W/e 30/05/25 - Skunk Anansie, Sparks, Sports Team, Stereolab, Billy Joel

No great movers or shakers this week.

Congrats to Skunk Anansie - their comeback is our winner this week and they also have the TOTW.

Matt is our 😀. Erol was the ☹️ by a distance, his first for over a year.

Billy Joel says hi to Tears For Fears and ELO on the classics.

Andy

Skunk Anansie - This was pretty decent. Skin still has that controlled rage vocal thing going on, which is nice 7

Sparks - Joyously quirky stuff. Maybe a bit too quirky at times but I’ll take it 7.5

Sports Team - Didn’t they used to be a bit more rambunctious? I don’t what happened to them but I found this to be rather dull MOR fare 4.5

Stereolab - Gallic synth jazz? Non pour moi 4

TotW - In Daylight by Sparks

Billy Joel - Every track is a classic, love it 9

Guy

Skunk Anansie - In contrast to Andy, it was the rage vocal tracks that I felt were the weakest. When she toned it down a bit it was pretty good - 7

Sparks - Just very odd. Not for me - 5

Sports Team - This is much more sophisticated than their earlier stuff musically. I can see how you might class that as ‘watered down’ but for me it just sounded good! - 7.7

Stereolab - I didn’t hate this but it is another weird one. A cross between gregorian chant, jazz and easy listening. - 6

TotW - Sensible - Sports Team

Billy Joel - I prefer Elton John but this is still pretty good - 7.9

Sam

Skunk Anansie : Skin still has such a powerful voice . Some really good tracks , one or two

More absolute bangers would propel this in to an album of the year . 7.7

Sparks : There are very few purveyors of operatic bonkers pop but these guys are incredible. Both nearly 80 years old . Clever lyrics too . Fascinating. 7.5

Sports Team : Not as bouncy and fun as before but well

Made , decent indie . 7.6.

Stereolab : Many years ago they made the banging ‘French Disko’ but this album is an absolute diner de chien . Terrible in parts : 3

Billy Joel : on his breakthrough album it all sounds so easy and effortless. I see why Andy loves him . 8

TOTW : Cheers by Skunk Anansie

Jim

Skunk Anansie 7.5

Starts off at a terrific pace, sounding like an angsty fresh-faced Brighton punk act, and peaks with Cheers and Shoulda Been You. Loses a little momentum towards the end but despite this they were by some distance the most interesting offering this week

Sparks 6

A new one for me. The quirky rock was OK up to a point, I was less keen when it drifted towards 👐showtime

Sports Team 6.5

Seemed a little flat, lacking the swagger of the previous offerings, with only a couple of memorable tracks this time - Sensible being the best of the bunch

Stereolab 4.5

I assumed I knew them, but having listened I’m not so sure. Some decent chilled electronica early on but the jazzy noodling takes over and by the end it was getting on my wick

TOTW: Skunk Anansie - Shoulda Been You.

Billy Joel 7

A first for me. It’s classy, slick and I can see why it’s enjoyed for those living on his strasse, but it’s a bit too easy listening for me.

Justin

Skunk Anansie - always loved her voice and the bands overall guitar rock sound. 7.5

Sparks - approached with apprehension as whilst well respected I find them a bit too much on the whole but this seemed a more easy on the ear passive collection of songs. 6.5

Sports Team - the Coronation Street theme in one song summed up that the album as a whole often sounds like themes to TV shows. 6

Stereolab - some nonsense but some really nice electronica as well mixed in. 7

TOTW Sterolab - Electrified Teenybob!

Billy Joel - some classics and what you would expect from the piano man. If it is a Billy J versus Elton contest I to prefer Elton 7

Erol

Skunk Anansie - a great opening with some punchy tracks showing she has still got what it takes. It runs out of steam towards the end but it’s still a sold listen. 7

Sparks - niche, bonkers, slightly naff and strangely weird. I shan’t be rushing back for more. 4

Sports Team - middle of the road soft pop/rock. Sounds like they’re aiming to sound like The 1975 or similar but it falls short. 6

Stereolab - the chilled electronica is interesting, the jazzy bits less so. It would have benefited from a tight edit and by being a lot shorter too. 5

TOTW - This is not your life, Skunk Anansie.

Billy Joel - super stuff. So many classic tunes on this; really smart song writing / storytelling coupled with great musicianship. 8.5

Simon

Skunk Anansie: was expecting this to be fairly perfunctory rock but was pleasantly surprised - first half in particular has a handful of robust and vibrant tracks and although I'd never given it much thought before I do really like her voice. 7.5

Sparks: MAD! indeed - truly bonkers synth pop, but if you've been around as long as these two then you've got licence to do what you want. I thought it was ace. 8

Sports Team: don't remember their previous stuff but wasn't particularly impressed with this - started badly with the cheesy sax on the opening track and never recovered from there, pretty bland fare overall. 5.5

Stereolab: as idiosyncratic as ever, Stereolab have always been out there in a world of their own - I'm a fan of their avant-garde lounge rock, although this album would benefit from some more French Disko-style intensity. 7.3

Billy Joel: a few classics and it's nicely sung as expected, but doesn't hold much interest for me. 6.5

TotW: Stereolab - Electrified Teenybop!

Annette

Skunk Anansie: 7.5

Sparks: 6.5

Sports Team: 5.5

Stereolab: 5

TOTW: This is not your life by Skunk Anansie

Classic: Billy Joel - 7

Mark

Skunk Anansie - I came prepared to slate this as I couldn't stand their big hit Weak from back in the day, but this wasn't bad at all. I preferred the punkier numbers like Cheers, Should've Been You and and Artist Is An Artist to the slower ones, but this wasn't bad a decent 30 minute blast - 7

Sparks - seems ridiculous to say this was a bit theatrical as that's what they do, and fair play to them for still refusing to follow the herd after all these years. If this was a new band I reckon they'd be getting loads of excited press heralding them as the new Last Dinner Party - 6.5

Sports Team - they've dialled down the wackiness a bit on this one, and the opening track sounded like Prefab Sprout / Blow Monkeys, but there was still enough smart indie pop for my liking - 7

Stereolab - no radical change after all these years but I really liked this, all groovy Gallic synth coolness - 7.5

TOTW - Electrified Teenybop by Stereolab

Phil

Skunk Anansie 6

I remember seeing Skunk Anansie on an NME Brats tour – can’t remember who else was on the bill. I didn’t like them then and while this album does its moments – in particular the closing song Meltdown – I’m still not a convert.

Sparks 6.5

Not really as quirky as I’d expected. Russell does have his occasional semi-operatic moments and the lyrics are droll but there was a surprisingly high straightforward quality pop quotient. And yes, the Maels are both even older than I am, which must count for something.

Sports Team 6.5

Not your average guitar band and lots of fun. Upbeat, rousing tunes with a proper horn section. A great festival band, I’d imagine.

Stereolab 7

I’ve heard a lot of Stereolab and generally enjoyed them but I’d not listened to a whole album before. I found this one a bit unsettling at first. There was a lot less of the motorik rhythms than I’d expected – Electrified teenybop aside – and several tracks appeared to completely change direction halfway through. But there were a lot of engaging tunes, even pretty in places. I ended up enjoying it a lot.

TOTW – Stereolab – Immortal hands

Classic

Billy Joel 6

The hits were enjoyable if a little cheesy but there wasn’t a lot else. I was expecting more good songs than just the familiar ones but I didn’t hear them.

Matt

Skunk Anansie: 7.1

Sparks: 6.7

Sports Team: 7.4

Stereolab: 7.5

TOTW: Sensible, Sports Team

Adam

Skunk Anansie

Fun, funky alternative tunes. Can hear the 90s echoing through. 7

Sparks

Little too weird and arty for my ears. 4

Sports Team

Good upbeat rocking indie - but perhaps strays into being a bit samey in places. Perhaps the start of a trend mixing in soap sound scapes. 7

StereoLab - smooth electro tunes, one for a post-festival wind down. 6

TOTW - Skunk Anise - This is not your life

Classic - Billy Joel, the don on big pop piano tunes. I think 80s Billy Joel is my preferred era, but this is still a good listen. 7