W/e 28/03/25 - The Lottery Winners, My Morning Jacket, Japanese Breakfast, The Horrors, My Chemical Romance

Congrats to The Horrors for storming into the #1 spot of the year 👏👏displacing Ella Minus after an impressive 9 weeks in the top spot.

They land just inside our top 50, same scores as bdrmm in 2023 and Black Honey’s 2021 debut.

They also have TOTW for Lotus Eater. A variety of TOTW nominations has been a good indication of the album quality (I recall Chemical Bros had a handful). But I doubt any have had 7 of 9 tracks selected as these chaps from Southend managed. They got 9 nominations in total.

Japanese breakfast might now have the biggest drop between 2 albums we reviewed – over 500 places between this one and the 2021 offering.

Overall though another narrow range of scores.

Guy just pips Sam for the 😀, his first of 2025. Simon has the ☹️.

My Chemical Romance were loved by a trio of us, enjoyed by a few more, and sit in the top half of the classics next to Iron Maiden and The Waterboys.

Andy

The Horrors - I couldn’t really get along with this. I wasn’t sure quite what they were trying to do, I think it was the second track where it felt like they thought they were doing Nine Inch Nails but it came off more like Babylon Zoo. It wasn’t a total dud though, Trial By Fire was a banger 5

Japanese Breakfast - I remember liking her last album a lot more than this one, I think it made by 2021 top ten, but this feels a lot lighter and not quite as good. She still has a lovely voice though and while nothing really amps things up you have to admire anyone who gets The Dude on guest vocals 6.5

The Lottery Winners - I’m not normally one to pay attention to lyrics but it’s hard not to miss such an obvious leitmotif as runs through this album, although I was slightly disappointed to only realise right at the end of the first listen that the album title had nothing to do with the Camden venue. Anyway, pleasant indie pop with an arguably even more surprising feature than Japanese Breakfast had 6.5

My Morning Jacket - I feel like I knew who these guys were but having listened I was somewhat wide of the mark, but not disappointed at all, it’s a pretty decent slab of bluesy rock n roll 7

TotW - Everyday magic by my morning Jacket

My Chemical Romance - What can I say about an album that was a constant companion while I had chemo and has a title track (ish) that is my go to funeral song (whether it gets played or not is always in question, there’s not a lot I’ll be able to do about it) If guilty pleasures were an actual thing I’d say this was one, given the rest of the worlds perception of MCR, but they aren’t so it’s just a stone cold classic 10

Phil

The Horrors 6.5

If anyone was born to wear a full-length leather coat and front a goth band then it’s Farris Badwan. I did enjoy this but once it had finished only the desire to give a fair review prompted me to play it again.

Japanese Breakfast 7.8

I really enjoyed this. I included Orlando in love in my radio show earlier in the year and I’ve been waiting for the album ever since. The songs, Michelle Zauner’s voice and the arrangements are gossamer-thin and full of yearning and the overall effect is similar to that of Beach House, circa Teen dream and Bloom. Great stuff.

The Lottery Winners 6

An odd record inasmuch as the songs are mostly about mental struggle yet the arrangements aren’t just upbeat but relentlessly cheerful. They’re not the first band to marry demanding lyrics to major chord melodies but in this instance, for me, it jars.

My Morning Jacket 6.5

Tasteful and not a lot more. Very much the sound of a band that knows what it’s comfortable with and pretty much sticks to that. Oh and they saved the best track – River road – till the end.

TOTW : Japanese Breakfast – Little girl

Classic

My Chemical Romance 7.25

I didn’t expect to enjoy this but I did. I suppose their music is pitched somewhere between nu-metal and rawwk but you can hear the influence of more mainstream pop artists like Queen. I gather this is a concept album and while I haven’t studied the lyrics the music gives it away. And as concept albums go it’s very listenable. They get an extra quarter point for pissing off the Daily Mail. Top work, chaps.

Sam

The Horrors : back to their gothic best . It’s derivative but who cares ? Great stuff ; 8.7

Japanese Breakfast: Inoffensive but forgettable. 5.7

Lottery Winners; they’ve been around for 17 years ! Good singing , but the music is a little patchy . 6.5

My Morning Jacket : when they rock it’s good but again bit patchy and where is it going ? 6.6

TOTW : many to choose from but I’ll go for : The Silence that Remains by The Horrors

My Chemical Romance : Bursting with emotion, it soars above the rest on its journey through some of best rock songs ever made . The epicentre of emo . 🖤 🖤🖤. 9.9

Guy

The Horrors – It’s no Skying but it’s a good album nonetheless. I enjoyed it. More goth than psychedelic dance for sure, but there are some excellent tunes in amongst some more pedestrian number – 7.4

Japanese Breakfast – This is one of those albums that you’d describe as pleasant. Good voice and ‘nice’ tunes – just lacks a bit of oomph – 6.7

The Lottery Winners – Bit of a depressing theme but despite this there are some quite jolly sounding tunes. It’s a bit of a mixed bag though with a variety of sounds. Sometimes a good thing but felt a little disjointed to me. – 6.5

My Morning Jacket – I can’t say I had listened to much / anything by this lot before. Some really good ‘accessible’ rock tunes with decent riffs. It did drift into ‘soft rock’ nothingness at points though - 7

TotW – LA Runaway – The Horrors

My Chemical Romance – There’s a bit too much of that American frat rock sound for my liking. Funnily enough when they go more traditional rock, they sound much better - 7

Simon

The Horrors: enjoyed this - there's a heavier, slightly industrial feel to the first half, but the second half settles down into something much more along the lines of Skying, in particular More Than Life and LA Runaway. Good stuff. 7.5

Japanese Breakfast: bit of a mixed bag - starts off strongly, not least the magnificent Honey Water, but the rest are largely forgettable, country-tinged offerings; don't think Jeff Bridges brings much to the party either, other than novelty value. 6

The Lottery Winners: feels wrong to be churlish about a band writing so frankly about mental health issues, but I couldn't get on with this - musically it's so cheerful it's irritating, which is all the more curious given the lyrical subject matter. 5.5

My Morning Jacket: wasn't quite what I expected - has some good moments such as the Black Keys-esque Squid Ink although there's too much soft rock for my liking, not least the toe-curlingly awful I Can Hear Your Love. 5

My Chemical Romance: doesn't do anything for me, I'm afraid - have never been able to get on with this particular genre and this was no exception. 5

TotW: Japanese Breakfast - Honey Water

Mark

The Horrors - Bauhaus meets Gary Numan, and why not. I really liked this, some big sweeping Depeche Mode / Cure stylings mixed with darker industrial gothtronica and even a few dubby progressive house tracks that wouldn't have sounded out of place in the early nineties. Feels like a lot of drugs were consumed in the making of this album, I like it when someone's really committed to their art and they strike me as that kind of band - 8

Japanese Breakfast - decent, but a little bit wafty and hard to make an impression after being bludgeoned by The Horrors. Some nice St Etienne atmospherics though - 6

Lottery Winners - a very odd listen I thought, can't imagine who this is aimed at but I've heard them played on Radio 1 recently so I guess they're getting big. It just sounded like bad Harry Styles and then bizarrely out of nowhere you get Shed Seven popping up for a collab, all very strange - 5.5

My Morning Jacket - I was a fan back in the day and bought at least one album by them. Done well, this kind of frazzled alt- Americana with big Cheap Trick guitars and harmonies is something I do warm to, maybe this isn't up there with their best but still an enjoyable listen - 7

TOTW - Lotus Eater by The Horrors

Erol

The Horrors - dark and brooding electro-rock. This flicked my switch indeed. 7.5

Japanese Breakfast - I didn’t really warm to this. It was all too light and fluffy for my taste. Her voice has a sickly sweet vibe which put me off. 4.5

The Lottery Winners - some heart-felt lyrics dealing with mental health issues which was laudable, but I struggled to take it seriously when I heard ‘Panic Attack’ combined with calypso beats. I know a few people who suffer from panic attacks and I doubt they’re feeling in a carnival mood when they’re going through it. Very odd. 5.8

My Morning Jacket - at times I thought this was a Black Keys spin-off project. An engaging vocal and some very cool bluesy light-rock. 7.9

TOTW - Trial by Fire, the Horrors.

My Chemical Romance - rock-opera at its finest. Massive guitar bursts, hammed up vocals, big choruses and all-round showmanship oozing from every song. I would love to see these guys live. Sam, I am totally with you on the 🖤🖤 9.5

Jim

The Horrors 8

First listen I wasn’t so sure, but it got a couple more and gained points each time. Gothtronica is so apt – from Marilyn M, Depeche Mode through to some true trance numbers. At times in soars.

Japanese Breakfast 6

Nice and soothing if unremarkable. Didn’t the last one have a bit more kick?

The Lottery Winners 5

Terrific start with Superpower, but after that it was at best light pop, and worse fricking dreadful pap – looking at you, UFO

My Morning Jacket 6.5

Another with a cracking opener, though this stayed interesting throughout without blowing my skirt up or sock off after the launch. Had the nice feel of the Danny Goffey offering from 2023

TOTW The Horrors: More Than Life

My Chemical Romance 7.5

Pretty sure my only exposure to them has been watching from afar at the fest. I can tell it’s at the top of its genre, but I can’t get beyond ‘like and respect’. Just lacks a little variety

Annette

The Horrors: 8

Japanese Breakfast: 6

The Lottery Winners: 6

My Morning Jacket: 7

TOTW: The Horrors - Lotus Eater

Classic: The chemical romance - 7.5

Adam

Horrors - cracking moody rock and some electronics intermixed throughout. Highly enjoyable. Will be coming back for further servings. 8

Japanese breakfast - pleasant enough slow indie. Little too demure. 6

Lottery Winners - anything that features Reverend and the Makers is likely to gain some plaudits from me. While loving You Again some other tracks (maybe a lot of them) can be summarised the theme of the album: struggling. Landfill mental health indie rock? 6

My Morning Jacket - upbeat rocking Americana. 7

TOTW - Ariel - Horrors

MCR - Big energy emo tunes. A lovely trip down Emo memory lane. Long live my teenage angst. 8

Matt

The Horrors: 7.8

Japanese Breakfast: 5.5

The Lottery Winners: 6.8

My Morning Jacket: 6.5

TOTW: The Horrors, The Feeling is Gone

Justin

The Horrors - a quality album from start to finish. Dark gothic with a bit of edge. 8

Japanese Breakfast - not for me 5.5

My Lottery Winners - I really like their voices and there are a few radio 1 friendly pop tunes on here. 6.5

My Morning Jacket - some bits reminded me of Tom Petty, but otherwise it was okay but no awards 6.3

TOTW. LA runaway - The Horrors

My Chemical.Romance - just what I would expect 6