R – Z

R

Rammstein

Red Fang

Mickey Rickshaw

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

S Club 7

Sludge

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

The Smiths

Patti Smith

Smokie

Snoop Dogg

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

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

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

Thorn

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

The Titans Of Industry

Tropical Vampirates

T.S.O.L

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

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

  • Blue Valentine (1978 Asylum) Brilliant jazz and blues. Waits has hit the peak of his Asylum career. A must have for any record collection. *****

The Wanted

Jason Webley

Kayne West

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. *****

The Whitlams

Robbie Williams

Worthless Waste

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

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

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