CARTER U.S.M / 30 Something (1991)

Jim Bob and Fruitbat did it again with their second album, only they did it even better. It's the BEST Carter album, by far. In fact, it's one of the best early 90s Pop-punk albums, period. Recorded in twenty days on an old 8-track, it's still just a programmed drum machine and sequenced backing tracks, with the two guys on guitar, but when it's this good, who cares! They played almost all of the album the first time I saw them live and I loved it like Elvis loved a burger.

Songs of Note: Surfin' USM; Billy's Smart Circus

5 bunnies, strays and misfits out of 5

SKYCLAD / The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth (1991)

Believed to be the first ever Folk Metal album, Martin Walkyier's post-Sabbat band never really found a target audience; no one was ready for it at the time of release, so it fell by the wayside. You can hear the Sabbat Thrash in there, but the Folk elements come to the fore a lot in the melodies and instrumentation. It has Walkyier's usual hurried vocals but the Folksy shanties and mandolin, fiddle, and acoustic moments give it a very schizophrenic identity.
Heavier than most Folk fans like and Folksier than most Heavy fans like, it's an anomaly that nevertheless still sounds amazing twenty years later.

Songs of Note: Terminus; Trance Dance

3½ odes to ancient and modern out of 5

SABBAT / Dreamweaver : Reflections of Our Yesterdays (1989)

Dreamweaver is a concept album based on the book The Way of Wyrd: Tales of an Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer (1983) by author and psychologist Brian Bates. It has Andy Sneap shredding the guitars with speed and precision, and the wonderful Martin Walkyier on vocals (does he ever breathe?). Those two artists together made music so creative and vibrant that it was never bettered by either man separately. Chock full of Thrashy riffs and occasional weird Maiden-esqe musical changes that take a few listens to make sense of, the album is a genuine timeless classic.

Songs of Note: Advent of Insanity; Do Dark Horses Dream of Nightmares?

5 Happy Never Afters out of 5

KRAFTWERK / Autobahn (1974)

I have friends that like dance music. With very few exceptions, I don't like the genre. I look through their CD collection, and they look through mine, and after shaking our heads for twenty minutes we discover that the only similarity is Kraftwerk. Autobahn is music for everyone, or no one. It's also is a masterpiece. Track one is twenty-two minutes long and simulates a drive on the German expressway. I'm not kidding. It has whooshing cars, horns, Moog bass, synth that actually works and happy vocoded vocals. It's soothing and very catchy. The remainder of the album is equally as odd, but is the template by which all electronica is measured. You'll be singing the chorus on your first listen.

Songs of Note: Autobahn; Morgenspaziergang

5 drive drive drive on the Autobahn out of 5

GLENN DANZIG / Black Aria II: Lilith, Whore of the Desert (2006)

It's similar to the first one but more Eastern sounding due to the subject matter. With less obvious synth it sounds fuller, darker and more accomplished. However, when the synth does creep in it falls apart like before. Elsewhere there are organs, strings, percussion and ethereal chants. It's classical music for people who long to sit under trees in graveyards on stormy October nights and wait for demons to rise and offer Faustian pacts. If that sounds like you, I'll see you there.

Songs of Note: Overture Winged Night Demon; Shiddin

3 dark dirges from zig out of 5

BLESSURE GRAVE / Judged By Twelve, Carried By Six (2010)

Joy Division: a cavernous sound, fuzzy bass, repetitive electronic guitar and drums that sound like sadness personified.
Blessure Grave: a cavernous sound, fuzzy bass, repetitive electronic guitar and drums that sound like sadness personified.
Some say rip-off, I say homage. Whatever the correct response, the musical description stands. But while Joy Division managed to avoid being monotonous, Blessure Grave don't. They also inject some of The Cure's sound into the mix, which is interesting if not entirely successful.

Songs of Note: Intro; The Cycle

3 big shoes they're trying to fill out of 5

CRASS / The Feeding of the 5000 (1978)

British punk. The real deal, uncompromising both lyrically and musically. It's percussion heavy with twangy distorted guitars and screamed vocals that at times can't even be clearly discerned. They arguably can't play for shit but that's not the point, it's a statement, a musical expression of what it meant to be working class in late 70s Britain. If you've occasional anger issues and hate your government and everything they stand for, then it's the perfect music to make you feel less alone. Crass were too short lived but the music they gifted us is ever-relevant.

Songs of Note: Asylum; Do They Owe Us a Living?

4 sounds of free speech out of 5

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD / Happy? (1987)

PiL used to create art. Then they made pop art. This is as close to regular boring Pop as you can get and still be Lydon. And it really sucks. Lydon still sounds like the kid that doesn’t get picked for the school choir (that's a good thing) but the music is generic, bland, devoid of innovation and above all, safe. PiL shouldn't be safe. There are hints of the old buried in the mix, Save Me, and the bass line of Fat Chance Hotel, but not enough to sustain any lasting interest. Happy? No, I'm not!

Songs of Least Fail: Save Me; Fat Chance Hotel

1 there is no art anymore out of 5

OPETH / Heritage (2011)

If the Watershed (2008) album didn't alienate most of Opeth's early fans, then Heritage surely will. It's prog rock with small doses of avant-garde in the song structure. There's piano, keyboards, flute, mellotron and no growls. If you listen carefully, the shifting song structures are the same as always, but without the death metal masking them they seem more obvious and very awkward. I've never been much of a fan of prog, so 90% of the album didn't click with me. However, it was recorded on analogue, so it at least sounds warm and cosy.

Songs of Note: Heritage; Slither

2 Swedish Jethros out of 5

FRANZ FERDINAND / You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)

The second album from the Glaswegian quartet. It follows the same formula as before but is more aggressive in places while somehow seeming less punchy, perhaps due to over-familiarity setting in already. The pounding rhythm section is amped-up at the expense of the groove. The rehash stuff can't compare to the first album, so it's left to the new additions to be the thing that defines it. Unfortunately, that's a few ballads, which will either hit or miss for most individuals. Still sounds like Blondie at times... and now Pulp. If you're new to FF, I'd recommend the first album as a better entry point.

Songs of Note: The Fallen; Eleanor Put Your Boots On

3 losers losing everywhere out of 5

DOLLY PARTON / The Bargain Store (1975)

It's Dolly.
That's all I need to write for this one.

Songs of Note: The Bargain Store; Kentucky Gambler

3½ career wigs out of 5

BATHORY / Twilight of the Gods (1991)

TotG continues and expands upon the Viking themed Hammerheart (1990) sound. As the title suggests, it's greatly inspired by classical compositions; he even uses Holst's Jupiter suite. It's soaring and epic in the very real sense of the word, being poetic and lengthy. The opening trilogy is one of the most beautiful pieces of music Quorthon has ever produced. Yes, beautiful, not blackly heavy. It has pounding drums and a sense of grandeur but is far removed from his usual cavernous sound. His acoustic guitar summons visions of ages past and his drums could guide longboats to distant shores. TotG was planned as the Bathory swansong album, and had that been the case, then it would've been a fitting farewell for the one-man-band that single-handedly spawned a number of genres.

Songs of Note: Twilight of the Gods; Through Blood By Thunder

5 ambitious and masterful progressions out of 5

JELLO BIAFRA AND MOJO NIXON / Prairie Home Invasion (1994)

In my experience, Prairie Home Invasion freaks people out. Not because it's creepy, but because it's country music and they can't help but like it. That scares them. It's not just regular county, though. It's Cowpunk. Yup. Whatever that is. Mojo Nixon knows, as it's undoubtedly his album musically. It's Jello's lyrically. The two opposites meet in the middle and deliver a disc full of hick tunes that you can't help but tap your foot to, or someone else's foot.
It goes without saying that Mojo fans will lap it up, but if you’re a punk at heart and loved Dead Kennedys, then there's a chance you'll love it, too, even if you hate country. Buy two copies... one for grandma.

Songs of Note: Love Me I'm a Liberal; Will the Fetus be Aborted?

5 politically charged hoedowns out of 5

DIO / Dream Evil (1987)

Ronnie James Dio gets credit for many things, but few people outside of his hardcore fan base can name more than one or two of his solo albums. The Dream Evil album is a popular one. It has some classic Dio-styled rock that follows his usual song structure: they start with a timeless melodic riff and sustain it until the chorus kicks in, then they soar with his voice at the forefront. The keyboards have dated it pretty badly but there's still some fine work herein.
Naysayers claim that he took the Black Sabbath sound with him, but I don't believe that's true. I believe Ronnie kept what he'd brought to Sabbath, and for a time made best use of it, while they spiralled into mediocrity after his departure.

Songs of Note: Night People; Dream Evil

3½ perverts at your bedroom window out of 5

HEAVEN AND HELL / The Devil You Know (2009)

Iommi, Butler, Appice and Dio. Sound familiar? It's Dio-era Black Sabbath in all but name. Geezer Butler brings a lifetime's experience of bass riffs but doesn't dwell on past glories. Sure, there's some of the old Sabbath vibe, but it's not a rehash of old sold as new, it's a lot of new from a bunch of olds.
It's not as good as the Heaven and Hell (1980) album from which they took their name, but I don't think it's possible to ever top that.
It's a lot more doom sounding than I ever imagined it would be, so it took a few listens before I could shake the old expectations and find the stand-out tracks. I expect that may well be a common feeling among fans.

Songs of Note: Follow the Tears; Bible Black

3½ surges of power out of 5