All posts tagged '1980s'
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables // Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys' iconic debut still boasts some of the most brilliant and uncompromisingly cynical songs that punk has ever seen.
Pretty Hate Machine // Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails rapidly became renowned for emotive and affecting music. Pretty Hate Machine contains those qualities, albeit in anxious tidbits.
Disintegration // The Cure
It’s like Frankenstein in a dinner jacket. Gothic synth rock sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it sounds delicious when The Cure does it.
The Real Thing // Faith No More
Faith No More create a journey of funky new wave rap-metal, and if that depiction sounds ridiculous... well that's because it is.
The Stone Roses // The Stone Roses
A broody, elegant, sometimes transcendent blend of rock and electronic music unlike anything made before or since, even by The Stone Roses.
Daydream Nation // Sonic Youth
Noisy and arty, the album remains a kind of anti-epic; 70 minutes of exploratory rock with a flagrant disregard for pacing or commercial viability.
Straight Outta Compton // N.W.A
It has its lulls, but when Straight Outta Compton blows hot it feels unstoppable. N.W.A modelled a spirit of expression impossible to ignore.
Hounds of Love // Kate Bush
That Bush could create something so deliriously weird and wild yet also break through to the mainstream world is great proof of her powers.
The ’80s according to Stewart Lee
The most miserable man in comedy has five favourite albums from everyone's least favourite decade. We explore Stewart Lee's highlights of the '80s.
This Nation’s Saving Grace // The Fall
There’s a lot to be said for the album’s quirks, but when all is said and done, This Nation’s Saving Grace is in fact a great album in its own right.
Doolittle // Pixies
Doolittle balances boisterous oddness with sweet and sugary pop tunes, making it not only Pixies' most intriguing record, but also the most accessible.
Remain in Light // Talking Heads
Under the Midas wing of Brian Eno, Talking Heads juggle African genres with Western experimentation and innovative digital play.
Purple Rain // Prince
An endearing record of mystery and wonder, deftly inheriting elements from a wide selection of genres that amalgamate to create a category of its own.
9 // Public Image Ltd
It isn’t a classic, it isn’t conventional, it’s oftentimes a bit daft, but the record does what it does terribly well. A loud and peppy splash of creativity.
The Joshua Tree // U2
With a vast and powerful sound, here we experience U2 without the excruciating self-indulgence that turns listeners away from their more recent works.
Power, Corruption & Lies // New Order
The catchy riffs and toe-tapping beats are there, but that's precisely the problem - stubborn in nature, with very little desire to change, they are just there.
Rain Dogs // Tom Waits
Rain Dogs isn’t for everyone, but if you want to hear what the roots of an urban jungle sound like - in all their sad and messy madness - it’s well worth a listen.