PJ Harvey "Is This Desire?" (1998)

Is This Desire?
release date: Sep. 29, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Flood, Polly Jean Harvey and Head
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Angelene" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Sky Lit Up" (live) - 3. "The Wind" (live on Later) - 4. "My Beautiful Leah" - 5. "A Perfect Day Elise" - 8. "The Garden" (4 / 5) - 12. "Is This Desire?" (4 / 5)

4th studio album by PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by by Flood [Mark Ellis], Head [Howard Bullivant], and PJ Harvey. This was the first album I bought with PJ Harvey, although, not the first I listened to. At the time I found it interesting, yet not as good as I think of it nowadays. My knowledge of her music was limited but I really enjoyed her first albums better, so I soon purchased Rid of Me and Dry (1992). It's clear that she has come a way since her blasting and raw first releases, and that's also what makes this a really fine album. I think, that it combines her previous and somewhat overrated [!] but (still) critically acclaimed album To Bring You My Love (1995) and the debut Dry, but also brings her music into a new phase of alt. rock singer / songwriter music with inspiration from trip-hop ("The Wind") and electronic ("No Girl So Sweet") without actually attributing those styles to the album as such. Thanks to the producer panel with different approaches and her studio musicians, she threads new territory with more complex music that really comes into place on the following album. A track like "The Garden" is stylistically as taken from her brilliant 2000 release Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

The Housemartins "London 0 Hull 4" (1986)

org. vinyl cover

London 0 Hull 4 [debut]
release date: Jul. 1986
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: John Williams
label: Go! Discs / Chrysalis- nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Happy Hour" (5 / 5) - 2. "Get Up Off Our Knees" - 3. "Flag Day" - 4. "Anxious" - 5 "Reverends Revenge" - 6. "Sitting On A Fence" - 8. "Over There" - 11. "Lean On Me"

Studio debut album by The Housemartins consisting of founding members Paul Heaton (credited as P.d. Heaton) on vocals and Stan Cullimore on guitar, with Norman Cook on bass and Hugh Whitaker playing drums. This was, however, not the initial line-up, which was nothing more than a duo with Heaton and Cullimore playing together from around 1983. Later on, other members were recruited and again replaced until these four guys made up the band at some point in 1985. The album title refers to Heaton's assertion that the Housemartins only was the fourth best band in Hull, i.e. Hull now had four great bands compared to none from London (the three other and better bands, apparently were: Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and The Gargoyles).
I no longer recall when I was introduced to the band, but I acquired the album shortly after its release. I guess, I was looking for other bands playing like Aztec Camera, Everything but the Girl and / or The Smiths, and the cover art suggested a style of alternative pop / rock, indie pop and / or jangle pop. The music is not similar, although, one may call it jangle pop and not unlike Aztec Camera and The Smiths. This is just in a much more positive spirit and played on buckets full of charm and tongue-in-cheek humour. Just take a look at the front cover of the cd version, which contains four extra tracks, and a small subtitle argues that the album contains a total of 16 songs - but 17 hits... Perhaps hinting at the abundance of great music or that the band itself aside from the great tunes is but another hit. However, they don't even need the great lyrics, as one of the most potent tracks, "Reverends Revenge", is an instrumental just blasting off on sheer energy and fine harmonies.
Enlisting the highlights of the album should basically enlist all tracks, that's how good this is. The album was actually so great that they could only disappoint with a future follow-up, which they... then did. Anyway, I was immediately hooked, and the album became one of my absolute favourites of 1986 and of the entire 80s.

Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Record Collector 4 / 5, Sputnikmusic 3,5 / 5 stars ]

<  alternate cover >

cd cover
w/ 4 extra tracks

Gianna Nannini "Profumo" (1986)

Profumo
release date: 1986
format: vinyl (SMRL 6359)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Conny Plank & Gianna Nannini
label: Dischi Ricordi - nationality: Italy

7th studio album by Italian artist Gianna Nannini.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Life" (1987) (live)

Life (live)
release date: Jun. 30, 1987
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: Neil Young & David Briggs
label: Geffen Records, Germany- nationality: Canada

Tracklist: 1. "Mideast Vacation" (4 / 5) - 2. "Long Walk Home" (4 / 5) - 3. "Around The World" (3 / 5) - 4. "Inca Queen" - 5. "Too Lonely" - 6. "Prisoner of Rock'n'Roll" (4 / 5) - 7. "Cryin' Eyes" - 8. "When Your Lonely Heart Breaks" - 9. "We Never Danced" (4 / 5)

17th studio album by Neil Young is released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Finally, and after almost 10 years astray, Neil is back on track! The music here is very much like Rust Never Sleeps (1979) with electrified folk rock or hard rock and elements of blues rock in combination with a strong singer / songwriter profile. Also, the album was recorded very similar to that specific album as a live recording of new songs. The track "Around the World" put him back on top as it was very well-received by radio stations and critics. I don't think it's that great, and prefer most of the other tracks. The album contains two beautiful ballads: "When Your Lonely Heart Breaks" and "We Never Danced". The strongest tracks are the first two, and on the lyrical side, Young is generally highly critical on America's military role around the world. Many tracks are just fine Neil Young songs but they're a bit overshadowed by the heavy '80s production sound with too much attention on drums and bass, which gives an overall muddied feel to the album.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Bloc Party "Silent Alarm Remixed" (2005)

Silent Alarm Remixed (remix)
release date: Aug. 29, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

producer: various

label: Wichita - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Like Eating Glass (Ladytron Mix)" (2 / 5) - 2. "Helicopter (Sheriff Whitey Mix)" (2,5 / 5) - 3. "Positive Tension (Jason Clark Remix)" (2 / 5) - 4. "Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Blue Light (Engineers Anti-Gravity Mix)" (2 / 5) - 6. "She's Hearing Voices (Erol Alkan's Calling Your Dub Reworking)" (1,5 / 5) - 7. "This Modern Love (Dave Pianka's Making Time Remix)" (1,5 / 5) - 8. "The Pioneers (M83 Remix)" (2 / 5) - 9. "Price of Gas (Automato Remix)" (1,5 / 5) - 10. "So Here We Are (Four Tet Remix)" (2 / 5) - 11. "Luno (Bloc Party vs Death From Above 1979)" (1,5 / 5) - 12. "Plans (Replanned by Moqwai)" (2,5 / 5) - 13. "Compliments (Shibuyaka Remix by Nick Zinner)" (2,5 / 5)

A remix album by Bloc Party of the band's debut released 6 months after the original album. Now, why was this ever necessary? I bought the album without listening to it first. Having heard only good music from this band, I just wanted everything they released, but this was a waste of money. Everything they had done so far was in the spirit of the new post-punk revival wave. Even the cover is a 'repro' of the artworks by Peter Saville and Joy Division but here the music goes elsewhere. In retrospect, it only signals that the band is much more than just post-punk but the result is not good, although a lesser version of "Banquet" doesn't manage to ruin the song. Almost all tracks are club dance remixes of every song on the original album with a few daring exceptions.

Prince and the Revolution "Around the World in a Day" (1985)

Around the World in a Day
release date: Apr. 22, 1985
format: vinyl (gatefold) 
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Prince
label: Paisley Park - nationality: USA

7th studio album by Prince and his second credited Prince & The Revolution.

Dead Kennedys "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death" (1987)

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (compilation)
release date: Jun. 1987
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 4. "The Man With the Dogs" - 5. "Insight" - 7. "A Child and His Lawnmower" - 9. "I Fought the Law" - 11. "Pull My Strings" (live) - 13. "Straight A's" (live) - 16. "Night of the Living Rednecks" (live)

A compilation album released after the band had split. This is so far the only compilation released on Alternative Tentacles, the record label that released all their original studio material. It's a rather fine collection with tracks from their initial period and a majority of tracks that are previously unreleased or in alternate takes. It also contains a couple of rare and very special live recordings, i.e. the hilarious and famous "Pull My Strings" live performance in front of guests at a music award show where the band had rehearsed and was scheduled to play "California Über Alles" but to everyone's surprise they stopped the song at the very start, and continued with a song written for the occasion and built on "My Sharona" by The Knack, but with new lyrics about selling ones soul for money, which of course was hinted at the whole music industry, and a majority of the invited guests. The satirical chorus goes: "Is my cock big enough - for you, to make me a star?" Another fine live recording is "Night of the Living Rednecks", which is a fine example of Jello Biafra's spur-of-the-moment spoken word story, accompanied by bass and drums, about an experienced incident, just to waste time while the band's guitarist was changing a guitar string.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Pharfar "La´ Mig Rulle Dig" (2014)

BliGlad "Kærlighed til Folket" (2007)

a-ha "Hunting High and Low" (1985)

Hunting High and Low [debut]
release date: Oct. 28, 1985
format: digital (2015 remaster - 30th Anniversary Edition)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: John Ratcliff; Tony Mansfield; Alan Tarney (1, 6)

label: Warner Bros. / Rhino Records - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "Take on Me" - 3. "Hunting High and Low" - 6. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." - 10. "Here I Stand and Face the Rain"

Studio album debut by Norwegian trio a-ha consisting of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist and main composer Pål Waaktaar, who's also credited for drum programming and backing vocals, and bassist & keyboardist Magne Furuholmen. The album was originally released on Warner Bros. and John Ratcliff is main producer on all tracks (aside from also mixing and playing additional keyboards), Mansfield is producer on seven compositions, and Tarney on two.

Didn't they just make it to all the little girls' bedrooms back then... I thought it was too slick and cheesy, too much happy-go-lucky without sufficient original content and the music completely failed to interest me then. Today, it's very much what has been labelled 80s pop music, and tracks #1, 3 and 6 are the soft pop songs you'll find on compilations alongside Duran Duran, Madonna, George Michael, Cindy Lauper and the like - basically music I never really bothered listen to. I think, the band owe much of their success and widespread popularity to video director Steve Barron, who stood behind the highly original pencil-sketch animation music video to "Take on Me".

This album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", which I really find a bit hard to understand as I basically see the album as interesting but also as a somewhat generic pop album without much new to offer.

Wafande feat. Kaka: Gi' mig et smil

"Buster" (OST) (1988)

Buster (soundtrack)
release date: 1988
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: WEA - nationality: England, UK

Soundtrack from the film "Buster" (1988) directed by David Green featuring Phil Collins and Julie Walters is the official soundtrack by various artists.

Madvillain "Madvillainy" (2004)

Madvillainy [debut]
release date: Mar. 23, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Madlib [aka Otis Jackson Jr.]
label: Stones Throw Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 3. "Meat Grinder" - 4. "Bistro" -  5. "Raid" (feat. M.E.D. aka Medaphoar) - 6. "America's Most Blunted" (feat. Quas) - 8. "Rainbows" - 9. "Curls" - 12. "Shadows of Tomorrow" (feat. Lord Quas) - 18. "Eye" (feat. Stacy Epps) - 21. "Great Day" - 22. "Rhinestone Cowboy"
[ full album playlist ]

Studio album debut by US duo Madvillain consisting of MF Doom [aka Daniel Dumile], English-born / American-residing hip hop recording artist, and producer and Madlib [aka Otis Jackson Jr.] American DJ, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper.
Now, although, hip hop isn't my favourite genre, I came across this album after hearing about it in various contexts over the years. I do recall the album cover from around the time of its release simply because of its direct and confronting style tho' I had absolutely no idea of its content.
Stylistically, it represents a huge blend of styles and influences [perhaps most prominent: Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast and Nas], which has brought about the terms abstract hip hop, experimental hip hop and instrumental hip hop, and later on most likely helped in shaping the style of conscious hip hop. There are obvious elements of jazz and rock traits, but what seems more apparent is of course the resulting original loose sonic style formed by a significant use of samples and a more laid-back rapping style. There are no obvious hits on the album, which consists of 22 tracks, and of these only three are longer than 3 mins. Actually, its made up of many primarily short compositions that bring about themes and hooks one will recognise in others, so the overall sensation is that you listen to one thematic structure - not unlike the experience you have listening to traditional classical albums. As being an abstract hip hop album the lyrical side is a strange mixture of reasoning and babbling mysticism, but the vocal side, imho, serves more as another instrumental part to facilitate its musical force. I like it, it's gooood, and it does win over time.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Observer, Mojo 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Chemical Brothers "Singles 93 - 03" (2003)

Singles 93 - 03 (compilation)
release date: Sep. 22, 2003
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: The Chemical Brothers
label: Freestyle Dust / Virgin - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album and the Chemical Brothers' first official sort of best of collection. It's fine if you don't have anything by the band, or if you only happen to have one or two albums, but it somehow seems like a superfluous collection of songs. Also, the diversity of the tracks make it a strange release to listen to, although, the single tracks are great as singles.

Laurie Anderson "Bright Red" (1994)

Bright Red
udgivet: 25. okt. 1994
format: cd
[vurdering: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson
selskab: Warner Bros. - nationalitet: USA

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Speechless" - 2. "Bright Red" - 6. "Freefall" - 7. "Muddy River" - 8. "Beautiful Pea Green Boat" - 14. "Same Time Tomorrow" (4 / 5)

5. studiealbum af Laurie Anderson følger hele 5 år efter Strange Angels (okt. 1989). Albummet er opdelt i to halvdele - de første syv numre med undertitlen "Bright Red", og de sidste syv med undertitlen "Tightrope". Så vidt vides, er det det første og eneste album af Laurie Anderson, hvor Brian Eno er med som producer.
Albummet byder både på noget nyt og så alligevel ikke væsentlige forskelle fra forgængeren. Efter min mening, er det som om, Anderson forsøger sig med noget, der kunne lyde som en blanding af forgængerens mere poppede stil med noget, der måske knytter bånd til hendes tidligere værker, ved en tydeligere eksperimenteren i form af et mere minimalistisk og råt udtryk i kombination med teksterne. De fem år mellem de to udgivelser gør dog albummet til lidt af en skuffelse, og det blev da også modtaget med blandede anmeldelser. Selv, finder jeg det dog langt fra dårligt, og jeg synes det faktisk klart overgår hendes '89-album, som var lidt et kunstnerisk lavpunkt, hvor det kunne se ud som Warner Bros. havde haft held med at overbevise Anderson om, at hun skulle forsøge sig med mere mainstream-orienteret musik og i virkeligheden måske ønskede sig en mere rocket Laurie Anderson. Uden at nå helt op på niveau med tidligere tiders store værker, er det dog et album, hvor Anderson, som vanligt, har masser at komme med rent tekstligt, og det er især dét, der funger på dette album. Der er også gode nærmest alt. rock-numre at finde på albummet, så helt ringe, er det langt fra.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stjerner ]

Prince and the Revolution "Purple Rain" (OST) (1984)

Purple Rain (soundtrack)
release date: Jun. 25, 1984
format: vinyl (25110-1) / cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Prince & The Revolution
label: Warner Bros. / WEA - nationality: USA

6th studio album by Prince, or his first as Prince & The Revolution is a soundtrack for the film "Purple Rain". Basically the backing band The Revolution had backed Prince since '79, so this is by most filed as a Prince album.
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Morrissey "Bona Drag" (1990)

Bona Drag (compilation)
release date: Oct. 25, 1990
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Stephen Street; Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Interesting Drug" (4 / 5) - 3. "November Spawned a Monster" - 6. "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" (4 / 5) - 8. "Hairdresser on Fire" - 9. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" (4 / 5) - 10. "He Knows I'd Love to See Him" - 13. "Suedehead" (4 / 5)

Compilation album by Morrissey originally released on HMV. This is only his second album release after leaving The Smiths and already he releases a compilation album. The formula is the same that The Smiths found successful, which basically consists of a collection of A-side and B-side singles compiled, meaning a collection of several non-studio album tracks. The album is rather nice-to-have as many of the songs didn't make it to neither his debut or his follow-up album Kill Uncle (1991). In fact, only two songs appear on the debut ("Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday"), the remaining 12 tracks only appear on single releases and other (later) compilation albums (track #8 is on American issues of the debut album). Although, the songs here were written and composed over a two year-period they generally fit nicely together, and maybe because most of the songs (10 tracks) were co-written with Stephen Street like was the case on Morrissey's debut album. Four of the A-side singles on the album feature Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, ex-members of The Smiths (as well as guitarist Craig Cannon who often supported The Smiths live) - both appear on tracks #1-3, and #6.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5, Blender 2/ 5 stars ]

"Cocktail (OST) (1988)

Cocktail (soundtrack)
release date: 1988
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Elektra - nationality: England, USA

Soundtrack from the comedy film "Cocktail" (1988) by Roger Donaldson featuring Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Shue, and Bryan Brown is the official soundtrack by various artists.

Omara Portuondo "The Best of Omara Portuondo" (2008)

The Best of Omara Portuondo (compilation)
release date: Jun. 23, 2008
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Union Square Music - nationality: Cuba

Best of compilation album by Omara Portuondo in the series 'The Cuban Heroes Collection'.

PJ Harvey "To Bring You My Love" (1995)

To Bring You My Love
release date: Feb. 28, 1995
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

Track highlights: 1. "To Bring You My Love" - 4. "C'mon Billy" (4 / 5) - 7. "Down by the Water" (4 / 5) - 9. "Send His Love to Me"

3rd studio album b PJ Harvey released on Island Records and produced by Flood, John Parish, and PJ Harvey. The album introduces a change of style from her previous albums. Personally, she had met a tremendous amount of artistic and financial success, which may be the reason for her choice to take some time off when she practically didn't perform live more than once in '94. She turns to new musical partnerships when working on this album, which has a more American sound and a blues-oriented style influenced by and with references to Captain Beefheart. I really enjoy the Captain, but do not enjoy the combo of Harvey's blues rock, and in the end I kinda dislike the result.
The album, however, may be seen as her international biggest breakthrough to stardom, and almost everywhere it was met with appraisal. The single tracks are not bad or unoriginal - I just don't like the dark, sinister tone and the heavy blues rock element. A few great tracks stand out like "C'mon Billy", and "Down by the Water" both of which are more like the music on her debut Dry (1992) and her successive album Is This Desire? (1998). With this Harvey experienced for the second time a nomination to the Mercury Prize Award in 1995, which was handed to Portishead for the album Dummy.
Although, I'm not overwhelmed by the result, the album is no near a bad one.
[ almusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]