Close your eyes, lay down - 'cause there goes the fear

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

20.11.02 : The Last Broadcast - Doves (2002)

Oh yes - I do like me some jangly guitars and I'd not listened to this in ages, so was pleased to be reminded about it and catch up with it for the first time in ages.  And yes, I enjoyed it - there's an argument his voice isn't particularly great, but even if the quality isn't always top notch, I like his style and the accompaniment works well for me.  "There Goes The Fear", "M62 Song" and "Pounding" jumped out as the best tracks for me, but they were all pretty listenable.
The channel gave this three thumbs up and one positive comment - but I was not happy at it being introduced as "an album from my childhood" given that I was 34 when it came out.  Bloody kids, eh?!?  Wikipedia has more than you might expect on this album (a pleasing 99 milliPeppers) but the thing that struck me most was how well this album did commercially at the time - coming straight in at #1 in the UK charts.  "There Goes The Fear" also did well as a single - getting to #3 despite only being released for one day (those crazy cats, eh?!?).  The album was also well received critically, NME calling it "the most uplifting miserable album you'll hear all year".
"Customers also listened to" The Maccabeees, Super Furry Animals and Badly Drawn Boy (who I've never quite seen the appeal of).  This is peak Doves for me though - it's a fine album that I was pleased to revisit.
20.11.03 : Ska and Rocksteady Collection, Vol. 1 - Prince Buster (2016)

I was vaguely aware of Prince Buster and was expecting a lot of short tracks which sounded really old and weren't really my thing.  And yeah, that's pretty much where we were, although I enjoyed it more and there was more humour on there than I was expecting.  I was also nice to hear the original version of "One Step Beyond" which I don't think I'd experienced before.  And the same for "Enjoy Yourself" which is often used on Jools Hootenanny.  I really didn't need 94 minutes of it though, so maybe I'll just pass on Volume 2.
The channel gave this four thumbs up, one bass clef and one positive comment.  Wikipedia has nothing on the album at all but his entry is quite an interesting one - the man lived an interesting life and left quite a legacy for someone who wasn't hugely successful commercially.
"Customers also listened to" Desmond Dekker, The Maytals and a load of other people I've never heard of, but I suspect I can guess which musical genre they belong to.  I appreciated rather than enjoyed this album - it's an interesting slice of musical history.
20.11.04 : Automata II - Between the Buried and Me (2019)

Hmmm - I'm not convinced I'm going to like a group called BTBAM - although they don't sound to me like the sort of band who would release an album called Automata II.  And no, I do not like this - some of the sounds are interesting enough and there's obviously skill involved, but it's just not my sort of thing.  Sorry guys (and you're definitely guys, aren't you?).  However I have to say that, to its credit, it's only 33 minutes long so I find it far easier to forgive than some monstrosities (and I'm quite surprised the nominator didn't go for the Automata I/II set).  I'd also say that "Glide" is a very odd track indeed.
The channel gave this a selection of random emojis along with positive comments - and a recommendation to see them live if you like this sort of thing.  Wikipedia tells me that the drummer announced the album to the public with the following statement "There’s a track on here that’s like 13 minutes long and it’s THE SHIT. We got riffs, choruses, breakdowns, blasts, horns, drum solos" - and let me tell you he's not wrong.  Well, he's got one word right anyway (and yes, I'm being unfairly harsh here).  It also tells me that it was universally critically admired - by the 4 people that reviewed it anyway.
"Customers also listened to" a load of people with particularly charming album covers - I suspect I can probably live without checking any of them out or this again.  Just not for me, I'm afraid.
I didn't mind Prince Buster in small doses, but considering full albums, the round was an easy win for Doves for me.
20.10.28 - Three male quartets - one slightly more famous than the others
20.11.05 - Not the best round for me

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