andconham's Diary

First time listening to this band, and I think this is pretty good commercial Hardcore. I was surprised to see these guys have been active since the early 2000s, as there is pretty good energy on this album. They alternate between the heavy and the easy, and there is some good catchy hooks. Lyrically it could be more potent, bit I enjoyed this. Favourite Tracks: - Gasoline - Disconnected - See Through - Into The Dark - Good For Me, Feel So Bad - I Don't Wanna Feel Like This Anymore

The first half of this supergroup album goes hard, with each member bringing a taste of their main bands sound together to make some kick ass tunes. The album does lull a little in the middle, but there's some more good tunes towards the back end too. Favourite Tracks: - Wings of Feather and Wax - Face Down - Melting of my Marrow - Snakes of Jahova - Curb Crusher - IED - Dust Into Darkness

Quality introspective rnb album here. More streamlined than his previous album, with mood setting tracks all throughout. The production is great, and 6lack's vocals croon over the beats well. Favourite Tracks: - Bird Flu - All That Matters - I Guess - Sunday Again - Running Lare Freestyle - Bear

A cheeky peice of self-deprecating pop punk here. The energy is great throughout, and the lyrical content contrasts with the upbeat vibe well. Favourite Tracks: - Morbid Stuff - Free at Last - See You at Your Funeral - Sibling Rivalry - Full Blown Meltdown

Grungy, Punk inspired hip hop that only Slowthai could come out with. It's not a perfect album, but it is full of character and shows an artist reaching beyond his usual style of music. Still patiently waiting for the follow up that hopefully continues down this road. Favourite Tracks: - Selfish - Feel Good - Never Again - Happy - Tourniquet

Another case of an established artist returning in 2026 to release a great album, again showing bad times makes good music. The crackley sampling, over clean production sets a great mood throughout. Longevity remains to be seen, but first impressions are great. Favourite Tracks: - Prophecy at 1420 MHz - Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan - Father And Son - Naraka - The World Becomes Flesh - Blood In The Labyrinth - All Reason Departs

Heavy, catchy, and infinitely relistenable. The two-piece put out a big sound, considering. Pretty good hit-rate too, with 5 of these tracks getting regular rotation when they were released. They don't deviate from their formula much, but the riffs and drumming are on point. Favourite Tracks: - Out of the Black - Figure It Out - Little Monster - Careless - Ten Tonne Skeleton

Mastodon at their sludgy best here, before they went full prog metal. Riffs are great, and the drums rule throughout. Being a concept album, they lyrics all follow the same great theme, Moby Dick. The album kicks off on the higgest point possible with Blood and Thunder, though I do thing it loses steam little towards the end. Favourite Tracks: - Blood and Thunder - I Am Ahab - Seabeast - Iron Tusk - Megalodon - Hearts Alive

I didn't expect much given this is a very early release in their catalogue, but this sits well amongst their latest releases. They had already curated their sound, and the instrumental and vocal performances here are great. Some tacky lyrics aside, this is quality. Favourite Tracks: - If You Had Spun Out.. - The Hammer Guy Is At It Again - Wait For It - I Replied to Tyler with Three Blue Cars - Deluxe Capacitor

Transportative psychedelic blues rock, that sounds classic but still ahead of its time considering this is from the 60s. Hendrix is undeniable on the licks, and the songwriting is great here too. A pair of 15 minute epics immerse you in his sound, and they are separated by a great run of rock tunes. Favourite Tracks: - Voodoo Chile - Long Hot Summer Night - Come On - Gypsy Eyes - Rainy Day, Dream Away - Still Raining, Still Dreaming - House Burning Down - All Along the Watchtower - Voodoo Child

It's a dark album, compounded by Curtis' death the following year. It's a case of an album and a band being forever stuck in the small window of time that they were active, and that always makes for an effective listen (similar to Jeff Buckley and Her's). I don't think it's a perfect album, but it has that intangible quality that gives it that classic status. Favourite Tracks: - Disorder - Day of the Lords - New Dawn Fades - Interzone

A great 4-track taster, sounding a bit grungier than their later releases. Those signature rolling grooves carry the album along, feeling particularly groovy during Can't Get It Up. Research Chemicals is really the highlight, and it's easy to see why they end their sets with this tune.

An album of two halves. The first, the classic Neil Young folk sound he is known for. This half features great songwriting, and fun guitar work. The second half is more rock oriented, bordering on grungy at times, and its great. Favourite Tracks: - My My, Hey Hey - Thrasher - Sail Away - Powderfinger - Hey Hey, My My

Great music to get the blood pumping. Chunky riffs and breakdowns, with aggressive vocals don't overstay their welcome on this brief album, making it ideal for repeat listens. Favourite Tracks: - Don't Need - The First Test - Kill Cap - I Mean It - Caught In A Craze

Damn this is good stuff, love that feeling of discovering a band that instantly clicks. Great hardcore/metalcore that scratches that turnstile itch, while also standing on its own. Looking forward to diving into their earlier albums for sure. Favourite Tracks: - Cold 2 The Touch - Zero - Dust - Man On Fire

Probably an album that will grow on me further as time goes on, but my first dive into Youngs discography starts on a high. Sitting somewhere between country, folk, and rock the more minimal songs shine for me. Great introspective songwriting with transporting instrumentals. Favourite Tracks: - Walk On - Revolution Blues - Vampire Blues - On The Beach - Motion Pictures

A great collection of in-you-face Punk tunes. Subtlety is nowhere to be found, and I love the attitude. The production on this is also much better than I anticipated, with everything sounded crisp without feeling over produced. Favourite Tracks: - Less Talk, More Rock - And We Thought Nation States Were A Bad Idea - Resisting Tyrannical Government - The Only Good Fascist is a Dead Fascist

My first full Arlo Parks album, and this is a bit more danceable than I was expecting. Beautiful production, smooth singing, and goos songwriting combine to produce a great neo-soul album with a bit of electronic influence. Favourite Tracks: - Blue Disco - Heaven - Luck of Life - What If I Say It

Great Alternative Metalcore here. Doesn't stick to one style, and flows between genres quite well. Production might be a touch too clean, but the riffs and breakdowns are great, and the vocals range is pretty good for this type of album. Favourite Tracks: - Aggressive Evoution - Two Way Mirror - Screaming - Gored - Heavy is the Head

A great post-punk album, that really sounds ahead of it's time and doesn't sound all that dated. Great guitar work, and songwriting throughout. The standout being the 10 minute title track. Marquee Moon. Favourite Tracks: - Friction - Marquee Moon - Elevation - Guiding Light - Torn Curtain

More thrash than their previous album, perhaps taking inspiration from other bands at the time. There is still some of that hardcore sound in there though, and it makes for a pretty kick ass sound. Great energy on this one. Favourite Tracks: - Death Camps - Days of Confusion - Fugitive - Age of Quarrel

A great, vibey, introspective listen here. Doesn't stray too far from it's established sound, bit it rolls along quite nicely. I like Rashads mostly understated style of rapping, and the production is cloudy and nice. Favourite Tracks: - M.O.M - Same Shit - Boy In Red - Do I Look High - GTKY - Cameras

Late to the party with this one. Really a great pop album with great production throughout. Not all of it is my personal flavour, but every song has its place here. Great songwriting that varies from surface level, to introspective. Deserves the hype. Favourite Tracks: - Club classics - Sympathy is a knife - Von dutch - B2b - 365

Not much can be said about this album that hasn't already been said 1000 times. It's a classic that mostly holds up pretty well. This really was the last album of his that I enjoy though, and it's crazy to look back on his fall off because he really seemed untouchable at the time. Favourite Tracks: - White America - Cleanin Out My Closet - Sing For The Moment - Superman - Till I Collapse

Coming off the heels of Randy's prison stint, this album had great energy and plenty to say. This album sees LOG deviate from their formula more than previous albums had, which mostly worked out quite well. I also enjoyed the surprise features from two of my favourite vocalsts, Chino and Puciato. Favourite Tracks: - Still Echos - 512 - Overlord - Torches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

This was a nice easy listen. I like the understated, somber sound and it all flows together nicely. A good start for my dive into Springsteens catalogue. Favorite Tracks: - Nebraska - Mansion on the Hill - Highway Patrolman - State Trooper* - Used Cars

This is good stuff. A breezy, warm, smooth neo soul album with solid production and great vocals. The songwriting here is great, with nice little earworms throughout the brief runtime. Favourite Tracks: - Nice To Each Other - Close Up - So Easy - Man I Need - A Couple Minutes

A fun, nostalgia trip of a pop punk album. It's quite short, but the songs are snappy and catchy enough that your left wanting more, even though no too much stands out. Favourite Tracks: - All My Friends Are So Depressed - I Used To Go To This Bar - Grey Guitar

I wore this album out in my teens, so may be nostalgia talking here, but this album is great. A bit of a mess of styles but instrumentally it's great, and and the songwriting is mostly pretty good. Some of the lyrics might be a bit tacky, but that's part of the charm. Favourite Tracks: - Critical Acclaim - Almost Easy - Afterlife - Gunslinger - Little Peice Of Heaven