Mutations | Beck | 1998 | Geffen | #327 This one is a puzzler. On first listen I thought I must have made a mistake, perhaps I began listening to the wrong record. There’s no way such n dull collection of washy acoustic trite could be held in such high regard , I thought. But I did have the correct album and after the second play-through I’m still as perplexed. The songwriting feels limited and tame, offering absolutely nothing novel or engaging; a thoroughly stale recording. Emotional but without passion, diverse but not imaginative. ...

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots | The Flaming Lips | 2002 | Restless | #328 Clearly socialising is enough of a rarity for me that I thought this daily challenge - which requires at least a couple of hours a day of commitment because I still suck at writing - was achievable. Fortunately it is, and so it is. I’m not quite at the point where I’m turning down invites in favour of staying in and reviewing a Flaming Lips album however, and so I find myself a few days behind schedule (I’m basically the British male version of Carrie Bradshaw). ...

“Heroes” | David Bowie | 1977 | RCA | #329 The album title is in quotation marks. What does that mean then? Is Bowie being sarcastic about the hero status of the protagonists in the title track? A song apparently about two lovers either side of the Berlin wall: “and the guns, shot above our heads, And we kissed, as though nothing could fall”. Sure it’s a good song - though more because of how it depicts heartbreak with its increasingly desperate delivery rather than because of how its its chorus lyrics are clumsily taken out of context and presented as something uplifting or inspirational - but it stands alone as the only song that actually works in what is a totally bizarre album. ...

Third | Portishead | 2008 | Island | #330 It’s hard to appreciate musical creativity when it’s drenched in such misery. I think it poses somewhat of a dilemma for a lot of people as it appeals to a different kind of enjoyment, an almost unwanted gratification. Third plays out like the soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic dystopia. The mechanical percussion, odd rhythmic structures, use of breakbeats, and off-key, wailing synthesisers sum to a krautrock (ugh) styled feeling of stoic minimalism. ...

Kick Out the Jams | MC5 | 1969 | Electra | #331 A live-recorded début album is quite an interesting idea - think of all the bands who would never have found success if that was some sort of merciless requirement of the industry - and probably serves MC5 particularly well given their style. For they’re all about creating an almost obnoxious, aggressively energetic rebellion in musical form. It being a live recording means they can capture all the stage energy in its rawness without worrying about the potential buzz-suppression of not having a hyped audience present in the recording studio. ...

H.M.S Fable | Shack | 1999 | London | #332 I was ready to write this one off after just the first half of the album. I couldn’t shake the image of the sort of person who might try to convince you that Oasis are the best band ever. That proved to be rash and hastily unfair though because after a couple more plays of the album, and paying distinctly more heed to its second half, it really started to grow on me. It’s not my fault, obviously; this album massively suffers from some sort of quality bipolar. ...

Band on the Run | Paul McCartney and Wings | 1973 | Apple | #333 Probably the most frustrating album I’ve listened to so far. On the one hand there are some really well written melodies and sections of song that give you a glimmer of a hope. T his riff is awesome, let’s see where it goes. But then invariably the song opens up and reveals itself for the drippy nothingness that it is. It’s 1973, where we saw releases of the likes of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and The Who’s Quadrophenia, it’s difficult then to appreciate this album as anything other than a bag of missed opportunities. ...

Since I Left You | The Avalanches | 2000 | Modular | #334 Clearly there’s a line between creative musicianship and simply re-releasing other peoples’ work under the guise of a ‘remix’. Since I Left You comes nowhere near it though; The Avalanches are utter vinyl nerds who have spent an awful lot of effort collecting records and perfecting their ability to fashion samples from said records into something totally new - a brilliantly-well-composed musical collage deserving of the recognition of creative ability and respect bestowed upon any original artist. ...

…Like Clockwork | Queens of the Stone Age | 2013 | Matador | #335 Queens are one of those bands I have a couple of albums worth of tracks shuffling about on my phone, which means that occasionally I get a blast and am reminded of how much I like this band. It’s stoner rock that has a dense, compressed production feel, often hooking on to and riding out catchy riffs in a guitar-based groove. At least that’s what I expected. …Like Clockwork takes takes a bit of a turn though; recruiting the likes of Trent Reznor, Alex Turner, and Elton John, it’s a softer, driftier, more experimental Queens - I can’t decide if I like it. ...

We Are Family | Sister Sledge | Cotillion | #340 This one came as a massive surprise. All I knew about Sister Sledge came from the obligatorily played title track whenever a disco was happening. Remember discos? Who the hell does discos nowadays? Do schools still put them on for students at the end of term? I bloody well hope not for their sakes. The only thing discos were “good” for was deplorably inflicting pre-2000s disco-pop upon the younger generations. I take great exception to this album being labelled as disco-pop though; this is funk. Disco-funk, but funk nonetheless. ...