ELVIS COSTELLO / Spike (1989)

Some of these songs are easily decipherable while others are opaque at best and completely bonkers at ‘worst.’ There exist official explanations for each but I have no need of them. My own interpretations are far more satisfying as I have no wish to lose the mystical fascination I’ve always had with this album. While Costello often contents himself with hiding sharp, biting declarations inside pop sensibilities shimmering enough to make your head spin, here he was completely unafraid to indulge his most outlandish and strangely compelling songwriting instincts. Honestly, where else can one find restrained diatribes against world leaders rubbing shoulders with the first-person musings of prominent after-life denizens?

Songs of Note: Deep Dark Truthful Mirror; Tramp the Dirt Down

5 Shamelessly Sticky Pairs of Pornographers’ Trousers out of 5

VARIOUS ARTISTS / Under the Influence of Alice: Music Inspired by the Classic Tale (2010)

Twelve songs that have Lewis Carroll's classic children's story as an influence. It turns out that's all they have in common. It flits from Indie to Folk to Pop to Alternative to Psychedelic and back again. Not everyone has such eclectic tastes, so it's a hard sell, even on paper. It's the kind of compilation only really good for introducing the listener to new artists. Once it's achieved that, or failed at the same, it becomes nothing but a box on a shelf collecting dust. Be a good chap and pass it on to someone else when you're done with it, eh?

Songs of Note: Jefferson Airplane: White Rabbit; The Incredible String Band: The Mad Hatter's Song

2 bunnies on 'shrooms out of 5

FALL OUT BOY/ Folie à Deux (2008)

"You can only blame your problems on the world for so long,
before it all becomes the same old song."

I have a dirty little secret. I always skip about half of the songs on this album. To be frank, there isn’t a 100% perfect Fall Out Boy album (There's a couple, now, dumbass --2023 Neg). I said it. Now, deal with it. Patrick used to rummage through Pete’s bile diaries and pull out bits and pieces that were sharp enough to slice your wrists and your ex-girlfriends' hearts. He shot them like arrows to heaven with his soaring voice and (as their career went on) glistening production. Here, a slight majority of the time, he manages to make Pete’s best musings about adultery, rampant dark-pride, smug drug use, and even regret into gloriously funky anthems and self-reflective ballads. The best we could expect from them came at the end, in their usual slap-dash manner. Come back, guys, we need your messy imperfection to keep us sane.

Songs of Note: Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes; 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

3 Falsely Confident Electric Preachers out of 5

Nutted by NEG