26. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come

I wasn't too keen on this album before I'd even listened to it. It sounds like a silly thing to say, but it's true. The person that recommended it to me said that it's quite "shouty" and I'm generally not a fan of 'shouty' punk. But in this case I'll make an exception.


The shouty factor didn't really bother me because it's not out of place with the rest of the music and I can imagine  that sometime in the future I will very much be in the mood to listen to this and rock the fuck out. There are some  really interesting things about this album too, the songs don't really seem to feature any specific structure, there's a plethora of different genres infused into this such as jazz, electro, drum and bass and of course punk.


The songs that really stood out to me are 'New Noise' which starts out like it's going to start with a mental, heavy guitar riff and then turns into an almost chillout/drum and bass song and then kicks into a very heavy song and the other stand out track was 'Tannhauser/Derive' which has a really ominous intro that goes on for about 2 and a half minutes before then switching between heavy punk and ambiance. The thing that I like about this album is how the musicians really build to the heavy moments. Oh, and the drumming's awesome.


Until tomorrow.....
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#365Albums
Favorite Song:

25. New Found Glory - New Found Glory

When I listen to this album it takes me back to 2001. I remember buying this album in Onyx records across the road from the old (See better) Forbidden Planet in Bristol. The fist time I listened to this album I fell in love with it and 11 years later I still love this album.


There is nothing particularly complex about this album, it's just a great pop record full of great guitar riffs, fast drumming and catchy choruses, and that is all I want from a pop-punk album like this. 


'Say your name' is an anthemic number that everyone can sing along to, 'Dressed to kill' is the ultimate post-breakup party song and 'Boy crazy' is a really catchy song about how mental, and sometimes evil, girls can be.


I walked home from work today with the sun beating down on me with a gormless smile across my face and loved every minute of it.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song:

24. Justice - (Cross)

Why are french people so good at making awesome house/electro music? When I think of french house music, I generally think of either Daft Punk or Dimitri from Paris, but now 'JUSTICE' screams out at me. 


From the very first song, you can tell that every track on this album is going to be a cunting TUNE (I'm not sure why that was in capitals). The opening song 'Genesis' is a gigantic sounding song that has a sinister synth-heavy beat with some awesome slap-bass going on and that sets the tone for the rest of the album. 


D.A.N.C.E. is a modern day disco anthem with a really infectious chorus and of course, bass line. 'New Jack' has an awesome chopped-up vocal (I usually like these) and the song drastically changes mid way through which  is a real surprise on the first listen and 'Phantom' and 'Phantom Part 2' are simply bangers, there's no other way to describe them.


If you like Daft Punk this is a great listen. It's got all of the best elements of a Daft Punk album, but is funkier and has a harder edge. If you don't like Daft Punk, you should probably give this a listen anyway...


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song: 

23. Pearl Jam - Ten

I don't really know much about Pearl Jam. All I know is that they are some grunge band from Seattle and the lead singer sounds like the singer from Creed (A crap band, but I like them).


After listening to 'Ten', I still don't know much about them to be honest. I can tell that they're all really talented musicians and that lead singer, Eddie Vedder has a very imitated voice and dark lyrics. A lot of the lyrics deal with homelessness, murder and suicide which can make it a tough listen, although still an enjoyable one. 


It would be unfair for me to judge this album after just one listen, I enjoyed it but I didn't think that it was amazing. Having said that I am definitely going to revisit it another time in the future.  


The singers voice is good, but I still side with Creed on this one.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song: 

22. J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story

There has been a slight change in the 365 challenge. Every Monday I will listen to an album that gets released on that day, today it's the debut album from Fayetteville rapper J. Cole. 

This young guy is a very talented MC who can go from boasting, to conscious rap, to storyteller mode without sounding contradictory. One of the things that caught me off guard was how good J.Cole is behind the boards on production. Cole handles 12 of the 15 songs on the album and the beats all sound fresh and original, there's soulful production (In the Morning, Sideline Story), off-kilter Timbaland sounding beats (Cole World) and even dubstep sounding tracks (The Jay-Z featuring 'Mr Nice Watch'). 

This album isn't perfect though, the aforementioned 'Mr Nice Watch' for me is probably the weakest song, 'In the Morning' featuring isn't a bad song, but it was released over a year ago. When I'm listening to a new album, I don't really want to hear a song that's over a year old. The Trey Songz assisted 'Can't Get Enough' is also an average pop-oriented offering, aimed at the pop charts. 

There are standout songs though, 'Sideline Story' is a great track, as is 'Rise and Shine' which is a booming drum-heavy banger which perfectly compliments Cole's aggressive delivery.

This is not in the same vein as debuts such as 'Illmatic', 'Ready to die' or 'Doggystyle', but it is certainly a solid body of work. If J. Cole can reach his potential, the sky's the limit. 

Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song: Sideline Story

21. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne

Kanye West and Jay-Z first collaborated on Jay-Z's 2001 classic album 'The Blueprint'. Since then they have recorded multiple songs together, either Kanye producing for Jay-Z, Jay appearing on a Kanye song or vice-versa. They have worked together so many times that you could create an albums worth of material prior to 'Watch the Throne' even being released. 


As they have worked for years as friends and collaborators there is an undeniable chemistry between them, for proof of this look no further than the albums first single 'Otis'. The Otis Redding sampled 'Otis' has got some of the best braggadocios rapping that you will ever hear over a sick Kanye production. 'That's my bitch' which is produced by Q-Tip and Kanye is a standout and so is 'Gotta have it' which is produced by the Neptunes. 


Although both artists have produced superior music separately 'Watch the throne' is a welcome addition to both discography's. 


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song: (Gotta have it)

20. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

20 years ago on this date, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released this album and it has always been in my top 10 of all time.

I remember listening to this album back in the early 90's and being in awe of it having never heard anything like it prior to this. At the time I couldn't have really liked much more than the fact that the lead singer said funny words in a funny voice, but like wine, this album has gotten even better as the times gone on.

The stand out tracks for me are 'Suck my kiss', 'Apache Rose Peacock' and 'Under the bridge'. This is a classic album.

Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite Song:

19. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

This blog has got very hip-hop heavy in the last week and I promise that next week will be a bit more varied but that's just how it panned out.


Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of 'Nevermind' by Nirvana, 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the album that I've chosen to listen to today. 


A lot of people rate 'Low End Theory' as  A Tribe Called Quest's finest work and I am one of them. The Jazz inspired productions were paramount in introducing hip-hop to a wider audiences and it still thought as one of the best hip-hop albums ever made. 'Check the rhime' is a great song with a great beat that is impossible to listen to without bobbing your head, 'Buggin' Out' has got an infectious bass like and Phife Dog owns this track and 'Jazz (We've got) is probably the best representation of Tribe you will ever hear. 


The standout song though is 'Scenario' which is a posse cut featuring members of Leaders of the New School (Including a young Busta Rhymes). This is the moment that people started to notice 'Bussa Buss' as a lyrical and he sounds maniacal as he straight up bodies this beat.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite song: Scenario Featuring Leaders of the New School

18. Jet Age Of Tomorrow - The Journey to the 5th Echelon

This is the second album from the group Jet Age of Tomorrow, who themselves, are part of Los Angeles hip-hop collective 'Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All' (Often referred to as OFWGKTA or, the easier, Odd Future).


To classify this is a straight up hip-hop album wouldn't really do this justice. It's primarily instrumentals but there are a few guest appearances from various Odd Future affiliates but the best thing about is the sonic landscape that producers Matt Martians and Hal Williams create. Imagine Neptunes production x Herbie Hancock x a 1950's sci-fi film score and this should give you a pretty decent idea of what this album sounds like. 


I don't want to mention too much in case anyone wants to have a listen, but I highly recommend this album. The first album, Voyager, is really worth a listen too.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite song: Pack Up

17. Big L - Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous

Big L loses points for the spelling on this album and a lot of the song names, but then swiftly regains them and adds to his existing point tally as soon as I press play on my iPod. 


Big L ferocious lyrics, witty punchlines and venomous delivery makes me understand why he was such a revered MC prior to his untimely death in 1999. The grimy production matches the dark nature of L's lyrics with beats supplied by fellow D.I.T.C. group members Buckwild, Lord Finesse and Showbiz and it's clear to see the chemistry that his New York based crew. 


'8 is Enuff' is probably one of hip-hop's best posse cuts featuring Buddah Bless, Herb McGruff, Cam'ron (then known as Killa Cam) ,Mike Boogie, Terra, Big Twan, and Trooper J (all of whom come from L's neighborhood), you would think that having 8 MC's on one track would be a bit much but it works on this occasion. 'Street struck' is one of the more socially conscious songs, "Da Graveyard" is another stellar posse cut featuring Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut, (A young) Jay-Z ,Party Arty and Grand Daddy I.U. and 'MVP' is another uplifting song that is a welcome break to the harsh themes of some of the songs.


Ultimately, this is a very good debut from one of hip-hops best MC's who was sadly taken from us to soon. This album is a very good listen and is recommended if you are a fan of early '90's New York hip-hop (think Nas' Illmatic), it's not recommended if you get easily offended.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite song: 

16. The Beatles - Revolver

To be honest, there's not too much that I can write about this album that hasn't already been written. I could go on and on about how revolutionary the reverse guitar solo in 'I'm Only Sleeping' are, the novelty song in 'Yellow Submarine', the North Indian inspired 'Love you too' and of course the beautiful 'Here, There and Everywhere' but I won't. This is an album that should just be listened to as the incredible piece of art that it is and should just be admired and appreciated.

Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums
Favorite song: Here, There and Everywhere

15. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

On Christmas 2010 I received on of the best gifts ever, a box set containing Bruce Springsteen's first 7 albums. Now, although I consider 'Born to run' the Boss's best album, but I thought I'd go for this one instead.


A lot of people think that the albums title track 'Born in the USA' is a patriotic anthem, but it's actually an anti-Vietnam song detailing the effect that being over there in a pointless war and the difficulties that Vietnam veterans had readjusting to society. The other massive hit off this album is the amazing 'Dancing in the dark' which is a synth heavy ultimate pop song. I don't really know why I'm writing about it to be honest, it's Springsteen's biggest hit and one of them most popular pop songs ever.


The whole album is a very synth-heavy affair to be honest, which makes the synth-less 'Bobby Jean' a stand out song with a classic Clarence Clemons saxophone solo at the end of it, this song could easily been on 'Born to run.'. Glory days absolutely rocks too.....This is a great album, but would you expect anything less from a bloke nicknamed 'The Boss'?


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith (Currently doing the Springsteen dance)
#365Albums

Favorite song:

14. Bad Meets Evil - Hell: The Sequel

Bad Meets Evil is a group consisted of Detroit MC's Eminem and Royce Da '59, one of which you've probably heard of, the other one, not so much.


A brief history of the two MC's is that they were friends prior to Eminem becoming a worldwide superstar, Em then blew up, Royce had a falling out with Eminem's group D-12, numerous disses were thrown back between both of them, then sadly, mutual friend Proof was killed and they then squashed their beef. The only question on the lips of all fans of both MC's was 'When is there going to be a new Bad Meets Evil song then?', thankfully we didn't have to wait long.


After a ten year hiatus, Royce (Bad) and Eminem (Evil) sound even better than they did ten years ago. The intro finds both Bad and Evil trading bars in double time bars over a great Havoc produced beat, 'Fast lane' is a great track again with both MC's spitting witty lines with an infectious chorus and 'Loud Noises' featuring Slaughterhouse (of which Royce is a member) is a clinic on how to make a mediocre song great with amazing emceeing, especially from Joell Ortiz who bodies the beat. 


The main downfall to this album is the Bruno Mars assisted 'Lighters'. It's not necessarily a bad song, it just sounds like every other Bruno Mars featuring hip-hop song and then, therefore, sounds completely out of place with the rest of the album. Other than that it's a great album, it's good to see Bad and Evil back in business. 


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums

Favorite song:

13. Brookes Brothers - Brookes Brothers

I'm not the biggest fan of drum and bass, I don't mind it but there is one thing that I specifically don't like about it.  The 'WOB'. 


I don't know what it is really, I'm assuming the 'WOB' is the bass part of this equation, but the fact is that I find it a bit annoying. This is also the reason that I've never massively got into dubstep either. 


This album however, is nearly completely devoid of the 'WOB' so it makes it a lot easier for me to listen to. To no one's surprise 'Warcry', the one song with the 'WOB', is the only one that I didn't really get on with. The rest of the album is a really cool DNB album that you could either chill out to or party like fuck too. The best tracks, are 'Beautiful', 'Corpse Bride' and the reggae and dubstep inspired 'In Your Eyes'.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums

Favorite song:

12. Nirvana - Nevermind

On the 24 of this month, it will be 20 years since 'Nevermind' by Nirvana was released to the general public and it's still as good as it was then. Thanks to @misterrhys for the suggestion.

The obvious song to initially discuss is 'Smells like teen spirit', which I always thought was an analogy for semen. I'm serious. It turns out it's not really about anything, apparently Kurt Cobain  would write the lyrics for his songs about five minutes before recording it. 'Teen Spirit' isn't cum though, it is the name of some kind of american deodorant which was popular in the early 1990's which Cobain smelled like. That's an imaginative concept though, no one would do that these days, can you imagine the Kaiser Chiefs or Mumford and Sons doing a song about Lynx? Even if they did it would be shit.

'In Bloom' is probably my favorite song though, it'd would most likely be 'Teen spirit' but I've been in too many shitty, cheesey clubs that have played it and it's somewhat killed it for me. 'Lithium' and 'Come as you are' are great songs too, but the other track that really stands out to me as the lyrics sound so sinister.

I'm off now to attempt to write a song about old spice.

Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums

Favorite song:

11. The Doors - The Doors

'The Doors' is the 1967 debut album from the band of the same name. According to the wiki page on this album,  it took six days to record. That astounded me. How do these musician types do it? 


Much like my situation with Bob Dylan, I have never listened to a Doors album before so starting at the beginning seemed to be a logical place to start. In terms of this blog though, I don't really know where to start to be honest...


Fucked if I know what lead singer Jim Morrison is going on about for most of the album, his lyrics make little sense to me, but the music is so captivating that I can easily get over that. The standout tracks for me are the opener 'Break on through (To the other side)', 'Twentieth century fox' and the eleven minute long 'The End'. 'The End' is an strange song, it apparently started as a love song and through performing it live, it just got longer and longer with vocals changing from singing into a spoken word section in which Morrison states that he would like to kill his father and fuck his mother. Calm down though, he's not talking literally, he's referencing the Oedipus complex and reenacting some good old Greek tragedy. I said it was a bit odd......


This is a good album. 


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song: The End (Watch out for some amazing crowd dancing in the video!)

10. Incubus - Morning View

Wow. Ten albums listened to and 10 blogs written. To be honest, I had anticipated that I would have given up by now, it looks like I've resigned myself to doing this. 


An Incubus is, according to wikipedia "a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them." Thankfully this Incubus isn't one of those, but a band of 5 Californian rockers who, on this album especially, perform a unique blend of rock and funk.


It's hard to shoehorn Incubus into any particular genre, especially on this album which, up to this one, was their most ambient work to date. The tracks 'Nice to know you' and 'Wish you were here' are two perfect examples of ambient versus and rocking choruses. 'Echo' and 'Mexico' are two of the more chilled out songs on this album, but really stand out. My favorite song though is the jazzy, swing inspired 'Are you in?'. It's an odd one in that the only lyrics are 'It's so much better/when everyone is in/are you in? Ooooooh ooh ooh' and this is repeated throughout the song, but the baseline is so infectious and the song so catchy that it doesn't matter how repetitive the lyrics are. This is a very good album.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song:

9. Makaveli (2Pac) - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Tupac Shakur's untimely death and with this in mind, it seems only appropriate that one of his albums gets the #365 treatment. I would like to say that the idea to review a Tupac album was mine but that honor goes to @Kev_Bradshaw_82, cheers for the idea. 


For me, Tupac's legacy has been tarnished by multiple sub-par posthumous album releases full of songs with poor production and extremely questionable guest appearances. Fortunately for me, I don't fuck with those albums and strictly stick to his studio albums. 


The Don Killuminati isn't the first Tupac album I ever owned (I already had 'Me Against The World' and the double tape 'All Eyez On Me'), but this album is probably my favorite. The album kicks off with 'Bomb First', a relentless diss track throwing shots at Nas, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Biggie, Diddy (during his Puff Daddy days) and a slew of other prominent New York rappers. This song must have been recorded when 'pac was seriously annoyed, it doesn't go as personal as 'Hit 'em Up' from 'All Eyez On Me' but I can guarantee that some feelings were seriously hurt by it. This is then followed up by 'Hail Mary', 'Toss It Up' and 'To Live and Die in L.A.' all of which have come to be known as classics form 'pac's back catalog.


Another highlight is 'Just Like Daddy' which is a song all about fucking. The reason that this song is memorable to me is that in year eight of school, I bought the cassette single of 'To Live and Die in L.A.' and 'Just Like Daddy' was the B-Side. I remember being sat in the mini-bus on the way home and listening to it in the tape deck on the bus, now there was a radio of 'To Live and Die in L.A. on the tape, but 'Just Like Daddy' didn't have a censored version. The face on Ms Rawlings was a classic when the line 'Screamin' like you're dyin' every time I'm fuckin' you' came on is something I will never forget. 


Me and my girlfriend was reworked by Jay-Z and Beyonce and entitled '03 Bonnie & Clyde' and it's got nothing compared to Tupac's love letter to his gun. That's not an unusual in hip-hop to hear an MC giving an inanimate object human tendencies but it's rarely done well, on this occasion it is. 


The album closer 'Against All Odds' is not a cover of the popular Phil Collins song, but another warning to East Coast MC's that 'Pac is not one to be fucked with. Unfortunately, Tupac Shakur was killed two months before this album got released.  


I often wonder what would have happened if Tupac didn't get murdered. Would he have left Death Row Records (as this has been rumored to have been the reason that he was assassinated) and left his aggression behind and gone back to the socially conscious rapper that he was in his pre Death Row days? Would he be considered one of the best of all time if he was still alive? Would he have re-built his bridges with Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z and even Dr Dre? Imagine a song with those MC's over a Dre beat. Ultimately I guess we'll never know, I just know that he left behind a fine body of work in The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song:

8. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

I like to think of myself as something of a music fan and yet I've never listened to a Bob Dylan album. Prior to listening to 'Blonde on Blonde' the only song by Mr Dylan that I  knew was the one from the beginning of the Watchmen film, and I don't even know that one very well. 

As a lot of people cite Bob Dylan as a major influence, it seemed only right that I should give it a go.

The song that starts the album off made me chuckle as it is an amazing stoner song, disguised in it's referenced to the old testament (In order to get radio play as commercial radio wouldn't play a song called 'everyone must get stoned'). The second song 'Pledging my time' seems to set the tone for the rest of the album, bluesy and folky. 

I like the strong presence of the harmonica which you don't seem to get much these days, it serves as a nice way to end most of the songs and in particular the solo at the end of 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' is the perfect way to end the album. 

For a first time listen I really enjoyed this album, I imagine that after repeated listens it only gets better. 

Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song:

7. Weezer - Weezer

Today it's Weezers' debut album. It's a bit of a cheat to be honest, it's a relatively short album that I know quite well so that I could bash this blog out quickly. 'That's not the point of this blog!' I hear you ask, well balls! I work a lot and finding the time to write this blog everyday will, at times be a chore. Today is one of those times. 


This album is one of my favorite non hop-hop/guitarey albums. The songs are immensely good to sing along to and the simple, yet perfectly played guitars, work with the melodies to make one of the best pop/alternative rock albums of all time. 


If or when I gain power, to not own this album will be a crime punishable by a single gunshot to the head. Consider yourself warned...


Tomorrow's blog will be better.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song:

6. Big Sean - Finally Famous: The Album

The best this about this album is Big Sean's delivery and flow. There are numerous comparisons between him and Drake, but if you will listen to some of Sean's earlier work you can clearly see that he's been rapping with this flow for quite sometime. 


After the intro to the album it heads straight into 'I do it' (which is one of Sean's most used ad-lib) which is a fun song that is aimed straight at the club audience and this is the trend that the album mainly follows. The preposterous 'Dance (Ass)' is nothing more than the title says. The song has Sean rapping about his favorite part of a woman's body over a MC Hammer sampled beat provided by Da Interanz (who I nothing about, other than they cannot spell), and the Dream featured 'Live this life' is a fresh, uplifting track that would go down extremely well in the club.


The only thing that detracts from the overall enjoyment of this album is the presence of everyone's favorite woman beating cunt, Chris Brown on 'My last'. However, this is balanced out with the appearance of the always excellent John Legend, who makes any song better, on 'Memories part 2' (I'm not sure where part 1 is).


Overall, 'Finally Famous: The Album' is a fine addition to anyone's record collection and I recommend it.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums


Favorite song: 

5. The Overtones - Good Ol' Fashioned Love

I was dared to listen to this album. 


Boom. Album listened to and, as a bonus, I kind of enjoyed it.


The Overtones, I was only moderately familiar with as I have sold many copies to old women. I hadn't heard any of their music, never read an article or even gave them any serious consideration to be part of the 365 Challenge, but that's the beauty of this challenge. It throws you curve-balls.


The album opens on an extremely upbeat and happy song called 'Sh Boom (Life could be a dream) that I wasn't quite prepared for this at 8 o'clock this morning, but it cleared the cobwebs and got my day off to a 'Hey nonny ding dong' start. Yes those are actual lyrics.


The harmonies are really nice and the music serves as a tool to get the best out of the vocal 
performances, but as I still am stupidly childish, I find myself laughing whenever the baritone 
sings anything. Sad really.


The only thing that detracts from this album is that maybe 12 songs of doo-wop is a little too 
much for me. I think like the idea of a modern doo-wop band more than the actual thing. That 
being said, I can imagine giving this a spin one day. It's a harmless pop album, there's nothing too 
amazing about it, but at the same time, nothing terribly offensive either. They're not bad, they're
just not the Pipettes.


Until tomorrow.....
twitter.com/therealtomsmith
#365Albums

Favorite Song:  Gambling Man (It's a cringe-worthy video.)