W/e 13/09/24 - Fat Dog, Hinds, Boston Manor, The The, Linkin Park

A decent week, our highest scores for 3 months.

It was nail-biting* at the top, and Annette’s slight preference for bat-shit crazy electro over Hispanic indie means Fat Dog nick it by less than a tenth.

I think it’s a first where 2 tracks both received 4 votes for TOTW so if feels appropriate to share it this week.

No great moves on the overall charts, Fat Dog are into our top 20 for the year, next to Cast and The Fauns.

Simon was impressed by everyone this week so has the 😃.

He is sandwiched by a pair of unhappy chappies in Mark and Phil (4th ☹️ out of 7 weeks for the new boy).

Andy awards his second 9 of the year, after Queen Bee (meant to note last week Mark’s 9 for FDC was just his 2nd of the whole journey, along with Leftfield).

Linkin Park sit mid table on the classics, alongside U2 and The Wedding Present.

Guy

Hinds - Decent album with some excellent tunes on it. Particularly the collabs. It felt a bit ‘basic’ in songwriting and production terms in places but that may be intentional. It’s a bit hard to tell – 7

Fat Dog – A frenetic album with some strong tunes on it (Vigilante as an opener is very strong for example). It’s a bit on the heavy side for me in places but the punkier numbers are full of energy, and you can see why they’d have a reputation for fantastic live shows – 7.5

Boston Manor – OK rock but totally forgettable. Some of the tracks aren’t too bad but they insist on ruining them by screaming over the top! – 5.5

The The – a dark and moody album packed full of engaging lyrics and atmospheric instrumentation. It’d be heading into the 8 category for me if there were some faster paced tracks but at times it’s so slow it feels like someone reciting poems with an ambient backing track. – 7.2

Linkin Park – the band that Boston Manor hoped they could be I suspect. Quite a varied album musically and more memorable than our wannabee friends but once again ruined by the screaming. Who on earth thought that would ever make a track sound better…? - 7

TOTW – Superstar - Hinds

Matt

Hinds - As I was reminded I've liked Hinds for a while and this album sounds like they have more confidence in who they are (and some famous mates). It is admittedly lo-fi and garage but there's a freedom and excitement about it that's really charming. 8.2

Fat Dog - Rollicking and rolling post-punk attitude rock with a curious Middle Eastern feel. 7.2

Boston Manor - a touch on the shouty raw reverb side for my liking and nothing that really stuck. 5

The The - started well with insistent low key lyrics but really didn't move on with some of the social commentary (Zen and the Art of Dating) sounding a little dated. 6.2

TOTW Hinds, Superstar (reminded me of a jollier Joy Division somehow)

Andy

Hinds - Very enjoyable stuff, classic indie vibes with a Mediterranean twist. Extra credit for the titles of the tracks bookending the album, they don't just chuck this shit together it seems 7

Fat Dog - Thrilling. The kind of thing I really want Fontaines to be. Non-stop energetic showmanship that even makes the use of music from the bazaar acceptable. The future 9

Boston Manor - I really enjoyed their last album and felt this was a bit of a step back, however there was still a lot to like in the likes of Fornix. No idea why there was a drum and bass interlude though 6.5

The The - Matt Johnson is a bit of a national treasure and this is a top quality return, if slightly lacking the oomph of his 80s heyday. The political lyrics are still there in abundance. Love it 8

TotW - King of the Slugs by Fat Dog

Linkin Park - a nu-metal classic from the kings of the genre. So many massive tunes, Chester is sorely missed. I might not get tickets for the 02 but I look forward to seeing them headline Reading next year 9.5

Jim

Hinds 7.5

Enjoyed this, had plenty of Dream Wife edge and swagger plus a few more subtle moments

Fat Dog 6.5

Techno and punk? Should be right up my strasse, but I just didn’t think this mash up of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Klaxons and Boys Noize worked that well. More chaotic than banging.

Boston Manor 6

Some really strong rock tunes in here, at best parking up next to Royal Blood with Dissolve . The silly screeching makes an odd appearance for no obvious benefit and brings them down a point

The The 6

Started off thought provoking and calming but didn’t hold my attention

TOTW : the super Superstar by Hinds

Linkin Park 7.5

A first listen for me. Had more hip hop vibes than I’d expected and these funkier tracks were decent alongside the straight up Foos-esque rock juggernauts. More shout than screech which I can just about live with.

Phil

Hinds

Enjoyably upbeat indie pop. Sagged a bit in the middle but a perky enough ending. 6.5

Fat Dog

Starts off like heavy metal but then it settles into a sort of orchestral punk. Frenetic and frantic, they’re a hard band to ignore. Probably startling live. 6

The The

Intriguing, low-key album, and one I’d probably get properly into if I played it enough times. Nice to know that Matt Johnson hasn’t mellowed with age. 6.5

Boston Manor

Some shoegazey moments, some full-tilt punky rockers. Not the best album I’ve ever heard or the most original band but it’s all right. 6

TOTW: The The – Down by the frozen river

Classic

Linkin Park

I don’t listen to a lot of metal so I am only vaguely aware of the ways in which nu-metal differs from old-metal. What surprised me most about this album was how pop it was. I think I preferred metal when it was evil. 5.5

Simon

Hinds: not a band I've previously listened to but enjoyed this - it's a straight up, unpretentious blast of feel-good indie pop - The Bed, The Room etc is a particular highlight. 7.9

Fat Dog: absolutely riotous blast of bat-shit craziness - delirious, unhinged and surreal, they must have had great fun making this. Wonderful. 8.5

Boston Manor: much like the last two BM albums we reviewed this is decent enough albeit not particularly memorable - plus points for at least branching out in terms of trying different styles though. 7

The The: no surprises here, sounds exactly how you would expect a new The The album to sound - that's not really a criticism, always admired Matt Johnson's distinctive take on the world and whilst it's not on a par with his 80's output there's a couple of tracks that hold their own with that period. 7.5

Linkin Park: not my favorite genre so this was never going to have much appeal, although the occasional hip-hop stylings did make it slightly more interesting. 6

TotW: Fat Dog - King of the Slugs

Erol

Hinds - I listened to this twice to be sure and it’s passable, but I just wasn’t that impressed. It sounds like basic indy fodder that we’ve all heard before, with few distinguishing features. 5

Fat Dog - I’m not sure how to categorise this. Super high tempo alt-rock dance music? It’s as mad as a box of jumping frogs but some of this is really exciting, leaving me almost breathless by the end. 8.3

The The - the brooding, laid-back and atmospheric lyrics combined with a languid backing track made for interesting listening. But the pace never varies and it fails to get going. By the end I found myself losing interest. The moroseness of ‘Where do we go when we die‘ pretty much summed up the whole album for me. 5.5

Boston Manor – a mix of slightly softer American rock with a few screeching numbers. I get the wannabe comparison with Linkin Park but I’d say they sound more like Fall Out Boy. A decent album with a couple of rocking highlights such as ‘Container’. 7

TOTW - Fat Dog, King of the slugs.

Brilliantly mental.

Linkin Park – I’ve always rated these guys. When they first appeared on the scene it was such a novel combination of west coast rap with industrial rock gouged down the middle. There is no synthesised devil screeching on this album. It’s all pure raw emotional vocals coming from Chester. That’s what makes it so powerful. ‘Somewhere I Belong’ and ‘Numb’ are high on my list of all-time classic rock tracks. 8.5

Sam

Hinds : nicely made Spanish indie rock . 7.2

Fat Dog : lots of fun. Nice Klezmer.. a big ( dog ) bowl of delights . 8

The The : he still as a great voice and an ear for a clever lyric . But it’s a bit too samey … 6.9

Boston Manor : plenty for me to like here , a bit darker than before , but packs a punch : 8

Linkin Park : so sad that Chester sang about overcoming pain and problems and couldn’t overcome his own . Absolutely magnificent band and album . Still sounds powerful 20 years later . 9

TOTW: Fat Dog , King of the slugs : what an epic masterpiece.

Justin

Hinds - refreshing upbeat indie without being silly or clichéd. Love the vocals and the guitar sound. Plenty of possible TOTWs. 7.5

Fat Dog - bit of KLF mixed with Sisters of Mercy and some Prodigy. Wouldn't listen to it on a regular basis, but overall quite an enjoyable listen. 6.9

The The - never sure I really like The The, however, it definitely has its own vibe stuck somewhere in the mid nineties and this album is relatively enjoyable 6.8

Boston Manor - I preferred the last album, but if you like moody dark slow Rock this is for you. 6.7

TOTW Hinds - Boom Boom Back

Linkin Park - I never know who sings what in this genre, but listening to this I realise that Linkin Park sing the ones I like. Numb is classic 7.8

Mark

Hinds - I really liked this, ten tracks of ace Spanish indie girl pop. The two collabs worked well, whole of the first half is absolutely fantastic really, all in all half an hour well spent - 8

Fat Dog - gadzooks, what was this schizophrenic craziness. Fair play, it's certainly different and it probably goes off when they play live, but all a bit much for me. Orchestral punk indeed... - 5.5

The The - have to say I was a bit disappointed by this, the first half dozen tracks just seemed to be the same ponderous slow jazz track played over and over. Rising Above The Need finally saves the day, much more reminiscent of classic The The from back in the day, can't knock Matt Johnson's iconic vocal, shame he spent so much of this album just groaning - 6

Boston Manor - this over earnest branch of rock just isn't a genre I warm to I'm afraid, so although I could tell this is probably up there in terms of its quality it just doesn't appeal to me. A poor man's Linkin Park - 5.5

TOTW - Superstar by Hinds

Annette

Hinds: 6.5

Fat Dog: 7

Boston Manor: 7.5

The The: 4.5

TOTW: Boston Manor - Discloser