Best Ever Albums

Release Day Eve

MadhattanJack — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:47:01 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 10/30/2026 02:47

What October 30th, 2026 releases are YOU ready to put a stop to once and for all?

I won't say this is the biggest week of the year in general, but it might be for me personally, with at least a dozen albums coming out that I'm going to want to listen to in full, at least once if not multiple times. Not too many big "household names," though — there are veterans like Nickelback (ugh), Queens of the Stone Age, Ministry (their last album ever), Editors, and (finally!) The Church, plus some names you might have heard of but are less big, like Heather Nova, Yello, Lydia Loveless, Horsegiirl, Kali Malone, and good ol' Marc Ribot. Over in Hip-Hop Land we've got BabyTron and Boldy James, both of whom I've at least heard of, and off in Metalworld there's a new album from Cirith Ungol — presumably everyone will want to check that one out.

Gimme That Old-Time Not-a-Real-Religion Dept.

So... lots to choose from, and lots of one-word band names (which I'm sure is just a coincidence), but as a long-time fan of these guys I have to "protect the shield," as they used to say back in the days before loyalty somehow became synonymous with simpering fascistic obsequiousness.

The Church, Lacuna
After an 8-month delay, here's the 28th (I think) album from Australia's longstanding premier psychedelic-shimmer guys, and their third without original guitarist Peter Koppes, who left in 2017, leaving Steve Kilbey as the only remaining original member. Their last two albums had a tie-in with a science-fiction novel Kilbey was writing, so this is actually their first album without Koppes and without a publishing tie-in. So... it's like a debut album! Personally, I liked those last two as much as anything they'd done since 1998's Hologram of Baal, and this album sounds like it's going to be as good or better. I wouldn't say it breaks any new ground stylistically relative to the rest of their catalogue, but you don't really expect that after 45 years of album-making, do you? Of course not. Regardless, this could very well be the best Church LP of the 21st Century, so I'm going to call it my pick-of-the-week even though it's a double album (why?) and the cover art is kind of lackluster.
DIIV, ZIRP!
DIIV have always been known as a shoegaze or "nugaze" band, and in the past few years they've even been referred to by some as the "standard-bearer of the genre," so it was only a matter of time before they started messing with the formula. And now they have, as this album, whose title is a reference to the US government's "Zero Interest-Rate Policy," is closer to being a conventional pop record than any of their previous releases. According to this interview, they're going with "New Alternative" to describe themselves now, and they're dressing in a more "corporate" style to emphasize this, though this is meant to be taken as sardonic, and possibly ironic, since the album's lyrics and the band in general tend to be strongly opposed to the abuses of modern late-stage crony/vulture capitalism. What's more, you can almost understand the lyrics without a lyric sheet, which is distinctly non-shoegazey. So... if I had to quantify all this, I'd say there's been a roughly 40-percent reduction in overall shoegaziness. That's something of a disappointment for me, but it's actually a really good album if you don't mind it being less guitar-oriented (and correspondingly more vocals/drums-oriented). They might sound a little bit like Death Cab for Cutie now, at least on some of these tracks... but to be fair, Death Cab has made some pretty good albums over the years.
Midsommar (PL), Unparalleled
Not to be confused with the Swedish prog/folk-rock band from the early 70s, nor with the 2019 Florence Pugh movie that convinced me never to move to Sweden despite how well-governed it is, this is a shoegaze/dreampop band from Poland with a fabulous — and yes, as is typical of bands I like, somewhat waifish-sounding — female vocalist who sings in English. (Apparently in Poland, the name just means "mid-summer" and has practically nothing to do with ancient pagan cults or ritual murder whatsoever.) I loved their debut (5-track) EP, 2021's The Dream We Had, but I guess nobody else did? This band, and this album, is really good, in a sort of warm-yet-spacey, melodic, pleasantly-distorted way... though I guess it does help if you're already a fan of the genre.
Editors, Surface, Echo & Sound
Many of us probably wrote off these guys when their last album, the rather turgid EBM, came out with one of the most ill-considered title/cover-art combinations of all time and... well, let's just say it wasn't their most successful LP. (And their band name is still terrible, obviously... did I mention that it was rather turgid?) They still have fans though, and still get invited to play big outdoor festivals, and you know they could make a really good album because they've made at least two of them in the past, so... why not just make another really good album? I'm not quite ready to say that's what they have in fact done here, but by all indications this album is a huge improvement over the last one, and maybe their best since In This Light and On This Evening. They've scaled back the electronics and the turgidity along with it, and they've managed to put together some of their best songs in years. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up though, in case I'm totally wrong about this, so let's just say I'm "cautiously optimistic."
The Big Moon, Forever
I really liked the last album (Here is Everything) from this band, who are an all-female alt-pop quartet from London. On this one, they've really toned it down considerably, going full-on commercial dreampop this time and jettisoning most, if not all, of the grunge and grit from their previous releases that once had people comparing them to the Breeders, Throwing Muses, and Elastica. They sound more like Warpaint now, which isn't bad, and this album isn't bad either, it's just not quite what I was hoping for. Sucks to be me, huh.
Aluminum, Iconoclast HaHa
Aluminum are a four-piece post-punk/shoegaze-pop band from San Francisco, whose debut album, 2024's Fully Beat, barely made my Top 100 for that year (I had them at #98). This album is a lot better, and should come in quite a bit higher. The easiest comparison that comes to mind is probably the Drop Nineteens, but they're more fun and accessible than that, so maybe the Breeders, only a bit more aggressive.
Thao, Show Me
Thao Nguyen, who used to make records with two, maybe three guys as Thao and the Get Down Stay Down but is now a solo artist and prefers just "THAO," is back with her first LP since 2020's Temple. It's also her first without those other guys, but it's not a huge departure from her earlier stuff — though it's less minimalist, almost to the point of being "lush-sounding" at times. Some of that earlier stuff ventured into the experimental, maybe even "Beefheartian" realm on occasion, and for good or ill there's less of that too. Her musical style is still more difficult to describe than most, and there are still some hints of Southeast Asia going on in there... Sometimes the "flat AFFect" vocals still remind me of Wet Leg or even Dry Cleaning, but again, not as much as before. This album is closer to conventional pop... sort of.
Yello, Time Lab
For their 15th album, the Yello guys (still just Dieter and Boris from Switzerland; a third guy, Carlos Perón, left back in '83) took some old, mostly-unused "sound fragments, riffs, and motifs" that had "accumulated over nearly fifty years of creative work," and assembled them in such a way that they feel justified in calling it all-new material. I'm not complaining, though, I'm just repeating what they said. They've always been an unusual (and arguably unique) band, even for the synthpop genre, and I've always liked them even though they haven't been on Ralph Records for over 40 years. (For this album they're on Polydor, just so you know.)
Swayglow, Unpredictable Blooming (releases Nov. 2, but all tracks already available on Bandcamp)
Giulia "Swayglow" Cinquetti is a dreampop/shoegaze musician from Verona, in northeastern Italy, and this is her first EP, with five tracks. It's great, so I'm just mentioning it here in the hope that she'll see this and be encouraged to make more records exactly like this one.
Ex:Re, Save As
Ex:Re is Elena Tonra, who is also the front-person of Daughter. Her last studio LP as Ex:Re was her self-titled 2018 debut, which sounded pretty similar to this one (though I'd have to say this is the better of the two). In 2021, she recorded Ex:Re with 12 Ensemble, which was basically the debut LP re-recorded live in neo-classical fashion with a 12-piece string section. Maybe she'll do that again with this album, which would be cool because it was really impressive, not unlike Portishead's Roseland NYC Live. I might have passed on this one for being too light and airy, except that both Daughter and Ex:Re are on 4AD, so I sort of have to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Nouvelle Vague, A Date With Depeche Mode
I'm pretty sure this album is the first one this French "ye-ye" new-wave cover/tribute band has made that focuses on just one artist, so of course it had to be Depeche Mode, most likely because the Dead Kennedys wouldn't give them permission. They'd only done three Depeche covers on previous albums, but don't worry about duplicates because none of them appear here. Interestingly, they made the extra effort to find some old analog synthesizers (or at least they pretended to) and used them along with their usual acoustic guitars and accordions. There's even a male vocal on track 1 ("Enjoy the Silence"), that of Alabama 3 singer Larry Love, the same guy whose voice you used to hear at the beginning of every episode of HBO's The Sopranos singing, "Woke up this mornin', got yourself a gun..." (That's not his real name, by the way.)
Sennen, New Quiet
Sennen, originally from Norwich, is one of those bands that started out (in 2005) as almost a classic, dreamy Slowdive- and Ride-influenced shoegaze act, and became progressively more "jangly" and pop-oriented as they went along — to the point where they're now almost on the verge of becoming "twee" if they're not careful. I still like them, but I have to admit, I've always thought the vocal tonality of their two singers (Larry "not THAT Larry Holmes" Holmes and Rich Kelleway) would be more suited to a twee (or maybe a power-pop) band; they're both fairly high-pitched singers, similar to Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue. Also, bass player Andrew Horner left the band all the way back in 2010 and was replaced by Rich's brother Tim, but I still haven't determined if Rich and Tim, who look very similar to each other, are identical twins or not. (Honestly, all four of these guys could be identical quadruplets if it weren't for the different hairstyles.)
Wavves, Cherry Soda
Originally scheduled for Sept. 18 as a collaboration between Wavves' Nathan Williams and Say Anything's Max Bemis, the original version of Cherry Soda was scrapped due to "allegations" about Bemis's personal behavior (towards underage fans, no less — uh-oh). Williams then went in and re-recorded most of it by himself, and it's scheduled for tomorrow, but I suspect it might get pushed back a week or three. (Pressing plants don't just turn on a dime, you know.) That said, the idea for this album was to make an early-2000s "mall emo record" the way Wavves might have done one, and since that sounds totally awful, I'm just going to leave it at that.
Rocketship, Hurt Feelings
Rocketship is best-known for 1996's A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, a sort of psychedelic/tweepop album with an annoyingly loud and flat organ sound. Since then they've mostly shed the jangly guitars and, thankfully, turned down (or gotten rid of) the loud organ, and they've moved in a more dance-pop direction for this album that occasionally veers into retro-disco territory. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I've never really liked them, they do still have a fairly distinctive, if not unusual, approach to music-making, and their songs are always very happy-sounding, so I don't feel like I should just ignore them.
Ministry, Hate to Go — Take Out or Delivery
Looks like this will be the farewell album (their 17th) and tour for Al "Sunny" Jourgensen and the rest of 'em (he's the only original member still in the lineup). They're still playing that loud and aggressive industrial metal on this album though, so no need to worry about these guys going "twee," I can assure you of that. (I still remember when they were just a moderately-talented synthpop band, but that probably says more about me than it does about them.)

Masked Band Dept.

Obviously the big masked-band news this week is the new horsegiirL EP, Hardcore Healing. It's only five tracks (and less than 20 minutes), but that's enough for BEA, and of course she's got that impressive-looking horse mask, in the fine tradition of albums like Tindersticks' The Waiting Room and the classic Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head by Jordaan Mason and the Horse Museum.

If "happy hardcore" futurepop isn't your thing though, Chart Attack, who are (most likely) from the Chicago suburbs, have a new album called Age Against the Machine — they've taken old FM radio hits from 30-plus years ago and covered them as loud, crunchy pop-punk numbers played by guys wearing masks designed to make them all look about 90 years old, if not older. Maybe even zombies, or the "Grandpa" character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What could be more fun? ...Than that? ...Sort of thing?

Side Notes

There was supposed to be a new leftovers-type album from ex-Fall members House Of All this week, entitled The Best of the Jest: BBC Sessions And More, but it looks like that was supposed to be a physical-only release that you could only get by pre-ordering it, and apparently it sold out already. So I guess we won't be hearing much of that one. The same may be true of Diluvium! BBC Sessions and More, a similar album that maybe was supposed to be released by the Blue Orchids, who are also ex-Fall members, and which is also sold out already. The whole thing just sounds really sketchy to me, but I guess I could say the same about most of my own life choices.

Next week...

We're about to enter winter and the Christmas season, which means new-album release action is going to slow down considerably, except for Christmas music of course. Sufjan Stevens and Alanis Morissette are releasing new Christmas albums... but there are some non-Christmas albums too, from folks like Steven Wilson, Kings of Leon, the Fuzztones, Spoons (that's the long-running Canadian new wave band, not Spoon the shorter-running-but-more-successful Texas indie-rock band), and Computerwife, to name just a few.

In the meantime, please vote responsibly. 😄

What album are you listening to? (cont.)

stangetzaway — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:35:32 GMT

Author: stangetzaway

Posted: 10/30/2026 01:35

Souvenirs (1974) by Dan Fogelberg

My Longhair Diary: Tālivaldis Ķeniņš

Fischman — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:48:24 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 10/30/2026 00:48

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Violin Concerto
Year: 1974
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Eva Bindere/Piano
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Due to his study in France, life spent in Canada, and his having been declared degenerate by the communist regime in his homeland, the music of Latvian composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš was little known in his native country. Rather than try to explain his violin concerto myself, I'll simply relay the words of our soloist upon her learning of, and preparing to perform the piece:
I was struck by the brightness of the solo line, the bursts of colour and complex orchestration. There was a very intelligent mind behind this music and after receiving the score I could see how accomplished Ķeniņš was. His writing is exceptionally refined, technically virtuosic, full of life and colour, and of a genuinely world-class quality. Who was this man and why did I, and indeed the wider music world, not know more about his music?

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Concerto for Five Percussionists and Orchestra
Year: 1983
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Rating: 4.25 Stars
As impressive as that violin concerto is, I was blown away by the percussion concerto. The mix of five percussive instruments as the focus of the music is fascinating. Having traditionally supporting, rhythm focused instruments take the lead can be tricky, but Ķeniņš executes it in convincing fashion. Despite the unorthodoxy, this piece makes absolute, total sense to me more so than the sometimes wandering violin concerto.... and it's just a helluva lot of fun to listen to!

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Beatae Voces Tenebrae
Year: 1977
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The 13 minute add on to fill out the disc was a fantastic surprise; a gripping modern tone poem, not at all just filler.
Beatae Voces Tenebrae translates to "Blessed Voices in the Darkness," you'd never guess it; this thing is ominous! Well, at least at first. Ķeniņš gradually uses his avant garde language to transform that darkness into light but without abandoning his thoroughly unique, modern language. In the end, it's all quite compelling.

Top 10+ Music, Movies, and Visual Art of the Week (2020 - 2026)

AfterHours — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:29:23 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 10/29/2026 23:29

Still possibly unmatched recording of Stravinsky’s Rite

https://archive.org/details/lp_le-sacre...+Pt.+I.mp3

Album of the day (#7595): Stankonia by OutKast

DommeDamian — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:16:48 GMT

Author: DommeDamian

Posted: 10/29/2026 23:16

[these brackets is MY comments and inner thoughts]

May 22nd 2017:
Anthony: Siri, what’s the best OutKast album? [Either Stankonia or ATLiens]
Siri: ……..It is ‘Stankonia’ [good pick]
Anthony: heeeeeaaa (*breaths through nose*) heea- yeah if if you’re a mainstreamer [If that is such a bad thing??].

January 18th 2019:
OutKast Worst to Best
Anthony: *puts Stankonia at #1* [whaaaat]
Anthony:
“What I see as OutKast’s best album, in my number one and my best spot here: Stankonia. This record came out in the year 2000 [my favorite year for music hands down!], it is what I see is OutKast’s best and boldest album. Which believe me was not an easy choice to make considering how fantastic most of the duo’s discography is [hiphop-heads says ‘picking your favorite OK album is like picking your favorite child’]. Now, every of OutKast records up until this point had grabbed the attention of the hip hop world to some degree - which I will repeat again at this point was a feet in and of itself, considering how irrelevant the South was at the time in the grander scheme of things. But Stankonia put OutKast in a position where they essentially transcended all of those regional boundaries and really became a household name [real talk]. That can be attributed greatly to this album’s pop sensibility, it’s crossover appeal; I mean with the song Ms. Jackson alone [one of the best hip hop songs of all time and it never gets stale - come fight me] did for the duo’s career is gigantic. Not to mention it’s easily of the most overplayed songs of the 2000s [more like it’s easily one of the songs most deservedly of its airplay of all time]. Now I do have to say maybe all of these genre crossovers and this mass appeals makes Stankonia less of a hip hop purist pick for the duo’s best album, that typically goes to an Aquemini or an ATLiens instead [it happens way too often]. If your opinion is more from that angle, I could see how you wouldn’t really think very much of this album. But you know even though Stankonia offer some sweet moments that work well, for every track that fits that bill there’s another song on this thing that’s wildly weird and experimental [hell yeah]. Like a psychedelic funk hop Odyssey [pretty well-said summary right there. It’s still a breath of fresh air to listen to, thinking about how much they had of artistic freedom on here]. There’s not really a moment on this album, to some degree, that isn’t ambitious [real talk again], cutting edge [really spitting facts], catchy or strange as far as length and material. It also goes the distance like Aquemini did but it offers soo much more in terms of variation and sound. Even though this album had gigantic commercial appeal for OutKast, so many of the deep cuts on this thing, artistically, are way off the beaten path. Even further then much of what they’ve done up until this point. In a lot of ways, I see Stankonia as the shape of hiphop to come. As on this album, Big Boi and Andre pushed an emotional depth and a genre breadth that no other hip-hop artist at the time were. And wouldn’t for a while because - keep in mind - this record came out looong before we had Kanye polarizing people and blowing minds with his autotune opus 808s & Heartbreak [still wish I could like that record but I really don’t. Btw Stankonia sound like an inspiration to some of Kanye’s earlier efforts like TCD], and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and all the electro-pop fashions of Graduation. Not to mention this record was coming through with quirky weirdo fushions of pop and rap [a little bit of R&B too ya know], before Gorillaz would do the same too. If you wanna talk about record that are ahead of the curve, and challenge listeners to get outta their comfort zone, Stankonia is it. And not only is this record ahead but it’s also really well-executed. It has so many facets and phases and nooks and crannies to it [it Basically sounds like a revolution’s afterparty. It is damn cool]. I love the weird interstitial bits that bring us from one segment to the next and these like football huddle “BREAK!” lines that kinda bring us from one track or moment to the next [me too. More musicians should do that]. The skits on this thing and the interludes are consistently creative and hilarious [they’re short and sweet. If you think they’re too corny, what the hell are you doing back in your comfort zone buddy]. There are excellent explosive rock tinged bangers on here like Gasoline Dreams [‘alright, alright, alright, alright alright…’], and "Bombs . Over . Baghdaaad". Also supremely sweet and slick spots on this thing like So Fresh So Clean [mm mm mm of a track]. Meanwhile Snappin' & Trappin’, Toilet Tisha, and I’ll Call Before I Come,I think still stand as some of the weirdest things to ever come out of the South in terms of hiphop ever [and on top of that - it works! The songs]. Meanwhile Xplosion with B-Real of Cypress Hill Fame, as well as Erykah Badu on this record stands as some of the most essential hip hop features of the 2000s [there are a lot to pick there, but I really cannot disagree]. I also love that OutKast take the time to show some southern hospitality to Gangsta Boo on I’ll Call Before I Come[I won’t just pop over, out the bluuuuuuue… Well I just did. Dammit sorry]. Making that very necessary Three 6 Mafia connection there. While for many people this record may be a difficult listen because of how wild and varied it is and how much some of the more low-key cuts really demand from the listener [luckily I got through and understand its artistry] especially the closer, which is like a really weird sexual space-fantasy. Despite all the weirdness and the oddity of this album, you gotta give it to this record - because how many hip hop albums sound like this man [not many] even to this day. I think this album is still not appreciated to the degree that it could be. As many fans seem to more favor releases and OutKast’s discography that have a more traditional or consistent or predictable tone to them [used to be me. Not me now. Ha]. Meanwhile as far as my preferences go, I very much appreciate and embrace the madness of this record: I find it so colorful, so chock-full of character [same here. Thank you for finally being honest unlike 2017 lol]. Big Boi’s verses are fantastic, the flows on this record throughout are so amazing and intense especially the verse and flow that Andre brings on the opening to B.o.B, one of many KILLEr moments on this thing [funny thing: almost everytime this song comes on, I pretend like I’m performing the song, and when Andre starts rapping, I jump off the stage, and runs into plus around crowd, feeling the song fully]. Story and the details of Ms. Jackson that Big Boi brings to the table. The hilarious [hahaha-ha] We Luv Deez Hoez, as well as the killer posse cut Gangsta Shit. It’s just one great wild insane moment after the next where - despite the fact that Big Boi and Andre seemed to be in very different creative places - they were still very much complementing each other really well [a unique agent that OutKast has]. It’s sad to know that things kind o fractured past this point but still I guess it’s better to have loved and lost and at least gotten to this incredible peak of creativity than to have never experienced it at all”.

I hope this proves a point: Don’t ever disrespect Stankonia!

Album of the day (#7593): Good News For People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse

HoldenM — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:50:18 GMT

Author: HoldenM

Posted: 10/29/2026 19:50

This album makes happy.

Track picks
2. The World At Large
4. Ocean Breathes Salty
7. Dance Hall
10. The View
15. One Chance

Now Pat's What I Call Music!

Patman360 — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:45:53 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 10/29/2026 19:45

1263

Shola Ama - You Might Need Somebody

Link

Pretty much a one hit wonder, Shola Ama was only a teenager when this came out on her debut album, Much Love in 1997, a cover of an early Randy Crawford song from 1981.

It's real easy listening radio soup-pop, in the good kind of way, very smooth for sure.

Ama hasn't hit these heights since, releasing just one album in the last 20 years, but this track alone appears to be putting her at over 600k listens a month on Spotify, so it holds up.

368.

Ranking:
1. The Cranberries - Zombie (Now 29)
2. Boyzone - Love Me For A Reason (Now 30)
3. OMC - How Bizarre (Now 34)
4. Weezer - Buddy Holly (Now 31)
5. Blur - Parklife (feat. Phil Daniels) (Now 29)
6. Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl (feat. Bubbler Ranx) (Now 34)
7. The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York (Now 10)
8. Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Now 33)
9. Oasis - Live Forever (Now 33)
10. Blur - Country House (Now 32)
11. Pulp - Common People (7" Edit) (Now 31)
12. Pulp - Sorted For E's & Wizz (Now 32)
13. The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? (Now 2)
14. Sinead O'Connor - Mandinka (Now 11)
15. Oasis - Whatever (Now 30)
16. U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) (Now 4)
17. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Boom! Shake the Room (Now 26)
18. Spin Doctors - Two Princes (Now 26)
19. The Cranberries - Linger (Now 27)
20. R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight (Now 26)
21. Blur - Girls & Boys (Now 28 )
22. Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger (Now 33)
23. R.E.M. - What's the Frequency, Kenneth? (Radio Version) (Now 29)
24. Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It (Radio Mix) (Now 31)
25. Spice Girls - Wannabe (Now 34)
26. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's (Now 35)
27. Hanson - MMMBop (Now 37)
28. Pulp - Disco 2000 (7" Mix) (Now 33)
29. Oasis - Wonderwall (Now 34)
30. Phil Collins - Something Happened on the Way to Heaven (Now 18 )
31. Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol (Now 29)
32. The Cure - Friday I'm In Love (Now 22)
33. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Now 18 )
34. Baltimora - Tarzan Boy (Now 6)
35. Duran Duran - A View To A Kill (Now 5)
36. The Housemartins - Happy Hour (Now 7)
37. Steve Winwood - Higher Love (Now 8 )
38. Wham! - The Edge of Heaven (Now 7)
39. Feargal Sharkey - A Good Heart (Now 6)
40. Happy Mondays - Step On (Now 17)
41. (MC Sar) & the Real McCoy - Another Night (Radio Mix) (Now 29)
42. Oasis - Some Might Say (Now 31)
43. Oasis - Roll With It (Now 32)
44. The Cure - The Love Cats (Now 1)
45. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Now 6)
46. Snow - Informer (Radio Edit) (Now 24)
47. Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - Lost Weekend (Now 6)
48. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy (Now 14)
49. Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) (Now 32)
50. Prodigy - Breathe (Now 36)

The Romanelli Music Diary: Exciter

Romanelli — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:02:15 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 10/29/2026 14:02

2466

Exciter (2001) by Depeche Mode

DEPECHE MODE
EXCITER
2001 – MUTE
Produced By MARK BELL

1. Dream On
2. Shine
3. The Sweetest Condition
4. When The Body Speaks
5. The Dead Of Night
6. Lovetheme
7. Freelove
8. Comatose
9. I Feel Loved
10. Breathe
11. Easy Tiger
12. I Am You
13. Goodnight Lovers

Depeche Mode has been at it, slow and steady, since 1981. And over their discography of fifteen studio albums, they’ve rarely had a misstep. They’ve certainly never released a bad album, but in 2001, they got close with Exciter. They had already settled into the pattern of an album every four years, so they had some time to think about this one. Again…it’s not a bad record. But it’s definitely their most misleadingly titled. One thing this disc is not is an exciter. In fact, compared to most of the rest of what Depeche Mode has done over the past forty-five plus years, it’s kind of dull. With producer Mark Bell, they went for a more minimalist sound. In some places, it works well, but overall, it makes this actually a downer of a Depeche Mode album. Never thought I’d say that.

The high points are fine, but not great. “Dream On” is the best song here. “Freelove” and “I Feel Loved” keep the album from sinking in the middle, and the closer, “Goodnight Lovers” (I sense a theme here) is a nice way to go out. But in the end, the songwriting of Martin Gore is not up to his usual level, leaving Exciter feeling strangely flat. Meaning that at just short of an hour long, it can be a tough listen. Still, the album sold well enough, and Depeche Mode bounced right back (four years later, of course) with the much better but safe sounding Playing The Angel. These eighties warriors are still at it, now down to the duo of Gore and David Gahan. Exciter is not the best place to start with this band, and really, it’s recommended for existing fans only.

Link

Stand Up by Jethro Tull

Johnnyo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:19:26 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/29/2026 10:19

We Used to Know

I really like this track. One of the best rockier tracks on the album with a Great, slow build up, to those souring flute and guitar solos. It’s pretty majestic.

Link

On This Day

Johnnyo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 06:12:01 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/29/2026 10:12

29th October

In 1983, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon marked its 491st week on the Billboard album chart in the US, surpassing the previous record holder, 'Johnny's Greatest Hits' by Johnny Mathis.

When it finally fell off the chart list in October 1988, 'Dark Side' had set a record of 741 weeks on the chart.

100 / 100 Songs

Johnnyo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:27:47 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/29/2026 09:27

Purple Rain

One of, if not, the greatest power / rock ballad of all time, It’s epic and it’s got the usual blend of Prince greatness stamped all over it combining rock, R&B, gospel and soul, culminating in one of the great guitar solos of all time which swells and sours majestically proving, if proof were needs, that Prince was one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

These are not my words but sum up why I included two videos for the song

"Purple Rain" was featured as the last song of Prince's set (at Super Bowl 2007) and was played during a downpour at the stadium; when combined with the purple stage lighting, this created the song's signature image. The performance has topped lists of the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.

Link

Link

Albums You Added To Your Collection Today

Johnnyo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:01:15 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/29/2026 09:01

You Are Weightless (2022) by Foot

Seascapes (2024) by Astrodome

Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder

Johnnyo — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:51:08 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/29/2026 08:51

A very enjoyable session discussing this album. I think that more people think that it's an absolute classic than I do. I think that it's great but no a classic.

We will be discussing Stax Records next month so on album to post for November for the Soul group.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread

Chart of the day (#5480): By neilgee

BestEverAlbums — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:00:03 GMT

Author: BestEverAlbums

Posted: 10/29/2026 08:00

Today's chart of the day

Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by @neilgee (View chart)

1. Peter Gabriel (1977) by Peter Gabriel (1977)
2. Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder (1974)
3. Explores Your Mind by Al Green (1974)
4. (What's The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis (1995)
5. Tin Drum by Japan (1981)
6. Gratitude by Earth, Wind & Fire (1975)
7. London Calling by The Clash (1979)
8. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie (1972)
9. Live! by Bob Marley & The Wailers (1975)
10. Rufusized by Rufus & Chaka Khan (1974)

11. Natty Dread by Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974)
12. AWB by Average White Band (1974)
13. Cut The Cake by Average White Band (1975)
14. Our Favourite Shop by The Style Council (1985)
15. Too-Rye-Ay by Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)
16. Anthology by The Temptations (1973)
17. Salute The General by Chairmen Of The Board (1984)
18. Razamanaz by Nazareth (1973)
19. Young, Gifted And Black by Aretha Franklin (1972)
20. Best Dressed Chicken In Town by Dr. Alimantado (1978)

21. Punch The Clock by Elvis Costello And The Attractions (1983)
22. Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello And The Attractions (1982)
23. Cut by The Slits (1979)
24. The Eminem Show by Eminem (2002)
25. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' by 50 Cent (2003)
26. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse (2007)
27. Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter III by Prince Far I & The Arabs (1980)
28. Metal Box by Public Image Ltd. (1979)
29. I Just Can't Stop It by The Beat (1980)
30. Movin' On by Commodores (1975)

31. The Electric Spanking Of War Babies by Funkadelic (1981)
32. Motor Booty Affair by Parliament (1978)
33. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (1971)
34. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye (1973)
35. The Best Of James Brown (1969) by James Brown (1969)
36. Low In High School by Morrissey (2017)
37. Spirit Of The Boogie by Kool & The Gang (1975)
38. Wise Up Ghost And Other Songs by Elvis Costello And The Roots (2013)
39. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by Sex Pistols (1977)
40. Bolan Boogie by T. Rex (1972)

41. 3 + 3 by The Isley Brothers (1973)
42. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles (1968)
43. It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah! by Black Grape (1995)
44. You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish by George Clinton (1983)
45. Star-Collection by Wilson Pickett (1972)
46. Pillows And Prayers by Various Artists (1982)
47. The Original Soundtrack by 10cc (1975)
48. Wind & Wuthering by Genesis (1976)
49. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths (1987)
50. The Masterplan by Oasis (1998)

51. Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 by George Michael (1990)
52. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels by Dexys Midnight Runners (1980)
53. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (1973)
54. Bona Drag by Morrissey (1990)
55. Solitude by Sam Cooke (1984)
56. Sinsemilla by Black Uhuru (1980)
57. Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy (1976)
58. Golden Hour Of The Kinks by The Kinks (1971)
59. The All Time Greatest Hits Of Roy Orbison by Roy Orbison (1972)
60. Purple Rain by Prince And The Revolution (1984)

61. Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads (1984)
62. Two Sevens Clash by Culture (1977)
63. Somebody Special by Bobby Womack (1984)
64. Out Of Our Idiot by Elvis Costello (1987)
65. The Poet by Bobby Womack (1981)
66. Substance by New Order (1987)
67. The Correct Use Of Soap by Magazine (1980)
68. Taking Liberties by Elvis Costello (1980)
69. Greatest Hits by Roxy Music (1977)
70. This Year's Model by Elvis Costello (1978)

71. My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello (1977)
72. Uprising by Bob Marley & The Wailers (1980)
73. Eden by Everything But The Girl (1984)
74. Hunky Dory by David Bowie (1971)
75. Message From The King by Prince Far I (1978)
76. Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
77. Almost Blue by Elvis Costello And The Attractions (1981)
78. Hatful Of Hollow by The Smiths (1984)
79. Let It Be by The Beatles (1970)
80. Close To The Edge by Yes (1972)

81. Mystery Girl by Roy Orbison (1989)
82. Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)
83. The Clash by The Clash (1977)
84. Motown Chartbusters Volume 3 by Various Artists (1969)
85. Meat Is Murder by The Smiths (1985)
86. Revolver by The Beatles (1966)
87. Coney Island Baby by Lou Reed (1976)
88. The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding (1968)
89. The Undertones by The Undertones (1979)
90. Please Please Me by The Beatles (1963)

91. Green Onions by Booker T. & The M.G.'s (1962)
92. New Boots And Panties!! by Ian Dury (1977)
93. Another Music In A Different Kitchen by Buzzcocks (1978)
94. Daydream by The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)
95. Psalms For I by Prince Far I (1975)
96. Songs To Remember by Scritti Politti (1982)
97. Imagine by John Lennon (1971)
98. Rags To Rufus by Rufus (1974)
99. Skylarking by XTC (1986)
100. Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John (1975)

About chart of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com chart of the day is randomly selected from all charts of at least 50 entries (and divisible by ten). Charts are only selected if they have a minimum average rating of 75 out of 100 from at least 10 votes, and must have been updated in the last 180 days. In addition, a chart must allow member feedback for it to be eligible to be selected. A full history of chart of the day can be viewed here.

In Remembrance Of Those Who Are Gone

JOSweetHeart — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 21:21:52 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 10/29/2026 01:21

It's been a week now since country music lost the legendary John Anderson. I didn't say anything sooner because I am so drained where this matter is concerned.

God bless you and John's family always!!!

Holly

A Century of Jazz: Andrew Hill

Fischman — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:59:58 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 10/29/2026 00:59

Frank Woeste - Pocket Rhapsody
Year: 2015
Style or Subgenre: Nu Jazz. Third Stream, Fusion

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Okay, so this was a shrocker.... in many ways.... all of them good!

This album kicks off with a serious groove, but when Woeste's piano arrives, it doesn't settle into the groove. Instead, he plays almost awkward rhythmic patterns that seem to have no business being there... but they do! Similarly, Woeste refuses to settle into any kind of traditional tonality, and again it works brilliantly. Long before the song is over, we've settled into Woeste's quirky, uncategorizable world.

But don't think you're ready to get comfortable or you know where things are going, because you don't. Every song on this album is different in every way: style, mood, rhythmic drive, tonality, instrumentation. And yet, as an album, it's completely coherent. We get all manner of acoustic and electric keyboards, trumpet, cello and violin, and guitar ranging from military to full on heavy metal... that's right, one song has a huge metallic riff (augmented by an equally heavy drum kit) that gives way to an even heavier, more distorted solo, and it's brilliant! Theres exploratory electronics, hip hop beats, new age impressionism,, Arabian modality, and more transitions than you can shake a prog stick at. And again, it all works.

One listen is probably too soon to male long term prognostications, but I'm gonna go put on a limb and say this album is destined to be a favorite.

Link

General Film Chat

CA Dreamin — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:33:16 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 10/28/2026 16:33

I went to the movies last night, could have seen any new release. But nope, I went with Ken Russell's The Devils, a controversial 70s cult historical horror. The film was deemed so inappropriate in 1971, they had to cut a lot of footage out. Yet in the final dying days of Warner Brothers before the merger with Paramount Skydance was finalized, WB gave the film a 4K restoration and released the original director's cut in theaters 55 years later. Thank you, Warner Brothers. If Digger and a 4K director's cut of The Devils are your last two creative offerings, you have gone out with style. As for the movie itself, it's wild, edgy, creepy, disturbing, etc. It felt like a Buñuel movie in theme, but way more daring and over-the-top in content and direction. The Devils is also thought-provoking. Its theme on religion isn't surface level 'Catholicism = hypocrisy.' There's a bit more to it. Anyway, The Devils served as yet another reminder of why I prefer past cinema to present, and why I currently prefer re-releases on the big screen to new releases. That said, I'm down for a movie poll here, but not 2026. Something else, please.

Download *.csv after filtering?

albummaster — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:15:48 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 10/28/2026 11:15

loxiran wrote:

Hi Albummaster,
Sorry, I just now got around reading your update. Unfortunately, the filtering doesn't seem to be working yet. When I download the *.csv files here and apply a filter—for example for German bands—I still get the list for 2001. Or am I doing something wrong?

https://www.besteveralbums.com/countrystats.php?l=de&d=199&y=199

Best

Apologies, looks like something is glitched there. Just checking it now. (EDIT: Identified an issue with caching just deploying a small fix).

Album of the day (#7591): Sketches Of Spain by Miles Davis

Johnnyo — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 06:31:16 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 10/28/2026 10:31

At the time of writing this, Sketches of Spain is my favourite album of 1960

This is such an atmospheric album and the musicianship is fantastic. It took me a while to get to understand and appreciate this album but once I did it’s become one of my favourite jazz albums of all time

Is this Miles Davis does world music? I think that it might well be and this is also predominately a covers album, a very well-executed one at that.

I read a couple of quotes which I really like "if there is to be a new jazz, a shape of things to come, then this is the beginning" And "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism," both of which I agree with