Beyoncé "Beyoncé" (2013)

Beyoncé
release date: Dec. 13, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 2. "Haunted" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Mine (feat. Drake)" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "XO" (3,5 / 5) - 11. "***Flawless (feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche)" (3,5 / 5) - 14. "Blue (feat. Blue Ivy)" (4 / 5)

5th studio album release by r&b, dance-pop mega-star Beyoncé. People want it, they decide it's good to own and that she's on top. The critics bow and praise the album as her best. "Surprise of the year!". Well, I'm not impressed, or: it's just not my style. I usually don't like contemporary r&b and American mainstream pop. I can't find the originality but do acknowledge that she's talented at... that.

Neil Young & Shocking Pinks "Everybody's Rockin' " (1983)

Everybody's Rockin'
release date: Jul. 26, 1983
format: cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 2 / 5] [2,18]
producer: Neil Young and Elliot Mazer
label: Geffen Records, Germany - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 4. "Wonderin' " - 5. "Kinda Fonda Wanda" - 9. "Mystery Train"

13th studio album by Neil Young released as Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks. This is rockabilly country rock! Now, talk about an unlucky number! Gee, I hardly now how to rate this. Is it just a joke, or is it Neil's homage to some of his original sources of inspiration from the 1950s?? One theory suggests that it's an attempt, once and for all, to make the record company decide that Neil Young is no more - that all that is left of this gifted musician is some crazy guy who used to be one of the most lucent singers and songwriters. Fact is, the following year, Geffen Records sued Neil Young for $3.3 million dollars on grounds that this album and its predecessor were uncharacteristic for his style. Young counter-sued Geffen for $21 million for neglecting contractual specifications about his artistic freedom and they settled their dispute off-court.
Neil Young is notoriously known for writing his own songs, but most of these are cover-versions, so it's also an album off the track in that respect, and I don't really like it much. Anyway, you really have to love both cheesy country AND rockabilly to appreciate this album - I mean, it's not quite enough to love Neil Young. Even gods make mistakes, and this is one of his biggest blunders, although, I find it more digestible than both the 1981 and '82 albums.
This album is not recommended except for completists.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

Dead Kennedys "Frankenchrist" (1985)

Frankenchrist
release date: Oct. 1985
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Jello Biafra
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Soup Is Good Food" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Hellnation" (3 / 5) - 3. "This Could Be Anywhere (This Could Be Everywhere)" - 4. "A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch" - 5. "Chicken Farm" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Jock-O-Rama (Invasion of the Beef Patrol)" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "Goons of Hazzard" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "M.T.V. - Get Off the Air" (4 / 5) - 9. "At My Job" (3 / 5) - 10. "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" (3 / 5)

3rd studio album release by Dead Kennedys. The album was more than three years on its way, and fans began to wonder if they had split. It was a difficult time to keep releasing punk rock material as punk had been declared "dead" before 1980 when they released the debut album, but DK definitely had a special status with their political statements. Musically, the album shows a new side to their punk-style. This is not the high speed hardcore punk but a more subdued punk rock clone of rockabilly and surf rock with focus on Biafra's narration (just listen to "Jock-O-Rama (Invasion of the Beef Patrol" or "M.T.V. - Get Off the Air"), and several tracks have a long playing time, which is quite contrary to the style of hardcore punk. With the album, they show that they still have much to say, and it may not be as great as the '82 album release but some of the tracks are exceptionally great songwriting pinning down all American values. And the cover art photo is hilarious with all its subtle references. The vinyl album was released with the art poster "Penis Landscape" [org. poster] (or: "Landscape XX") by Swiss artist H. R. Giger, which led to a controversy with a lawsuit and a trial against the band that ultimately led to the disbandment, although they released one more studio album and despite the fact that they were freed from all charges. So, in a way, Dead Kennedys lost to moral majority.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Liz Green "O, Devotion!" (2011)

O, Devotion! [debut]
release date: Nov. 14, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Liam Watson
label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Hey Joe" - 3. "Displacement Song" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Louis" - 5. "Bad Medicine" (4 / 5) (live) - 7. "Rag & Bone" - 8. "The Quiet" (4 / 5) - 9. "Ostrich Song" - 10. "Gallows"

Studio debut album by Manchester-based singer / songwriter Liz Green.

This is a wonderful contemporary vocal jazz and alt. folk album by this multi-talented artist. The music is quiet with both an ancient quality to it, and at the same time an experimental jazz sound one may find on albums by Tom Waits. Green plays acoustic guitar and sings in her wonderful and mournful alt register reminding me of legendary singers like Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith. Not only did Liz Green write all lyrics and compose all music for the album, she also made the fine artwork on front, back and inside of the cover, as well as making artwork on the inlay on this mighty fine and highly original album.

[ Q Magazine, Uncut, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Rolling Stone, Daily Mirror 4 / 5 stars ]

2011 Favourite releases: 1. The Streets Computers and Blues - 2. Tom Waits Bad as Me - 3. Liz Green O, Devotion!

Mike Oldfield "Crime of Passion" (1984) (single)

Crime of Passion, 7'' single
release date: Jan. 1984
format: vinyl (106102-100)
[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Mike Oldfield
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Crime of Passion" (3,5 / 5) - - B) "Jungle Gardenia" (4 / 5)

Single release by Mike Oldfield and a non-album single released after the the studio album Crisis (1983). The A-side was released in what seems like Oldfield's pop period of the early 1980s, where he began composing songs with harmony vocals to satisfy the broader mainstream pop culture after a series of hits with songs like "Family Man", "(It Was A) Mistake", "Moonlight Shadow" all of which had vocals by Maggie Reilly. The title track has vocals by Barry Palmer and the music bears much similarity with the song "Moonlight Shadow"; however, I always felt that the true gem was the instrumental B-side, which is also included on the double compilation album The Complete (1985).

Gangway "Out on the Rebound From Love" (1985) (single)

Out on the Rebound From Love, single
release date: 1985
format: digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklis: A) 1. "Out on the Rebound From Love" (4 / 5) (live performance at the Danish Live Aid project Music for Africa, 1985) - - B) 1. "Paris, Mexico" (2,5 / 5)

Single release by Gangway originally a 7'' vinyl disc released on Irmgardz and reissued on the compilation album Re-Master Piecies (2002). The A-side was never included on any studio albums, which is really a shame. I recall their fine live version at Danish Live Aid project Music for Africa in 1985 after the international Live Aid show. The live performance has such a strong dynamic sound thanks to Balling's guitar playing. It's quite obvious that The Smiths was an inspiration for the A-side composition, Allan Jensen's phrasing as well as some of the lyrics resemble words by Morrissey, but still, it's an original and very strong song.

Alarm "Spirit of '76" (1985) (single)

Spirit of '76, 7'' single
release date: 1985
format: vinyl (A-6818)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,34]
producer: Mike Howlett
label: I.R.S. Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Spirit of '76" - - B) "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" (Live)

Single release by Welsh band The Alarm taken from the album Strength (1985).

Neil Young "Trans" (1982)

Trans
release date: Dec. 29, 1982
format: cd (1997 reissue)
[album rate: 2 / 5] [2,04]
producer: Neil Young, Tim Mulligan, David Briggs
label: Geffen Records, Germany - nationality: Canada

12th studio album by Neil Young is a solo release. Now, if the two most recent albums by Neil Young were disappointing, this is... strangely disappointing. If not he had abandoned the drug abuse, one might get the thought that he was seriously under the influence of some drug when deciding to make this styled release. Again, it might be his own expectations and / or necessity to deliver something contemporary and a more up-to-date sound, other than folk rock as it was the case with Re-ac-tor. Anyway, this is an electronic synth release by Neil Young[!]. Now, Rust Never Sleeps (1979) was a major album but the fact is, he hasn't been able to make something remotely close to that in the early 1980s and this is just another example of his experiments with musical influences, and of course one may see it as an evidence of his will to try other ways of expression. From a modern perspective, this is just a music historical artifact showcasing Neil Young's great diversity. Then of course, there's also a long dispute of a contract with Geffen Records that he wanted to get out off. Books and biographies tell the story of how Neil Young felt trapped with a record contract and wanted control of his own songs as well as albums - he wanted artistic freedom, so he subdued to his legal entrapment and released a number of albums - approximately one each year, as the contract prescribed - and not always to satisfy his fans or record company who later sued him for making music that was 'unrepresentative' of himself. The album may also be seen in that light, as an attempt to piss off the company by releasing the unexpected.
Btw: "Computer Age" sounds (almost exactly) as if "Expresso Love" by Dire Straits had been sampled and synthesizers and a vocoder was added, perhaps in collaboration with Jeff Lynne, Jean Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield, and that doesn't make a great song any near good.
This album is not recommend for others than completists.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

Frank Zappa "Joe's Garage Act II & III" (1979)

Joe's Garage Act II & III
release date: Nov. 19, 1979
format: digital (2 lp)
[album rate: 2 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "A Token of My Extreme" - 7. "He Used to Cut the Grass" - 10. "A Little Green Rosetta"

No sooner than two months following Joe's Garage Act I, Zappa released Act II & III as a double vinyl album, and having already released the double lp, Sheik Yerbouti and two albums with 1970s unreleased material ("Orchestral Favorites" and "Sleep Dirt") in the year 1979, he was in his most productive period of his musical lifetime. Having said that, I don't think Joe's Garage is all that great. It has it moments, most of which is jazz rock, and I don't really like this style of his repertoire. In 1987 the three parts were released as a triple album box set, Joe's Garage Act I, II & III.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Goodbye Cruel World" (1984)

Goodbye Cruel World
release date: Jun. 18, 1984
format: digital (2004 2 cd remaster)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,88]
producer: Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley
label: Rhino Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Only Flame in Town" - 2. "Home Truth" - 3. "Room With No Number" - 6. "Love Field" - 12. "The Deportees Club"

9th studio album released as Elvis Costello & The Attractions following 10 months after Punch the Clock (1983) is like the predecessor produced by the duo Langer / Winstanley. The end result is not as good since Costello apparently wanted to pursue a stronger folk rock sound but the management and the producer-duo sat out for a new pop-styled mix, which ended up with a compromise: songs like "I Wanna Be Loved" [track #7] and "The Only Flame in Town" were pure Langer-Winstanley productions, whereas other songs were made according to Costello's wishes.

The 2004 2cd remaster on Rhino comes with a bonus disc containing 26 additional tracks consisting of demo takes, alternate versions, outtakes, other takes and live recordings - as a collector's item, mostly.

The album is mainstream pop / rock-founded in sheer sophisti-pop-arrangements with bits of pop soul that makes it sound like a close relative to the '83 album - also with the same producer-duo.

To me, it was like witnessing the end of a great comet-career with two lesser albums in a row, and with this like the outtakes to the '83-album being clearly the weakest. Some compositions even sound as well-written songs but with strong use of harmony-vocals, 80s synths and an abundance of shakers and bleeps and bloops songs are turned into a generic... mish-mash.

The album spawned three singles: track #13 "Peace in Our Time", track #7 "I Wanna Be Loved", and track #1 "The Only Flame in Town" peaking at number #48, number #25, and #71 respectively on the UK singles chart list.

Costello had been super-productive from the late 70s and into the early '80s but his artistic level had begun to crumble, or so it appears. For a '95 reissue in the liner notes, Costello even wrote: "Congratulations! You've just purchased our worst album." And that's pretty much how it's widely considered.

In retrospect it doesn't really shine much, and looking at Costello's long-lasting career this very album seems like an absolute wrong turn down a dead-end street without a clear direction, which he luckily understood quite soon. The album may suffer from the fact that Costello and The Attractions experienced inner conflicts, which apparently had Costello suggest it was to be his last with the backing band [also hinted at in the title] and that he found himself in the midst of a divorce from his first wife Mary as well as in a romantic restart of his relationship with (American) Bebe Buell. In this respect, many of the songs deal with starting and ending relationships.

Already as the album was in the making, Costello had made plans of solo concerts in the US without his normal backing band, and these concerts gave him the freedom he needed.

Given various ideas of musical direction, inner conflicts between band members, the album is an incoherent whole, and it stands out as a strong contender to Costello's biggest miss. Overall, it's an album that cannot be recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Blender, Rolling Stone 2 / 5, Uncut, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

New Order "The Peel Sessions: New Order" (1986) (ep)

The Peel Sessions: New Order, ep
release date: Sep. 27, 1986
format: vinyl (SFPS001) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,63]
producer: New Order
label: Strange Fruit - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Turn the Heater On" (4 / 5) - 2. "We All Stand" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Too Late" (3 / 5) - 2. "5-8-6" (3,5 / 5)

2nd ep by New Order. This was actually the second recording for BBC Radio 1's John Peel Show, as the first recording session was later released as SFPS 039 in '87. This ep is released with the catalog number SFPS 001, which indicates that it was the very first release by Strange Fruit Records, the record company co-founded by John Peel, primarily to release the many radio transmitted broadcasts of live studio sessions. These four tracks were all recorded Jun. 1982, and track #A2 and #B4 were later released on Power, Corruption & Lies (1983). The other tracks were only played on this occasion. "Turn the Heater On" is a rare track as it's a cover version of a reggae song (by Keith Hudson, apparently, played as a tribute to Ian Curtis who supposedly was very happy with the song). New Order hardly ever played cover songs except from their own Joy Division tracks and first from around 2000. I enjoy this ep as it shows the band in the transition period with a lot of post-punk and Joy Division trademarks, and with especially 5-8-6 the sound they move towards within synthpop.

The Style Council "Café Bleu" (1984)

Café Bleu [debut]
release date: Mar. 1, 1984
format: vinyl (TSCLP1) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Paul Weller, Peter Wilson
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England. UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Whole Point of No Return" (4 / 5) - 4. "Blue Cafe" - 5. "The Paris Match" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "My Ever Changing Moods" (4 / 5) - 10. "You're the Best Thing" (5 / 5) - 11. "Here's One That Got Away" (3,5 / 5) - 12. "Headstart for Happiness" (4 / 5)

Studio debut album by The Style Council. The album is a stylistic mix of pop soul and sophisti-pop with bits and pieces of jazz. It's pretty good, and frankly, it's the best by this band who, despite the bold pop expression, holds tight to a lust for experimentation. The best tracks are the ones solely composed by Paul Weller. Whenever Mick Talbot is credited as composer it becomes too jazz-fueled and it loses everything connected with soul. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt (aka Everything But The Girl) feature on "The Paris Match" and Weller's future wife Dee C. Lee sings backing vocals on "Strength of Your Nature" and "Headstart for Hapiness".
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

They Might Be Giants "Lincoln" (1988)

Lincoln
release Sep. 25, 1988
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Bill Krauss
label: Elektra - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Ana Ng" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Purple Toupee" - 5. "Cage & Aquarium" - 7. "Piece of Dirt" - 8. "Mr. Me" - 11. "I've Got a Match" - 12. "Santa's Beard" - 14. "They'll Need a Crane" (live on Letterman) - 15. "Shoehorn With Teeth" (live) - 17. "Snowball in Hell" (live)
[ full album ]

2nd studio album release by They Might Be Giants. This was the first album I heard and bought with the Boston-based duo, consisting of John Flansburgh (vocals, guitars) and John Linnell (vocals, accordion, saxophone, clarinet, keyboards).
Their style is indie pop and definitely alternative. Some tracks like "Ana Ng" - the first I heard on MTV back in '88, are punk rock / indie rock-styled, whereas others are more jazz influenced, but all their compositions often play with their special type of absurd humour, which may seem more European than traditional American and putting them close to creations by Monty Python, but also to earlier artists like The Goons and Spike Jones.
The album remains my absolute favourite by TMBG.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Jan Garbarek "Paths, Prints" (1982)

Paths, Prints
release date: Sep. 6, 1982
format: cd (ECM 1223)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]
producer: Manfred Eicher
label: ECM Records - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "The Path" (4 / 5) - 2. "Footprints" (4 / 5) - 3. "Kite Dance" (5 / 5) - 4. "To B.E." (4 / 5) - 5. "The Move" (4 / 5) - 8. "Still"

Studio album by Jan Garbarek with Bill Frisell on guitar, Eberhard Weber on bass, and with Jon Christensen on drums and percussion.
Working together with the jazz fusion and modern classical guitar icon, Bill Frisell, could easily have led the music astray but Garbarek is ever-present in a dominating part with drums, percussion, bass and guitar as the subtle backbone. Of course it helps that Garbarek is credited as composer of all tracks, but the album is really one of my favourite Garbarek albums. He's famous for his incorporation of folklore and / or (old) traditional Norwegian folk spliced with modern jazz fusion. His instruments are the soprano and alto sax (he also plays tenor and other instruments as clarinet and percussion); however the instrument, his playing style is original and far from traditional jazz instrumentalists, and in that sense he has much in common with Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg and his Nordic and ambient jazz sound. Frisell together with Weber, Christensen and especially Frisell is a wonderful cocktail.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings 3 / 4 stars ]

Imperiet "Studio / Live" (1988) (live)

Studio / Live (compilation) (live)
release date: Nov. 1988
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Stefan Glaumann, Imperiet
label: Mistlur Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: Disc 1, Live: 1. "Rock'n Roll e' död" - 4. "...som eld" - 7. "Jag är en idiot" - 11. "Bibel" - - Disc 2, Studio: 1. "Alltid rött, alltid rätt" - 2. "Kriget med mig själv" - 4. "Rasera" - 6. "Höghus, låghus, dårhus (Version)" - 10. "Cosmopolite" - 11. "Kom ihåg" - 12. "Saker som hon gör" - 13. "Märk hur var skugga (Epistel 81)"

Compilation album by Imperiet released after its disbandment. Disc 1 is a collection of live recordings, and much like the studio collection on disc 2, the tracks are a selection of songs comprising the band's entire lifespan from 1983 - 1988. Actually, the span is not long, but the music is still quite varied. The live recordings (recorded and mixed by Stefan Glaumann) are from the band's farewell tour ['avskedsturné'] recorded live Aug. 29-31, 1988 at Sardines in Oslo, Norway.
I recall thinking somewhat lukewarm about the release back in '88. Mostly, because there isn't much new on these two discs. Of course a live disc should provide us with another aspect of the band's repertoire, but given the album 2:a augusti 1985 from '85 provides us with live material, and if you happen to know all the band's five studio albums is hard not to see this as a commercial stunt.
If, on the other hand, you don't owe any albums by Imperiet, I think this could be a fine choice.

The Pointer Sisters "Everybody Is a Star" (1978) (single)

Everybody Is a Star, 7'' single

release date: 1978

format: vinyl

[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: Richard Perry

label: Planet - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) "Everybody Is a Star" - - B) "Lay It on the Line"

Single release by The Pointer Sisters is a cover of a song written by Sly Stone and originally performed by Sly and the Family Stone and released as the B-side (or: actually as the other track on a double A-sided single) to "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" Dec. 1969. The Pointer Sisters' version here, as well as the B-side are both included on their fifth album Energy (Oct. 1978).

I don't have much recollection of when or why I ever purchased this. My best guess is that I purchased this as part of a sales buy. Back in the mid-80s I sometimes went to another town with my best friend to buy new music. They had this music store "Rillen" in the town of Grenaa, and we were both subscribing to their monthly catalogue of new music / new imports, and they also had an annual catalogue of their whole stock, and through that, we used to tick off the albums we just needed to have, and once or twice a year we simply drove there to get new music: vinyl albums, maxi singles, VHS videos, and not seldom: to buy a few items that were on sale in a pile of singles. That's probably on such an occasion that I got this. Not involuntarily, but neither with the intention to get precisely thisthe copy in question. The song is a classic soul-song and in The pointers versions it's not exactly improved but more likely: re-arranged to suit a more settled audience.

The single was issued in a generic (white) sleeve, and the WEA-sleeve appears like the original for this particular print, as it appears to have been distributed by WEA Records.

Lou Reed "Growing Up in Public" (1980)

Growing Up in Public

release date: Apr. 1980
format: vinyl (AL 9522) / digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]
producer: Michael Fonfara, Lou Reed
label: Arista Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "How Do You Speak to an Angel?" - 2. "My Old Man" - 3. "Keep Away" - 8. "The Power of Positive Drinking" - 10. "Think It Over"

10th studio album by Lou Reed is another pop / rock release somewhere in the middle of the road. All tracks are written in a collaboration with keyboardist (and guitarist) Michael Fonfara. The album has some of the same characteristics as the predecessor, The Bells (Apr. 1979), although, he here has chosen not to work with neither disco nor funk, which really is on the positive side. It's not up there with Street Hassle (Feb. 1978) but it has much more potential. The album, however, wasn't met with the most positive reviews, and it's by many considered a bit of a low point in his career. It also turned out to be his last on Arista who let him go after this - another non-commercial release for the label.
I think, it's clearly above mediocre without being really great, but it also indicates and may be seen as a bit of a blue print to the same stylistic shape as found on his much lauded New York (Jan. 1989) where everything just falls into place.
(My issue is a US-import cut-out record).
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Richard Hawley "Coles Corner" (2005)

Coles Corner
release date: Sep. 5, 2005
format: cd / vinyl (2019 reissue LTD. amber vinyl)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,26]
producer: Richard Hawley, Colin Elliot, Mike Timm
label: Mute Records / Setanta Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Coles Corner" (5 / 5) (live at Glastonbury 2010) - 2. "Just Like the Rain" (4 / 5) - 3. "Hotel Room" (4 / 5) (live in Brussels 2010) - 5. "The Ocean" (5 / 5) - 6. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (4 / 5) - 7. "I Sleep Alone" - 8. "Tonight" (4 / 5) - 11. "Last Orders" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album release by Richard Hawley and the album that really brought him fame and critical acclaim. The album was nominated the 2006 Mercury Music Prize for Best Album (a prize that went to Arctic Monkeys). This was the first album that I ever heard with Hawley, and it completely blew me over. I had no idea that it existed! The style is more or less the same, as his two previous albums, although, I find this more dynamic, or just more well-orchestrated and -produced, and with more... tension. Yes, he still sings his haunting love songs with his crooning dark voice accompanied by his jangle pop surf rock guitar but the songwriting is just sublime. And even though, I'm really really fond of this album, I simply cannot find room for it on this years top 3 list. Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabeté's In the Heart of the Moon tops my list (I can't have any album be rated higher than that), with Sigur Rós and Kent in the next two places with top albums from their hands, but I guarantee that this album is already a modern classic, and I probably listen more to this than any of its contesters.
Highly recommendable.

EDIT Sep. 2019:
I have just received the 2019 reissue on coloured 'amber' ('orange' look) vinyl issued on Setanta Records. Great to own a vinyl copy of this genuine masterpiece.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Mojo, Q Magazine, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Cocteau Twins "Sunburst and Snowblind" (1983) (ep)

Sunburst and Snowblind (ep)

release date: Nov. 7, 1983

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,34]

producer: Cocteau Twins, John Fryer

label: 4AD Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Sugar Hiccup (12'' Version)" - 2. "From the Flagtstones" - 3. "Hitherto" - 4. "Because of Whirl-Jack"

4-track ep by Cocteau Twins following only two months after the album Head Over Heels (Oct. '83) marks a change of style. Yes, the best track "Sugar Hiccup" is taken from the most recent album but where it sounded misplaced on the album, it's in company of other dream pop-shaped compositions here. On "From the Flagstones" Elizabeth Fraser sounds like on This Mortail Coil's most memorable tune "Song to the Siren", which should be released a full year later. It's not all dream pop, however, as the last two compositions points more to the music of Siouxsie and the Banshees than to the future sound of Cocteau Twins.

The Crash "Pony Ride" (2006)

Pony Ride

release date: Sep. 27, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: The Crash
label: Suomen Musiikki - nationality: Finland

Track highlights: 1. "Pony Ride" - 2. "Big Ass Love" - 3. "Grace" - 4. "Stay" - 5. "Thorn in My Side" - 9. "Reasons to Sing"

4th and final studio album release by The Crash following three years after Melodrama (Oct. 2003). Much to the usual procedure all songs are credited frontman Teemu Brunila.
The Crash still produce melodic indie pop and synth pop. Despite being a much better album, it basically lacks great and original material throughout; however, the first half is really promising and contains some fine songs which remind me of their best effort Wildlife (2001) but the quality somewhat lowers on the last five making it a fine but not overwhelming final chapter.