W/e 10/10/25 - Ash, Rocket, Say She She, Taylor Swift, Morcheeba

An average week, no great movers or shakers.

Congrats to Rocket for their debut, holding off a couple of big hitters and landing in our top 30 this year plus a solid placing overall.

Say She She have the TOTW.

That’s the 4th Tay Tay album we’ve done, this sits in 3rd place, Folklore from 2020 the best placed at #437.

We know Andy is our biggest Swifty, maybe not so obvious is Matt is at #2, with Erol the least impressed by quite a distance (It was good of him to confirm he is not a teenage girl nonetheless).

Annette is our 😄 this week, her 2nd in a month. Mark has the ☹️.

Morcheeba were a new one for a some and mostly a pleasant reminder for the rest so sit in the top half of the classics alongside heavyweights Black Sabbath and The Rolling Stones.

Guy

Ash – Was expecting a bit more from this. Felt a bit over-blown (particularly Ad Astra itself). Was easy enough to listen to having said that – 6.8

Rocket – Decent enough indie whilst not setting the world alight in any way – 7

Say She She – A good slice of disco funk. Fun stuff with a hint of Chromeo about it – 7.5

Taylor Swift – I know she’s a pop icon but I just don’t find her music as good as other female pop acts such as Lorde etc. Maybe it’s the C&W influences that irk me – 6

TOTW Disco Life - Says She She

Morcheeba – Excellent album. I loved this when it came out. Blissfully chllled tunes. She’s got a lovely voice. Reminds me of summer holidays. – 8.5

Andy

Ash - This isn’t their greatest album but I’ll always have time for the lads. Nothing but the greatest respect for rocking up Strauss, less sure about Jump In the Line 7

Rocket - I rather enjoyed this bit of dreamy pop punk. Definitely one to look out for 7

Say She She - This was pretty good, I liked the Talking Heads (although I guess it would be more Tom Tom Club) new wave sounds mixed in with the more obvious disco beats. It did meander occasionally down jazz avenues though 6.5

Taylor Swift - Obviously this has had multiple plays round ours and I really like it. Adding these producers and no longer being upset with boys meant you might expect a return to 1989 bangers but it’s more an album of a 36 year old reflecting on settling down. That said Opalite is an absolute bop and on the whole it’s far less introspective than TTPD. I could hear less about Travis’s redwood though 8

TotW - Wi$h Li$t by Taylor Swift

Morcheeba - I’d not listened to this before, thought I knew more about them but none of it was familiar, enjoyed it though except maybe when the dub reared its head! A decent listen 7

Matt

Ash - a little lacklustre and a couple of unnecessary covers but there's a lot of good goodwill here. 6.9

Rocket - Tuneful West Coast indie punk with a 90s tinge. Saved the week. Great stuff. 7.7

Say She She - enjoyable and slightly unexpected mix of new wave soulful disco delivered with panache. 6.8

Taylor Swift - She's settled down, grown up and become a bit dull. Happens to us all. 6

TOTW - Another Second Chance, Rocket

Phil

Ash 7.25

Classic indie. Upbeat, cheerful and full of great tunes.

Rocket 7.5

“ROCKET is a high-energy punk-pop band from Los Angeles, creating music with shimmering guitars, huge drums, and sing-along vocal melodies”. So says the band’s website and I can’t disagree with any of that. Really good album.

Say She She 7.8

I guess this is post-disco. It recalls a lot of the girl groups of the 80 and 90s, like the Mary Jane Girls and en Vogue. Hypnotic, after two or three tracks. Excellent band too, but it’s the vocals, as you’d expect, that carry it.

Taylor Swift 6.5

Ruin the friendship is quite enjoyable. Mostly though it’s listenable but dull.

TOTW – Say She She – Possibilities

Classic

Morcheeba 7.5

Not an album, or a band, that I knew, and they’re refreshingly different. Described as trip-hop, I don’t think they fit easily into that or any category and that’s to their advantage. The songs are varied and catchy and Skye Edwards has one of those voices you just want to listen to. I also like the range of instruments – sitar, violin, slide guitar, for example – and the fact that they sling in a bit of rap every now and again, just to mix things up. And that’s their strength – all the different ingredients add colour and flavour to the whole.

Sam

Ash : I love Ash and I love their story . This album is a bit lightweight but Tim’s voice is great and it was a pleasant listen. 7

Rocket : I really wanted to love this , love the album title . Overall it was fine but didn’t really get cooking enough . 7.3

Say She She : lovely voices , wasn’t that disco I didn’t think. I quite liked it . 6.8

Taylor Swift : well the pop princess has made an average album . Not bad , not great. Bit meh at times . 6

TOTW : Crossing Fingers by Rocket

Morcheeba : nice , dreamy , trippy album that I remember some of . 7.2

Simon

Ash: well that was largely uninspiring - Which One Do You Want sounds like a Smiths B-side and the less said about Jump In The Line the better. At least Graham Coxon adds some much-needed zing to the clear highlight, Fun People. 6

Rocket: the style isn't particularly original but they've taken inspiration from the likes of MBV (Pretending) and Curve (Wide Awake) to produce a thoroughly listenable and confident debut. Cracking stuff. 8

Say She She: some decent sassy and funky numbers on here, delivered with a fair degree of panache - didn't blow me away but it was an enjoyable enough listen. 6.5

Taylor Swift: it remains one of the enduring mysteries of our time why so many otherwise sane people completely lose their shit when it comes to Taylor Swift - this is really very average indeed, thought there might be at least one track that would have some zesty pop appeal but it's an excitement-free zone throughout. 5

Morcheeba: completely missed this when it came out, which was an oversight on my part because it's right up my street - languid, slinky grooves, a great vocal and a real melting pot of sounds, lots to like here. 8

TotW: Ash - Fun People

Justin

Ash - I though this was a really good album. Slight dip in the middle but otherwise a really good collection of indie guitar songs. Shame it is probably destined not to be a big or memorable album. 7.3

Rocket - enjoyable rocky indie 6.9

Say She She - gentle disco beat. Always have time for a bit of disco. 6.8

Taylor Swift - Her voice is okay and the tunes are okay but it just seems so very bland eg compared to Billie Eilish 5.5

TOTW - Ash - Ad Astra

Morcheeba - recognise the name but no memory of ever listening to it. It is the sound track of chill out bars. Okay background music but won't get another listen. 6

Mark

Ash - opening track boded well, next couple sounded like The Smiths and Blur, then it was standard Ash fare, not up with the quality of their last one which I really loved, but plenty of jump up and down indie guitar pop singalongs and big goofy soaring Flying V solos - 7

Rocket - was a bit disappointed by this, was expecting more, started well then went a bit wafty Beabadoobee / Girl In Red - 6

Say She She - liked this, funk and disco for the 2020s with a cool Tom Tom Club twist in places as noted by Andy - 7.5

Taylor Swift - I think we can safely say the world has reached peak Taylor and its finishing returns from here on. This just sounded like an AI version of a computer program making a Taylor Swift soundalike album, all a bit boring really - 5

TOTW - Disco Life by Say She She

Annette

Ash: 7

Rocket: 7.5

Say She She: 8

Taylor Swift: 6.5

TOTW: Cut & Rewind by Say She She

Classic: Morcheeba - 8.5

Jim

Ash 6.5

Disappointing. Much popier, almost boy band at times. Does add a little oomph towards the end and goes full on Muse for the title track

Rocket 7.5

Cracking debut of grungy alt rock. They sound really tight and ramp it up with a couple of TOTW contenders to finish.

Say She She 7

Love a bit of disco and this didn’t disappoint . Enjoyable throughout

Taylor Swift 6

Started off with a couple of uptempo numbers but after that was very flat. I’m a fan, but it feels like she could move on from playing the misunderstood victim - sounds little petty now ?- but I guess that’s what keeps the billions rolling in

TOTW - Rocket: Wide Awake

Morcheeba 8.5

Top notch silky trippy grooves. This and Fragments of Freedom had a load of airtime and were perfect for the Sunday recoveries back in the day.

Paul

Ash (7)

Been a bit of a fan of them for years, a decent indie album as expected without offering a whole lot new.

Rocket (7.5)

Good female fronted indie rock, right up my street.

Say She She (7)

Enjoyable 40 mins of fun soul, disco, funk music full of positive vibes. Good solid album.

Taylor Swift (5.5)

Not for me it’s alright but I don’t think I’m her target market.

TOTW - Say She She - Disco Life

Morcheba (9)

Love it, used to listen to it loads back in the late 90’s. Just very chilled and a lovely voice.

Erol

Ash - disappointing. There are some flashes of punk-pop class, but it’s let down by weaker songs such as the awful Jump in the Line.

6.5

Rocket - pretty decent indie rock. A good debut. 7

Say She She - tight harmonies, great vocals and soul / funk-tastic. What’s not to like? 7

Taylor Swift - if I were a teenage girl I would probably love this. But I am not. And I didn’t. It’s mostly scmaltzy boyfriend / girlfriend nonsense. I just don’t get why she’s so popular. 5

TOTW - R is for Rocket, Rocket.

Morcheeba - thoroughly enjoyable trip hop with a cool groove. Very much in the vein of Massive Attack and Portishead. 7.5

Adam

Ash - This was fine, but nothing really to make its mark to stand out 6

Rocket - good fun rocking 7

Say She She - smooth grooves. Enjoyable modern disco 7

Taylor Swift - got more beef than a cow with the amount of shade thrown on this. Poorly produced pop. 4

TOTW - rocket - act like your title

Morcheeba - very cool. The Sea, an excellent tune. 8