1996 Band |
Votes |
Album |
Connors' Comments |
Tool |
14 |
Aenima |
Rage Against the Machine |
11 |
Evil Empire |
May19. So, I used to think this album started with half-a-dozen belters & b/c of that I have tended to neglect the 2nd half. Some gems there too. This is a great album with more to discover with each listen. 5/5 |
Soundgarden |
10 |
Down on the Upside |
Pearl Jam |
9 |
No Code |
Marilyn Manson |
6 |
Antichrist Superstar |
Jun19. I tried. Just not my thing. I don't get the subtleties obviously. All similar noise to me and I don't like Marilyn's vocals at all. Album far too long. 1.5/5 |
Spiderbait |
6 |
Ivy & the Big Apples |
Nov19. Man, this album got me through a lot of boring trips up and down the Calder to Ouyen when I worked there. This band released a plethora of awesome songs over a short period here. Chest Hair is a cool, rumbling, building track to open. Some good Janet-sung numbers on here in Hot Water & Milk and Conjunctivitis, both better than the poppy Calypso. (Also a good song, but I can't believe it is this band's highest charting single other than the big cover). Buy Me a Pony should certainly have charted higher. It is a ball-tearer about the band's trip to the US. It's my #1 1996 song and one of my favourite Aussie songs ever. There are a few extended jams on here that may not make for great individual listening, but create that soundscape of an album. Don't Kill Nipper brings back the grunt. The rest here is good. This album had hints of where they were heading but plenty of the old fuzzed-out sounds too. 5/5 |
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds |
6 |
Murder Ballads |
Aug20. I wished I enjoyed Nick's delivery more, then I could get into the awesome lyrics more. As it is, it feels like Song of Joy goes forever and is not bringing me joy. I wonder whether it is based on a true story? I know Stagger Lee is b/c it was not long ago I was reading about the protagonist when he came up in another song. I don't mind this song, though it's pretty graphic and makes we wonder at all the people that rushed out and got this album after seeing Kylie Minogue on it. Their version of Henry Lee does nothing for me. I love the haunting rhythm of Lovely Creature. The bass and drums rumble along nicely with interjected guitar chords, almost at random. Where the Wild Roses Grow is actually a pretty good song, now that I am listening to it for the first time in a long time. Another sordid and sorry story that is delivered well with strings and Kylie's vocals. The Curse of Millhaven picks the pace up a bit and is almost a circus-styled ditty, despite being another story of death. I quite like this one. The next two are decent slow songs with some good piano. And with the O'Malley's Bar it is a slow crawl to the end. This is another brilliant story, but could have been cut in half. There are several parts with Cave just growling and mumbling out sounds that definitely could have been cut. The cover to finish is a great way to end this album. How cool, to have a song with the main refrain of 'Death is not the end', following a whole album about violent deaths. I love how the vocals are shared around and the great Shane MacGowan is among them. At least you get what is on the label here. Every song bar the last involves someone getting killed. I love historical tales being retold in songs, or narrative songs in general, and this is certainly a strength of Cave's writing. I am coming around to his style more too, but some vocals still irritate me at times. 3.5/5 |
Local H |
5 |
As Good as Dead |
You Am I |
5 |
Hourly, Daily |
Sepultura |
4 |
Roots |
Powderfinger |
4 |
Double Allergic |
Pantera |
4 |
The Great Southern Trendkill |
The Lemonheads |
3 |
Car Button Cloth |
Weezer |
3 |
Pinkerton |
Korn |
3 |
Life is Peachy |
Iced Earth |
3 |
The Dark Saga |
Metallica |
3 |
Load |
Jun19. Well, going in knowing what this album is (mostly hard rock), I did not mind this play through. I did not really know the album at all with only the singles in my H100. I liked a few others (Ain't My Bitch, King Nothing, Bleeding Me, Ronnie, The Outlaw Torn), and strangely, two of those were very long tracks. A pity a couple of the weaker tracks are near the start, but in all, I'd say a solid rock album, and if it did not have Metallica on the cover, I don't think there would be all the hate. 3.5/5 |
Tumbleweed |
2 |
Return to Earth |
I Mother Earth |
2 |
Scenery & Fish |
Beck |
2 |
Odelay |
Eels |
2 |
Beautiful Freak |
Bad Religion |
2 |
The Gray Race |
Nov22. For some reason, I remember being a bit disappointed in this album upon its release. I thought it had a few good 'hits', but did not run as deep. 'A Walk' and 'Punk Rock Song' got a lot of airplay, and I liked them, they just were not up to '21st Century Boy'. In time I have seen it was just my expectations and not the quality of the album. It runs a lot deeper than that. 'Ten in 2010' and 'Drunk Sincerity' were the two songs that really grabbed me and I still love them, but there are many more that I love on here now. As I listen now, I have 11 songs 'thumbed' and five made my Top70 Bad Religion songs list (the four songs mentioned and the cool 'Come Join Us'). Over the years, songs like 'Empty Causes' and the 'Spirit Shine' have been elevated in my lists. Both have cracking, simple, sing-a-long choruses. The slow rock and stomp of 'Streets of America' also deserves a mention. As do the two songs that open the album: 'The Gray Race' and 'Them And Us'. As usual with this band, songs not mentioned are still very good and I would not be surprised to hear fans say that they are their favourites here. That is the nature of this band: So many good, thought-provoking songs. I have this on par with Suffer and slightly above Recipe for Hate, but those gaps are small. Ranking Bad Religion albums is very hard. 5/5 |
Stone Temple Pilots |
2 |
Tiny Music |
Descendents |
2 |
Everything Sucks |
Oct19. Ashamedly, this was the only Descendents album I owned. I was a little late to their party for sure, but what an album to get in on them. Title track (by Stevenson) into I'm the One (by Alvarez) is a brilliant start to the album. The biting guitars that were present on the ALL album Pummel the year before are still here. Alvarez and Stevenson combine for the writing of the awesome When I Get Old. Wow, the original members of Descendents played on this album and even wrote some tunes. Eunnuch Boy is a song first written 15 years prior. A nice reunion record. This play through the songs that stood out were: Hateful Notebook, We, This Place, in fact, the whole second half is very good. Great to see them finish an album strongly. 4/5 |
Magic Dirt |
2 |
Friends in Danger |
Bush |
2 |
Razorblade Suitcase |
Jan18. A bit of a disappointment after their brilliant debut. I never gave this LP a lot of time. Listening now, it is still an okay rock album. Found a couple of extra tracks to give more listens. 3/5 |
The Fauves |
2 |
Future Spa |
Type O Negative |
2 |
October Rust |
Porno for Pyros |
1 |
Good God's Urge |
Butthole Surfers |
1 |
Electriclarryland |
Good Riddance |
1 |
A Comprehensive Guide to Moderne Rebellion |
The Screaming Trees |
1 |
Dust |
R.E.M |
1 |
The New Adventures in Hi-Fi |
Clowns of Decadence |
1 |
Clowns of a Lesser God |
Bodyjar |
1 |
Rimshot! |
Apr20. I know a lot of people love this one, but I always felt it was the weaker of Bodyjar's first three albums. Glossy Books got a little bit of airplay and that helped. It is a very good song. Opener, Windsok always got a workout live and it is a pretty good song, but not one of their best. The slower, but catchy as a certain virus, Don't Tell Me could well be the best song on here. Next to You is a cool, little short cover and last song, Washed Away has some good chugging riffs and soaring chorus. A good finish, but overall, not that strong an album. 3.5/5 |
Reel Big Fish |
1 |
Turn the Radio Off |
Propagandhi |
1 |
Less Talk, More Rock |
May22. So, I read that the band wanted to make it very clear that they did not want jocks and narrow-minded people listening to them. Well, they certainly did that on this record, but I agree with all of their views, and yet, found this a little forceful and preachy at times. Kind of the opposite to keeping an open mind. The spoken word stuff started to grate after a few listens. Fortunately though, I loved the overall faster punk sound on here and there are some very cool songs to boot, like opener, 'Apparently, I'm a PC Fascist', which runs seemlessy into the long-titled second song. These cover most of the world's injustices, so you get a pretty good idea of the lyrical material you are going to get on the album. The title track has a slower, stacatto riff and and interesting line in "we wrote this song, because it was boring": not sure about that, but the lyrics are 'heavy'. Then we get the melodically blissful 'Anchorless'. Wow. Yeah, I can relate to this one. An instant favourite. In total contrast they rip straight into a fast hardcore sound for the very short 'Rido De San Atlanta, Manitoba'. '…And We Thought That Nation-States Were a Bad Idea' is a fantastic 90s slice of punk with sociallly aware lyrics (of course). 'I Was a Pre-Teen Maccarthyist' has some fun changes of pace and melody. 'Resisting Tyrannical Government' is a NOFX-styled punk sound with a cool warbling bass line. I assume the vocalist for 'Gifts' is the same one as in 'Anchorless' and not the same one that sings the other songs - I love the contrasting styles. The vocals and beat of 'A People's History of the World' also reminds me of NOFX. I would rate this album higher if the 'messages' were not so constant and in your face. I love socially conscious punk bands like Good Riddance and Bad Religion, but these guys just seem to go for the throat too often, which in a way, deflates the message. Anyway, still, I thumbed 5 tracks and like most others here. Glad I checked this out. 3.5/5 |
Bathory |
1 |
Blood on Ice |
Napalm Death |
1 |
Diatribes |
ZZ Top |
1 |
Rhythmeen |
Opeth |
1 |
Morningrise |
Jun19. I at least understand why people dig these guys. Amazing musos. Some great sounds and expert riffing. I just don't like the vocals and cannot stick out such long songs. I could not tell one from another anyway. 2/5 |
Def Leppard |
1 |
Slang |
Rush |
1 |
Test for Echo |
Feb20. 1st listen. I have noticed that since Rush were not constrained to the length of LPs they seem to have pushed all song lengths out, despite getting rid of the really long songs. A little more variety in song length would be good and we get that for the first 3 tracks here. Opener & title track is a solid song with some good 90s guitar sounds. How cool is the bass in Driven? Half the World is a little cheesy, but ultimately a pretty good song. It seems to be in the vein of fellow Canadians, The Tragically Hip. The music to Time & Motion just seems to suit the title so well. What a journey. And yes, I did like the punchy Dog Years. Resist sounds like old school Rush and shows how keys can be added in a cool way. A nice song. Limbo is well named - I felt like I was there near the end. I know I may be against Rush fans, but I enjoy this sound era more than anything since their debut. 3.5/5 |
Alex Lifeson |
1 |
Victor |
Porcupine Tree |
1 |
Signify |
Super Furry Animals |
1 |
Fuzzy Logic |
Sebadoh |
1 |
Harmacy |
Turbonegro |
1 |
Ass Cobra |
Uresei Yatsura |
1 |
We Are Uresei Yatsura |
Cake |
1 |
Fashion Nugget |
Ash |
1 |
1977 |
NOFX |
1 |
Heavy Petting Zoo |
Ween |
1 |
Twelve Golden Country Greats |
Frenzal Rhomb |
1 |
Not So Tough Now |
Motorhead |
1 |
Overnight Sensation |
Acrimony |
1 |
Tumuli Shroomaroon |
Godflesh |
1 |
Songs of Love & Hate |
Drain |
1 |
Horror Wrestling |
Piston |
1 |
Number One |
King's X |
0 |
Ear Candy |
Jan18. A bad LP name, but a solid rock LP. Not sure where the metal labelling came from - more like Stone Temple Pilot -level rock, including the groove and some Beatles -esque moments. I enjoyed this. 3.5/5 |
Strung Out |
0 |
Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues |
Nov19. 1st full listen. Firecracker is just that as a beginning to the album. Better Days is more melodic and despite the fast pace of the next couple of songs there is a few Blink-182 guitar sounds in there - not that these guys sound a lot like that band in overall sound. Monster is a bass-heavy rumbler. Bring Out Your Dead starts with very cool riffs and guitars fading in and out. Second half flew by without anything standing out but all sounding good. More listens required to distinguish the songs here. 3.5/5 |
The Queers |
0 |
Don't Back Down |
Feb20. Guitarist JJ Rassler was invited back to help on this album and it shows. The guitars are fuller and he was the other big Beach Boys fan in the early version of the band. Still, I am not sure why The Queers often start their LPs with one of the most off-putting tracks. Get past that one and there are some brilliant pop-punk-surf-rock numbers here. The catchy Punk Rock Girls would have been a better start to the album. (see if you get the Mr T Experience reference in the song). This second song is juxtaposed with the flat out I'm Okay, You're Fucked, a song I have always liked. Another song in this vein from the album I like is I Only Drink Bud. Even on these updeat punk numbers, the band still sound like they are having more fun here that in the past. Humour works better than anger for this band. Born to do Dishes is a self-deprecating example. There are a couple of sappy numbers that don't really work for me (Number One and I Always Knew) but there are others I love and highly recommend (like Janelle, Janelle and closing track I Can't Get Over You with the shared female vocals). Another Girl treads soundly between the pop and upbeat numbers nicely. The covers here are brilliant. Don't Back Down may be just a little too similar to the original but is fun, as is the surf-rock Side-Walk Surfin' Girl (originally by The Hondells). 4/5 |
The Queers |
0 |
Bubblegum Dreams EP |
Feb20. Songs recorded during the same sessions for Don't Back Down. This EP preceded the album. At least they led off with the cool Punk Rock Girls on the EP. The other original song here, Never Ever is just as catchy. JJ Rassler's Beach Boys-loving presence is here too with a cracking cover of Little Honda - I prefer this over the Don't Back Down cover. The EP finishes with an okay The Muffs cover, but it is the weakest track here. Not that that means much, as this is a brilliant little EP. 4/5 |
Pulley |
0 |
Esteem Driven Engine |
May20. I have always loved the opening song Cashed In which I discovered on a sampler and that led me to buying this album. But I don't remember other songs standing out. I have recently listened to Pulley's later releases and loved them, so I bet there is a lot more on here that passed me by. And for the record, Scott Radinsky's vocals are among my favourite in this scene. And straight away, yep, second song Crawl is very cool. Wok Inn has great guitars that do that pause I love and reminds me of Bodyjar. Four Walls is a slower song that suits its tale of boredom. Most other songs rumble by at a pretty standard, upbeat tempo. Few leap out at you, but the album is solid. No Defense clearly features another vocalist, though I am not sure who. 3.5/5 |
L.A Guns |
0 |
American Hardcore |
Sept. Okay, so after the turmoil and disaster that was last album Vicious Circle, singer Phil Lewis is gone and then bassist Nickels (though he still has writing credits for most of the album). The cover of the album alone is enough to make you worried. Looks like something Suicidal Tendencies would have. That in itself is not a worry - I like Suicidal - but L.A Guns' attempt to change sound went badly before and I am worried what is going on here. Well, okay, less industrial rhythm and more 'let's sound like Pantera'. Wow. After a few songs in, the Pantera influence is obvious and they also remind me a bit of Australian band Mantissa here. This could be a bonus for some, but it is really odd when listening to the band's discography in order. And I don't think they do this sound well. It does not sound natural at all. Not only that, some of this is terrible! Take Pissed and Kevorkian for example. Oh and it just gets worse with Hugs & Needles. Despite probably the best riff I have heard so far, some absolute horrible songwriting here. I like to try and have a few listens of each album. I will force myself to at least have a second here. Nope. I couldn't do it! 1/5 |
Warrior Soul |
0 |
Fucker |
Oct20. At the time I purchased this, I had no idea Space Age Playboys had been released between it and Chill Pill. Being a collection of b-sides, demos and rarities, this was not a strong album. But it has grown on me with recent listens. It opens well with NYC Girl and Punk Rock 'N' Roll; two songs worthy of being on any record. There are still some very good riffs throughout, such as on Turn On and Ways to the Gutter. Raised on Riots is just a solid rock song that doesn't hit any real heights but the bass really rumbles along. American sounds like fucking around in the studio and reminds me of Revolver-era The Beatles. There's not much of interest in the songs that follow until Last Decade, Dead Century, the song that gave its name to their debut album but was not on it. I wonder why. Like other songs (that I am sure are demos) on here, it suffers from low production, but could easily have made a good song with its chant-like chorus. As it is, it kind of fizzles out at the end and sounds unfinished. Then we have some of Kory's spoken word that I don't think needed to be here. 3/5 |
Fun Lovin' Criminals |
0 |
Come Find Yourself |
Nov20. I have never really listened to a lot of these guys. I remember there being a lot of breezy, afternoon beers-type songs on this, but no songs stuck with me except for the fun Scooby Snacks - a song I still like. The first song, The Fun Lovin' Criminals, is a fantastic 'band title track' to have. Passive/Aggressive starts out all mellow, but really fires up for the chorus. I like the change up: another fun song. Bombin' the L is a strange mix up of sounds with rap lyrics, saxaphone and then a riff kicks in (which sounds like Smoke on the Water). Parts of it remind me of bad late 80s and early 90s popular music like C&C Music Factory too. Bear Hug follows a similar path, but with some rawer moments too. King of New York gets a bit funky whilst also sounding a little like Grandmaster Flash. Somehow, this all works. The rest is all a little mellow for my tastes. Maybe a little too much, let's get stoned, rather than afternoon beers :P Still, there is a lot more to this album than I gave it credit for in the past. 3.5/5 |
Schleprock |
0 |
(America’s) Dirty Little Secret |
|
Zoinks! |
0 |
Well & Good |
|
Zoinks! |
0 |
Stranger Anxiety |
|
Pollyanna |
0 |
Longplayer |
|
Alice In Chains |
0 |
Unplugged |
Mar23. This is odd, ranking this as I go through the band's albums, as I have never really included compilations in my lists. It is hard to rank against the albums where nearly all of these songs come from. I want to talk about how brillinat individual songs are, but I have already done that. 'Nutshell' opens and suits this as it was already acoustic. The bass sounds fantastic. They sure did a lot of their slower songs here, many of which were already 'unplugged'. I would have loved to have heard some unplugged versions of more upbeat songs for a bit of contrast. The drums and faster pace of 'No Excuses' is fun. The same with the drums to start 'Angry Chair' but the song seemed to lack a certain energy. The slow build into 'Rooster' is quite haunting, in a good way. Thank you to 'Would?' here. Not a brillinat version, but a relief from the slow songs that were already slow songs on albums. 'Over Now' is a good version. Yeah, this would have been brilliant to be at, but listening through on an album does not thrill me. There is not enough difference from their original recordings for mine. Too many slow songs really drags this out. 3/5 |