Last week was high scoring but this one is setting the records.
Congrats to The Cure, universally liked and often loved means they take our top spot for the year. Bravo 👏. They are also our first 2024 entry into the overall top 10, sitting between Public Enemy and Pixies.
Kudos to THUS LOVE as well - also universally liked so into our 2024 top 10.
They also have our TOTW for All Pleasure.
At the other end, oh dear J Spaceman, bottom of this years pile. Chemtrails (who?) will be relieved.
Andy has his first 😀 since April. Annette goes from happy camper last week to ☹️ this time.
General Fiasco were a nice surprise for some, not so much for others and sit with Keane and Echo and the Bunnymen on the classics.
Andy
Willie Nelson - Despite him having been around forever I don't think I've deliberately listened to a Willie Nelson album before. This is more folk than country and very enjoyable it is too. He sounds pretty hearty for 91 so I doubt it's the last we hear of him, maybe all that weed isn't too bad for the health 6.5
THUS LOVE - Another strong effort. All sorts of 90s indie influences bunged in to great success 7
Spiritualized - Is this a soundtrack or an experimental Delta Blues sampler? Who knows! Either way it's pretty decent stuff with the aforementioned Delta Blues guitars to the fore, it does start to go a bit mad on Love For the Asking but that's a small price to pay 6.5
The Cure - I'd never call myself one of Bob and co's biggest fans, my favourite album is Best of the Cure etc and sacrilegious as it may be, especially in this weekend of love for the band, when they get maudlin I find can them to be a bit dull. Not here however, what an album of epic tunes. Sweeping aural landscapes with lyrics that move you. It's enough to make me forgive Simon Gallup for taking down his Royals flag 9.5
TotW - Endsong from off of The Cure
General Fiasco - Obviously never listened to this before but it was quite enjoyable stuff that you feel should have at least reached Bravery levels of recognition 6.5
Guy
Willie Nelson – Surprisingly more listenable than I thought considering that I hate both country and western. Not exactly my cup of tea but breezed along OK. Even went a bit Waterboys-ish on Colour of Sound which was welcome – 6.2
Thus Love – A lovely slice of 80s/90s indie. Perhaps a bit more poppy than the last album which is why it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Memorial for me. Still an enjoyable listen. Definitely one of the bands that’s been a pleasure to discover in this experience – 7.8
J Spaceman – Good Lord. This sounded like an orchestra tuning up with a load of people in the audience talking over it. Really tough listen. I couldn’t wait for it to finish - 4
The Cure – As I said, this is a beautiful, if dark, album. After 16 years, to pull this out of the bag is pretty special. It’s got all the hallmarks of a classic Cure album. ‘A Fragile Thing’ is a superb tune. Wish there was one or two more upbeat numbers amongst the despair, but it’s superbly produced and a real work of art in my view. – 8.9
TOTW – The Cure – A Fragile Thing
General Fiasco – I love this album. It’s full of energy, good riffs, driving guitars and catchy tunes. It might not be the most sophisticated album you’ll ever listen to, but it’s a guaranteed good listen. Wish they’d lasted longer and I’d seen them live as I think they’d have been superb. – 8.8
Sam
The Cure : this was almost brilliant. I’m a fan obvs , but they do stumble a bit especially at the beginning, but it’s still lovely :8
Thus Love : no longer and Echo and the Bunnymen tribute act they have smashed this . Gorgeous slice of angsty rock : 8.5
Willie Nelson : in the end it was quite sweet and engaging. 6.9
J Spaceman : since when is talking and coughing part of decent music ? Absolutely ridiculous. The last song stops it being a zero . So begrudgingly:2
TOTW : a few contenders : All Pleasure by Thus Love
General Fiasco : I can’t say this strongly enough , one of the best classics ever and I’ve never heard of them ! Bloody marvellous. 9
Justin
Willie Nelson - I like Country & Western but I have never liked Willie Nelson. This changes nothing. Indeed it was quite painful towards the end. 5
Thus Love - touches of Pixies and other 90s US indie. Little touches in all the songs push it beyond your usual indie fare. 7
J Spaceman - I like Blues and Spaceman 3 style sonic guitar so I found this all quite enjoyable 6.9
The Cure - the Ronseal Goth band. Exactly what you would expect. If you want classic moody goth with sonic landscapes Bob's your Uncle 7.5
ToTW All Pleasure - Thus Love
General Fiasco - to use a phrase that probably hasn't been used for at least two weeks, indie landfill - 5.5
Simon
Willie Nelson: never understood the appeal of country music and nothing here to change that - sure Willie is a lovely old chap but this is just dull. 4
THUS LOVE: really enjoyed their debut but this feels like they've moved on (maybe due to the change in line-up) - guitars are certainly more acerbic (reminded me of the Pixies and Suede at times) but it doesn't suffer for it, on the contrary there are plenty of subtle shifts in tone and style that make it a confident and engaging listen all the way through. 8
J Spaceman: according to Wikipedia, Stranded in Canton is some video footage shot by William Eggleston in the 1970s and has been described as like a 'demented home video' - guess this album might make more sense if you'd seen the footage, although I didn't mind it tbh, certainly more interesting than the Willie Nelson album. 6
The Cure: had high expectations for this and they are largely met - it's a majestic record and Robert Smith's lyrics are a moving meditation on grief and loss (including that of his brother). Wouldn't describe myself as a big Cure fan but this has put me in a mind to revisit their back catalogue. 8.3
General Fiasco: this band is a complete unknown from my perspective, although the style certainly isn't - boilerplate uptempo indie that probably won't live long in the memory. 6.5
TotW: The Cure - Endsong
Matt
Willie Nelson - Definitely sounded more folk than country, and whilst I've nothing but admiration for him putting out an album at 91, musically it didn't hold my interest. 4
Thus Love - There's a strong 80s feel to this, but distinctive vocals and variation in the tracks means there real originality here. From the heavy guitar riffs of 'On the Floor' ( a potential TOTW) to the pared back and bluesy vocals and piano on 'Face to Face' there's versatility, and a sense of the band developing into their sound. 8
J Spaceman - If they can't be bothered to play actual songs I can't be bothered to write anything. 2
The Cure - There's an overarching theme of loss and transience but many of the songs are things of beauty. In particular 'Nothing is Forever' which starts with insistent but fragile strings to which are overlaid a spikey guitar that lifts it above the hauntingly bleak 'Alone' and changes the intensity - an instant classic. There are other changes of pace with the brutal 'Warsong' and higher energy 'Drone:No drone' which kept the album, despite its theme, feeling very contemporary. 9
Totw Nothing is Forever, The Cure
Steve
Last leaf of the tree - Willie Nelson
Preconception from seeing Willie in his pomp and based on the title was, I wish someone would pluck him. However, I found the album to be gentler and more melodic than expected. Not sure if age came into it but I didn't mind it - 5
All pleasure - Thus love
Great driving guitar riffs.Strong vocals.What's not to like, good variance in track tempos. Track 4 had Shades of Spear of Destiny(great band!) - 8
Music for William Goggeston's strand
Throbbing baselines and bewitching, beguiling riffs with haunting lyrics bordering on the satanic - 3
Songs of a lost world - The Cure
Slow start but atmospheric and powerful.
Standout track 5, pulsating drums and classic Robert Smith delivery - 8
Buildings-General Fiasco.Strong first track with echos of 'The Enemy' and Placeboesque vocals on track 2. Promised much but delivered little, felt a bit like musical painting by numbers - 4
Jim
Willie Nelson 4
I’m no expert but this seems very mellow by C&W standards. But for 91 with 100+ albums behind him, credit is due and I guess a hoedown is unlikely.
THUS LOVE 8.5
Terrific sludgey alt-rock, and a big step up from the last one. A ton of influences shone through, and I thought he had a bit of Michael Hutchence about him. I'm disappointed when albums finish on something down-beat or off-piste, but they kept a couple of gems back to finish this off on a high.
J Spaceman 2
To use from Sam’s vernacular - what a load of instrument-tuning wankery. The very last song, when they cut the chit-chat, was a decent mellow blues rock number but by then it was beyond saving
The Cure 7.5
I had Justin's subjective/objective puzzle in my head listening to this. Objectively I can tell it's high quality and deserves the praise it will no doubt get. Subjectively I didn't really warm to it or feel uplifted. Sounds great, if a little like a movie soundtrack at times and the tracks sometimes blurred, although Fragile Thing and Endsong were class.
TOTW: THUS LOVE's Pixies inspired Lost In Translation
General Fiasco 6.5
Started really well, thought we had a much better than average uplifting JJ offering, but it did drop off somewhat in the 2nd half.
Phil
Willie Nelson 6
Like most of the group, I’ve never listened to a Willie Nelson album before. This was a bit baffling, to tell the truth. These are nearly all covers – Tom Waits’ House where nobody lives was a highlight – but even allowing for that it was seriously uneven. There were straightforward folk arrangements, then some weird, almost psychedelic ones. And to produce a version of Broken arrow even stranger than the original takes some doing! It doesn’t make me want to investigate his vast back catalogue but if I can make a record like this at 91, I’ll be reasonably happy.
Thus Love 7
A band totally in control of its sound. I enjoyed their earlier album and this confirms them as ones to watch (wonder if they’re planning to play the Great Escape next year?)
J Spaceman 3
This was just baffling. If it had just been guitar noodling it would have been dull enough but all the half-heard dialogue just got in the way. This has apparently been sitting on a shelf for ten years. Who the hell thought it was worth putting out now? Unless it was with the cat.
The Cure 7.5
Well, everybody seems to have fallen in love with this one. I’m not quite there yet but I’m definitely up for a second date. Seriously, I pretty much agree with Sam that the first two tracks were overproduced, albeit pretty, but from track 3 onwards this was high quality stuff. Smith has a strange voice so it’s always a wondrous thing when he manages to pitch a song that shows it off to best effect. A fragile thing, Drone:Nodrome and I can never say goodbye were particularly impressive.
TOTW – The Cure – A fragile thing
Classic
General Fiasco 7
Never heard of this lot and don’t remember the original release. But what the hell? This was fizzy guitar pop of a very high order. I enjoyed it a lot.
Annette
Willie Nelson: 4
Thus Love: 8
J Spaceman: 2
The Cure: 8.5
TOTW: The Cure - I can never say goodbye.
General Fiasco: 6.5
Mark
Willie Nelson - I rather liked this, once I got beyond the risk it could be a bit 'old man shouts at cloud' there were some beautiful touches - 6.5
Thus Love - another one to add to our list of exciting new indie guitar bands discovered the last few years to prove the genre is still alive and kicking. Was a bit underwhelmed seeing them at Reading after looking forward to them so much, they're better on record where all the layered effects come through a bit more, enjoyed this a lot, more than a hint of Suede to it - 8
J Spaceman - a couple near the end just about managed to hit the right kind of gospel psych / alt country vibe he's reaching for, but let's be honest too much of this was just beyond Syd Barrett acid frazzled lunacy territory and bordering on nonsense. And so could really do without the coughing episodes - 3.5
The Cure - some classic Cure loveliness, what a distinct vocal he has, and some real tugs at the heartstrings. I did feel some of it was a bit overblown and over produced however with the stadium sized synths, I prefer my Cure a bit more vulnerable and quirky. But there are three or four on here to stand up alongside their illustrious back catalogue, and on the whole it's a fantastic album, great to have them back - 8
TOTW - All Pleasure by Thus Love
Erol
Willie Nelson - ‘If silence is golden, what colour is sound?’ is a lovely lyric. This was surprisingly enjoyable. A gentle, soothing journey through some old time folk-country. It’s quite remarkable that he can still put out this quality at the ripe old age of 91. 6.8
Thus Love - a solid slice of indie rock. I agree that the lead singer has a hint of Michael Hutchence in his sound and style. ‘Show me Patience’ is a deliciously edgy track. 7.5
J Spaceman - make it stop. Please. Musically aimless while the incessant half-chattering in the near distance was downright irritating. 2.5
The Cure - an album of mature introspection. So grown-up and epic in scale but at the same time melancholic and sad. There are no pop bangers to speak of on this (except perhaps drone: no drone). Instead the whole piece is a serenely retrospective lament on the passing of the years and the losses we encounter. It’s simply beautiful. 9
TOTW - ‘All I Ever Am’ by the Cure. Reminds me of ‘Lovesong’, another cracker of theirs.
General Fiasco - I wouldn’t label this indie landfill or jingle jangle at all. It’s terrific fun and packed full of bouncing indie pop rock. ‘Buildings‘ is especially impressive. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this band before. Nice choice, Guy. 8
Adam
Willie Nelson: Fair play to Willie for going 76 rounds, that is some stamina. Soothing, melancholic, reflective country with some lovely covers too. 6
Thus Love: Ooossh, this album has got enough to get me ‘On The Floor’. Great guitars, vocals, drums - full package. Made me feel like I was travelling back in time. Sometimes 80’s, sometimes 00’s. 8
J Spaceman: Struggled this this one. Probably need to go to the woods and eat some fungi to make this better. Nuff said. 3
The Cure: Ephemeral. Dark grandeur. Could probably listen to this to watch the end of the world to, in a good way. 7
TOTW: On The Floor - Thus Love
General Fiasco: as I remember it, jingly jangly indie-pop - sometimes it don’t need to be that deep. Cranking up Ever So Shy took me back to the club floor. Good nostalgic choice here. 7
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