Bravo to Suede who storm this week, go 3rd overall and miss out on top spot by just half a point.
And with 4 votes, She Still Leads Me On is one to the most popular TOTWs we've had.
Andy's our happy camper š. Guy has his first ā¹ļø since April.
Jim
Suede 8.5
Fantastic. Had a few listens this week and it went up half a point each time. Not dissimilar to the recent Placebo offering and like them, Suede passed me by a little back in the day but both sound great now. Some Manics, White Lies and Killers in there. Could have chosen TOTW from half a dozen+
Rina Sawayama 6.5
Nice enough without the big tunes of Taylor, the cool of Sigrid or the originality of Baby Queen, and (NME) defo behind the last 2 in pop album of the year stakes.
House of Love 6
Couple of tunes with Clouds and Sweet Water, but much of it was a bit meh and drfited to C&W at the end
Mars Volta 4.5
Mmm not for me. Don't mind a bit of prog rock but this was mostly bollocks, and when it introduces the Latino vibe I am (perhaps irrationally) instantly turned off.
TOTW
Suede - She Still Leads Me On, just ahead of What Am I Without You.
PWEI 8
The classics still sound amazing and instantly transport me back to Sunday nights at the Maj. But not all of it's aged well, sound or subject matter.
Andy
Suede - Rip-roaring stuff from Bert and the lads. Love it and don't even miss Bernard Butler these days 8.5
Rina Sawayama - Some rousing almost Eurovision type anthems on this even if it does fall a touch short of previous pop chanteuses 7
House of Love - One of the forefathers of JJ have grown up and gone all Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. As a result I rather liked this mix of country AND western and garage rock 7
The Mars Volta - Odd that ATDI were balls out rocking and then they totally changed up for this jazz-prog odyssey (On bass, Derek Smalls, he wrote this) It's OK but I'll never listen to it again 5
TotW - Drive Myself Home, oh Bert you're making me cry again!
PWEI - Not my favourite Poppies opus but still one I listen to a lot, there's some innovation in here they don't get recognised for 8
Erol
Suede - I used to be quite a fan of them back in the day and, based on this output, I still am. This is a perfectly formed gem. Vibrant, full of depth and mature throughout. A joy to listen to. 8.9
Rina Sawayama - an interesting cross between all sorts of girl-pop queens. Fun at times and some stirring, get up and dance numbers including This Hell and Frankenstein. 6.9
The House of Love - pleasantly melodic and it had its moments here and there, but on the whole this was rather underwhelming. The country-style background acoustics got on my wick. The vocals were pretty weedy too. 5.8
The Mars Volta - pleasant enough for the first few tracks in a jazz-cool kind of way but I was bored by the second half. Itās way too long and doesnāt sustain itself. 5.1
TOTW - Turn off your Brain and Yell by Suede.
Guy
Suede - I was never really into Suede (other than liking the obvious hits), so wasn't expecting too much from this album. But it's a really good listen. It starts incredibly strongly, but if I was being critical, tails off a bit. Still good mind you - 8
Rina Sawayama - I thought this was really namby pamby pop. No guts to it and very lightweight. Shame as I saw her on Sunday Brunch and thought she appeared quite cool. 5
The House of Love - like Mark, I was a fan back in the day so was looking forward to this one. I was a bit disappointed sadly. It didn't seem to have much energy or memorability and wafted into Country & Western far too often for my liking. 6
The Mars Volta - Weird. Not my cup of tea. Bounced around far too much - Jazz to Rock to English to Spanish. I felt tired by the end of it. 4.7
PWEI - A classic indeed. I've not listened to it for years but I'll be going back to it again after this. 'Beaver Patrol' reminds me so much of the Majestic it's unreal. They really did have a distinctive sound. Inside You is a beautiful song (if you ignore the lyrics!!). 8.8
TOTW - She Still Leads me On by Suede.
Mark
Suede - a cracker, full of their trademark Bowie-esque indie guitar glam, such a distinctive vocal and guitar sound you just know it's Suede. Not sure they'll ever top their first three albums, but this had enough for me to come back to it multiple times this week, and quite a few tracks will sit nicely alongside the classics in their live set - 8.5
Rina Sawayama - some ok stuff on here but so much of it just sounded indistinguishable from so many other similar acts we've had these past couple of years, so not something I'd be desperate to listen to again - 5.5
House Of Love - it's basically a Guy Chadwick solo vehicle these days so less obviously HOL psychedelic indie guitar than before, but I quite liked the rootsy Americana stylings set to his Lou Reed drawly vocal. Not vintage HOL, but 35 years on it's still a pretty decent effort - 7.5
The Mars Volta - can't decide if this is incredible or terrible, there's clearly some virtuoso playing going on and some of it has a spaced out Prince vibe about it. It's one of those albums you can admire but not necessarily actually enjoy - 6
Poppies - what a trip down memory lane, 'of its time' shall we say, but so many great tunes from back in the day. Was also pleasantly surprised at how varied it was, and Def Con One is an absolute classic, still sounds brilliant.
TOTW - She Still Leads Me On, by Suede.\
Simon
Suede: a band that has always been on the periphery for me but this is excellent - songs of real substance and the closing three in particular are superb. 8
Rina Sawayama: all very shiny and pristine, with lots of big catchy numbers, but ultimately a bit soulless. My 11 year old would love it though. 6
House of Love: not that keen on the C&W flavour, but you can hardly blame him for doing something different. Does have its moments though and there are flashes of their glorious early albums in places. 6.5
Mars Volta: not what I expected and really not sure what to make of it either, although it's definitely not the "astounding masterpiece" the NME proclaimed. 5.8
Pop Will Eat Itself: first time I've listened to this - as Mark said, very much of its time. Some interesting lyrics! 7
TotW: Always The Quiet Ones - Suede
Sam
Suede go rock ! I heard The Cult among other things . Cracking stuff 8.5
Rina Sawayama : crystal clear voice , sounds a bit like the score from a musical tho : 6.8
House of Love : odd that they sound so different but itās still decent and his voice is great 7
The Mars Volta : prog rock my arse , more like free jazz . Terrible in places :4
TOTW : 15 again by suede
Justin
Suede - great album. Best since coming up and almost a companion piece. 8
Rina Sawayama - gave it a few listens. Not painful but just didn't hold my interest. 5.5
House of Love - didn't sound like a single album but more a compilation of different songs and styles. Did like it though 7
The Mars Volta - couldn't really get into it but maybe with a few more listens could. 6
Totw Queen of song House of love
Matt
Suede: this album represents an evolution: a harder, rockier sound but still the same swagger and elegant lyrics with Brett leading the line sounding like he's 20 years younger. As good as any of their work, if not better. 8.8
Rina Sawayama: started as breezy, intelligent pop but disappointingly faded. 6
House of Love: several influences here with blues and country sounds and a couple of good tracks but it was less of an eclectic delight and more a bag of spare parts. 6.5
The Mars Volta: I don't mind a bit of jazz (I've happily scored it highly in the past) but this had a whiff of self indulgence. 5.5
PWEI: the sound of being 17. 8.5
TOTW She still leads me on. Suede.
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