andconham's Diary

I've always liked the singles of The Smiths, but never really delved much deeper. This is a great album, with a beautiful sound the whole way through. Songs flow well together, just needs a few more standout moments. Also thing the last song let the album down a touch. Favorite Tracks: - Reel Around The Fountain - Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - This Charming Man* - Still Ill - What Difference Does It Make

Not my favourite Smiths album, even so this is still a great album and I understand the classic status. There's a couple tracks I'm not fond of, (Vicar, and Some Girls) but for the most part this is The Smiths operating ahead of their time and mostly delivering the croony, depressing goods. Favourite Tracks: - I Know It's Over - Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Putting the 'trip' in Trip Hop, this album flows along so well. The production is great, and has aged so well. The vocals maybe a bit less so, particularly on the male side of things. The ethereal vocals from the woman however are timeless and these tracks are where this album shines. Favourite Tracks: - Angel - Teardrop - Black Milk - Mezzanine

Deftones best album since Koi No Yokan in my opinion. That great juxtaposition of heavy riffs and soft vocals still sounds as good as it ever did. Production is great. After a few more listens this grade might be bumped up a bit, great stuff. 19.04.2026 Edit - Having listened through this multiple times since it's release, I feel I can now bump that grade up. This really is one of the best albums they have release, and to do it this far into their career is nuts. Who would've predicted this kind of longevity. Unbelievably hyped for the gig next month. Favorite Tracks: - my mind is a mountain - locked club - ecdysis - infinite source - I think about you all the time - milk of the madonna - cut hands

A noticeable decline in quality from their previous two albums, but still features enough energy and charm to carry it. There are a few bops here for sure, a bit of filler too though that I won't feel the need to revisit. Favourite Tracks: - Liar - MakeDamnSure - Spin - Error: Operator

Solid pop punk throwback. This album feels like a bit of a time capsule, with a good sound and vibe. All songs here are at least decent, with a few standouts. Favorite Tracks: - You Know How I Do - Cute Without The 'E - There's No 'I' In Team - Ghost Man On Third - You're So Last Summer*

A decent but overlong pop-folk album. The songwriting and general vibe evoke some nostalgiac feelings, and it is quite catchy in parts. A bit of a lack of variety across the near hour long run time do cause it to drag a little. Favourite Tracks: - Northern Attitude - Stick Season - Come Over - Homesick

An excellent collab here between Trent Reznor and Boys Noize. Classic and lesser known track from the Nine Inch Nails catalogue are reporposed with dark, heavy, synth to create an awesome Industrial bass album. Wish I could've seen this set at Coachella, hopefully they do a world tour. Also here's hoping for some original music from this duo. Favourite Tracks: - Vessel - She's Gone Away - Heresy - Me, I'm Not - Closer - As Alive As You Need Me To Be

Electropop that is fun in parts but not entirely my flavour of music, though I can see the appeal. The production is well done, ranging from bedroom pop to hyper pop (almost). There is a bit of a lack in variety with the vocals though, as the verses blur together. Some catchy hooks though. Favourite Tracks: - PRETTY4U - NO LUCK - AMERICAN GIRL

Hits every pop punk cliche, but it's still catchy and enjoyable. Would put it in the upper tier of modern pop punk releases I have heard so far. Poppy guitars, melodramatic vocals, and catchy hooks throughout keep this humming along. Favourite Tracks: - The Grand Delusion - In Bloom - Wish You Were Here - Heavy Lies

A great, somber emo album here. The songwriting is pretty good, and it's all put together well. The vocals match the pained, desperate lyrics well. Great listen if you're in that kind of mood. Favourite Tracks: - Figure You Out - Sleep - How Does It Feel - The Night I Drive Alone - Speaking With a Ghost

I prefer this to their first album, but I still feel like I'm missing something with Interpol. Maybe you had to be there. Nothing really grabs my attention or makes me feel anything. Favourite Tracks: - Evil - C'mere

Another set of great tracks from Hot Mulligan here. Sways between Pop Punk and Hardcore so effortlessly and results in an album that's both catchy and abrasive. These guys are gast becoming my favourite modern emo band. Favourite Tracks: - It's a Family Movie She Hates Her Dad - This Song Is Called It's Called What It's Called - Christ Alive my Toe Dammit Hurts - Shhh Golf Is On - Smahccked My Head Awf

Has that classic Griselda sound that I enjoy, but I feel Gunn himself gets a bit overshadowed by his features her. Still and above average album, but not as instantly grabbing as other works. Favourite Tracks: - George Bondo - 327 - $500 Ounces

Chapman's warm voice carries you through this honest, peotic, still relevant album. The fact this album still holds relevance lyrically means she may have been a touch too optimistic, but I can't fault her for that. The songwriting here is great, with a couple of all-timer songs on this. Favourite Tracks: - Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution - Fast Car - Baby Can I Hold You - If Not Now

Usual Blink fare here. A few catchy pop punk tunes l, surrounded by filler. I would have rated this a bit higher if they trimmed the fat a bit. But as it stands it goes on a bit too long with the songs down the stretch feeling a bit samey. Also the skit at the end had me rolling my eyes. Favourite Tracks: - Voyeur - Dammit - Waggy

A tepid debut. First time hearing any songs off this album, as I've only ever really listened to their later hits. This was okay, but outside of a few songs there isn't much worth revisiting. Generally not as exciting or catchy as their later releases. Favorite Tracks: - Carousel - Time - Reebok Commercial - The Girl Next Door

A light, fun, poppy punk album from the masters of it. Blink comes through with another collection of catchy tunes about how hard it is to be a teenager, and it instantly transports me back to being a kid in the 2000s. Favourite Tracks: - Anthem Part 2 - First Date - The Rock Show - Stay Together for the Kids - Everything I Look For You

Great dark, cold rap performances here over great production. The grimy feel comes across well, and there's great features throughout. Only gripe is a lack of variety between songs, as it does begin to blend together a bit. Favourite Tracks: - Trump - Die on Xmas - Xxxtras - Bullet Club

Must've been hype when this one dropped. The combination of indie pop vocals, classic samples and heavy distortion leads to a unique style that still hasn't really been matched. Great energy on this one. Favourite Tracks: - Tell 'em - Riot Rhythm - Infinity Guitars - Rill Rill - Treats

Chunky riffs, brutal breakdown, and aggressive vocals combine to make a great Hardcore album. Not reinventing the wheel here, but the brief run time prevents and feelings of repetition creeping in. Just a kick ass Album to get the blood pumping. Favourite Tracks: - Darwinism - Theory Of Mind - 972 - A Hopeless Fate

A hit and miss release from Rocky. For every good song, there's a forgettable song following not long after. Still worth a dive if you are a fan of Rocky, as the highs are pretty good. Just lacks consistency and coherence. Favourite Tracks: - Asap Forever - Fukk Sleep - Praise The Lord - Gunz N Butter - Kids Turned Out Fine

No one sets a vibe like Travis Scott. Doesn't match the hype of Astroworld, but the production on the album still rules. Lyrically, Travis doesn't break any new ground but a list of great features help carry that weight. Favourite Tracks: - Hyaena - Modern jam - I Know? - Circus Maximus - Looove - Telekinesis - Til Further Notice

A fairly unmemorable debut EP here, Idles would obviously go on to release much better music. The usual energy is missing from this one. Favorite Tracks: - 26/27 - Two Tone

Like Fontaines D.C., Idles first album is probably the most neglected from me. Not sure why though because it is a great album, I guess I just prefer what was to come! Great punk energy on this one. The instrumentals all sound great and I love the raw vocals. Most of the themes hit well for me too. Favourite Tracks: - Well Done - Mother - Date Night* (Joe sounds like a fukn dog at points on this one, so good) - 1049 Gotho - Stendhal Syndrome

This album sees Idles dial back some of the brash attitude of the previous album, and experiment with some different sounds. It's less immediately attention grabbing, but rewarding on repeat listens. I think it fizzles a little towards the end though. Favourite Tracks: - When The Lights Come On - Car Crash - Stockholm Syndrome - The Beachland Ballroom - Crawl

Passable Trap that has been done before and done much better. Doesn't contain enough fresh ideas to warrant an hour long run time. There's some goofy vocal inflections across this this but I can't deny some of these hooks are earworms, "geeked off that molly" might be a new vocal stim for me. Favourite Tracks: - Face The Flamë - Griddlë - Let King Tonka Talk - Went Wrong

A chaotic, sometimes confusing offer that lands to varying degrees of success. Not everything here works, I even found parts of it a bit grating, but there is some bangers throughout. I appreciate them trying new things, but I still much prefer their earlier works. Favourite Tracks: - Kool Aid - Limousine - Darkside - Amen!

An interesting listen. A bit of a genre mash up, with lyrics describing life within council housing estates. It works for the most part, though it is a little dated sounding at this point. I imagine resonates a bit more for others more than it did me. Favourite Tracks: - Ill Manors - I Am The Narrator - Playing With Fire - Runaway - Live Once

A little disappointed in this one. Tom's talent behind the instruments shines, and his voice sounds smooth as ever. The song writing just doesn't grip me however, which is a shame considering there's some obviously personal introspective lyrics here. It all just feels a little flat. Favourite Tracks: - Flowers In Bloom - Slow Tonight

Some good singer-songrwriter country tunes here. As with his previous album, I still think he needs to trim the fat and make these albums a bit leaner. As it is, there is some filler still. There is plenty to like here though, and he remains a rising artist to look out for. Favourite Tracks: - Morning Comes - Me Neither - Message To You - Come On Over, Baby - Good Morning Paris

Struggles to standout amongst other contemporary neo soul albums. Smooth enough vibe, but it's all maybe a touch forgettable for me. Favourite Tracks: - Bad Habit - Sunshine

Pretty good debut RnB album here. He's released plenty of singles before this, but it's his first full length so technically a debut. I think he still hasn't quite found his groove yet but the potential is there. Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy RnB or neo soul. Favourite Tracks: - Again - My Loss - Higher

The music is a good enough vibe while it's on, with nice trap beats and Cench's usual laid back flow. He's still not bringing a lot of variety to things though. That works fine on a shorter album like this, but doesn't really have me itching for a full length LP. Favourite Tracks: - Iceman Freestyle - Wagwan - DC10 - Maka

A fun mash up of genres, with songwriting that seems to give a snapshot into the lives of these guys. The lyrics alternate between cheeky and earnest, but always seem sincere. Pretty fun album, with a unique sound. Favourite Tracks: - Proper Stuff - The Drive - Waiting - Kiss The Sky

Has there ever been another discography that is 'all killer no filler'? If not, I think this might be the first. RTJ reduce the posturing and dick jokes, and cone through with probably their most lyrically potent album yet. Praying for a follow up because if there was ever a time for a new RTJ album, it's 2026. Favourite Tracks: - ooh la la - holy calamafuck - ju$t - a few words for the firing squad

RTJ sound settled into their groove here. Less 'kicking in the door', but rather sounding like have been doing this forever and can do it easily. It's maybe a bit less cheeky than RTJ2, with the political state of things at the time influencing a more serious tone for the most part. Great beats, great lyricism, great music as always. Favourite Tracks: - Call Ticketron - Hey Kids - 2100 - Report to Shareholders / Kill Your Masters

Improves on the already great RTJ1 in every way. Great production, great flows, great lyricism. Alternates between tongue-in-cheek, and earnest perfectly. Still sounds fresh and relevant today. Favourite Tracks: - Oh my Darling - Blockbuster Night Pt 1 - Close Your Eyes - Lie Cheat Steal - Love Again

A great collaborative effort that was a teaser of better things to come from Killer Mike and El-P. The production is great throughout, with banging beats that were pretty forward thinking at the time. Mike's southern flow over these beats hits hard as ever. Favourite Tracks: - Run The Jewels - Banana Clipper - Job Well Done - A Christmas Fucking Miracle

Somehow The Strokes managed to make their final album their best. Retaining some of the energy from their first few albums, while coming through with a more mature sound overall. Favourite Tracks: - The Adults Are Talking - Selfless - Bad Decision - Not The Same Anymore - Ode To The Mets

It's a long, moody, serious peice that didn't always hold my attention very well. Well crafted no doubt, but not an album I will return to all that much. Favourite Tracks: - Disillusioned - The Doomed - Talk Talk

My first time listening to these guys, and this is pretty good stuff! Pop punk with raw vocals that veer into hardcore territory. Pretty bouncy fun tube's with just the tight amount of aggression, will definitely be checking out more from these guys. Favourite Tracks: - And a Big Load - Bon Jonah - Monica Lewinskibidi - Carbon Monoxide Hotel - Slimdog Scungillionaire

Didn't quite click on first listen, but grew on me the second time around. The production is top notch as always, but the song writing isn't 100% there for me. Still, Blake's voice is nice as ever, there's a couple of decent features here, and the spacey futuristic beats sound great. Favourite Tracks: - Trying Times - Make Something Up - Doesn't Just Happen

Great prog death metal here. For the most part it's an assault of riffs and breakdowns, and this helps the moments of levity stand out. It manages to be catchy in places, despite how heavy and raw it is. The songwriting and lyricism is great here as well. Not sure it needed to be as long as it is, as some moments linger a bit too long though. Favourite Tracks: - Ocean Planet - From The Sky - Heaviest Matter of the Universe - Flying Whales - In The Wilderness

A near perfect neo-soul album. Brimming with personality, perfectly produced, well written, and sung beautifully. A bittersweet reminder of what could have been one of the defining voices of the century. Favourite Tracks: - You Know I'm No Good - Back To Black - Love Is A Losing Game - Tears Dry In Their Own - Wake Up Alone