-faceted and will take knowledge of Runes and an age to decipher.
If hippies and pagans give you the fear, then you should probably avoid Rûna. But if you like the genre, then it's certainly worth seeking out.

Songs of Note: The Galdor; Of Midgard

3½ Thor's day child was full of Hammer out of 5

CARCASS / Swansong (1996)

I forgot I owned this album. It never gets played. It's not very good. The production is the biggest problem; it’s just too polished and boring to be a Carcass album. The guitars are too low in the mix, the bass is too loud and fuzzy, and while the drums sound fine they're a lot more simplified than previous releases. Jeff Walker's vocal delivery is the only thing that holds it together. The gore/grind/death metal of old is replaced with something resembling bad Megadeth, and seeing as how 90% of Megadeth is bad Megadeth, we don’t need any more of that, thank you very much. It's maybe a good thing this was their actual swansong.

Songs of Note: R**k the Vote; Black Star

2 bad rot n’ roll out of 5

R.E.M. / New Adventures In Hi-Fi [1996]

While on on a successful, yet physically grueling, tour in support of their Monster album, R.E.M. recorded 1996's New Adventures In Hi-Fi. Battered and beatdown, Hi-Fi captures those feelings perfectly without sacrificing any quality.
Pacing back and forth between the grungy rock style of Monster and the softer, solemn side of Automatic For The People, Hi-fi merges both styles flawlessly. While the hard-rock sound on Monster sounded forced and over-bloated, here they sound more grounded and organic.
In a era where Britpop, Girlpower and gunned down rappers were dominating the charts, New Adventures In Hi-fi went largely unnoticed. Over time, it would become the classic album it deserved to be. A welcome addition to my desert island discs.

5 perfect road albums out of 5

Songs Of Note: E-bow The Letter; Leave

DANZIG / Danzig V: Blackacidevil (1996)

It's entirely possible that Glenn tripped on his unchecked ego and landed on his head prior to recording album number five. It's a fanciful idea but could explain why he chose to reportedly sack his entire band; the classic era line-up of John Christ, Eerie Von and Chuck Biscuits were history. How does one even consider sacking a guy called Chuck Biscuits? Surely one of the best names in metal.
Most of Blackacidevil is a noisy industrial mess; it's distorted, fuzzy, irritating and boring. It's the ugly child that no parent wants to pick up after school. I'm tempted to give it permanent banishment from my collection. It sullies the rest. Approach with caution. It gets 1 point for the song Ashes, which is linked below.

Songs of Note: Come to Silver; Ashes

1 downhearted loss of 5

CURRENT 93 / All The Pretty Little Horses (1996)

C93 albums are often built around simplistic repeating melodies; on All The Pretty Little Horses it's a kind of dark lullaby. The acoustic guitar is the primary instrument, delivering mostly simple chords punctuated with quiet moments filled with sadness, mournful but not depressing. It's esoteric as always, filled with patripassianist imagery that is at times naked and at others baffling. Even so, it's still one of the more accessible C93 albums. A good place to start if you're just beginning to discover Neofolk. The album is the second part of The Inmost Light trilogy, but it's not necessary to hear the other two to get this one.

Songs of Note: Calling for Vanished Faces; All the Pretty Little Horses

5 pastoral nightmares out of 5

KATATONIA / Brave Murder Day (1996)

A transitional album that sits between the harsh death metal of previous works and the dark gothic majesty of later works, best described as a combination of the two. Driven predominantly by repetitive drum patterns and Blackheim's achingly melodic guitars, it'll alienate a lot of people. You'll notice the same guitar riff repeated a lot throughout the album with slight modifications, making it seem almost like a film score with repeating character cues.
If you have the purple cover (pictured), it's the original unmastered pressing. If you have the black + white cover, it's the remastered Peaceville edition. There's a significant difference in sound quality. I like them both for different reasons.

Songs of Note: Brave; Day

5 gloomy days in Sweden out of 5