Straight from the earphones of the RoomThirteen team we have our picks for October and a trend seems to be developing, with punk high on the agenda and no less than two mentions for the new Blink 182 album. Here's what we will be listening to this month, enjoy:
Will Cross
La Dispute - Wildlife
I've had this for less than a day and I can already say that it's taken the crown for my album of the year. Devastating, heartbreaking, disturbing, life-affirming and completely unique, the Michigan quintet have made a true work of art that is going to kick-start something fresh and exciting while launching thousands of mimics in its wake. This is an absolutely essential record that has won 2011. A dark and powerful warning to value the life you have.
Kids In Glass Houses - In Gold Blood
After bursting out of the traps with the huge pop glory of songs such as 'My Def Posse' and 'Easy Tiger' back in 2007, the always promising Welsh mob hit a slight bump last with second album 'Dirt', a record that had a fair share of good tunes but overall felt uninspired and slightly flat. All this considered the band went back into the studio to work on their third album and the result was unlike anything they've done before. A carefully constructed story of a post-apocalyptic world that thrills and effects on every listen.
Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride
New York's Polar Bear Club were rightfully put firmly on the map in the tail-end of 2009 thanks to their killer second album 'Chasing Hamburg', an authentic and emotive collection of powerful anthemic songs. Their follow-up is everything you want it to be, an absolutely brilliant evocation of love, loss, ambition and life in general, which gets better with every single listen. Final track '3-4 Tango' is a sure-fire top five songs of the year contender.
Jenni Wallace
The Future Shape of Sound - TFSOS Poem
They describe themselves as space age gangster soul and this really says it all.
With their single 'TFSOS Poem' they blend hip hop, fund and soul to craft a sound that inspires your imagination.
James Stant
The Offspring - Conspiracy of One
Following up the success of albums like "Smash" and "Americana" would prove to be no easy task, but the Californian quartet did a sterling job with "Conspiracy of One". Not only did this album deliver melodic punk rock tunes that fared well in the charts ('Original Prankster', for example, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart) but it offered a number of other fantastic tracks such 'Vultures' that are well worth checking out.
Reel Big Fish - Cheer Up!
Ska punkers Reel Big Fish may have taken more of a pop/rock route with this album, but "Cheer Up!" was still a delightfully entertaining release in 2002. The band's line up may change more than Kate Winslet's boyfriends, but front man Aaron Barrett always manages to magically retain the vivacity of the group's sound.
Nickelback - Silver Side Up
Contrary to popular belief, some people DO actually like Nickelback! Yes, 'How You Remind Me' may have been played to death, but don't let that put you offer discovering some of the more edgier tracks on this album such as 'Never Again' and 'Woke Up This Morning'. Don't just judge a band by their singles!
Gavin Lloyd
Spy Catcher - Honesty
One of my favourite releases of the year, this is still in heavy rotation on my CD player. A collection of songs full of colossal sounding choruses coupled with a great sense of punk rock power and integrity. After just a couple of listens every song is cemented firmly in your head, it is a master class in anthemic song writing from start to finish.
Blink 182 - Neighborhoods
It's one that is undoubtedly dividing opinions and to be honest at first I wasn't a fan. However the album has proved to be a huge grower and although it took a bit of adjustment the new more mature Blink 182 have shown that they can still write fantastic songs. Although many are unhappy with this release I'm sure I'm not alone in being glad they're back.
Enter Shikari - Sssnakepit
Since I first heard the new Enter Shikari single it has been played on a near permanent loop. Frantic drum n bass interspersed with a fantastically bouncy riff coupled with a brutal break down and one of the biggest sing along choruses the band has ever written. Despite many thinking when they emerged they'd be nothing more than a fad Enter Shikari are just getting better and better.
Avril Simister
Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare
The elder statesman of shock rock and all-round Mr. nice guy gets all nostalgic on us with the sequel to one of their best albums It even features three other members of the original Alice Cooper group, and legendary producer Bob Ezrin at the controls. Creepy, theatrical... some of the best new Alice in years.
Nowhere Freeway - The Answer
Straight from upcoming new release Revival, The Answer take us from Seventies bar-room blues to 80s-AOR. A duet with Lynne Jackaman of St. Jude sets the Irish rockers up for yet more of their all-conquering anthems.
Only Human - Toploader
Already an oldie, this was released back in June. And it's still on my playlist. Mixing chilled out melodies with insightful lyrics, this is the 'Loader all grown up. Catch them on their Only Human tour this month.
Stuart Anderson
Sepultura - Arise
This is the album that propelled Sepultura into the mainstream. After the raw and gritty shred-fest that was 'Beneath the Remains', the Brazilian metal gods bolted huge girders of fat riffs to their powerhouse thrash foundations and constructed a heavy metal skyscraper of epic proportions.
The KLF - The White Room
Before they went all controversial for controversial's sake and started burning millions of pounds for preposterously pretentious reasons, The KLF released the definitive acid-house album. From the head-crushing sirens of 'What Time Is Love?' to the machine gun notes and ZX Spectrum bleeps of the toe-tapping '3AM Eternal' to the beautifully haunting chill of 'Build A Fire', it's a record that proves the early-90s house scene was about more than Global Hypercolor tees and spotting Jerry Sadowitz in The Shamen's 'Ebeneezer Goode' promo.
Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium
Although 'Forest of Equilibrium' doesn't match the progressive metal magnificence of 'The Ethereal Mirror' or 'The Carnival Bizarre', it's one of the most uncompromising and provocative releases of the year, even though more people seemed to prefer 'Woodface' by Crowded House, of whom it goes without saying that some good soul really should have torched the fuckers.
Andrew Latham
Subhumans - Cradle To The Grave
Their second album and a remarkable offering featuring fine musicianship that includes the title track occupying the whole of side 2, which given that they were lumped in with all the anarcho punk bands of the time makes it all the more extraordinary!
Pixies - Doolittle
You need to play this album every now and again just to remind yourself that sometimes bands really can come up with something that sounds completely unlike anything else. Still sounds great and undated.
Neil Richardson
We Were Promised Jetpacks - In The Pit Of The Stomach
It may be officially released this month but currently being streamed on Soundcloud, it's simply an amazing follow up to These Four Walls and can imagine that it will sound brilliant live, thankfully not long to wait to find out as they are on tour in October.
The Subways - Money and Celebrity
Ok, never going to win any awards but you know exactly what you are going to get with The Subways and Money and Celebrity fails to disappoint. Always entertaining live, which they are doing right now.
Deaf Club - Lull EP
New Anglo Welsh band but already have produced a great EP, which at first appears calm and gentle but there is a subtle shoegaze undercurrent that sneaks up on you. Another band about to hit the road, definitely worth checking out now.
Paul Chesworth
Opeth - Heritage
Scandi metallers produce the goods with this their 10th album. A potential game-changer as it may lose them some of the hard-core fans, but will undoubtedly pick up may new fans along the way. Likely to be linked to Damnation, but its not as easy as that. More complicated than previous albums and will require some patience, but the rewards are there for those prepared to listen. There's no Coil/Watershed/Ghost of Perdition to hook you in from the beginning just pure unadulterated prog. A cult album if ever I heard one.
Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two
Opeths support band on their upcoming UK tour continue pretty much where they left off with Road Salt One, only this time its heavier and darker (hence why this version is called Ebony?). Not as changeable as other POS albums, its a more structured effort with the talented Daniel Gildenlow leading the way. He deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Akerfeldt/WIlson/Portnoy, such is his importance to prog and to POS.
Jim Ody
Love/Hate - Blackout In The Red Room
This is a classic album from 1990. The band were poised to make it big on the coattails of Guns'N'Roses after the band's brilliant second album, 'Wasted In America' before the Seattle scene blew up. Musically, Love/Hate played a Trashy type of Glam that was more G'N'R than Poison, with heavy guitar riffs and big choruses backed with lead singer Jizzy Pearl's husky and whisky-soaked vocals. Predominantly the band sung about beer and drugs as song titles would suggest, 'One More Round', 'Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?', 'Mary Jane' and 'Fuel To Run', and whilst the aforementioned follow up album was solid, it was slightly more polished and lost a bit of the raw sound. In later years the guitarist left which changed the sound, before other albums failed to have either the song writing skills or the thunderous anthems of the first two.
Blink 182 - Neighborhoods
The band's much anticipated new album following on from 2003's self-titled album. I've only had it a few days so the songs are yet to really take hold of me, however it is noticeable that the songs are understandably more mature and the drumming from Travis Barker is second to none - he has the ability to bring new sounds and beats to an instrument that ordinarily stays in the background over shadowed by everything else.
Spycatcher - EP
I got this 5-track EP free with a popular music magazine and absolutely love it! If Brian Fallon from Gaslight Anthem was to sing for Fall Out Boy then I imagine that this is what you would get. The songs are more thoughtful and well-constructed like mini-epics with words that make you think and some nice riffs to wrap around with a bow. You can see the band on YouTube with the song, 'Remember Where You Were When Michael Jackson Died', however I love the songs, 'Don't Like People' and 'Honesty' - The latter being the title of the band's debut album that was realised a few months back. Spycatcher are English and on Atticus Record label, however getting hold of their album is proving to be a task in itself...Worth checking out though.