162. Let it Bleed - The Rolling Stones

An album I knew pretty well having owned a (reissued) copy of it for a couple of years, this was one that I'd always enjoyed. The first and last songs had always stood out a mile to me, so I was intrigued to see whether any of the others would rise to the fore with a more focused listen. I know that this album is regarded as amongst the Stones' finest, and is known for its capturing a time not at ease with itself.

The album was recorded around the same time as Beggar's Banquet and Sticky Fingers, and the initial idea was that the material would make up two albums. Let it Bleed was released in December 1969 following the US promotion tour, and reached number 1 in the UK, and number 3 in the US. The Robert Brownjohn designed cover art is probably more recognised than most of the songs off the album, with a then unknown Delia Smith providing the cake topping for the turntable. The working title of the album had been Automatic Changer, which would make more sense in the context of the sculpture.

Gimme Shelter is an absolute belter of an opening track, that builds, grows, and struggles to contain the emotive content that includes a damning indictment of the Vietnam War. Mick's voice sounds powerful, but its Merry Clayton's backing vocals that steal the show (she also appears on Lynyrd Skynyrd's  Sweet Home Alabama). Love in Vain is a bit too ploddy for my tastes, although the bluegrass elements are at least a novelty that doesn't entirely wear off. Country Honk  is a slower version of the original Honky Tonk Women single that was released a few months earlier, and doesn't quite match the single's catchiness, and would probably work better as a live experiment. Live With Me has some great moments, such as the horn solo halfway through, and the piano is compellingly intense. Let it Bleed is one of Jagger's strongest vocal performances, with his drawl running through the track, and Ian Stewart's brief return to the band on keys gives a strong basis from which the song can develop. Midnight Rambler, an account of the Boston Strangler's murder of 13 women, is a self-described Blues Opera, and works well as a narrative track. Richard's guitar is excellent on this, showing the vast range of his technique. You got the Silver doesn't add a huge amount to the album, but continues the album's folksy charm. Monkey Man speeds things up somewhat, and was a song I grew to really enjoy having previously overlooked it. It is a classic bit of Jagger-Richards magic, with an in your face riff and edgy delivery that fits in with the rest of the album. You Can't Always Get What You Want is utterly superb, with its angelic opening oft-copied, but never matched, however much the London Bach Choir tried to distance themselves from the "relentless drug ambience" of the rest of the album. The drumming performance, by Jimmy Miller rather than Charlie Watts, is outstanding, Al Kooper on piano is incredible, and the dischord at the end is a wonderful contrast to the structured beginning. It really is one of the best songs of all time in my opinion, and leaves a real glow over the rest of the album.

Overall, listening to the album again brought out a few extra elements to it, and I picked up more of the pessimism that runs through the record. At the same time, the tracks I've always loved remained the strongest ones in my opinion. It shows the range of genres that the band could confidently cover, and it takes the swagger of a band in their pomp to produce so many basic, bluesy numbers. However, when you compare that to some of the jaw-dropping things their contemporaries were producing, it makes it look a bit half-hearted at times. Still, it is a very strong record, and when it hits the heights, as on the first and last track, there are few bands who can come close.

Chloe's album rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Olly's album rating: 8

Olly's favourite track: 9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Next week we will be listening to number 32. Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. You can't always get what you want indeed…

749. Dog Man Star - Suede

I've never known much Suede, the big hits aside, and I always viewed them with some scepticism as a poor mans Pulp. Whilst Brett Anderson has a very impressive vocal range, I thought I didn't like him, possibly for no other reason than his name. Whilst judgemental, tell me you haven't turned your nose up for lesser reasons. I had always enjoyed Beautiful Ones and She's in Fashion off those mid/late 90s Indie Compilations that I still own far too many of, so it wasn't like I'd completely shunned them.

Released in 1994, Dog Man Star was the band's follow up to their Mercury winning self-titled debut, which became the biggest selling debut album since 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome'. This success, inevitably, caused problems within the group, with Anderson wanting to make a very different statement, and move away from the commercial behemoth that Britpop had become. Butler, the lead guitarist, left the band during the recording of the album, to be replaced by 17 year old Richard Oakes. The album did reasonably well initially, but sales faded away quickly, and it was a while before it attained the status it now holds as the band's masterpiece.

Introducing the Band sets things off with waves of distorted guitars and a pounding rhythm section overlaid by samples and various instruments. It is quite a statement and not what I was expecting. We are the Pigs is more conventional, with an anthemic chorus and Anderson's vocals front and centre. Heroine didn't quite big the mark, being fairly forgettable, although not bad per se. The Wild Ones is a song I can't ever remember hearing, but did sound familiar. Further to that, it is catchy as hell - a quite brilliant ebbing and flowing record. Daddy's Speeding is a pretty dark opus of sorts, although I'm not sure exactly what the message is supposed to be. Use of phased effects can be pretty off putting, but this track manages to pull it off with a compelling vocal performance alongside the more subtle instrumentation. The Power reminds me of a slower "She's in Fashion", with Anderson using a similar, wavering delivery. The song overall is slightly meandery, especially when compared to New, Generation, which sounds like the Cast at their very best. The horn section really adds something to the chorus, and the classic quiet-loud verse-chorus indie routine works well. This Hollywood Life is a sprawling number that kicks off with a great sax and distorted guitar combo. The slightly mechanical backing vocals work well on the chorus, and whilst I'd be amazed if the falsetto works as well live, it is convincing in a recorded format. The 2 of Us stays just the right side of melodrama, ala Frankie Goes to Hollywood's The Power of Love. Black or Blue has moments of real brilliance, but is a bit too fragmented for me, with the chorus not quite fitting.  The Asphalt World was a slow-burner for me, as I only realised its brilliance near the end of the week. The organ adds an element of whimsy with a guitar riff that is pure White Album Beatles. Still Life is slightly weaker, relying too heavily on a play on the word 'still'. It's one of the few times that they sound overblown. Stay together (long version) works much better; by having a bit more pace in the delivery, the song sounds more convincing, and the prolonged collapse at the end seems a fitting exhale to the dying breath of this album. And then Whipsnade come along, leaving the album slightly outstaying is welcome.

The variety on this album really impressed me - I was expecting generic Britpop indie type songs, and instead was greeted with a real variety of songs from pop classics to arty epics. I should also apologise to Brett Anderson (like he'd care) as this record makes him sound a far less 2D character then I had labelled him.

Chloe's album rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 3. Heroine

Olly's album rating: 8

Olly's favourite track: 4. The Wild Ones

And coming up this week we have an absolute barnstormer - 162. Let it Bleed by the Rolling Stones. It turns out you do sometimes get what you want.

545. Treasure - Cocteau Twins

The Cocteau Twins are a group that many people have told me I would love, and having been given a couple of their EPs a year or so ago, I can see why. However, they are also a group who require investment, and I haven't given them the time they deserve to really get under their skin (a combination of this project, a busy job, and getting married will do that). So I was thrilled to get this album now, rather than in 14 years, so I could see just how well they align with my tastes.

The Cocteau Twins were Liz Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, a group from Grangemouth, Scotland who met through a shared love of Punk, and became a trio in 1979. The group's name came from the title of an early Simple Minds song, which is surprising given the nature of music they would go on to make. They had some success in the 80s, growing something of a cult following on the post-punk scene, and then gained mainstream acclaim with the release of Heaven or Las Vegas in 1990, which peaked at Number 7 in the UK.

Ivo is a soprano-laden lush garden of a song that sets the listener up for what to expect; multi-layered, multi instrumental waves of loveliness. Whilst it isn't the strongest track on the album due to it sometimes sounding a bit flimsy, it certainly does capture what the pair are about. Lorelei, on the other hand, is an outstanding piece of music. The circling guitars and the prolonged cymbals really drive the body of the track, whilst the otherworldly nature of the vocal work is truly hypnotic. Beatrix has an intriguing, slightly sludgy, feel to the music, primarily due to the haunting organ sound. It is on this track that Fraser most sounds like Kate Bush - high praise indeed.  Persephone has an urgency to it that is slightly lacking elsewhere, taking the best elements of Echo and the Bunnymen, and then adding even more oblique lyrics. Fraser's voice sounds like it could lose it at any moment, which adds a real thrill. Pandora (For Cindy) is a bit 80s and directionless, although not itself unpleasant. Amelia is slightly in the same vein; a bit like the backing to a fairytale, but without the compelling story. Aloysius is also very Kate Bush, and you can almost picture her in a long white floaty dress singing these sounds (they're definitely not words) in an enchanted forest. Cicely has a great bass line in it, alongside a real snap to the percussion that makes it all sounds more immediate. Otterley is a pleasant soundscape that should feature in a film scene in a midnight graveyard. Donimo sounds, in Chloe's words, like a Christmas Carol. The choir of angels that suddenly explode out of the ether add a real power to proceedings, and make you wish that they appeared on more of these songs. The layered voices, the exquisite guitar, and the ebb and flow of the song bring the album to a stunningly strong close.

I badly wanted to like the Cocteau Twins, as the cool people I know (few but significant) like them. At the same time, I take this project too seriously to artificially 'fluff' a score. Thankfully, I genuinely really, really liked this album, enjoying it whilst focusing on it, and as it drifted into the background. It's mid-season lull prevents it from scoring more highly, but it is a very impressive piece of work. It is one of those albums that is hard to label genre-wise; Dream-80s-synth-pop-elvish-rock would be my closest approximation. However it's labelled, it is simply gorgeous to listen to, and is definitely an unearthed, albeit slightly flawed, gem.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloe's favourite song: 4. Persephone

Olly's rating: 8

Olly's favourite song: 2. Lorelei

Next week we will be listening to 759. Dog Man Star by Suede. Whilst I always thought of them as a budget Pulp, I'm always willing to give Britpop another chance.

174. Abraxas - Santana

I'm probably more familiar with Santana's Smooth with Rob Thomas than I am with any of his earlier, more seminal work - such is the nature of being born in the mid-80s. Smooth featuring the Matchbox Twenty singer was ubiquitous in 1998, and, catchy as it was, it never made me want to explore more of his back catalogue. My guitarist friends always spoke highly of Santana's melodic style, opting for tone rather than outright speed, and how influential he has been.

The album, Santana's second, was a monstrous success for the band, going 5 times platinum in the US, and Gold in the UK. It was selected this year to be kept in the US's National Recording Registry for its cultural and artistic significance. The cover art is pretty distinctive too; a 1961 painting by Mati Klarwein called "Annunciation". The album title comes from the Hermann Hesse novel Demian, "We stood before it and began to freeze inside from the exertion. We questioned the painting, berated it, made love to it, prayed to it: We called it mother, called it whore and slut, called it our beloved, called it Abraxas....".

Singing Winds, Crying Beasts sounds both (a) exactly as the title suggests and (b) exactly like a Santana instrumental should. It's full of subtle tones and textures, with the most cymbal rolls ever recorded in one place. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen is a Fleetwood Mac cover merged into Gabor Szabo's 1966 instrumental. It has a lovely Latin feel to it, all swaying bass and dancing lead guitar, and the intensity really steps up at the transition. Oye Como Va you may know from the Big Lebowski, and is obscenely catchy, with a great use of keyboard and guiro; there are so many things going on at any one time it takes a while to get a real feel for it, but when you do, it is hard to shake off. This track was also a cover - it was originally penned by Tito Puente. Incident at Neshabar is a delicate instrumental that has a lovely ebb and flow to it. Se a Cabo adds some urgency to proceedings, with some powerful, polyrhythmic drumming, and a guitar line that dances over the top. Mother's daughter kicks off in a remarkably similar way to Hendrix's Fire - no bad thing. It is powerful stuff, but doesn't quite match the urgency of the Hendrix song. Samba Pa Ti is another song you'll know, although it's a bit background-y for me. Hope You're Feeling Better kicks in with a great organ riff, and then there's some stirring drumming. The vocals are a bit affected, but also feel like they're delivered with conviction alongside an aggressive sounding guitar and a solo as good as I hoped more of them would be. El Nicoya is a slightly damp squib, its only remarkable feature being how forgettable it is.

Whilst I can only imagine the impact this album had on Western audiences when released, the diversity of musical influences currently around means that it is hard to experience that in the same way. I can hear the technical brilliance, and togetherness of the band, but it also doesn't really grab me unless I'm fully focused on it due to the complexities within it. It's an album I tried to appreciate, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 6. Mother's Daughter

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite track: 3. Oye Como Va

Next week is 545. Treasure by the Cocteau Twins. Don't know them well, but most people whose music tastes I trust love them, so looking forward to that.

199. Sweet Baby James - James Taylor

I have always had a soft-spot for James Taylor. When I was a teenager, there was a local acoustic open mic night that myself and a few friends would go to most weeks. A right assortment of individuals would play, from young guns to old timers, and one particular individual would normally close the night with Fire and Rain followed by You do something to Me - a beautiful combination. I don't know much more about Taylor other than that song, but it's always been enough for me to consider him in a positive light.

James Taylor had a chequered start to his musical career, with a period of heroin addiction in the late 60s whilst based in New York. It was Fire and Rain that proved to be his breakthrough hit, charting at number 3 in the US. That song tells the story of Taylor's attempt to kick heroin, and his close friend's recent suicide. The album earned him several Grammy nominations, and thrust him into the limelight, which probably helped him in the long-run. He's been a huge star in the US ever since, and has a decent following this side of the pond too.

The title track is pure Country and Western, with simplicity at its core, and a pleasant melody. Lo and Behold steps things up with an impassioned drive that forces its message home with some insistent singing and strumming. Sunny Skies is an upbeat, laid back number with a swing in its step. However, I don't think this particular style suits Taylor - it is too lightweight for his voice. Steamroller is a proper old fashioned blues song, with a straightforward guitar riff that could come from any of hundreds of tracks, and so just works. It is lyrically slightly strange - describing oneself as a napalm bomb is not the norm, but it does follow a great horn, keys and guitar bridge so I can be forgiving. Country Road is a great song, full of punctuated lyrics and intricate guitar playing. Taylor's voice works perfectly against the delicate acoustic strumming that slowly builds to something more. Oh, Susannah is another beautiful song, although I feel it a bit too paper thin at times. Fire and Rain is a great, great song, both lyrically and musically. It builds steadily, and you feel every single syllable that Taylor seems to force out like it’s a compulsion. The drumming towards the end of the song manages to not steal the show, yet gets better every time I hear it. Blossom goes under the category of pretty ditties that sound a bit too lullaby-esque. Anywhere Like Heaven is a quiet piece that paints a nice, prairie picture, without being particularly moving. Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me, is a decent Blues warm-up that never really gets going. Suite for 20G starts in a none too convincing manner, especially the double-tracked vocals, but then really kicks on in the second half, with a proper blow out. The bass trombone call-out in particular cannot be heard without an impromptu bout of nodding.

This was an album which I enjoyed, despite its flaws. The best songs are those where Taylor's really going for it, and branching out beyond simple, stripped back country/folk fare. He has a fabulous backing band, and when they let rip, and the Blues and Soul influences come seeping out it really captures some pretty raw, and powerful, emotions. As such, I probably won't revisit it as an album much, as parts of it are too insipid, but there are some real gems on here that I can imagine revisiting in years to come.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 4. Country Road

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 7. Fire and Rain

Next week we have an absolutely seminal album that I barely know - 174. Abraxas by Santana. Abraxas is apparently a loose translation for "this will sell more copies than the Bible."

965. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Whilst obviously being familiar with some of Winehouse's work in that I have existed for the last few years, I am not hugely familiar with her back catalogue. Indeed, I only found the extent of her trials and tribulations having watched the insightful documentary last year. Why watch a documentary about someone I know, and seemingly care, little about? Well, a combination of wanting to find out more, and the novelty of watching it in Camden Market in the summer in a deck chair; an uneven combination, I concede. It is hard to listen to the album without reflecting on the tragedy that was Amy's life, and the film captures the ferocity of the paparazzi in a manner that is genuinely startling. It is a film that should lead to the demise of celebrity magazines and pages, but alas it won't.

The album was a huge success, with Amy's profile having grown due to the combination of the slow-burn success of Frank, her debut, and her cover of the Zutons' Valerie whilst working with Mark Ronson. Ronson co-produced this, her second album, along with Salaam Remi. Amy won five Grammy awards for the album, catapulting her into the limelight, which was probably the last thing she needed at that time. Her troubled relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, and his time in prison, was played out on the front pages of the press, and drove her greater into an alcohol-filled and fueled abyss, culminating in her untimely death at the age of 27. This album was her last as a result, and is painfully close to the bone of her actual experience.

Rehab is an almost universally loved song that I just don't enjoy that much. I think aspects of it are spot on, such as the horn section, and the clapping sections, but I find the chorus just doesn't move me. It's possibly also the crass nature of the chorus, particularly in light of how the story ended. You Know I'm no Good has more of Ronson's heavy use of horns, but a more interesting subject matter. Me & Mr Jones could be a slow album track from the Ronettes, although with slightly more explicit language. It's very swaggery, if that's even approaching a reasonable adverb, but a bit on the repetitive front. Just Friends meanders a bit around some pleasant enough sounding backing piece, but it's a little bit coffee-shop-at-Christmas for me. Back to Black is the one song on this album where everything just clicks. The simple piano progression, the great backing harmonies, and the stunning vocal performance; it feels so genuinely impassioned yet numb at the same time. Love is a Losing Game would be powerful when performed live, but sounds a bit stifled on the recording, like Amy's heart isn't in it - unless that's the point and it's a bit subtle for me. Tears Dry on their Own boldly uses the tune from Ain't no Mountain High Enough, and is good enough to almost do it justice. The lyrics are the best on the album, and are delivered with real attack. The production is a bit sparser, which gives Amy's voice the chance to shine.  Wake Up Alone is also brilliant lyrically, painting a very evocative set of images, that sound painfully autobiographical (wake up/ clean the house/ at least I'm not drinking) - Chloe loved the words of this song due to its poetic yet cutting tone. Some Unholy War is either trying to be political, and not quite working, or I've completely missed the point. He Can Only Hold Her starts promisingly, all strutting vocals and punchy horns, but slightly peters out. Addicted is a cleverly worded song with a great bassline and lovely drum rattle, but three minutes of moaning about someone smoking your cannabis is a bit much for me.

I should love this album, as it has all the qualities I look for in a Motown album, but I just don't feel particularly drawn to it. Perhaps it is a bit too derivative, or samey, or I just wasn't in the mood for it for an entire week. It is clearly a good album from an objective viewpoint, but I feel that the tragic story surrounding the artist adds a depth to it that I don't think exists in the reality of simply listening to it. Whilst being convinced I'm wrong, I just don't think it's a great album.

Chloe's rating: 8

Chloe's favourite song: 8. Wake up alone

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite song: 5. Back to Black

Our next week will be played out to the delicate melodies of 199. Sweet Baby James by James Taylor. Sweet indeed.

440. Off the Wall - Michael Jackson

I knew elements of this album fairly well, having been given a copy on LP ten years ago by Cliff Bellamy - an individual who had a fairly formative influence on my musical taste (introducing me to Pink Floyd being the most impactful). However, it definitely hasn't had as much airtime for me as Thriller, so I was looking forward to spending a week getting under its skin.

Quincy Jones' name should really be emblazoned on the front of this record, as well as on the back. The producer's touch is audible throughout the songs, from the extra instrumentation that would never have been originally written in through to the clarity and detail evident in the recording. Michael Jackson had not made a breakthrough post his childhood stardom, and so it was through a chance meeting with Quincy Jones whilst on the set of the The Wiz, a cinematic musical flop, that the foundations were laid for his eventual solo success. The assured manner in which Jones advised the still youthful Jackson, and by taking the time to listen to hundreds of demoes before deciding on the final album tracks, meant that this album sounds far more mature than it has any right to. 

Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough is a jaw-droppingly good opener, but I'm sure you knew that already. The bassline is sublime, the falsetto vocals work exceptionally well, and the arrangement is so crisp it is like ice. The guitar solo is almost Van Halen-esque, and the strings add a depth to the song that is missing from most disco. I Wanna Rock With You was nearly mine and Chloe's first dance at our wedding, so it's fair to say we're fans. It would be easy for it to be too saccharine, but it definitely gets away with it, with the lush backing vocals, cloud-like strings and tight horns enveloping the listener in an infectious ode to joy. Jackson's enthusiasm is palpable on his vocal performance here - he just sounds like he's having a great time. Workin' Day and Night was a song I didn't know that well, but it stood out to me from the outset. The lightning quick guitar licks and the staccatto delivery make this one of the catchiest songs I've every heard; it was stuck in my head for about 3 days straight, and I didn't mind one jot. Get on the Floor is one of the funkier songs on the record, and is the sort of tune that would guarantee a loaded dancefloor if it came on in a club. The bass goes for several wanders each verse and chorus, and each time it's a great journey to be a part of. Off the Wall starts in manner that foreshadows Thriller. It loses its way a little bit as the chorus isn't as strong as the verses deserve. Girlfriend is an ok song, but not at the same level as many songs here. Penned by Paul McCartney for his then friend, it was also included on a Wings album that no-one has probably ever heard. It is better than the lightweight She's Out of my Life, that is just too sickeningly-sweet. Whilst touching that Jackson couldn't sing it without weeping, it is also ridiculous. I Can't Help It is a bit meh, all soft-focus synths and repetitive chorus. It's the Falling in Love sounds much more like an MJ love song should, complete with funky breaks and soulful vocals. Whilst far from the best song off the album, it does at least demonstrate that he can pull off the slower songs too. Burn this Disco Out could be Earth Wind and Fire at their finest - it is the epitome of disco. Whilst I wouldn't say that is a genre that I am naturally drawn to, I defy you to listen to this song and not dance. And the horn section is just utterly, utterly on point. 

This is a great album. It has some weak points, such as when Jackson goes overboard on the ballads, but those aside, the consistently outstanding quality of the song-writing and production is stunning. The number of moments off this album that have been sampled is staggering, and demonstrate just how good the Jackson-Jones duo were when everything clicked into place. This is definitely an album I will return to, and it's just a shame that the weaker middle tracks on the B-side just stop this album short of being the absolute triumph it threatens to be.

Chloe's rating: 9
Chloe's favourite track: 1. Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Olly's rating: 9
Olly's favourite track: 3. Workin' Day and Night

Next week we have another seminal album from a troubled star - 965. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. 

519. Hearts and Bones - Paul Simon

I bloody love a bit of Simon and Garfunkel. Their greatest hits was a common theme heard in my house growing up, and so it has a natural nostalgia that is pretty heart-warming. I don't know the ins and outs of why they split up, but I guess it was an ego thing. Given the consistency of their combined output, we can but imagine the stellar collection they would have achieved with decades working together.

This album apparently started as a potential Simon and Garfunkel reunion album, following their huge success at the concert in Central Park. Paul Simon had released five albums before this point, with several major successes. This one, however, was a commercial flop, reaching only 34 in the UK, and 35 in the US. It has been retrospectively heralded as some of his best work, which is why it appears in this book. Following this failure, Simon felt completely lacking inspiration, and it was through a chance musical encounter that he decided to travel to South Africa to record the remarkably successful Graceland.

Allergies starts things in a fashion that is rather mixed. Musically it is classic 80s, with a huge array of instruments, and some very bizarre studio effects overlaid on most of them. Lyrically, it is one of the strangest things I have ever listened to - I can't work out what the point of it is. Is he allergic to his music, or his love, or both, and frankly, why is this the subject of a song? I've kept trying to work out what the metaphor is for this, but I'm none the wiser after a week of pontificating. Hearts and Bones is slightly more mainstream, but that can also be read as Middle of the Road. Because it is in that saccharine, over-produced, under-baked manner that waning pop stars sometimes fall back on. Numbers get Serious is weird, but a bit more interesting at least - possibly written with Art Garfunkel in mind, who has a Maths Masters Degree from Columbia. Think Too Much (b) is the best song on the album, with a catchy xylophone riff (if that is even a thing), a theme that makes sense, and Simon's voice at its best. It's still a bit fruity, complete with what sounds like a bleating lamb at the beginning, but I can forgive it that. Song about the Moon is ok, but unless I'm listening to it at the time, I can't remember a thing about it; it's the musical equivalent of plain yoghurt. Think Too Much (a) should be renamed Overthinking and playing a musical concept too much. Covering your own song with a slightly more upbeat backing is just album filler, plain and simple. Train in the Distance is catchy and has a bit of swagger about it, and Simon's voice is like a soothing hot chocolate. Rene and Georgette Magritte with their dog after the War is an attempt at painting an image of the surrealist artists. The key word there is attempt, though apparently Rolling Stone rate it as one of Paul Simon's best songs ever, so there you go. Cars are Cars is possibly the most bizarre 3 minutes mainstream pop song I have heard, including this album's opener. Cars are indeed cars Paul, yes, all over the world. A car doesn't stop becoming a car when it is in India, for example. As a tautologically defunct statement, it is up there with the best, and indeed worst. The Late Great Johnny Ace is a tribute to Johnny Ace and John Lennon, and as such, I'm afraid that it makes me care about them less. In that respect, it sums the album up nicely.

This album is not that bad, but it's not very good either; it's the first one I'm really clueless as to why it is in this book. I mean, John Zorn at least gave me a benchmark above which all other music will be placed, which is useful in itself. No single song on this album really does enough to justify its inclusion, as even the best song has a crappy version of itself two tracks later. This was definitely an auditory week I could happily have done without. Indeed, I've spent much of it listening to the new Nick Cave album, which is unsurprisingly excellent. Listen to that instead of this. Please.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 2. Hearts and Bones

Olly's rating: 4

Olly's favourite track: 4. Think Too Much (b)

So after a few meh weeks, the next one is a belter - 440. Off the Wall by Michael Jackson. Yes, yes, oh yay.

466. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

I feel it is important to admit, before I review this album, that I was quite a big metal head during my teenage years. However, I never really got into Iron Maiden, other than the big singles that everyone knows. I have their greatest hits, and never found them interesting or varied enought to really invest in the way I did with Metallica, for example. Well, until St Anger came out. So I thought that this album would be slightly generic metal, and whilst more accessible than Sepultura, not particularly engaging.

I hadn't realised that Iron Maiden actually existed sans Bruce Dickinson, and I was even more surprised to find that they were really quite good without him. This, their debut album, featured Paul Di'Anno (his stage name - he's actually from East London) on lead vocals and Dennis Stratton on guitar. Di'Anno lasted two albums with the band, before he was removed due to issues with drugs and an inability to cope with the grinding tour lifestyle. Stratton managed only one album before leaving due to 'musical differences'. His career has faded out since, which is a real shame as he is obviously a hugely accomplished guitarist. Iron Maiden recruited their replacements from rival bands (Urchin and Sansom) to secure a consistency to their sound.

Prowler kicks things off with a melt-your-face good riff, and the start-stop half way through really kicks things up a notch. Sanctuary is a bit of a miss for me, with a fairly generic metal structure and sound that could be Def Leppard or some other, slightly lesser, band. It does have a very realistic police siren complete with stereo panning that was slightly disconcerting when driving. Remember Tomorrow is a pretty epic song, with that classic acoustic-y intro and gentle singing that builds into something much brasher, complete with outrageous fretwork on the solo, but that never loses the driving intensity of the rhythm section. It reminds me a lot of Something Wicked era Iced Earth, which is high praise indeed. Running Free I thought would annoy me, as it is so repetitive, but it actually grew on me as the week went on. It does manage to capture the arrogance of youth pretty well, and is a great driving track, with some powerful percussion-led sections. Phantom of the Opera is pretty overblown, but just about manages to pull it off. The machine-gun-quick guitar actually makes it hard to hear the lyrics properly, but in a way that adds to the intensity of the recording. Di'anno's natural tone is much deeper than his replacement's, and I can imagine Dickinson's voice soaring over the top of the melody, which would be an interesting alternative. Translyvania was originally only on the US recording, and having an instrumental of this quality really allows the band to shine. Strange World is a bit of a miss for me, and doesn't really do much - it just drifts a bit, lacking direction, sounding like a studio jam that shouldn't have made the cut. Charlotte the Harlot certainly has drive, and is pretty catchy, but I'm not sure about the message - it's pretty demeaning. The album closer, also called Iron Maiden, is full of contrasting tones and rhythms, and wraps things up in an enjoyably succinct manner, clocking in at 4 minutes and change. It was the track that Chloe most enjoyed, and part of me thinks that may be because it means she can soon listen to something else.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I had anticipated. It is much more varied even within each song than I would have thought, with the contrasting rhythms and melodies in particular driven by the outstanding guitar solos. It reminded me of being 15 again and just starting to enjoy the complexity of the Metal scene, which is what led me to get into bands like Tool and Nine Inch Nails. Anything that reminds you of your youth that vividly, particularly when you've just hit 31, is worthy of a high score.

Chloe's rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 9

Olly's rating: 8

Olly's favourite track: 3

Next week is 519. Hearts and Bones by Paul Simon, the one before Graceland. Not familiar at all with this album, but I do enjoy a bit of Paul Simon, so hopefully it's a previously unheard gem.

503. Pornography - The Cure

Other than their singles, the only music of The Cure's that I know well is their 2004 eponymous release, recorded and produced by Rick Rubin. That is actually much closer thematically and in sound to this album than their poppier singles in-between would suggest. Poppier singles I love, it must be said. However, I was looking forward to fully throwing myself into the band's darkest recording to see what they sounded like at their rawest, thinking that it might be a bit Joy Division-esque.

Pornography was the band's fourth album, and nearly led to their demise. Heavy drug use fuelled the recordings, with in-fighting between the group an almost daily occurence. The desire for intensity, and a lack of funds, led to the band staying for long hours in the study, supplied by their local off-licence. The album was commercially their most successful, reaching number 8 in the UK charts. Simon Gallup, the bassist, let the group after the album was finished, and Robert Smith, the vocalist, believed it would be the band's final recording before their seemingly inevitable collapse. 32 years, Nine albums, and twenty million record sales later, they are still going strong.

One Hundred Years could only every have come from the post-punk era of almost anti musicality. Waves of fuzzy, distorted guitar rush over the listener, with Robert Smith's clear voice the only salvation. It is a very strong opener, and led me to feel quite excited about the rest of the album when I first heard it. Short Term Effect works well too, a claustrophobic style of reverb adding the recording a real intensity, although the rhythm is slightly too pedestrian to carry it off for the duration. Hanging Garden is much more percussion-led, and desperate rather than the despair of the opening two tracks, and this change in speed helps give the album some variety. Siamese twins slows things back down, and the bassline is a close sibling to anything off Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, although slightly fuzzier and drudgier. The song could be a couple of minutes shorter, as it grinds you first into submission to its repetitive nature, and then out the other side into mild irritation. The Figurehead continues this alightly annoying theme, with the only changes being that the bass is quieter, and the guitar louder. A Strange Day has some brilliant moments in it, where the guitar riff seems to cut through the dirge, and you can almost picture the band looking skywards at the shock of sunlight as it does. This juxtaposition really helps break up the song, and wouldn't have gone amiss elsewhere. Cold makes interesting use of an organ playing over what sounds like a drumset made of wet cardboard. The title track and album closer, is even more dischordant and complete with sample statements, it really does sound like Milton's Paradise Lost performed by three British lads on a substatnital quantity of LSD.

The album shows glimpses of great things, but struggles to sustain it for the duration. It's all terrily depressing, which is all fine to a point, but depressing records need a touch of relentless intensity to them, I feel, and this is a bit moany and navel-gazing to really get away with it. Smith's vocal performance is good, but almost identical on every song, which means that it can become somewhat irksome. This album would make a great soundtrack to a computer game set in hell, the point being that it would add to the experience of other stimuli, rather than being the sole focus. It is an interesting contrast to later belters like Boys Don't Cry and Lovecats, but it isn't a record I will spend much time coming back to. 

Chloe's rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 1. One Hundred Years
Olly's rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 6. A Strange Day

Next week we have 466. Iron Maiden with their self-titled debut from 1980; not the musical respite Chloe was hoping for.

217. IV - Led Zeppelin

Led Zep have always been a band that I've felt I should enjoy more than I have. Whilst a few songs stand up with the best, Achilles' Last Stand being one, I've just found them less than the sum of their impressive parts. Page is a great guitarist, and Bonham a outstanding drummer. Robert Plant's voice can be irritating at times, but his recent album with Alison Krauss sounds so good that it can't be the whole story. It may be that I learned to enjoy 70s rock moving back from contemporary times, and so I don't understand the way that the band's sound grew from old blues numbers.

Led Zeppelin IV, as I shall call it, is technically untitled, and the sleeve features no mention of the band's name, members or song titles. It was a bold strategy upon release in 1971, but the cover image is so famous that it's a safe bet to say that the gamble paid off. The painting was purchased by Plant in an antique shop in Reading, and then placed on the wall of a run-down house that was about to be demolished for the final cover photo. It is the third highest selling album of all time in the US, with over 23 million copies sold in that country alone.

Black Dog kicks things off with a ripping blues-y riff and some staccato percussion. The stop-start structure of the song makes me think of Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac, which sounds remarkably similar. The Fleetwood Mac track was released two years before this album, and has even more swagger about it. Jimmy Page and John Bonham vie for dominance, and it is no doubt due to the fact that Page produced the record that he arguably wins it. Rock And Roll follows in an even more helter-skelter manner, with driving bass and keys punctuating Plant's wails and moans. It's a song that would probably work better live, but carries enough energy about it to work in the studio. The Battle for Evermore is a slightly budget Stairway to Heaven, all folklore and medieval sounding instrumentation, but without the good bit at the end. Stairway to Heaven, in contrast, is a much better Battle for Evermore. Whilst the lyrics are slightly nonsense, they create an evocative set of images, bustling hedgerows and all. It is when the drums kick in that the song really comes into its own, with the sharp snare and cymbals helping it to gather momentum. Page's guitar solo, so oft-parodied, is great, as are Plant's vocals after the final chorus, all wailing and emotion. It's a song that stands up there with the very best, and people who claim that they're not that keen should probably give it another listen. Misty Mountain Hop is ok, but just doesn't grab me - I just find it all a bit syncopated. If I really knew what that word meant, I may even find it very syncopated. Four Sticks is powerfully rhythmic, showcasing John Bonham at his very best, but doesn't quite do enough with its foundations for me. Going to California is a pleasant enough folk song, but it's a bit on the fey side, and seems to stick out a bit against the density of sound on the rest of the album, which is perhaps the point of it. When the Levee Breaks was the (re)discovery of this particular set of listens - it is a great track, that builds from that funky opening into a veritable flood of musical brutality. A cover of a 1927 blues song by the husband and wife pair Memphis Minnie, the riff is almost Kashmir good, and there's a hypnotic use of a harmonica too, complete with backward echo recording technique. It's a great closer to the album, sending it out on a high.

I've found this album really hard to judge, and put a number on. I know that it is seminal and important, and was familiar with it before this week. At the same time, I don't love it, and listening to it for a week has not changed my views on Led Zeppelin. I have enjoyed it slightly more than I had feared I would, but it hasn't been revelatory either. The good songs are incredible, primarily Stairway and Levee, but there is also quite a bit of meh for an album of eight tracks.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloe's favourite track: 8. When the Levee Breaks

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 4. Stairway to Heaven

Our album for next week is 503. Pornography by the Cure. Also a British band, made up of eight tracks and 43 minutes long - I think that's probably where the similarities end.

603. Shaka Zulu - Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Like most people (philistines?) I mainly knew about this group from the Heinz advert that they famously provided the music for. Whilst this piece is catchy and powerful, I was unsure what i would make of an entire album's worth of this type of music. I've normally avoided world music simply from the snobbery somewhat aligned with Rob Gordon in High Fidelity.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo are an acapella group from South Africa, who rose to fame following their backing contribution to Paul Simon's Graceland album. They toured with him around the world, and so their fanbase grew from their impressive live displays. This album went on to win the 1988 Grammy for best traditional folk recording.

Unomathemba is a delicate opener, which captures the depth and richness of this acapella group's voices. The rhythm is very pedestrian, but in a positive, calming sense, and the chorus elements of this song really do capture the imagination. Hello my Baby follows very much in this vein, with plenty of harmonies and ebbing chanting. Golgotha makes greater use of more percussive elements of the vocalists' sounds. The back and forth of the chorus is precise yet organic, and quietly joyful. King of Kings is basically as the same, and The Earth never gets Fat is the same but not as good. How Long has a delightfully rhythmic section where the vocalists offer themselves up as ready, which probably stayed with me more than any other moment on the album. Alas, the song's response to its own title is 'too long'. Home of the Heroes I barely noticed, and Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain is great until the Larry the Lamb impression that shows that tremulation works better on guitars than vocal cords.

I really enjoyed this album the first couple of times through, but then started to lose interest. My main issues with this album were two-fold. Firstly, there is a lack of variety when compared to a more conventional, multi instrumental album. Whilst the voices and tones are no doubt impressive, they are still more limited in terms of pitch and percussion than a range of instruments. Secondly, and relatedly, this makes it a hard album to focus on. It works in the background, and indeed is the first album we've used to help us get to sleep. Whilst there is a role for such music, for example as assistance to the wakeful, I certainly prefer albums that grab my attention and leave me trying to understand and analyse them fully. This week I've found myself interspersing listening to the assigned album with others a lot more than usual, not because I don't enjoy Shaka Zulu, but it is the equivalent of a nice warming bowl of soup - pleasant, but not enough to sustain oneself.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloe's favourite track: 2. Hello my Baby

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite track: 1. Unomathemba

Next week is 217. Led Zeppelin - Four. I've heard of that one, it's fair to say.

860. Apocalypse Dudes - Turbonegro

A band I had always believed were probably somewhere between rap and death metal given the name and album art, I was not expecting a pop-punk-glam ensemble. Whilst that description over-simplifies the group's sound, it covers the key elements of short, loud, simple songs. The lead guitarist Knut Schreiner (Euroboy) is a class apart however, and it is his noodling that really stands out even from the first listen.

Turbonegro formed in Norway in the late 1980s, and went through various different sounds before finding real success as a punk/glam-rock act. Euroboy joined in 1996, and added a layer of musicality to the band. Their new drummer, Christer Engen, apparently added some urgency, which the first album of their Apocalypse trio certainly demonstrates. The success of this album led to the band's four year hiatus, with Hank von Helvete's drug addiction coming to the fore on a sold-out European tour. The band reformed in 2002 following a successful one-off show at the Bizarre festival. Whilst they haven't hit the musical heights of this album, they have a cult following across the globe.

The opener, The Age of Pamparius, kicks things off with an epic, prog-esque, intro before descending into fast, distorted guitars and snarling lyrics about the quality of pizza and heavily reverbed backing vocals. The shredding is impressive, with solos straight out of the Van Halen book of velocity. Selfdestructo bust is a sped up and toned down piece of classic Oi punk, and is one of the few misses on the album. By just being flat out the entire time, it comes across as a wall of noise, with little to separate any part of it. Get it on could have been written and performed by the Hives, and has a truly anthemic, if simple, chorus. Rock against Ass successfully continues in this manner, with its tongue somewhere between being firmly in cheek and stuck out ala Gene Simmons. Zillion Dollar Sadist is a perfect example of a three minute pop-punk song. Whilst lyrically coming up a bit short, the rest of the sound is absolutely spot on. Prince of the Rodeo was released as a single, but I can't quite work out why, as its drumming led-rhythm aside it is one of the weaker dongs here. Are you ready (for some Darkness) sounds like a band parodying AFI, but doing it well enough to sound utterly convincing. Humiliation Street is somewhere between Bon Jovi and Lenny Kravitz, with a Metallica-esque intro and a really impressive musical outro that allows all members of the band to really show what they can do.

I can't work out if this band are really as straightforward as this record implies, or if they are actually just calculatingly creating a sound and image that captures attention. This album reminds me of the Dictators, and therein lies most of its strength, but also its weakness. It is simple, unashamedly fun, with songs good and catchy enough to not be embarrassed against some of the 1970's best punk and glam rock. However, it is also a slight indictment that in 25 years music had moved on so little; simply adding shredding and heavily distorting the rhythm section. Still, i guess Turbonegro were having too much of a good time to worry about such matters, or at least appear to be, and that deserves some credit either way.

Chloe's rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 4. Rock against Ass

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 12. Humiliation Street

Next week's album is 603. Shaka Zulu by Ladysmith Black Mambazo - a definite break from the guitar driven rock we've had in the last few weeks.

409. Live and Dangerous - Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy are a band I primarily know of because of their famous "Boys are back in Town", which can be found on every compilation aimed at the "50-year-old-men-who-love-Top-Gear" demographic. The band are regarded as being one of the key founders of heavy rock, and stuck to a successful formula throughout their career. However, they were also politically aware, with the group always containing at least one Catholic and one Protestant member at any time, as well as members from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Whilst this album is only live in the loosest sense of the word (allegedly only the original drums are used from concerts), it does convey a real sense of energy and chaotic fun that the band were famed for at the time. Lead singer Phil Lynott is obviously a compelling showman, and, a couple of lewd comments aside, captures the mood perfectly. This album is something of a best of for the band, as it captures all of their best selling songs to that point, including The Rocker, Cowboy Song and Dancin' in the Moonlight.

Jailbreak kicks things off with a classic riff-filled number, with a great, teasing bridge that ascends into a cracking guitar solo. It is the sort of song that you don't even need to like to know that you would enjoy at a concert - it just carries everything along. Emerald sounds like a variation on a classic Irish folk number, complete with dual guitar arpeggios. Southbound is a slower number, that rolls along inoffensively enough, with nice backing vocals on the chorus. Rosalie is a cover of a Bob Seger song, and is not the strongest from that individual's impressive back catalogue, in my opinion. Dancin' in the Moonlight, on the other hand, is an absolute cracker, that has stayed in my head for most of the week for all the right reasons. A catchy riff, a singalong chorus, and some squelchy sax make this the standout for me. Massacre is like a slightly less intense Lightning-era Metallica, in a good way. Still in Love with You drags a bit for my liking, with the chorus just a little bit too artificially bittersweet. Jonny the Fox meets Jimmy the Weed is just a bit bizarre, and is a bit of a live filler to give fans the chance to get another drink in, I suspect. Cowboy Song is also a bit mediocre, although it segues into a cracking live version of the Boys are back in Town, which is impossible not to listen to sans smile. It is the only song on the album I knew before, and I still enjoy it now, having heard it countless times, although I've always been of the opinion that Jonny probably deserved the slap he received. Don't believe a Word is a juggernaut of a song, which has a chugging riff that must have been covered by a hundred garage rock bands. Warriors is a song that would have been a decent instrumental, but is tarnished by a meandering vocal delivery. Suicide tells a compelling story, although I'm not sure the upbeat tone of the guitar is quite right for the content of the song. The Rocker ends things off as they began, with a guitar driven fatty slice of heaviness, although without the subtlety of the opener.

This album was very enjoyable, although a bit shallow. It would be great to belt out whilst driving along on a long monotonous journey, and I'm glad I now know more of this influential band's repertoire. It would be a step too far, however, to say that this has re-energised my slightly fading love of cheesy heavy rock.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 4. Rosalie (Cowgirl's song)

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 5. Dancin' in the Moonlight

As we enter our second year of the project, we have the delights of 860. Apocalypse Dudes by Turbonegro, which is probably not going to be nu-soul.

449. The Pleasure Principle - Gary Numan

When I was about fifteen I was quite into electronic rock music, and decided to research the artists who influenced bands like Nine Inch Nails and Tool. I picked up a best of Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army CD for about two quid, and listened to it at most once. The cut glass synths and weird electronic voice sounded a million miles away from what I liked, and so that particular exercise in musical history and discovery died a death. Revisiting an album proper by Numan felt like a chance for me to right this wrong, and give him a fair hearing.

The Pleasure Principle was Gary Numan's first album under his own, the first two having been under the name the Tubeway Army. The album was heavily influenced by other electronic artists at the time, notably Kraftwerk, Eno and Bowie, and was unashamed about his plagiarism. The album spawned two successful singles in Complex and Cars, the latter of which went on to be a US number one. Indeed, it was this track that enabled Numan to follow up holding the UK number one album and single slot for the second time in ten months, following his previous success with Replicas and Are 'Friends' Electric? This dual success put the record label Beggars' Banquet firmly on the map, and it is still going to this day as a collection of independent British labels. The album's cover art is based on a Magritte painting called Pleasure Principle - clever Numan.

Airlane is a well layered and textured instrumental opener that would have worked particularly well as the theme tune for Knightmare. Metal is an exceptional song, and one I knew from the Nine Inch Nails cover. It has a great squelchy bassline, and some really insistent percussion; all military precision and coldness. At the same time it is telling a story somewhere between Pinocchio and Blade Runner, yet using a Moog to provide the required emotions rather than the vocals. Complex meanders without meaning, whereas Films at least has some decent string backing. M.E. sounded instantly familiar as the guitars were sampled for Basement Jaxx's Where's your Head at? As good a sound as it is, Jaxx do much more with it to my ears than Numan does, especially as his song fades into high pitched electronic swirling. Tracks is a song with a bit more of a varied profile to it, rising to something of a crescendo that gives it a more human feel than many others on the album. Cars is the best known song off the album, and is a belter, although having heard it about twelve times this week its novelty does wear off somewhat. Engineers is a decently rousing ending, but to be frank, by this time it's all starting to merge a bit.

There are songs off this album that I really enjoyed, but there were too many that just did nothing for me. The cold, teutonic sound still sounds futuristic, and obviously a lot of thought has gone into the production of the record. Listening to it several times in a week though, tracks just seemed to merge in a slightly muddled mixture of high pitched synths, efficient drumming, mournful vocalsa and the occasional violin. Numan had obviously got an efficient formula that served him well, but a large number of permutations on a theme left me thinking that the fifteen year old me didn't have too much to apologise for having abandoned his greatest hits.

Chloe's rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 4. Films

Olly's rating: 5

Olly's favourite track: 2. Metal

Next week we have 409. Live and Dangerous by Thin Lizzy. I'm not normally a fan of live albums, and this run of late 70s albums could start to drag. Bodes well.

419. The Cars - The Cars

The Cars are a new-wave, power-pop band from Boston who formed in 1976. They have been a very influential band which is partially down to their radio airplay friendly sound, which led to them reaching a pretty sizeable audience. They are best known for their 1984 single Drive, which you will know. I have never come across them outside of that context, and it is always good to hear a band's debut album, especially given it's success at the time, so I was looking forward to this week.

Good Times Roll kicks things off with a big, lolloping slice of Americana. However, the tone struck is frankly more desperation for the good times to start than for them to continue. My Best Friend's Girl was released as a single, peaking at number 35 in the US and number 3 in the UK, and is basically the musical forerunner for Stacy's Mom. Apparently Nirvana performed a cover of it at their last ever gig, and it is a classic pop song, although I don't think The Cars do it justice. Just What I Needed has a stonking riff and ridiculous solo, and it is this style of slightly heavier sound that works much better for the band, with Elliott Easton a hypnotic lead guitarist. I'm in Touch with your World is simply a list of bizarre sound effects trying to hold a song together. And failing. There are some rough diamonds here though, such as the chorus to You're all I've got tonight, which could be awesome with its synth/guitar/saxophone combo if it were sandwiched between better verses, and if it didn't go on for quite as long. Moving in Stereo is lyrically poor, sounds dated as hell, but is hugely enjoyable nonetheless. A broody undertone of swirling noise overlaid with simple, sharp synths, and some innovative drumming, coupled with ridiculous studio effects; it is a fantastically 80's song released in 1978. It's All Mixed Up would also sit in this category, and it is when the Cars are ploughing this particular furrow that they sound at their best. The chorus on this track is the best single part of this album, for me, and one of the few aspects I reckon I'll revisit.

This album is somewhere between Talking Heads and Tears for Fears. But not as good as either. Sometimes the lead singer, Ric Ocasek, sounds like a slightly budget Freddie Mercury - not an embarrassing comparison at all. The album is very much peaks and troughs, with some songs that are worthy of being much better known. The Cars can really write a cracking chorus when they put their mind to it, but they seem to struggle with what to do with the rest of the song. They are the epitome of a single's band, with their songs having a similar, repetitive DNA, and if I could cut this album down to an EP it would be great. But this is an album, I can't, and so it isn't.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 3. Just What I Needed

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite track: 9. All Mixed Up

Next week we have more late 70s synth work, but on a different scale - 449. The Pleasure Principle by Gary Numan. So, more Cars then.

821. Fuzzy Logic - Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals are a great band, and I was hugely excited when we got this album that I knew a bit. They've always struck me as a good summer band, as they're too in your face to enjoy on a cold winter's trudge to work.

The band hail from Cardiff, and are pop-rock with a liberal dash of psychedelia, and a powerful lead singer in Gruff Rhys, a name I struggle not to append with Jones. The group formed in 1993, originally with now actor Rhys Ifans as part of the line-up, and were initially a techno group. The depth and variety of sound effects in their music, alongside the strong sense of rhythm gives this away a bit. They were signed to Creation Records in 1995 following a performance at Camden's Monarch, the very venue I was at last night, and round the corner from my home. They are still going now, with the same line-up (Ifans aside) which is pretty impressive.

God! Show Me Magic is a rip-roarer of an opener, and introduces the band's debut as a an energetic bundle of fun. Unashamedly pop-focused but with a strong element of psychedelia, it is a strong start. Fuzzy Birds has a decent enough chorus, and is very catchy, but it goes through the motions a bit. That could not be the case on something 4 the Weekend, which is excellent. It is one of the few tracks with a decent set of verses, and a guitar sound the punctuates them perfectly. The chorus is proper festival fodder, with an epic singalong-lighters-aloft swagger about it. Homewtown Unicorn is another belter, with great harmonies on the vocals, and a very Graham Coxony guitar solo. It goes downhill a bit after this though. Whilst foot-stomping chroruses, phased guitars and squeeally electronics, are all good fun, they can mask the slight shallowness of some of the songs. Bad Behaviour is enjoyable enough, but can't quite pull off its repetition. Mario man is another song which is all swirling noises and psychedelic influences and some clever lyrics, but there isn't enough of a song about it. I'm all for experimentation in music, but something that would work live doesn't always transfer well to the studio. If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You has a delicate yet powerful chorus that works well, and Hangin' With Howard Marks (whose face adorns the album cover) has a cracking riff, but doesn't do enough with it. Long Gone is a track I sometimes really enjoy, and sometimes it just ends up washing over me.

I was pleased to see that Super Furry Animals had another album in the book, as I don't think that this is their greatest work, but I was gutted that it wasn't Radiator. As much as I've enjoyed this album, it just isn't as good as Radiator, and so that leaves a tinge of disappointment when listening to it. It's like being offered a meal at the Ivy, and then it being full booked, so you have to settle for the Italian place round the corner. The food will be very nice, but it just won't taste as good because you're not at the Ivy, you're at Gianluca's. So a good album, but it just hints at how good they really can be. If you want to know the answer to that, go and listen to Radiator.

Chloe's rating: 6

Chloe's favourite track: 3. Something 4 the Weekend

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite track: 3. Something 4 the Weekend

Next week's album is 419. The Cars with their self-titled debut from 1978. No, it doesn't have Drive on it. Yes, I was gutted to find that out too.

979. Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow

Elbow were the almost forgotten British indie band of the early 2000s. Overshadowed by the behemoth that was Coldplay, not as cool as the Arctic Monkeys, and still not with the cachet of the dying embers of Blur, Oasis, et al, it was via their Mercury Music success in 2008 that they received a second wind. This event was refreshingly referred to as "the best thing that ever happened to us" by Garvey. Since then, he has become something of a national treasure, with a radio show on BBC 6 Music.

The album's title comes from the nickname given to a friend of Guy Garvey, Bryan Glancy, by Guy's father. He passed away in 2006, and the final song on the album is dedicated to him. Seldom Seen Kid received critical acclaim and commercial success that trumped the band's previous three albums. It was rated in the top twenty albums of the year by Q, NME and the Fly, and went on to also win Brit and Ivor Novello Awards. 

The opener, Starlings, is the archetypal Elbow song - full orchestration, poetic lyrics, and a slightly meandering approach to this profession of love. The Bones of You is slightly edgier (emphasis on the slightly there), and certainly more purposeful, but with more opaque lyrics. I often find that I can skip over the words of the song without worrying too much as to what they mean, as I'm too busy enjoying that great bass-driven bridge section, for example. The words of Mirrorball are excellent, however - touching without being overly mawkish; "We kissed like we invented it" was a favourite of Chloe's. The imagery of the moon as a mirrorball, and the streets as an empty stage, are very evocative over the top of that delicate piano-guitar combo. Grounds for Divorce is an excellent song - a track I sort of knew, but have enjoyed getting under the skin of. It's drunken-sing-along good with a twanging acoustic guitar riff in the background that has to be sampled by a rapper somewhere, and that chorus is just classic distorted chords perfection. This is definitely a track that will end up on my mixtapes in the future (I haven't made a mixtape in years, but my intentions are good). An Audience with the Pope has a lovely sentiment in one sense, although with a slightly obssessive undertone. The Fix is a great narrative song about a horse-racing scam, and Guy Garvey's voice is at its best in this song, with a much greater variety of tone. I also enjoy the creepy bit after each verse that is straight out of The Specials' Ghost Town. One Day like this was a single off the album, and has been used in countless adverts and TV shorts (see also Blur's Universal), and should work better than it does for me. I sometimes enjoy it, and sometimes just find it a bit too 'by numbers'. Some songs don't quite hit the mark, such as Weather to Fly and Some Riot, that have all the components of being a decent song, but just don't really go anywhere, in my opinion.

This is a very good album that I thought would be a great album a couple of days in. It has all the ingredients for being a real grower, but I think it just lacks a bit of variety. I'm sure Elbow fans would be up in arms about that claim (sorry, I couldn't resist), but when you've heard one guitar and piano verse-choruse-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus with lush strings and gospel-like backing voices, it loses its power a bit. So, I enjoyed it, but it didn't really redefine my musical boundaries.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloes's favourite track: 1. Starlings

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 4. Grounds for Divorce

Next week's album is 821. Fuzzy Logic by the Super Furry Animals. I know it pretty well, but I'm more than happy to devote another few hours to it.