3. Juju by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1981) - thoughts on albums I haven't heard

To be honest, I've never listened to anything by Siouxsie and the Banshees before. The only things I know about them are that they're a bit gothic and that they were well known in the 1980's. Apart from that, I didn't really know what to expect. My only guesses were that they might sound a bit like other bands from that era such as The Cure or The Smiths.

To sum it up in one, this album was a bit hit and miss for me personally, however, it's still a pretty decent album. Firstly, the guitar tones on this thing are always excellent, whether it's the weird and creepy stabs on "Head Cut" or the cool sounding riffs on "Into the Light", there's always something interesting going on with the guitars.

My one slight nag with this album is the vocals, I found them a bit too overly theatrical at first. For example, opener "Spellbound" has this issue and so does "Monitor" and "Voodoo Dolly". However, I wouldn't say that these dramatic vocals are incredibly difficult to listen to, you can easily adjust to them after about five listens I'd say. Also, some of the songs I mentioned above are over five and a half minutes long so some listeners might get sick of the vocals after that amount of time. All in all, I don't mind the vocals, I just found them a bit strange at first.

In terms of the highlights on "Juju", "Halloween" was easily my favourite song. That song is an anthem for, umm well, Halloween! Seriously, it’s an excellent song and I'd say that the chorus is really catchy and accessible. “Arabian Knights” is another entertaining track on this album too.

Overall, this is a fairly enjoyable 1980’s album and I can definitely see The Cure influences on it. I didn’t love it a lot but I can understand why some people might enjoy it. In conclusion though, I did like the album and I'll probably listen to it again.  

OVERALL RATING: 7/10 

BEST SONGS: HALLOWEEN, ARABIAN KNIGHTS, INTO THE LIGHT. 

2. It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2009) - thoughts on albums I haven't heard

My only previous encounter with Yeah Yeah Yeahs came after I heard a remix of their song "Heads Will Roll" in the film "Project X". Since then I'd always wanted to check them out seeing as that remix is absolutely superb. Instinctively, I headed straight to "It's Blitz!" because that's the album that contains the original version of "Heads Will Roll".

Rhythmically this record is simply top notch and there isn't a single song you can't dance to. Whether it's the pulsating blitzkrieg of opener "Zero", the funky passion of "Dragon Queen" or the gentle swoon of closing track "Little Shadow", there's always something that will make you want to move your feet. This focus on rhythm really adds to the package as it basically makes everything a lot more fun and entertaining.

In addition to this, all the tracks on this album feel so full and detailed, even if it's one of the more tender numbers such as "hysteric", you won't be left feeling unsatisfied. Like a well produced reality TV show, there's always something being subtlety tweaked in the background. For example, towards the end of the song "Skeletons", there's this ascending synth riff mixed in with light snare drum hits and it makes the song sound even more majestic than it previously was. It's this kind of attention to detail that deserves a heap load of credit as it shows the band have put a lot of thought and care into every nook and cranny.

Also, if you like a hook then you're in luck, this thing has hooks up the wazoo (wow, that sounded wrong). The punky chorus of "Heads Will Roll" is a particular highlight and "Soft Shock" pretty much wears the crown when it comes to being consistently catchy. Plus, the songs range from energetic to soft (and everything in between) so this keeps things from becoming boring and it leaves you to focus in on the wonderful melodies.

Honestly, I can't get enough of "It's Blitz!". There isn't a bad song to be found anywhere and it feels like a goldmine that keeps on giving. If the rest of the band's catalogue is anything like this then I may have found a new favourite band, who knows?

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

BEST SONGS: HEADS WILL ROLL, SKELETONS, HYSTERIC.

1. Young Team by Mogwai (1997) - thoughts on albums I haven't heard

I'd always heard that Mogwai were an outstanding band to listen to if you liked guitar music. Many music critics and people I know have rated them highly so I decided to check them out. After surfing through several internet pages, I discovered that their debut album was one of their most critically acclaimed ones amongst many. Naturally, my curiosity was heightened and I decided to listen to "Young Team".

Interestingly, this album is mostly instrumentals except for one song ("R U Still In 2 It?"). Not only that, but the album also clocks in at a lengthy 64 minutes and 31 seconds. Therefore, to say that this album is bold and ambitious would probably be an understatement. Plus, may it be reminded that this is a debut album! Mogwai's career could've ended before it even began, but luckily this ballsy move paid off and they've made several other albums since 1997.

In terms of the album's sound, "Young Team" definitely tries to create a beautiful melancholic atmosphere that reminded me of the excellent Scarlett Johansson/Bill Murray film "Lost in Translation" (check it out if you haven't seen it). The guitars on this record are gentle repetitive ones that occasionally burst into loud moments and this honestly kind of bugged me. Sure, the loud bursts add some dynamic variation to the songs but I personally preferred the soft bleakness to the surprising distortion. "Like Herod" and "Summer (Priority Version)" are examples of this issue I had.

Apart from that, I found the album to be a fairly enjoyable listen. This enjoyability was most apparent on tracks such as "Radar Maker", "Tracy" and "With Portfolio", where the guitars took a back seat and let instruments such pianos and glockenspiels take the wheel of the lead melody vehicle. All in all, this subtle change breathed a lot of life into this album.

Another cool thing about this album is that some tracks have underlying telephone calls that can't be heard very clearly (such as "Yes! I am A Long Way From Home" and "Katrien"). This was an interesting motif as I felt that it helped to suggest negative emotions such as confusion, which helped add to the atmosphere of "Young Team".

Personally, I thought this album was decent but it wasn't really my kind of thing. I can understand why someone might like it though. However, I found some of the longer songs like "Mogwai Fear Satan" and "Like Herod" to be a bit tedious because of the repetitive instrumentation. Overall, "Young Team" creates a nice atmosphere and has some interesting moments but it's a bit of a difficult listen. I'll certainly be checking out some of Mogwai's later work though as they seem like a band that has a lot of fascinating and creative ideas.          

OVERALL RATING: 6/10

BEST SONGS: TRACY, YES! I AM A LONG WAY FROM HOME, RADAR MAKER.