W/e 06/06/25 - Matt Berninger, Sea Fever, Garbage, Jacob Alon, R.E.M.

Congrats to Sea Fever, our winners this week. They land comfortably inside our 2025 top 10, on ~ same scores as The Luminanas and just outside our overall top 100. They also have the TOTW.

Simon nips the 😀 from Erol, his first since Feb. Justin has his 2nd ☹️ in 3 weeks.

R.E.M entertained most of us and sit with Verve and Marillion midtable on the classics.

And as Erol initiated the challenge: AFTP was close but just below Justin’s choice of New Adventures in Hi-Fi which we have as 8 places and 0.1 points higher.

Andy

Jacob Alon - They’re obviously talented but this left me cold. Maybe because it doesn’t sound all that original? 4.5

Matt Berninger - An exceptional slice of dadcore. Don’t know why he doesn’t just knock out a new National album but this is a decent enough stopgap 7.5

Garbage - They were always the eminence grises of the alternative scene when they started off so what are they now? This is reliable stuff, cousin Shirley can still knock out a tune and she’s ably supported by the lads. Good one 7

Sea Fever - Are we sure this album isn’t 30 years old? It’s really got that post Madchester sound going on and it’s all rather enjoyable because of it. Sometimes the familiar is just what you need 7

TotW - Nowhere Special by Matt Berninger

REM - Big fan of this one. Drive, Nightswimming, Everybody Hurts are all top tracks. 8

Sam

Jacob Alon : he does have a good voice but Christ this went on and on and was a bit painful at times . 4

Matt Berninger : another good voice and some of this would sound nice on a beach but it wandered in to dullsville quite a lot : 5.5

Garbage : what a cracker ! Retro-futuristic fun . This weeks winner 8.2

Sea Fever : what a treat for electronica lovers . Very accomplished. 7.5

REM : in the middle of grunge and the rapidly growing dance music movement they casually dropped this jewel , full Of massive hits . A real classic . 8.8

TOTW : R U Happy Now by Garbage

Guy

Jacob Alon – I wouldn’t say Indie Folk is one of the genres I most excited about but this is actually a very good album. Beautiful songs and pleasant acoustic guitar – with some strong Simon and Garfunkel / Bob Dylan vibes – 7.8

Matt Berninger – No major problem with this and his voice is clearly excellent. That said it was pretty slow and never seemed to get going for me – 6.3

Garbage – I can’t say I’ve listened to much Garbage but maybe I should go back and do so. This is solid stuff with a nice haunting indie vibe to it – 7.2

Sea Fever – Hardly surprising that I enjoyed this as it is Madchester inspired, but it did sound like New Order lite to me so I couldn’t get overly excited about it - 7

TotW – Confession – Jacob Alon

REM – I always saw this lot as classic MOR indie by numbers. They do write an appealing chart-friendly tune though and there are a few on here – 6.5

Simon

Jacob Alon: not averse to a bit of indie-folk from time to time if it's done really well but there wasn't anything to get excited about here - the songs are fairly same-y and passed me by without leaving much of an impression. 6

Matt Berninger: I've always thought that the National were one of those bands that were incapable of writing a bad song and this is no different - this is high quality stuff as expected, full of melancholy but captivating nonetheless. 7.8

Garbage: on first listen it sounded like they were just going through the motions but liked it a lot more on second spin - it's the familiar dense Garbage sound and Shirley's voice still has a bit of bite about it. 7.5

Sea Fever: snippets of everyone's favourite bands from the 1990s, repackaged for 2025 - wasn't wildly impressed at the start (some of the vocals aren't great) but it really hits its stride in the second half, the last four tracks from Triggers Us onwards are cracking. 7.5

R.E.M.: never really got into R.E.M. at the time, although it's not on this album the abominable Shiny Happy People put me off listening to any of their other stuff - no dispute that they're hugely talented songwriters but this still doesn't quite hit the mark for me, I think it's Michael Stipe's voice that I can't get on with. 7

TotW: Matt Berninger - Nowhere Special

Jim

Jacob Allon 6

Not really my cup of tea but it’s OK, has a certain charm and just about kept me interested.

Matt Berringer 5

Smooth and relaxing but 6 days after I listened to it, I recall few details.

Garbage 7

A decent slab of synth rock - feels like a slight shift for them? Reminiscent of Metric without quite hitting their heights

Sea Fever 8

Couple of crackers to start, a bit of dip but then a stonking second half. Obvs. heavy New Order vibes throughout, particularly their last (?) album Music Complete, but you can’t have too much of that imo. A handful of TOTW contenders

TOTW: Sea Fever - Breaking Out

R.E.M. 8

They are terrific when they put their foot on the gas, or have the feeling of Drive or the wonderful Everybody Hurts, but there are a few too many pedestrian ones on here.

Mark

Jacob Alon - drifted by anonymously first time around but this grew on me on second listen, and the second half was better than the first - 6.5

Matt Berninger - his voice is so distinctive this can't help but just sound like a National album so not sure why it's out as a solo project. That said, because it sounds like The National, I like it. Bonnet Pins is particularly good - 7

Garbage - like Skunk Anansie, a 90s band I never saw the attraction of. I find this sort of over dramatic bombastic soulless synth rock a turn off - 5.5

Sea Fever - unsurprisingly very New Order, right down to the melodica used on a couple of tracks, this is pitched right at the mature indie synth demographic and it pushed a lot of buttons for me - 7.5

TOTW - Loose Cut by Sea Fever

Erol

Jacob Alon - enjoyably smooth and floaty indie guitar with a pleasant voice. 6.7

Matt Beringer - as everyone else has said, it’s basically an album by The National so it’s decent stuff. 6.9

Garbage - these guys used to annoy the hell out of me in the 90s, almost as much as the Wonder Stuff. So I was pleasantly surprised by this, though I take the point that it leans towards being bombastic and a tad vapid. 7

Sea Fever - now we’re talking. This is totally geared towards our generation, so much so that it sounds like a remix of a synth album produced back in our heyday. 8

TOTW - pretty much anything from Sea Fever

R.E.M. - one of my favourite bands from the early 90s, their output was so unusual and Michael Stipe had such an engaging voice that I was drawn in every time. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight is bonkers but so enjoyable. To follow that with the uber melancholic Everybody Hurts is close to genius. And then there’s Nightswimming, which (almost) brings me to tears every time. 9

Annette

Garbage: 7

Jacob Alon: 6

Matt Berninger: 6.5

Sea Fever: 8

TOTW: Breaking out by Sea Fever

Classic: R.E.M - 7

Matt

Garbage - 7.2

Jacob Alon - 5.8

Matt Berninger - 6

Sea Fever - 8.2

TOTW: Breaking Out, Sea Fever

Phil

Jacob Alon 7.25

Haven’t heard much acoustic folk lately and I enjoyed this a lot. Jacob has a striking voice and there are some good songs here. I could have done without Home tapes though.

Matt Berninger 6.5

I have always struggled to understand the huge success of the National and this record doesn’t get me any nearer grasping it. Mostly downbeat, similar sluggish tempos throughout and although there is a handful of good tracks – Little by little is a highlight – I’m still a National naysayer.

Garbage 6.5

This could have been the follow-up to Garbage’s 1995 debut, so little has their sound changed. But the comparison doesn’t flatter the new record – there’s no Supervixen, no Happy when it rains, no Queer. It’s listenable but unexciting.

Sea Fever 7

Surprisingly enjoyable. It has more in common with 80s synth pop than the now ubiquitous EDM and its siblings. Nicely poppy. Guy mentioned New Order and I’d agree with that comparison.

Track of the week – Jacob Alon – Don’t fall asleep

Classic

REM 7.8

I was an REM fan from the beginning and I only stopped buying their albums after Monster. But surprisingly perhaps this was the one album, apart from Out of time, that I never really got into. I loved Nightswimming but found Everybody hurts too mawkish. Also, the stronger tracks – Monty had a raw deal, Find the river, Drive – for me lacked the zip of their best work. But hey, a disappointing REM album is still a belter from anyone else.

Justin

Jacob Alon - don't mind a bit of folk and some interesting tunes but a bit slow overall 6

Matt Berninger - a few slow songs but plenty of really good songs too. Went a bit Lou Reed in places which I liked. 7

Garbage - I don't like Garbage. Can't really justify my dislike. 5

Sea Fever - took a couple of listens to get into but enjoyable Manchester/New Order vibe. 6.9

TOTW. Nowhere Special - Matt Beringher

REM - I love REM but must admit have no real recollection of listening to this despite owning it. The classics are fantastic but does drift a bit and lacks some of the more guitary REM stuff. 8

Adam

Jacob Alon

Floaty indie folk guitars and vocals. Soothing, yet samey in places. 6

Matt Berninger

As others have said, this is basically the National - which in this case, is a great thing. 7

Garbage

Good pop-punk rock. Shirley still nailing those edgy vocals 6

Sea fever

Wow, the 80s called and they want their synthesiser back. Enjoyed this offering of modern but retro hits. 7

TOTW - Matt Beringer - No Love

Classic - Not spent a huge amount of time listening to REM but some familiar hits coming through. Solid alt-rock. 7