andconham's Diary

Listen based on an Instragram recommendation. Some 90s emo/post-punk here that is a little rough around the edges (understandable), but a good enough listen. Nothing I think I'll come back to all that much, but I appreciate finding these lesser known bands that fly under the radar. Favourite Tracks: - Friendly Fire - City of Recovery - New Year - Song Sung True

I had low expectations based off other reviews, but I thought this was fine. It's pretty toothless and not likely anything I will return to, but it's okay for a one-off listen. I thought the run from Lights Go Out to Chica 305 was enjoyable.

A little disappointed in this one. The singles I already knew are great, but there's not much else for me here. A few bops, surrounded by generic alt rock full of cliches and a few terrible hooks. First half is worth a listen though. Favourite Tracks: - Bleed American - The Middle - Sweetness

Not ZHU's strongest effort here. The production and sound design is still great, but the songwriting is a bit uninspired for my taste. ZHU's lyrics have always been a bit average, but they feel at their worst here. Still a couple of bops though, and nothing outright bad. Favourite Tracks: - LEVELZZZ - 5STARRR

Laid back alt rock that comes and goes without leaving much of an impression. It's pleasant enough when it's playing but I don't think I'll come back to much here. Favourite Tracks: - Sex & Candy - Sherry Fraser

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (20/30) Feels a little flavourless compared to his later releases. Feels like pretty standard garage here, nice to listen to and sets a vibe, but nothing stands out all that much. Seems more made for mixing than dedicated listening. Favourite Tracks: - Spice Up My Life - Basic - Elephant

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (14/30) Seen these guys play a few times now, and they always put on a good show. They stick to their guns here, and don't venture too far from their usual sound. Unfortunately it makes for a slightly unremarkable listen, as I feel like I've heard this all before. There are a few decent tracks on here though, and I'm sure hearing them live will help me appreciate them more. Favourite Tracks: - Tangerine - Left of the Dealer - Drenched

30 Albums Before Electric Avenue 2026 - Reviewing the albums of artists on the line up. (13/30) I appreciate Jaxx not strictly sticking to their formula here, but this album didn't grip me as much as their previous effort. There is glimpses of great stuff scattered, but something is missing for me personally. Favourite Tracks: - Right Here's The Spot - Cish Cash - Hot 'n Cold

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, and I enjoy his unique vocals. Favourite Tracks: - Dreaming In Transit - 10K

A breezy peice of spacey alt-pop that never quite connected with me. Never bad, but I felt most of the tracks struggled to stand out. It's vibes for sure though, so others will likely get more out of it than I did. Favourite Tracks: - blade bird

While I shouldn't fault bands for experimenting and changing up their sound, this album just hasn't connected with me like their previous albums did. Gone are the raw grooves, making way for more anthemic and dare i day 'poppier' tunes. Not bad by any stretch, just not my flavour. Favourite Tracks; - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - A National Acrobat - Killing Yourself to Live

Too long with too much filler. The songs you already know are great, they go hard. The rest just isn't very good. Decent instrumentals are brought down by Dursts ramblings and seemingly at times ad ribbed vocals. I will always have time for those hits though. Favourite Tracks: - Nookie - Break Stuff - Re-Arranged - N 2 Gether Now

An okay punk album, that gets a little samey down the stretch. Still, it contains 'Story of my Life' which is an all timer for me so there's that. Favourite Tracks: - Story of my Life - Ball and Chain

This is okay. They combine their pop punk sound with shades of folk, and hints of the rock opera sound they would go all the way with in American Idiot. The result is a bit of a mixed bag. Some bouncy, catchy tunes but nothing that really stands out for me. Favorite Tracks: - Warning - Castaway - Deadbeat Holiday - Minority