We could get better because we're not dead yet

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day...

20.05.19 : Positive Songs for Negative People - Frank Turner (2015)

I always have a problem with the Franks, Turner and Carter - one I like and one I don't and I can never remember which is which.  Fortunately, Mr Turner is the one I like (but I had to check).  I don't think I'd ever heard this album, but I was pretty much expecting it to sound like his other stuff - and yeah, it pretty much was.  I generally like it, but I'd have to say I was exceptionally positive about it in the context of this list because it's like "proper songs", which we really haven't seen too much of so far - I mean, I like a bit of bleepiness, but if you only have bleepiness it does get a little tiresome.  So cheers, Frank - this was a breath of fresh air!  He also manages to do an upbeat song in such a way that means I don't want to punch him - and I can imagine (and have heard reports) that he's a very fine act live.

The channel was generally positive about the album without unduly saying anything of interest about it.  Wikipedia has more than you might expect on this album, but most of it just talks about how the critics weren't all that impressed with it - they found his "earnestness and rousing bombast" somewhat tiresome.  It did well in the UK though - debuting at #2, kept off the top by Dr Dre's Compton (and I don't need to listen to that to know I'd take Frank every time in preference).  It also got to #69 in the US charts which seems like a decent effort by the lad across the pond.  Something else I learned from the internet is that, despite having had 4 top 10 albums, Frank has only had one single reach the top 40 - "I Still Believe" which hit the dizzy heights of #40!

"Customers also listened to" Skinny Lister, Will Varley and Beans On Toast - who I know nothing about, but their names sound like they'd make the same kind of noise as Frank.  Overall, I liked this, but it definitely got extra marks for being a bit different from most of the rest of the list.

20.05.20 : Waking Season - Caspian (2012)

Never heard of the band or the album, so going in blind.  And yeah, I didn't mind it at all - but I wasn't convinced we needed 1 track which was 57 minutes long.  Oh, hold on - there's 10 tracks on there.  Really?!?  OK - maybe it's a bit same-y then.  It's like a film soundtrack where the whole film consists of the upbeat bit at the end where everyone overcomes whichever form of adversity has been placed in their way.  I liked the general sound, but it's safe to say there is absolutely no chance of me ever listening to this album again voluntarily.

The channel disagreed with me and thought it was ace - with several people comparing it with Mogwai who are another band I don't mind but would never actually choose to listen to. Wikipedia has a few sentences on the album, but nothing of interest, except for telling me that apparently it's a "post-rock" album.  Which meant absolutely nothing to me, so I followed the link to find out that apparently "The term has since been used to describe bands which differ widely in style, making the term controversial among listeners and artists alike", so that's useful, isn't it?  

"Customers also listened to" Paint The Sky Red, This Will Destroy You, We Lost The Sea and This Patch Of Sky - 4 word names are obviously popular with post-rock bands (assuming there's such a thing as a post-rock band).  Overall, not for me though, I'm afraid.

20.05.21 : A Flash Flood of Colour - Enter Shikari (2012)

I'm very aware of Enter Shikari, seeing as how they come from my home town of St Albans - and there aren't too many well-known (or even slightly heard of) bands this can be said of (The Zombies and Friendly Fires are the only other two I would suggest merit a mention).  Amusingly, they also sponsor St Albans City football team, which I think is an excellent example of supporting your local community.  Additionally, I have also seen them live in the past on a rainy afternoon in Glastonbury - and they certainly know how to put on a show.  However, after that build-up, I don't actually like them - they're just a bit too noisy for me, so I wasn't expecting to like this album.

But, whilst some of the album was pretty noisy and some of it was pretty shouty, it wasn't quite as noisy and shouty as I was expecting and there are some interesting noises and rhythms on there.  I would say it feels a bit "throw it at the wall" in places, but they're trying some interesting stuff.  I was reminded of RHCP, Biffy Clyro, Linkin Park, The Streets and The Klaxons in places - I'm sure there are a million other cultural references, but it's not really a genre I'm too familiar with in order to refer to them.  They deserve bonus points for some of their track titles as well - "Arguing With Thermometers", "Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here" and "Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide".

The channel was a bit mixed on this with some liking it, some preferring their other stuff and some finding it a bit shouty.  It did bring one new person to the channel - none other than the lead singer of Coldplay, apparently (I never knew he worked for BJSS).  Wikipedia has a surprising amount (191 milliPeppers) to say about an album from a moderately successful UK band - most of it goes into the political nature of the album, which I'd have to say totally passed me by on first listen.  It also mentions that the album was recorded at a studio in the middle of the jungle in Thailand - because, why not, eh?  It was well received both critically and commercially - it reached #4 in the UK charts, but given that it had Adele, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay ahead of it, I suspect it probably couldn't have expected a whole lot more.  It also tells me this is a "post-hardcore" or "electronicore" album - I mean, seriously, who makes this shit up?

"Customers also listened to" a load of people I've never heard of, although I was amused to see We Are The Ocean and have a voice in my head go "uh-huh, another of them post-rock bands".  I liked this a lot more than I was expecting though - it was a pleasant surprise.

A toss-up between Frank and the Shikaris for the round - A Flash Flood Of Colour has more variety too it, but I'm giving it to Frank for his rousing choruses, which surprisingly just seemed to hit the spot.

20.05.14 - Three minimalist album covers
20.05.22 - Three I won't be rushing back to