R
Rammstein
- Mutter (2001 Motor Music) Some catchy riffs, but overall just cheesy and pointless. Wouldn’t recommend. **
Red Fang
- Whales And Leeches (2013 Relapse) Well, it’s a sludge record, and that’s pretty good. Lyrics are just nonsense though. C
Mickey Rickshaw
- 16 Down And Back Again (2013 Independent) Celtic inspired folk-punk. More raucous than the The Pogues and more Irish than Dropkick Murphy’s. An incredibly solid release. A-
Rogue Traders
- Here Come The Drums (2005 Columbia) Catchy electro-rock that you can dance to. Practically the same as every dance-pop act from the eighties and nineties, but not quite as good. Wouldn’t bother. **
S
The Saints
- (I’m) Stranded (Reissue 2007 EMI) Pure punk genius. Raw, rocky, angry, and fun. A must have for any punk fan. *****
S Club 7
- S Club (1999 Polydor) Absolutely no point. *
Sludge
- Sweet Daisy (1996 Independent) Some truly terrific riffs dragged down by indecisively atrocious vocals. D+
Sludgebucket
- Buzzard (2013 Independent) Smart and grimy. These boys from Oakland really know how to make a noise. It’s a shame that the production isn’t quite up to scratch, but nevertheless it’s a good EP. B
Sludgethrone
- A Megadose Of Unusual Gain Structures (2012 Independent) So badly produced that you can’t even hear it, but I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t want to anyway. F
The Smiths
- The Queen Is Dead (1986 Rough Trade) Overrated, but still very good. Would recommend. ****
Patti Smith
- Horses (1975 Arista) Brilliant punk poetry. Only occasionally boring. Highly recommend. ****
Smokie
- The Montreux Album (1978 RAK) The occasional catchy tune, but overall it’s derivative and bland. C-
Snoop Dogg
- Doggystyle (1993 Death Row) Disgusting and sexist. No real merit at all. Avoid. *
Sonic Youth
- Sister (1987 SST) Good experimental noise rock with a punk edge. Would recommend. ****
- Daydream Nation (1988 Enigma) SY’s experimentalism and rock sensibilities are both at their heights on this one. A masterpiece and a must have. *****
- Goo (1990 DGC) SY have gone mainstream. They’ve slipped a bit with this one, but I would still recommend highly. ****
Elliot Sphinx
- Sypmtoms (2009 LoFi Kabuki) He raps well enough and his beats are a cut above the rest, but still he doesn’t do anything that I haven’t already heard. C
Spiderbait
- Grand Slam (1999 Polydor) Great fun and catchy tunes. Would highly recommend. ****
Spring Break ’95
- Interstellar Vacation (2013 Not Punk) Standard hardcore with an occasional twinkle of jungel-jazz inspiration. Would have liked to have heard the band move further away from the standard and more towards their experimental side, but that was not to be. B-
Bruce Springsteen
- High Hopes (2014 Columbia) He performs as well as ever and the thing is produced well, but apart from a couple of stand outs this plays through like a re-hash of his earlier work. Mixed review. C+
Scott Stapp
- Proof Of Life (2013 Wind-Up) I never liked Creed and Stapp’s solo project is just as bad. Unoriginal, uninspired, and just generally insipid. D
Star Sludge
- 2005 (2005 Independent) Fun, low-fi punk record that inexplicably becomes an experimental industrial record. Wasn’t entirely sure what was going on here. Music is good, but still confusing. Indifferent. ***
Sting
- The Last Ship (2013 Cherry Tree/Interscope) Great Celtic folk backing to even better lyrics. A touching moment of melancholy introspection with overtones of good humour. Recommend highly. B+
Stray Cats
- Stray Cats (1980 Arista) It’s rockabilly, but these boy’s are no mere cover band. They know their craft and they know it well. B+
- Gonna Ball (1981 Arista) Hard rocking rockabilly revival music. Great fun and almost impossible not to dance to. Would highly recommend. ****
The Strypes
- Snapshot (2013 Virgin EMI) A band that isn’t afraid of real rock and roll. An incredibly strong debut album. Recommend very highly. ****
T
They Might Be Giants
- Lincoln (Reissue 2013 Breakaway) Whimsical quirky pop music. Immense amount of fun. Highly recommend. ****
- Nanobots (2013 Idlewild) Fun at times, confusing at others. Indifferent. ***
- Nanobots Live EP (2013 Idlewild) Whole lot of fun with great live energy. Would recommend. ****
Thorn
- Chapter 1 (2012 Independent) Absolutely no point. Just awful. F
Tinie Tempah
- Demonstration (2013 Parlophone) He’s got flow and he knows how to make a beat sound fresh. One of the better rap albums I’ve heard in a while. It looks like the British are taking this genre over. B-
Tin Machine
- Tin Machine (1989 EMI) Some fun, but not great. Indifferent. ***
The Titans Of Industry
- Live From The Banana Stand (2011 Independent) Geek-rock with a solidly grungy base. It’s nothing special, but it is damned catchy. C+
Tropical Vampirates
- Riffs From The Grave Double EP (2009 Dead Records) Maybe if you’re into horror punk/ ghoul rock, but wouldn’t recommend. **
T.S.O.L
- T.S.O.L EP (1981 Posh Boy) Short, fast, loud, and angry. Everything a hardcore punk band should be. Highly recommend. ****
- Weathered Statues EP (1982 Alternative Tentacles) Not quite as good as their first release, but still intense and raw. Would recommend. ****
U
Unquiet
- This Is Darkness Descended (2013 Independent) For the hardened listener of metal music this might be a real treat, but to everyone else the terrible vocal mixes are going to disappoint. The drummer, however, rocks immensely. C+
V
Violent Femmes
- Violent Femmes (1983 Slash) Highly energetic folk disguised in punk clothing. A must have for all record collectors. *****
- Hallowed Ground (1984 Slash) Wonderful album, would highly recommend. ****
W
The Waifs
- Shelter Me (1998 Outside) Truly fantastic Australian folk music with a solid base of rock and blues. Highly recommend. ****
- Up All Night (2003 Jarrah) The same folk/blues amazement as their earlier work, but the songrwriting is even better and catchier. A+
Tom Waits
- Closing Time (1973 Asylum) Interesting from an historical perspective. Otherwise indifferent. ***
- Nighthawks At The Diner (1975 Asylum) Amusing live album with a great atmosphere. Would recommend but with reservations. ****
- Small Change (1976 Asylum) A mixture of quite good with pretty terrible, Mixed review. ***
- Blue Valentine (1978 Asylum) Brilliant jazz and blues. Waits has hit the peak of his Asylum career. A must have for any record collection. *****
- Rain Dogs (1985 Island) Experiemental and catchy. Waits at his best doing what he does best. A must have. *****
- Alice (2002 Anti-) A creepy, catchy, modern classic. Must have. *****
The Wanted
- Word Of Mouth (2013 Island) An autotuned nightmare of dullness. F
Jason Webley
- The Cost Of Living (2008 11 Records) Well crafted poetry backed up by well played folk rock. Would recommend. ****
Kayne West
- Yeezus (2013 Roc-A-Fell/Def Jam) Great music and awful lyrics. It won’t last. ***
The White Stripes
- Elephant (2003 V2) Brilliant blues rock. Amazing fun and great rocking tunes. A record that will stand the test of time. Highly recommend. *****
- Under Great White Northern Lights (2010 Third Man) They’re even louder and rawer live, and I like it. Would recommend. ****
The Whitlams
- Eternal Nightcap (1997 Black Yak Phantom) Wonderful playing, wonderful poetry. A triumph of Australian piano rock, and it doesn’t even take it’s lead directly from Nick Cave. A must have. A-
Robbie Williams
- Swings Both Ways (2013 Island/Universal) He’s not the greatest jazz singer in the world, but he does have a lot of fun doing it. B
Worthless Waste
- Worthless Waste (2011 I Had An Accident Records) Just what the title says. Mindless ‘witchcore’ nonsense. F
X
Y
The You And What Army Faction
- FIXX (2009 Independent) They make some good music, but they hide it behind so many effects that you can’t really tell what’s going on anymore. Oh, and they can’t sing to save their lives. C-
Z
Frank Zappa
- Apostrophe (‘) (1974 DiscReet) Stupid and childish, but with a good backing track. Mixed review. ***
Zebrahead
- Call Your Friends (2013 MFZB) Annoyingly juvenile pop-punk record. Lots of energy but no real force. I wouldn’t bother with this one if I were you. **
Zero Progress
- Road Warriors (2013 Not Punk) Short, fast, loud, and dirty. Hardcore as it should be. B