andconham's Diary

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

Not agreat album but not bad either. It's nice enough to listen to but I can't see myself returning to much here. Thought it started off pretty well, but it's largely forgettable without any kind of flavour to help any of the songs stand out. Favourite Tracks: - Cold Feelings - 99 To Life

This album rips, maybe their best album since Ashes of the Wake? LoG sound revitalized here and are as aggressive and groovy as ever. The riffs are tight, the breakdowns groovy, and the vocals are visceral. My top album of the year so far, for sure. Favourite Tracks: - Into Oblivion - Sepsis - St Catherine's Wheel - Blunt Force Blues - Bully

Was after something a bit mellow this morning so put this one on. Not a bad album, works well enough as a backdrop while working. Nothing too standout and it's a bit long, but it all flows along rather well. Favorite Tracks: - Overtime - Summertime's Close - Ticking - El Dorado - Smaller Acts - Oklahoma Son

Some nice chill music for a Friday morning. I enjoyed this one though it could stand to be trimmed a bit, for a less meandering listen at times. Favorite Tracks: - The Great American Bar Scene - 28* - Oak Island - Like Ida - Better Days - Pink Skies

Zack and co look and sound like they're having a blast on here, and that feeling translates to a fun listen. It's not an essential live album for me personally, but if you're at all a fan of Bryan's music it is definitely worth a listen.

A good collection of New Wave influenced Industrial Techno. Gesaffelstein retains his dark brand of techno, but tightens everything up and gets to the point with shorter, catchier tunes. As a full album it does feel a bit undercooked though, will have to see how it sounds within the context of the live album. Favourite Tracks: - Hard Dreams - Your Share of the Night - The Urge - The Perfect

An album of two halves. Starts where Damaged left off, and decends into long, Sabatthy, doom metal tunes. It kinda works, but I prefer the focus of their previous album. Still, I appreciate the swing rather than sticking to one formula. Favourite Tracks: - My Way - Beat My Head Against the Wall - Nothing Left Inside

Easily Jack's best album yet. I love the production on this, and Jack's hushed singing works very well over top. A very welcome change of pace and I hope he follows this path further. Favourite Tracks: - Trade Places - Prague - My Winter - Living Alone - Against The Grain

Pulling from a range of influences, Uchis puts together an excellent neo-soul pop album. While she dabbles in different genres throughout, the quality remains consistent apart from maybe the interludes. A confident debit, and a good sign of what was to come. Favourite Tracks: - Miami - Just a Stranger - Your Teeth In My Neck - After The Storm - Killer

Man I don't know what I'm missing with Imterpol. On paper I should enjoy this band, but I've always found them quite bland and forgettable. They'll be opening for Deftones in a couple of months so I decided to give them another go. Still the same story unfortunately, just nothing here grips me all that much.

First time listening to this front-to-back. This really is a perfect pop album. The funky openers lead into an all-time four track run. Seriously The Girl Is Mine through to Billie Jean is possibly the strongest four track run I can recall hearing on a pop album. It's all catchy, mood-lifting, danceable tunes from start to finish. No skips.

I mean, it's a bonfied classic for a reason. Prince laying down jams, as only Prince can. Combining funk, soul, disco, rock and everything else he's made a near perfect album that is capped by one of the best songs of all time. Classic/10 Favourite Tracks: - Take Me With U - Computer Blue - When Doves Cry - Baby I'm A Star - Purple Rain

Great on first listen, even better on repeat. Excellent post-hardcore album here both instrumentally and lyrically. I also enjoyed the instrumental breaks throughout. A timeless sounding album that will be entering my rotation for sure. Favourite Tracks: - Merchandise - Greed - Two Beats Off - Shut The Door

Hard album to rate. It's very short and doesn't break any new ground. But it's a fun little slice-of-life offering of pop punk that makes me feel good inside, and that's all that really matters, right? Favourite Tracks: - NBTSA - You're Not Famous Anymore - Gotta Let It Go - Did You Ever Know?

I feel this is probably an album that works better in the context of the early 2000s. For me, in 2026 there isn't much for me outside of the singles that I already know. Nothing necessarily bad, just uninteresting and forgetful. Favourite Tracks: - Nice To Know You - Wish You Were Here - Warning - Are You In

A great genre clash here combining country, bluegrass, rock, and Rick Ruben's signature production for a more adventurous take on southern music. A lot of it is tounge-in-cheek but there's sincerity here too, and Childers continues to pull out in front of his contemporaries. Favourite Tracks: - Oneida - Nose on the Grindstone - Poachers - Tirtha Yatra

For me, this is an improvement over the original release. A much more intimate and relaxed Bryan improves on almost every song from the original, with a tighter focus on his songwriting and storytelling. Favourite Tracks: - Runny Eggs - Santa Fe - Slicked Back - Plastic Cigarette

Harry pulls inspiration from an exciting combination of genres and scenes and at times it is fun, but a lot of it falls pretty flat for me. He really only touches the surfaces of these influences, as this album really calls for stronger, punchier production. As it is, we have a pleasant enough listen that I can't see myself returning too. Favourite Tracks: - Aperture - American Girls - Paint By Numbers

Some pretty good posse cuts here from denzel and the gang. A short run of bangers that mostly leaves me wanting more. There's a good list of features here from some familiar faces, and others I had never heard before. I do wish there was some more back and forth between artists though. I also found most of the hooks to be pretty weak. But for the most part these are all bops and enjoyable to listen too, just not sure of the staying power. Favourite Tracks: - Lit Effect - Phony - Up

My first dip into Charli's discography here. Not sure how it fits within the context of the film, or how it compares to her official releases. Alone it is decent though, with good vocals, catchy songs, and great production with quality sound design. There's some good peaks here, but not every song manages to stand out. The brief runtime prevents anything outstaying it's welcome though. Favourite Tracks: - Dying For You - Chains Of Love - Alters - My Reminder

I've listened and watched this set so many times now, and I still stop and watch every time. The stripped back, acoustic sound produces such a haunting sound that combines with the general context of the performance (being one of Layne's last) and makes for a one of a kind listen. Essential listen for rock fans. Favourite Tracks: - All Of Them

Proto-modern metalcore here, these guys come through with a sound that must've been an influence for many modern metalcore bands today. The glitchy riffs are great, and the breakdowns kick ass. The lyrics are a bit too edgy for my taste, but the delivery is great. Favourite Tracks: - Hypocrisy - Dead Soul - A Song for the Nameless - Snake Eyes - Three Cheers - Death

A great hardcore/thrash crossover album, that kicks ass for it's brief runtime. The vocals are a little odd, which might throw some off but I enjoyed it. Will definitely be coming back to this one. Favourite Tracks: - World Peace - Malfunction - Seekers of the Truth - Life of My Own

Classic hardcore here. By today's standards it is a bit by-the-numbers, but the simplicity isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a short barrage of great, straightforward punk tunes, and sometimes that's all you need. Favourite Tracks: - Wrecking Crew - LA Girl - Kids of the Black Hole - Amoeba - Rip It Up - Welcome To Reality

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (30/30) Pendulums strongest album for me. Combining the best bits of their first two albums, and creating some great dance floor DnB. The vocals are still a bit flat but it's not a deal breaker. Also love the collaboration with In Flames. Favourite Tracks: - Watercolour - The Island pt1 - The Vulture - Witchcraft - Self vs Self

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (29/30) A solid New Wave, Alternative album here from Split Enz. They have a unique sound for sure, which is probably why they're still looked back on fondly today. It's not entirely my flavour, but enjoyable enough. Favourite Tracks: - Dirty Creature - Hello Sandy Allen - Six Months In A Leaky Boat

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (28/30) Another solid DnB offering from Pendulum here, with plenty of highlights throughout its slightly overlong run time. Most tracks are worth a listen and the peaks are great. Can't wait to hear them pump some of these tracks out live with the full band! Favourite Tracks: - Through The Loop - Tarantula - Hold Your Colour - The Terminal - Blood Sugar

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (27/30) Some good melancholy indie tunes in here. The instrumentals are breezy and the vocals are soft and at times haunting, similar to Julia Jacklin. Rock solid debut here and I'll definitely be checking out future releases. Favourite Tracks: - London & Leaving - Long Distance Lovers - Brighton

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (26/30) A good collection of psych surf rock. Great chill vibes on some of these tracks, with sweet licks and tasty basslines throughout. I do think the album fizzles a little towards the end unfortunately. Favourite Tracks: - The Comedown - Confidence - Knees - Overgrown

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (25/30) It's pleasant, but a bit flavourless and forgettable. There's a nice optimistic sound to it (outside of the lyrics) and I'm sure it will sound decent live, but it's all a bit bland and I can't see myself returning to it. Favourite Tracks: - i hate this tune - torn jeans - shut up

Another fun, short collection of pop punk tunes that evoke a nostalgiac feeling even though I never really listened to these guys at the time. No super high peaks, but it's a pretty consistent little sprint. Favourite Tracks: - Christmas Card - Victoria - Schley - The Jerk - Catalina Fight Song

This album kicks ass. A solid collection of infectious thrash metal tunes that get the blood flowing. The riffs and solos here are killer, and although the lyrics feel a bit dated at points, the delivery is killer. Features on of the best opening tracks of all time too. Favourite Tracks: - Painkiller - All Guns Blazing - Between the Hammer and the Anvil - A Touch of Evil

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (24/30) A bit of a nostalgiac one here, as a few if these songs got heavy rotation from me in my early twenties. This album excels when it slows down, and plays it mellow. I fond some of the peppier tracks to be a little flavourless personally. But I do still live those chill tracks. Favourite Tracks: - Lemonworld - Hold On - Feel - Holiday - Sleep On It - Partner In Crime