andconham's Diary

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (11/30) Had previously only heard Obongjayar's features with Little Simz and Fred Again. This EP is kinda as expected, a brief teaser into his unique style. Not too much stood out here, but the grooves are nice…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (10/30) Pretty good new wave album here. Not entirely my flavour but there is some good tunes scattered through here, and there is a nice eccentric sound throughout. Favourite Tracks: - Shark Attack - I Got Y…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (9/30) Pendulum shows that they still have the juice, 15 years on from their previous album. Mixing stadium DnB with metal in a way that gets the blood pumping, and I imagine will sound incredible in a live atm…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (8/30) Not as high on this one as I was with their following album. At times feels a little derivative of other artists of the era, and lacks the character of their second album. Still there is some bops on her…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (7/30) Pretty good UK Garage album here, with plenty of grime features helping to create a few bangers throughout. There's also some more vibey tracks on here that go down pretty well. Maybe lacks some real sta…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (6/30) A unique blend of genres results in a R&B album with a distinct sound that works very well and stands out from her contemporaries. Will definitely seek out more from Sudan Archives going forward! Favour…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (5/30) Another soft dream pop release from Fazerdaze here, with this one going into even dreamier territory. This is a great follow up to her debut with a nostalgiac sound that maintains a solid vibe through…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (4/30) The second EP by these guys is another brief one, containing a handful of groovy tunes. Great retro inspired house here, with great production and sound design. Definitely a vibe I can get into, will d…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (3/30) A short one here, this only being a 5 track EP. Some nice vibey, cruisy house music here. Retro inspired, and even with some hints of acid house in there, I could see this going down well at the early…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (2/30) Great production on this one that has stood the test of time. Parts funky, parts grimy, parts groovy. The tounge-in-cheek vocals elevate the music well (for the most part), and make for a fun listen.…

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (1/30) This album surprised me. A nice, cruisy, comfy shoegaze/dream pop album. The tone is pretty consistent throughout and the brief run time prevents filler. Great start to this series! Favourite Tracks: -L…

A bit more scattershot than their previous albums, with The Strokes playing with their sound a bit here. The result is a bit of a mixed bag, though mostly good. Even with the sonic changes, it still sounds undeniably like a Strokes record. Favourite Tracks: - Under The Cover Of Darkness - Two Kinds…

An excellent follow up to their debut. Strokes continue with their timeless brand of indie rock. Short, snappy catchy tunes carry the album along. A brief, but never outstanding it's welcome. Favourite Tracks: - Reptilia - Automatic Stop - 12:51 - You Talk Way Too Much - Meet Me In The Bathroom - U…

Excellent debut here from The Strokes. Short and to the point, with a great nostalgic sound. Not much more can be said that a 1000 other reviewers haven't already said, just a classic album. Favorite Tracks: - Is This It - Soma - Someday - Alone, Together - Last Nite - Hard To Explain - New York Ci…

It's heavy, it's aggressive, it's raw, and it kicks ass. KL put together another great set of tracks that pummel you for it's brief runtime. There's also some fun features on here which is a surprise, especially that from Poppy. Favorite Tracks: - Piece By Piece - Suffocate - Don't Reach For Me -…

I'm surprised this isn't looked on more fondly, as this album is better than I remembered. A bludgeoning set of tacks that never really let up the pace all that much. The drums, riff, and vocals all sound great and are mixed well. The songwriting is groovy and catchy. Honestly I think this is some o…

All killer no filler (almost). LP picks up where they left off with another set of killer tracks, providing another short sprint of an album featuring clean, heavy nu-metal at its best. The scream/rap combo sounds as good as it did previously over some tasty riffs and sweet breakdowns. Favourite Tr…

I remember not being very invested in this album when it came out. I preferred it this time around. A solid but slightly unmemorable effort from Deftones. There's some good peaks here, but a lot of it feels a bit safe and stripped of character. Favourite Tracks: - Acid Hologram - Doomed User - Hear…

A brief, dark, sad collection of acoustic alternative rock songs. The first half of this album is stacked. Unfortunately the last few songs don't hit as well for me. Instrumentally it's darkly soothing, and the harmonies are haunting. Favourite Tracks: - Rotten Apple - Nutshell - I Stay Away - No E…

Solid contemporary country debut here from Ty Myers. It's bloated, like many other country albums these days, so for every good track there's also a bland track. If the fat was trimmed, this would be a pretty great album imo. Still, I will be keeping an eye Myers going forward. Favourite Tracks: -…

Great follow up to their debut. They keep up the energy with another collection of catchy tunes with lots of character. Doesn't quite reach the highs of their debut but it's pretty damn close. Favourite Tracks: - Brianstorm - Teddy Picker - Fluorescent Adolescent - Do Me A Favor - Old Yellow Bricks…

I forgot how much I enjoy this album. I must say I much prefer this sound here to their more modern sound. Timeless indie rock with heaps of personality, and super catchy. No skips on this one. Favorite Tracks - All of them tbh but if I had to choose.. - Fake Tales of San Francisco - Still Take You…

A great groovy album that evolves on their earlier sound. It's not my favourite album from them, but it's pretty close. Filled with groovy instrumentals, cheeky songwriting, and catchy hooks it's pop-rock done right. Favourite Tracks: - Do I Wanna Know - R U Mine? - One For The Road - Arabella - No…

Fun catchy bops all over this album. A little front loaded but the back half is still solid. B Reals goofy voice over Muggs' beats just works and makes for an engaging listen throughout. Favourite Tracks: - I Wanna Get High - We Ain't Goin Out Like That - Insane In The Brain - When The Shit Goes Do…

This album works as a vibe, but nothing really stands out all that much. Glock has his style and he sticks to it, which is fair, but it means there isn't much variety to his albums. It does mean that it satisfies when I'm in a particular mood though, so there's that. Favourite Tracks: - Glockaveli…