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Coldplay – “A Rush of Blood to the Head”
Coldplay have been the subject of some controversy amongst more devout music fans ever since their debut album Parachutes garnered them instant success. Despite global success with total album sales of over 55 million records worldwide and universal appeal, the band’s musical style has often been criticized for being unoriginal and derivative of their influences;… (read more)
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Strawberry Switchblade – “Strawberry Switchblade” (1985)
Strawberry Switchblade formed in 1981 and released their one and only self-titled album in 1985, an ostensibly synth pop album with curiously subtle dream and twee pop flair. This is particularly significant because both of the latter scenes were only just emerging at the time the album dropped. At what might first may seem a… (read more)
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Florence + The Machine – “MTV Unplugged”
Florence + The Machine seems like a perfect act for the MTV Unplugged series, considering the band often utilizes a variety of string instruments in their songs. But somehow, every song on this album ends up being less interesting than the lusher studio versions. The act is essentially selling only the voice here; the backing… (read more)
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Lilys – “A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns” (1994)
Excellent ’90s alternative rock that retains a fair amount of the noise from the first album, which was heavily inspired by the early ’90s shoegazing scene. On the A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns EP, Lilys breaks away from that a little with a more aggressive sound that still sounds very melodic. Lilys went from… (read more)
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My Bloody Valentine – “Lost Tracks and Rare Cuts” (2010)
Lost Tracks and Rare Cuts is an unauthorized collection of My Bloody Valentine (MBV) rarities. Among these are “Sugar,” one of the B-sides to the Only Shallow single and a longer version of the track “Glider” from the Glider EP. “Cowboy Song,” “Good for You,” “Just Like Us” (more commonly known as “Kevin Song”) and… (read more)
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Morrissey – “Your Arsenal” (1992)
I wish Your Arsenal were my favorite Morrissey album. I wish it were. Probably because “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and “The Queen Is Dead” are among my favorite songs by The Smiths. Likely due for the fact that the music is actually aggressive to match Morrissey’s venomous words, as well as being able to contrast with their… (read more)
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The Cars – “The Cars”
The Cars really could have used some more muscle. Some of the band’s best hooks are played so weakly that they don’t excite as much as they could. The riff on “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” is so underplayed, for example, and yet it’s still the best song here. The songwriting isn’t all that exemplary… (read more)
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Cheap Trick – “Sex, America, Cheap Trick”
Sex, America, Cheap Trick is a rather half-assed, unfocused box set. Primarily has rare and unreleased tracks/demos, but also seems to be trying to make a case for Cheap Trick by including some (but certainly not all) of their biggest hit songs. However, this is pointless because due to the haphazard track selection and random… (read more)
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The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Honey’s Dead” (1992)
Honey’s Dead sounds disturbingly like Screamadelica. “Sundown” makes that much really obvious. Disturbing because Bobby Gillespie left The Jesus and Mary Chain after Psychocandy to form Primal Scream, of course. The Jesus and Mary Chain are a hard band to critique. They are not a complex group; just generally skilled pop songwriters with a great sense… (read more)
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The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Psychocandy”
Often cited as the origin of the noise pop genre, "Psychocandy" by The Jesus and Mary Chain is as archetypal now as it was then. And just as much of a classic. (read more)