TOP TWELVE ALBUMS
WEEKENDING 3 JUNE 2012
1 (NEW)
REGINA SPEKTOR: What We Saw from the Cheap Seats (Warner Bros) PTS: 86, AV.RATE: 7.818
What We Saw from the Cheap Seats is the sixth studio album by Russian–American alternative singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. The album is a collection of new material along with the very first studio recordings of several of Spektor's older live songs.
Producer: Mike Elizondo, Regina Spektor
Released on May 29, 2012
Best tracks: Don't Leave Me – 10 pts out of 10, Small Town Moon – 9, Oh Marcello, Firewood, All The Rowboats, The Party – 8.
2.
TENACIOUS D: Rize Of The Fenix (Columbia) PTS: 96, AV.RATE: 7.384
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock band composed of comedian, actor, lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass. Tenacious D's music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass's acoustic guitar playing abilities. Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with rock music as "mock rock". Their songs discuss the duo's purported musical and sexual prowess, as well as their friendship and cannabis usage in a style that music critics have compared with the storyteller-style lyrics of rock opera. Rize of the Fenix is the third studio album by Tenacious D.
Producer: John Kimbrough, John King
Released on May 11, 2012
Best tracks: The Ballad Of Hollywood Jack & the Rage Kage – 10, Rize Of The Fenix, Deth Starr – 9, Seniorita, Roadie, Throw Down, Rock Is Dead, To Be The Best – 8.
3.
RICHARD HAWLEY: Standing at the Sky's Edge (Parlophone) PTS: 62, AV.RATE: 6.888
"Standing at the Sky's Edge" the 7th Hawley album and as with all of Hawley's previous albums, the title refers to a location in his native Sheffield, Sky Edge, an area famed for its high crime rate. The album is markedly different to Hawley's previous efforts, advancing from softer instrumentation to Hawley's heritage of guitars.
Producer: Richard Hawley and Colin Elliot
Released on 7 May 2012
Best tracks: She Brings The Sunlight, Seek It, Don't Stare At The Sun, Leave Your Body Behind – 8 pts out of 10.
4.
JACK WHITE: Blunderbuss (Third Man Records) PTS: 89, AV.RATE: 6.846
Jack White of The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, and The Raconteurs, has released a full album.
Blunderbuss has its roots in White's recordings with several artists including Tom Jones. White was in contact with Wu-Tang Clanmember RZA and, when RZA couldn't attend the session, White felt bad since there was a band that travelled to Nashville for apparently no reason. White decided to record several tracks that he wrote in the last 6 months of 2011, with the band. The tracks would later develop into songs that appear on the album
Blunderbuss, White’s first solo record, shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise: it sounds exactly like you’d expect a Jack White solo record to sound like.
Producer: Jack White
Released on April 23, 2012
Best tracks: Love Interruption – 8, I'm Shakin' – 8
5.
LANA DEL REY: Born to Die (Universal) PTS: 81, AV.RATE: 6.750
Born to Die is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. Musically, Born to Die is a pop album but derives characteristics from such musical genres as alternative hip hop, sadcore, and alternative pop. It could be described as a mix of 60s-esque cocktail-bar glamour and little-girl vulnerability, sad and sweet and sexy.
Released on January 27, 2012
Producers: Patrik Berger, Jeff Bhasker, Chris Braide, Emile Haynie, Justin Parker, Rick Nowels, Robopop, Al Shux
Best tracks: Blue Jeans – 9, Born To Die, Video Games, National Anthem – 8.
6.
THE ALABAMA SHAKES: Boys & Girls (Rough Trade) PTS: 74, AV.RATE: 6.727
Boys & Girls is the debut studio album from American rock band Alabama Shakes. This is a very organic/bluesy/soulful record. It's Otis Redding returned to earth as a 23 year old female.
Released on April 9, 2012
Best tracks: Hold On – 10, I Found You – 9, Hang Loose – 8.
7.
THE SHINS: Port of Morrow (Columbia Records) PTS: 80, AV.RATE: 6.666
Port of Morrow is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band The Shins. Co-produced by Greg Kurstin and frontman James Mercer, it is the band's first studio album in five years and their first since the departure of founding members Dave Hernandez (bass, guitar), Marty Crandall (keyboards) and Jesse Sandoval (drums). The album has a more slick and polished sound than the band's previous efforts, with a much greater emphasis on electronic instrumentation while still retaining elements of the melodic indie pop style the band originally made their name with.
Producers: Greg Kurstin, James Mercer
Released on March 20, 2012
Best tracks: Simple Song – 9, It's Only Life – 8.
8 (NEW)
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD: This is PiL (PiL Official) PTS: 79, AV.RATE: 6.583
This is PiL is the ninth studio album by English post-punk band Public Image Ltd and their first studio album in 20 years
Producer: Public Image Ltd.
Released on 28 May 2012
Best tracks: Human – 9, This Is PiL, One Drop, Deeper Water, Terra-Gate – 8
9.
THE CULT: Choice of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl) PTS: 63, AV.RATE: 6.300
Choice of Weapon is the ninth album by the British rock band The Cult. The album was supposed to be released in 2011, but the release date had since been pushed to May 22, 2012
Producer: Chris Goss, Bob Rock
Released on May 22, 2012
Best tracks: Life Death – 8, For the Animals, Lucifer – 7.
10.
LADYHAWKE: Anxiety (Casablanca Records) PTS: 61, AV.RATE: 6.100
Anxiety is the second studio album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke
Released on 24 May 2012 (Australia)
Producer Pip Brown, Pascal Gabriel
Best tracks: Black, White & Blue – 8, Sunday Drive, Vaccine, Cellophane – 7.
11.
NORAH JONES:
Little Broken Hearts (Blue Note) PTS: 70, AV.RATE: 5.833
Norah Jones, an American jazz-pop singer. She is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. Little Broken Hearts (stylized as ...Little Broken Hearts) is Jones' fifth studio album and her first release since 2009's The Fall. The album is produced by Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, who is notable for his production work with The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, and Beck among others
Producer: Danger Mouse
Released on April 25, 2012 by Blue Note Records
Best tracks: Say Goodbye, Out On The Road – 8, Little Broaken Hearts, Happy Pills – 7.
12(NEW)
THE TEMPER TRAP: The Temper Trap (Infectious Records ) PTS: 86, AV.RATE: 5.733
The Temper Trap is the second studio album by the Australian band of the same name, The Temper Trap It is the band's first album as a five-piece since Joseph Greer was added as a permanent member of the band.
Rabbit Hole is an epic track. Album is a bit weak in places though. I was expecting more after the first single, but the album fell completely short of my expectations...
Producer: Tony Hoffer, The Temper Trap, Russell Fawcus
Released on 21 May 2012
Best tracks: Need Your Love, Rabbit Hole – 8, London's Burning – 7.
How my system works. I rate every song on the album by the scale from 1 to 10.
RATINGS
10 - The Best of the Best
9 - Very Nearly Perfect
8 - Excellent
7 - Damn Good
6 - Good
5 - Average
4 - Unexceptional
3 - Weak
2 - Seriously Flawed
1 - Terrible
Then I sum up all the rates and divide this fugure by the number of songs on the album. So I receive the average album rating. That's how this weeks Album Chart was compiled.
Next week all the new albums will be estimated according this rule. And how about the albums which have been estimated this week? Well, if I didn't listen to the album during the period under review than 0.5 pts are going to be deducted from each song's rating. If I listened to the album once in a course of the week than no pts are deducted from last week's rating. If I listened to the album twice during the week than 0.5 pts must be added to each of the song.
I think it's quite fair system to build up an Album Chart.
I'm looking for "TOP POPS/MUSIC NOW" and "MERSEYBEAT / MUSIC ECHO" Charts to complete my 60's singles charts collection.