in discussion Music Forums / Lists and Top Choices » Top Albums by Artists - Series 6
| Good Riddance | 1 | Symptoms of a Leveling Spirit | Nov16. Love this - their best LP. Jul20. It is criminal this did not make the #2001Albums list. Fire Engine Red is a cracking opener and Enter the Unapproachables is such a time machine where they chastise their leaders for having nothing better to do than 'building a wall'. Wow. Prophetic. Yesterday's Headline is just pure punk brilliance. Cheyenne is a cool song of hope with its cry of, 'It's not too late for you to change your zenophobic P.O.V'. This is only topped by the lyric, 'Hatred is the stillborn child of ignorance and boredom.' Libertine is a cry of defiance that reminds me of my favourite Pennywise song: Broken. The end is just so uplifting. Trial of the Century gives hope to anyone going through a shitty situation, not just teenhood. Nobody Likes a Cynic is another song of rebellion, and like the couple before it, you have to hang in for the end. Last verses are often the band's best. Pisces/Coming Home starts as probably my favourite slow song to use an electric guitar. Then it builds and turns into a cool, short song, and then it's over. I love it. Defusing the Popular Struggle then picks up the pace, only slowing a little for its very good chorus. Some great lyrics again. Next song flies by in under a minute, then the rock of Blue Black Eyes slows things down for a bit. We can all relate to the, 'I pissed my time away' line. Spit You Out is also full of vitriol. I just love how this band has something to say. Hidden track, a cover of In My Head is awesome too! This album is the perfect blend of their hardcore stylings and their amazing catchiness. They can do both so well. Sitting at #3 on my Albums of the 2000s as I type this. Sept24. Not much to add other than this could be the perfect punk mix for me. Still such an awesome album. 7+/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | Ballads from the Revolution | Sept24. For years this was my favourite Good Riddance album, though I prefer Symptoms of a Leveling Spirit now, but only just. To think they released this album, then their hardcore masterpiece, a brilliant EP, and then Symptoms… all between 1998 and 2001. Wow. What a fucking run. This was also my favourite punk album on release, probably until Pulley released that crazy orange album. This album crunches hard with hardcore flailings such as on Fertile Fields and Salt, but somehow juxtaposes these with superb pop-punk moments in Not with Him and Jeannie, all without sounding cheesy. A very hard feat. Songs like Sacrifice sit somewhere in the middle; this one being a great self-reflection song. As does Understood - the uplifting song. State Control is their bread and butter commentary on society, all delivered at the speed of light and done in under 1 1/2 minutes. Jeannie is one of my favourite songs by the band. We have all known that girl. Salt is great rapidfire punk but not made for idiots and fuckwits that try to hurt others in the pit. The great ringing riff of Slowly and Russ's vocals (he is almost rapping) elevate this one to among the best on here. This album is such a ride. It is like a rollercoaster with its change in speed and heaviness. It keeps you on edge, not knowing what is coming next. They even squeeze in a fantastic cover, and of KISS, no less. Without Anger and Holding On maintain the speed and inspirational lyrics and Eversmile is a favourite late track. Then the hardcore Years From Now takes things out as if it was written as a lead-in to the next album. This is a perfect album for me. 7/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | My Republic | Sept24. I really love a lot of songs on this album, but have often felt it lacked a bit of bite. That might be in the production - had it the same sound as the previous album, I reckon it would sound a little harder. That said, the guys were on for song-writing. Several songs have fun little parts near the end like the bass on Out of Mind and the guitar on Texas. The first of those two has grown on me a lot over many listens. It was not an initial standout, but a favourite now. Whereas Texas along with Uniform and Boise were early standouts to me. They are all easy-to-like songs. It is the deeper cuts that I am enjoying on this listen. Shame and Tell Me Why have certainly gone up in my estimations. Russ is on with his anti-war and scathing view of politics, morality, etc. Tell Me Why has some fantastic lines in it. Torches & Tragedies opens with some great guitar and then settles into a hardcore blast. Darkest Days was an early standout and I am still loving this one. It has a very good crunching riff, but also some of the catchiest moments on the album - especially the chorus. Up to You is a piece of punk positive outlook in a Pennywise sort of way. I go back and forth on Boise, but today, it took me back to better times. A very good song. Rise and Fall is a another punk track based around a crunching riff and I love when this one kicks int - that gear-change is awesome. Broken has a bit of a NOFX feel in parts and is a cool 'slower' track (which of course speeds up). Save the Children conveys the feeling of uselessness I often feel when watching the horrible atrocities carried out around the world. This Beast is Dangerous has a cool bounce to it and Russ's vocals are on. So, before this listen, I only had one track not thumbed. Now I have them all. That makes for a fantastic album, though I am going slightly below that with a 6.5/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | Peace in Our Time | Sept24. Prior to this album the band had broken up for five years, then got back together for a few for some shows and finally got the itch to record new music, and I was sure glad they did. I always felt this album continued on perfectly from My Republic as if there was no hiatus in there. I never felt it was as strong as that album, but more recently, it might be right up there alongside it. The songs have really grown on me, and whilst there are not as many immediate likes as on My Republic there is a little more bite and variation. Right from the fuzzed-out bass that opens the album, you are thrown straight in the deepend. This is not a comeback - this a continuation of what that band have always done well. Disputatio has a cracking rhythm, driven heavily by those drums. Things do not let up with the flatout Contrition into the very catchy Take It To Heart - what a chorus. Pabich's guitars are brilliant on Half Measures and the time changes in this one are fantastic. Grace and Virtue could be one of the most accessible songs they have written and it could have been right off The Phenonemon of Craving EP. The very good tracks just keep rolling out - they certainly do not have a mid-album lull. Teachable Moments is a great show of support for those struggling with intollerance directed towards them for who they love. Washed Away has fantastic observations on the bitterness and divisiveness that has taken over modern politics, media and life in general. This goes so well into the awesome pace of Our Better Nature. What a pair of mid-album tracks - on an LP I would have the first end Side A and the other kick off Side B. Shiloh is another anti-war hymn from the band. Despite a feeling these messages have been said before, there is an air of positivity on this album too. A look to what we can do and how we can change. The lyrics of Running on Fumes is a brilliant reflection of modern western life. Wow. What a better place this could be if people listened to and acted on the lyrics of bands like this. Things are getting a little darker though, towards the end of the album. I love the screamed, but faded, backing vocals on Year Zero. Somehow I did not have Glory Glory thumbed - what a great end to an excellent album. 6/7 |
| Good Riddance | 1 | Operation Phoenix | Sept17. Though often described as a hardcore band, I don't see these guys as one, except for this album. A great run of tracks through the middle. 9 Songs into H100. 16 songs in less than 1/2 an hour. Brutal. Sep24. Once again, another amazing quote chosen to lead into the first song on the album. I remember thinking how heavy this album was when it came out. There was a lot less of the melodic, saccharine songs that broke up the hardcore on previous albums. I am pretty sure touring with Sick of it All might have had something to do with that. The anger and contempt is palpable from the start. Sadows of Defeat is a great start with some awesome rapid-fire lyrics. Blueliner is full-on hardcore and even has gang-vocal parts. :D The Hardest Part seems to be a break-up song, but is not delivered as such. This is a full-on start, and I don't consider any of the first four the best tracks on here. They begin with Heresy, Hipocrisy & Revenge. What an absolute balltearer of a track. If this does not melt your face, I don't know what will. Such passionate lyrics delivered with venom over an awesome driving rhythm. Self-Fulfilling Catastrophe might be the most melodic song here and you get a breath, but just because it is a slower pace, it is no less heavy in delivery and subject matter. The quote that leads into Article IV is also amazing. Then that cool bassline to open and slow build to a fantastic chorus. This could be the band at their most venomous. Then we are back to flat-out punk on Indoctrination - with subject matter that is front and centre in today's world. This continues into Shit-Talking Capitalists. Fucking brilliant. You'd think the title of Letters Home might be a signal for a slow song or ballad, and whilst this one approaches those, it only seems slower and less heavy because of the songs around it. The relentless assault on shitty morals, corrupt governments and corporations and all-round shitty behaviour continues over some of their heaviest work. 30 Day Wonder could even be a Sick of It All or Madball track. Russ also channels some Hank Rollins too. I don't have a few later tracks thumbed, but Winning the Hearts and Minds certainly is. What a super-cool fast riff. A Time and Place is also a very good late album track. Over the years I just keep finding more songs to like on this album. I do prefer their albums that mix up these hardcore moments with more melodic punk, but I admire the conviction and maintained rage on here. Brutal and excellent. 6/7 |
| Good Riddance | 1 | A Comprehensive Guide to Moderne Rebellion | Sept. I have always considered this one a bit of a mixed bag; you get all parts of Good Riddance and it seems a little unsure of what direction they would take. Thankfully, they kept a little of their extremes - hardcore as well as melodic punk. Lyrical content can often vary on their albums and it does here too, from scathing social commentary to personal struggles and self-reflection. The first two tracks highlight this with Weight of the World highlighting the former subject matter, then Steps the latter. The first is more hardcore and the second more melodic. A bit like the following album, they keep you on your toes so you are not sure what is to come next. A very notable thing on this album is the music and songwriting has taken a huge leap from For God & Country. Russ's vocals and lyrics are still spot-on and brilliant. How Graffin gets so many accolades and Rankin does not, astounds me. A Credit to His Gender is another commentary on misogynistic behaviour from sexist arseholes. Trophy hits hard with its lyrics and short, hardcore riffing, then Up & Away suits its title, as it soars and feels uplifting. This is the Light, later on, also has this feeling. Last Believer (from their debut EP) is rerecorded here and sounds fantastic. Another positive track showing the band still have hope. Static, Favourite Son and Bittersweet are all uptempo, solid mid-album tracks. Token Idiot was always a favourite with me and still is. What a fantastic chorus, and overall song, really. The drums and guitars that open Lampshade build the anticipation and then the speed picks up for the vereses. Another cool song. Thinking of Me and Sometimes hit on relationships and remind me of several tracks from the next album, such as Not With Him. Like the next album this is a real mixed bag, but I don't think it quite hits the highs of Ballads from the Revolution. I am going with Excellent for my ranking, but this one at this moment is probably slightly behind the other Good Riddance albums I have given the same rating. 6/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | The Phenomenon of Craving - EP | Sept24. Whilst still between drummers, the band were at their song-writing peak around this time, with this EP falling between my two favourite albums of theirs. Cages is a decent introduction to the EP and then comes the brilliant One for the Braves. What a great song of unity and friendship. This one is right near the top on my recently completed #Top70GoodRiddanceSongs. Uniontown has a cool riff and rhythm to it and Russ's vocals sound great on this one. The building riffs in Calendar and the catchy chorus make for another great track. The slow bass start to Start at Zero is cool and I like how each instrument joins in one at a time, building up and up. Undefeated is a lot of self-reflection all over a fast, hardcore beat. And just like that the EP is over. This is a perfect lead-in to my favourite album by the band. They nailed their sound here. 6/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | Bound By Ties of Blood & Affection | Sept24. I recently put together my Top70 songs by this band. I found that this album just was not as full of as many good songs as the preceeding few albums, despite it being a bigger success (as far as chart positions go). What this album does have though, is a fantastic mix. Whoever put this together captured the Good Riddance sound perfectly. The guitars bite hard. And, over time, I have found more songs on here that I do rate highly. It opens with three killers, which makes me happy. The rapid-fire Made to be Broken is typical Good Riddance by the numbers. Russ's vocals are on, the drums drive the song, the guitar rips and the bass gallops along. A perfect opener. More Depalma, Less Felini is a song that has grown on me - mainly for those guitars. Check out the bass break too. Then comes Saccharine - the band at their melodic best. That chorus just soars - this is my favourite song on here. Brilliant and to-the-point lyrics. From here some of the middle songs do not get me as pumped as those on the last few albums, but the more I listen to this one the more I like songs like Up the Affiliates. The cool melody of Boxing Day always got my attention and The Dubious Glow of Excess was alwaya a favourite - it is one of those songs that builds up to the chorus. The bass is the best part of Black Bag Confidential. Hmmm, maybe I underestimated several of the mid-album songs. I always liked There's No "I" in Team - it kind of reminds me of One for the Braves. Dylan was a song I only recently thumbed. Remember Me was a song I liked from the start - it has a cool, chugging riff that drives it but then Russ steals the show with the chorus. Some of his best vocals. Shame, Rights & Privilige brings some short, fast hardcore leanings late in the album and the pace continues into the final track Bobby Baun. I still state this album does not run as deep as other Good Riddance albums and there are fewer top tracks. But the ones I love here are really good and the band certainly sound great. Probably their best sounding album, but not their best collection of songs. Still, I thumbed over half of them. I am going between Very Good to Excellent. 5.5/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | Gidget - EP | Sept24. Not So bad is a really good song to kick start the EP. I love the warbling bass in there. This is as good as anything on their debut LP if you ask me. Just for Today is a cool, upbeat track and again that bass - I just read that the bass player was Devin Quinn and this was his only recording with the band (and that he loved Matt Freemen, then of Operation Ivy). I did not know Last Believer was one of their first songs. That is pretty cool and makes this a very strong debut recording. Patriarch has a bit to say and is a slower FUGAZI-like track. A very good start to things. 5/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | Thoughts & Prayers | Sept 24. First of all - what a fucken great album title. The band always pick biting quotes for their albums and the one they picked to open this one could be their best. A great lead in to the first song, Edmund Pettus Bridge, a song that continues the scathing look at American (and western) culture. If more people were as educated and aware as Russ and the guys the world would be a much better place. Rapture is a pretty weak second song but is over in less than a minute. Don't Have Time is a real grower with a cool melody. Our Great Divide sounds cool. All the guys are on here, though Russ's voice seems to lack a little bite for the vitriol here. That is the case across the album and not surprising, as the lads have been around for a while now. He still does the more melodic tracks brilliantly and none are better here than Wish You Well. What a cool and self-reflective song. Get's me thinking. No King But Caesar could have been written about what is going on in the world right now - unfortuantely still relevant and a cracking song to boot. This leads well into the NOFX-like Who We Are with its galloping rhythm. Pox Americana also has a great, fast beat. From there, we get a song sung in Spanish, and it sounds good, even if I don't know the lyrics, then the album finishes with the decent Requisite Catasrophes. I have been listening to and ranking a lot of this band recently, and I considered this one of their weaker albums, but it is still a good to very good album. 4.5/7 |
| Good Riddance | 0 | For God & Country | Sept24. Even though I like this a little more now, I always felt this was their weakest album back in the day. I got into the band with the next couple of albums and going back to their debut always seemed lacklustre. Mother Superior and United Cigar have always appeared on song lists for the band. I think their popularity is more for being on compilation albums and whilst among the better songs here are nowhere near the band's best. Flies First Class is a scathing opening and Russ is on with his vitriol and Better is an solid mid-paced rocker. Decoy has some good lyrics (lessons we have still not learnt from history) and a decent beat. Boys and Girls has a cool, ringing guitar tone. Twelve Year Circus has some good guitar parts and the chorus grew on me. Whilst some of the songs are not strong, Russ was certainly on early with his analytic and scathing lyrics. This album is nowhere near as bad as I have slotted it in my mind. Several of the lesser-known songs have really grown on me, including last track, October - some very cool bass in there. The album is good, but nowhere as good as what was to come from these guys. 4/7 |
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman
