Automatic For The People by R.E.M.: Alt-Rock. Pretty much EVERYONE either owns this album or has heard the songs from it. Make no mistake, it is a dark album as most of the lyrics deal with mortality and the music is subdued to say the least with the use of acoustic guitars, mandolin and organ throughout the pieces. However, the songs have as the French say, a certain something, and though melancholy there is something hopeful within the songs as well. TWH: Drive; Sweetness Follows; Nightswimming

Grade: A*

Autobahn by Kraftwerk: Kraut Rock/Electronic. That’s right, they’re a German band who made an electronic concept album about driving on a motorway and then the night, but don’t let that put you off. The 22 minute (!) long title track is excellent and actually captures what the band were trying to – that of the different feelings and sights you have when travelling on the autobahn (specifically Koln to Berlin). The second part of the album is darker, what with the concept being night, and the music feels more claustrophobic. A surprisingly great album. Don’t be scared to accept it, it won’t make you pretentious twat. Honest. TWH: Autobahn; Kometenmelodie 2; Morgenspaziergang

Grade: A

August E.P. by Bishop Allen: Indie Rock/Live. Number 8 in their year long E.P. series. This one is a live set of 14 songs, so not bad for an E.P. However it just sounds dull. Maybe you had to be there. The audience clap when expected and when the band ask them if they’re enjoying themselves they seem to be. I wish I had enjoyed it. TWH: Empire City

Grade: E

Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd: Prog Rock. Ok. The opening track is twenty minutes long and nothing really stand out apart from a Gilmour guitar solo at around seven minutes. The rest of the album is distinctly average, as they were trying to escape the flying saucer, psychedelic image that they had originally courted but hadn’t quite figured out how to do that with good songs yet. The last song is a 12 minute epic instrumental that has some bloke called Alan occasionally describe the different kinds of breakfast he eats. Riviting. TWH: If; Fat Old Sun

Grade: E

At Your Convenience by 4ft Fingers: Punk Rock. An album from an English punk that is rooted in So-Cal; but it still has a distinctly English feel to it. The songs blaze along with catchy melodies and razor guitar riffs, occasionally a banjo makes an appearance too. At 19 tracks it’s either value for money or over long. I’ll let you decide that for yourself. They also have a couple of great samples, just to add to the fun. TWH: Brickwalls; My Song; Drunkenville

Grade: B

At My Window by Townes Van Zandt: Country. This is really country. Fiddles; lap steels; acoustic guitars; mandolins and broken vocals are all present and correct. The songs flow along nicely enough. Hardly mind blowing stuff though. TWH: At My Window; For The Sake Of The Song; Ain’t Leaving Your Love

Grade: D

At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash: Country/Live. What can I say about this legendary album? The songs are great and you can really feel the atmosphere of the prison. The crowd boos the guards, Johnny’s voice is amazing and you can feel his passion and connection (and fun) he has with every song. Great. TWH: Folsom Prison Blues; Flushed From The Bathroom of Your Heart; Cocaine Blues

Grade: A*

At Dawn by My Morning Jacket: Southern/Psyc Rock. This is the band’s second album, and it was the one when they started to expand their sound. Though the soft vocal and the acoustic guitar are all present and correct, the rocking numbers make more of an appearance as do keyboards. The album is good, if a tad long…but I have the feeling Jim James hasn’t heard of the word ‘edit’. TWH: Bermuda Highway; Honest Man

Grade: C

At Carnegie Hall by The Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: Jazz/Live. This is a fairly recent lost recording that was found, and what a recording it is. These two jazz giants had now been playing together for four moths and by now they knew exactly what each other were about. There is excellent interplay between both of them. They both show their virtuosity (as do the other members of the quartet) and it’s a pleasure to listen to. It sound like you could be there. Great stuff. TWH: Epistrophy; Sweet and Lovely; Nutty

Grade: A*

Astro Coast by Surfer Blood: Indie Rock. The guitars are fuzzy, the vocals have reverb and the songs rock. A pretty god combination really, this album is of its time (now) and though it has some great tunes I can’t help but wonder if this style of production will make the album seem slightly dated or not. Hopefully the tunes are good enough to stand the test of time. Well, I like them. TWH: Floating Vibes; Harmonix; Anchorage

Grade: B

Astro Lounge by Smash Mouth: Ska/Pop Punk. The songs sound like they could be set in any American road trip/college movie and a few constantly are. They bounce along and though some blend into each other there are a few classic tracks that shine through on here. TWH: All Star; Satellite; Home

Grade: D

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison: Folk/Jazz/Blues. This album is essentially a love letter back home to Northern Ireland. Van the man released this after the success of Brown Eyed Girl and threw everyone off with its improvised blues and almost stream of consciousness lyrics. The songs range from the rambling to the short and sweet. All of them are amazing. It’s a thrill to hear what two days in a recording studio with an acoustic guitar, stand up bass, drums and a horn section can produce. TWH: Astral Weeks; Sweet Thing; Slim Slow Slider

Grade: A*

Asleep In The Back by Elbow: Britpop/Prog Rock. The album sounds like a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. The movie’s in black and white and it’s about a doomed romance that has occurred during some hazy drug-fuelled weekend. The songs drift by in a woozy state and then can suddenly burst with energy freaking the listener out before falling back again into some warm security blanket that doesn’t really exist. Lyrics seem cryptic and the guitars sound like they’re made of raindrops and thunderstorms. TWH: Bitten By The Tailfly; Asleep in the Back;

Grade: B

Art Brut vs. Satan by Art Brut: Indie Rock. The songs follow pretty much the same formula as their previous two albums. Argos’ dead pan delivery and rocking guitars provide the usual winces at the lyrics and also the smiles at the clever turns of phrases: “I fought the floor and the floor won” when describing being drunk for example. It’s a good album, though lacking some of the urgency of the debut. TWH: Alcoholics Unanimous; Summer Job; Catch

Grade: B

Around the Sun by R.E.M.: Rock. One of the band’s later albums this record doesn’t really do or say much. The songs come and go and all seem much of a muchness. They lack energy and really only one or at a push two really stand out. Much like Neil Young’s last album reviewed, it doesn’t really matter as they have so many other great albums to choose from. TWH: Leaving New York; The Ascent Of Man

Grade: E

Around the Fur by Deftones: Metal. This was the band’s second album and it was a huge leap from their previous effort. Though the terrible genre of Nu-Metal was starting to make an appearance, Deftones set out their stall to show they were not just another nu-metal act. The songs have catch riffs, screaming and some strange and haunting lyrics. Chino’s vocal range from barely a whisper to ear bleeding shrieks and the guitars are constantly smashing your brain. This is what a metal album should sound like.

TWH: My Own Summer (Shove It); Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away); MX

Grade : A*

Armed Forces by Elvis Costello and The Attractions: New Wave/Rock. Costello’s third album in 2 years and he wasn’t slowing any time soon. The songs all deal with bitter feelings towards women but especially English culture. He pokes fun at people and feels paranoid about poking fun at the simultaneously. Though there are some very poppy tunes they can’t mask the darkness that lies at the heart of this album. Brilliant. TWH: Oliver’s Army; Green Shirt; Sunday’s Best

Grade: A*

Are You Passionate? by Neil Young: Rock. Not much to say about this. Young has the backing band of Booker T. and the MGs and though they add a soulful feel to the album the songs all drift into one another with nothing standing out. Oh well, it’s not as if he hasn’t got some other albums to fall back on. Close, but no cigar. TWH: TWH: You’re My Girl; Let’s Roll

Grade: E

Are You Experienced? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Psychedelic Rock/Blues Rock. The debut album for Hendrix and it has some classic tracks. The guitars wail, the bass is fat and the drums pound. Each song shows the groups skills and also Hendrix’s as a song writer (something he is under valued for). It has frenzied fret work as well as some mix of jazz and blues in the playing. Probably their best album. TWH: Foxy Lady; Red House; Fire

Grade: A*

April E.P. by Bishop Allen: Indie Rock. An ambitious project from this band see the release of 12 E.P.s over 12 months. This one is obviously April’s. The songs are all fairly poppy and have slight hints of Vampire Weekend. This is a good little e.p. TWH: The Costume Ball; Bellingham

Grade: C

Apple Venus Volume 1 by XTC: Pop Rock/Chamber Pop. This is a record critics fawn over. I can’t see why. It is lifeless and boring. Songs meander along and don’t really do anything. What happened to the tunes? Don’t bother. TWH:

Grade: F

Apple O’ by Deerhoof: Art Rock. This is not an easy album to listen to. I usually have these songs on shuffle and open song is enough, however, when listening to the songs in album form it’s not as hard as I thought. Yes the songs have weird time signatures and strange high pitched Japanese singing but, under all the weirdness there are pop songs (honest). Without sounding too much like the critics I generally hate, if you put a bit of work in with this album you may actually like it. If you like your songs just plain rocking then don’t bother. TWH: Dummy Discards A Heart; My Diamond Star Car; L’Amour Stories

Grade: C

Appetite For Destruction by Guns ‘n Roses: Metal. Everybody knows this album. Great songs and a great debut album. My only problem is I have heard ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ done by so many bands I am sick of it. But that’s not GnR’s fault. TWH: Welcome To The Jungle; Night Train; Paradise City

Grade: A*

Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade: Indie Rock. This album was apparently written and recorded in a couple of weeks so the newly signed band to start touring. The songs sound like U.S. indie rock, in fact they sound like a smattering of bands thrown together to make one. Songs ideas fly around the album and it still manages to sound cohesive. TWH: You Are A Runner & I Am My Father’s Son: Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts; This Heart’s On Fire

Grade: C

Apocalypse by Bill Callahan: Alt-Country. Sounds more like his previous incarnation Smog, than he has on his other albums. The songs flow by with his baritone voice. They are good for some background music and when you listen they may have the odd lyrical twist and fedback guitar poke through, really not his strongest release. TWH: One Fine Morning; Drover; Free’s

Grade: C

Antics by Interpol: Post Punk Revival. The second album follows a similar line to the first. Fat bass, spiky guitars and moody vocals. It’s dark, though most of the songs feel like radio hits. This is definitely a strong album. TWH: Evil; Slow Hands; Not Even Jail

Grade: B

Another Side Of Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan: Folk. Dylan’s fourth album and he is already bored with the folk genre. Here he has ditched the political/protest songs that had made his name and starts singing about more personal and human issues. He kick starts the confessional singer/songwriter genre with his songs chronicling the arguments and break up with his then girlfriend in an eight minute long bitching session. He is also in a lighter mood and seems half cut on some tracks which he supposedly made up on the spot. The best though is when he pokes fun at himself and all the other folkies “I was so much older then/ I’m younger than that now”. Mind you he would already be changing direction by the time this record had been released. Gotta love him. TWH: It Ain’t Me Babe; My Back Pages; I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)

Grade: A

Another Music In A Different Kitchen by Buzzcocks: Pop Punk. The debut album by one of the original purveyors of pop punk and the template for songs about girls, masturbation and al round general teen malaise is set. It sounds gritty and Pete Shelly’s high pitched snotty vocals may turn some people off, but the quality of the tunes is always there. They were always more of a singles band according to most people ( and I agree) but this is an interesting and powerful album that showed the promise the band had. TWH: No Reply; I Don’t Mind; I Need

Grade: C

Anodyne by Uncle Tupelo: Country/Americana. This was the last album by the band and you can hear the discrepancies between the two main writers. The songs are fairly country though those written by Jeff Tweedy (who then formed Wilco) are straying from the country mould. The songs bop along and are all fairly good. As a swan song it’s not bad at all. TWH: The Long Cut; Acuff Rose; We’ve Been Had

Grade: C

Animals by Pink Floyd: Prog Rock. Based supposedly on Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ the human race is split into Pigs, Dogs and Sheep. Bookended with two short ditties the other three tracks are sprawling and really live up to the prog. label. Roger Water’s lyrics reflect his bitterness, though he was to go much deeper on later albums. Considering this came out the year that punk broke. It holds up well. TWH: Pigs on the Wing part 1; Sheep; Dogs.

Grade: C

Angles by The Strokes: Indie Rock. Apparently, even the band didn’t like making this, their fourth album so it never had high hopes. It has a slightly new wave feel, but the fact of the matter is the songs just aren’t very good. Maybe one or two manage to get their heads above the crowd but it’s just a case of a band treading water. Maybe it’s time they called it day. TWH: Under Cover Of Darkness

Grade: E

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead by …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead: Post Hardcore. Though there are glimmers of greatness with this debut, the production is too sludgy and the vocals mired with a bad mix. Sometimes you get screeching guitars, sometimes you get loud snare drums, and sometimes you get traceable vocals, but never all at once. Luckily they didn’t give up after this first album. TWH: Richter Scale Madness; Fake Fake Eyes

Grade: E

…And Out Come The Wolves by Rancid: Punk/Ska. By this time Rancid had come in to their own. This was the album that made the biggest impact. The songs are fast paced and tick all the boxes that are required for a good album. Tim Armstrong’s singing still sounds like the drunken ghost of Joe Strummer issuing forth and Matt Freeman’s bass playing is insanely good. TWH: Maxwell Murder; Time Bomb; As Wicked

Grade: A

Ancient Melodies of the Future by Built To Spill: Indie/Alt. Rock. This is the band’s sixth studio album and was something of a return to the poppy sounds of their masterpiece There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. The songs tend to be more of the ballad type but as usual the guitars sing, the rhythm section is solid and the melodies are subtle yet poppy. This band hadn’t made a bad album before this was released and this just continued their run of fantastic form. TWH: Strange; Happiness; Fly Around My Pretty Little Head

Grade: B

Amore Del Tropico by The Black Heart Procession: Indie Rock. It’s like a script of a film noir set to slightly Cuban-esque music. It tells the story of what seems to be the problems of love and the narrator or maybe his girlfriend ends up dead. It’s dark and brooding and the story itself is worth paying attention to. TWH: Did You Wonder?; A Cry For Love; The One Who Disappeared

Grade: C

Amnesiac by Radiohead: Electro/Indie Rock: Radiohead’s fifth album was really just the left over tracks from the previous album. The songs blip and Thom Yorke’s vocals sound like they have been fed through a computer. However, the guitars do start to make an appearance and no matter how obtuse the ‘Head like to get, the fact is they are amazing songwriters and their general brilliance always shines through. TWH: Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box; Pyramid Song; Life in a Glasshouse

Grade: A

American Water by Silver Jews: Indie/Alt-Country. Most people consider this a Pavement side project but it was actually formed around the same time. The only constant member is Dave Berman, though Stephen Malkmus of Pavement does crop up on most releases if only playing guitar and sometimes adding vocals. The lyrics are obtuse but fantastic at the same time. The opening line is “In 1984 I was hospitalised for approaching perfection”. Berman rants and has wild word play with Malkmus and the tunes aren’t bad either. TWH: Random Rules; Send In The Clouds; Honk If You’re Lonely

Grade: B

American VI: Ain’t No More Grave by Johnny Cash: Country/Americana. The final album in the American series and the second to be released after the great man’s death follows the formula of the others in the series. The song choices just don’t seem to be quite as strong as on the other albums in the series, and once again his voice is weaker, but this just adds to the slightly macabre air that pervades the album. TWH: Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold Me Down); Satisfied Mind; I Don’t Hurt Anymore

Grade: B

American V: A Hundred Highways by Johnny Cash: Country/Americana. Released after Cash’s death, the songs have a feeling of death surrounding them concerned as they are with God, love and murder. You know the drill with the sound. Cash’s voice (though sounding weaker) is to the fore and sounds almost embarrassingly vulnerable, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and occasional other embellishments. TWH: Help Me; God’s Gonna Cut You Down; If You Could Read My Mind

Grade: B

American Stars and Bars by Neil Young: Classic Rock. This album has been described as a ‘hodge podge’ of all the styles Young is famous for. And it is. You have lo-fi country, pure country, balls to the wall rock and everything in between. This album was essentially a collection of outtakes from previous albums over a space of a few years. However, though the album doesn’t flow particularly well it still has some great moments. TWH: Saddle Up The Palomino; Will To Love; Like A Hurricane

Grade: B

American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem: Rock. You can hear this band is from NJ. The obvious worship of the boss is here, but they do not just copy him. The songs are fast paced rock number with catchy melodies and excellent singing. You don’t have to be an American to appreciate this band. They capture romanticism and heartbreak with a widescreen sound. TWH: American Slang; The Spirit of Jazz; Orphans

Grade: A

American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash: Country/Americana. The last one of the series released during Cash’s lifetime and it has some of his greatest covers and some less so. The title track is one of the best songs he had ever written and his cover of ‘Hurt’ is now a modern classic. Other songs seem a tad cheesy but we can let him get away with that. TWH: The Man Come Around; Hurt; Personal Jesus

Grade: B

American III: Solitary Man by Johnny Cash: Country/Americana. On the third installment the idea stays the same but the songs have a distinctly darker tone. Cash sounds defiant in the face impending death and also terribly lonely in his old age. He even makes a U2 song sound like it shouldn’t have been sung in a stadium. TWH: I Won’t Back Down; One; The Mercy Seat

Grade: A