Chips

Today, I listened to the current number 16 album ‘Freakout/Release’ by Hot Chip. And you may be wondering, why have you skipped from number 7 yesterday to number 16 today? That is because all the albums between have already been listened to, are Ed Sheeran or are greatest hits albums.

I enjoy the excellent song by Hot Chip ‘Over and Over’….it’s like a monkey with a miniature cymbal.

None of the songs on this album are as instantly catchy, in fact, some of them are more like Ibiza chillout music. Made me very sleepy on the way to work which is not what I wanted at all!

On the way home from work I was listening to the new audiobook by James Acaster about how to quit social media. Did you know he was the second person on My Space? Learn this and many awesome facts in his new book (not a sponsor).

Demons

Today I listened to Demi Lovato’s album ‘Holy Fvck’ which is currently number 7 in the UK album Charts.

Demi has been going through some stuff with addictions and such and is now back with this album.

There are many songs mentioning demons and devils, heaven and hell and angels.

Like much music, many of the songs are about sex, however, unlike Aitch, Demi has an ability to use metaphors which I appreciate. Metaphors make you sound old enough and mature enough to be realistic about sex.

The song ’29’ is probably the most interesting. A song about a relationship she had with a 29-year-old when she was 17. Now she’s 29, and she’s considering the situation. Not sure if it’s based on a real relationship but it feels like it. Apparently, it is based on a real relationship.

‘Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy. But was it yours or was it mine? Seventeen, twenty-nine’

There are 16 tracks on this album and it’s less than 50 minutes long.

It’s not the sort of album I would regularly listen to but I like an exploration of more difficult parts of your life in musical form. It feels mature. It feels real.

All Around the World

Today I listened to the current UK number 6 album ‘Be Here Now’ which is a re-release of Oasis’ 1997 third album. This is the second Oasis album I have listened to and blogged about. I have also listened to two albums by the spin-off groups after Oasis.

In 1997, I was in year 6 and then just starting year 7. I was fully in my Paul Poulton Era of music.

I went to a camp at the end of year 6. It was called Woodlands and you slept in dormitories and did fun wood-based activities such as zip-wiring, rock climbing and being near fires. There was a disco on the final night which I didn’t go to because I didn’t like any of the music and I decided to join the group of people playing hide and seek outside. (There was a rumour that a boy, we’ll call him Adam because that was his name, was going to ask me to dance. He never did which was good because dancing at school discos is awkward right? Also, he was outside playing hide and seek.)

There was no way, when this album was released in August 1997 that it was anywhere on my radar.

It is currently in the charts because it has been released for its 25th anniversary. Since its release it’s been in the charts for 48 weeks, five of them at number one.

Apparently, this is a divisive album with Liam loving it and Noel not liking it so much. Honestly, it seems anything can be a divisive issue with them two. One of them probably expressed their opinion and the other decided to hold the exact opposite opinion for the fun.

However, Noel is quoted as saying ‘Just because you sell a lot of records, it doesn’t mean you’re any good. Just look at Phil Collins’. or, as I might say, Ed Sheeran or Adele.

I have no problems with this album. ‘Stand by Me’ and ‘All Around the World’ feature. Both are excellent songs. Of the 12 tracks, three are under five minutes and one of those is an ‘All Around the World’ reprise. The other two are still over four minutes. This does make it a long album.

I’ve spoken about how 2001 me was insisting that good songs lasted at least five minutes but I didn’t understand why I thought this. I think I was considering albums the entire time! Everyone knows that the perfect length of an album is about an hour and the perfect number of tracks per album is 12.

Panic Palace

Today I listened to the current UK number five album ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ by Panic! at the Disco.

I love Panic! at the Disco. Even bad Panic! is better than most things.

Apparently, since album their fifth album Panic! has been a solo act rather than a band…just like Years and Years.

There are a couple songs on this album which are so close to being Queen I’m surprised they haven’t given Freddie writing credits. Honestly, one song was so close to Bohemian Rhapsody, I thought it was the cover they did for Suicide Squad.

‘God Killed Rock and Roll’ is another song where someone else needs writing credit. It’s just a more pessimistic version of ‘God Gave Rock and Rock to You’.

This album has a lot of positive reviews but I don’t think it’s going to go down as one of the best Panic albums…This is their seventh album and I think, currently, it makes the top 10 of their albums.

Home

Today I listened to the debut album by Aitch ‘Close to Home’ which as entered the UK album chart at number 2.

You know what is number 1? The Ultimate Collection by Steps! Not only a greatest hits album doing better than your debut album? But a Steps greatest album! A horrible situation for Aitch.

Aitch is a rapper from Manchester and is called ‘Aitch’ because that’s how he pronounces his ‘h’s. And I’m ok with that. He is 22 years old and I bet he gets ID’d for 12-rated films.

I have nothing against his rapping style, or the music of this album. I’m sort of like it but dude, if you need to talk about how good you are at sex and the size of your penis this much, I think you’ve got a problem. And women, if he is really using any of the lines he states he is as pick-up lines, find anyone else.

There is a beautiful song on this album dedicated to a younger sister who has Downs Syndrome. It is a shame that with Aitch’s emotions evident through his delivery it has vocals by Ed Sheeran which The Guardian describes as ‘Ed Sheeran at his most nondescript’. Honestly, Aitch says he’s crying in the booth and Ed was half asleep when he recorded his bits.

I suppose there is potential for Aitch. Most of the songs are stupid boasting (and probably lies) but a couple are meaningful.

Niblets

I re-listened to the album ‘Sweetheart Fever’ by Scout Niblet.

This is such a different and interesting album. I really love it. I think it would be awesome if you had people round and you put this on as background music. For most of the time, no one will comment on it, it won’t intrude and then, during a lull in the conversation, someone is going to say ‘what on earth is this?!’

And to be fair, they’ll probably be confused about why you put it on and then you’ll be like ‘no, it’s genius, trust me!’

It would be a good evening.

Greatest hits

Is no one writing new music anymore? I know that so many new songs have to credit writers of completely different songs because the music is so similar so clearly we’re running out of music.

10 of the top 20 albums this week are Greatest Hits albums. I’ve listened to 7 of the remaining 10 albums and 2 are Ed Sheeran and I can’t be doing with that nonsense.

Number 20 on the top 100 is the Arctic Monkeys’ album ‘AM’ which was originally released in 2013 and has spent 466 weeks in the top 100. It debuted at number 1 and then stayed in the top 100 for 169 weeks until 8th December 2016. Then it dropped out of the top 100 before returning on 22nd December 2016 and just staying there. In this second run in the chart, it peaked at number 11.

Who is buying this? Who is listening to this? How do album statistics work in the charts? How many songs in an album have to be streamed to contribute to rankings for the album?

I mean ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ (WYOCMWYH) and ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ (DIWK) are both on this album and people are playing those daily right?

Don’t worry though, I’ve found an explanation!

‘Official Charts will take the 12 most-streamed tracks from each album. The top two tracks will be down-weighted in line with the average of the next 10. These streams will then be added together and divided by 1,000. This ‘stream factor’ will then be added to the physical/digital sales of the album’

So, WYOCMWYH and DIWK are clearly going to be the top two tracks. But out of the remaining 10 tracks on the album, there were 4 more singles, all very well received. I’m guessing that with half your album being singles…and all good singles, the difference between the top two and the average of the remaining 10 isn’t going to be so big meaning your 2013 album is at number 20 in 2022.

Honestly, with 6 huge singles, this could have also been a Greatest Hits album.

Weekend Truths

Today I listened to the current number 10 album ‘Only Honest on the Weekend’ by Becky Hill.

It was released almost exactly a year ago and has returned to the charts due to Becky Hill performing at the Women’s European Football Championships which England won! (I’ve capitalised the words although that’s not what it’s called but it is what it should be called).

This week’s top 10 contains 4 greatest hits albums – the two I have listened to by The Weeknd and Eminem and then one each by Abba and Elvis.

I enjoyed this album. It was good background music, none of the songs drew me into them because they annoyed me or because they inspired me.

Do You Have The Time…

Today I listened to the 2001 album ‘American Hi-Fi’ by the band American Hi-Fi while driving. It is not Car-Alexa’s fault but when I first asked her for his album she got super confused and played ‘Basket Case’ by Green Day.

I wasn’t going to skip that, I’m not crazy, it’s a great song. I’ve heard it played live twice over the last three days by Rhys Heaven and I’ve really enjoyed it.

Then I got Alexa to comply with the original request which was a problem because American Hi-Fi shouldn’t have to follow one of the greatest songs by Green Day. I think Rhys followed it with Sweet Caroline which, love it or hate it, gets everyone singing.

I have no real problem with American Hi-Fi but it’s not a greatest of the year album.

There is a track on this album called ‘My Only Enemy’. People who know me know that I have two enemies! Firstly, Nichola. She knows we’re enemies, although, she is much older than me, as she once pointed out as a reason why we should do things her way, so she may not classify us as enemies. We were both adults in the workplace at this point, it wasn’t like she was 16 and I was 10. My second enemy is Simon and I’m not sure he knows because we actually get on ok as long as I don’t have to work with him because he doesn’t work and I’ve not gotten over how much incomplete work I had to complete after he left.

Anyway, I’m not convinced that American Hi-Fi’s enemy is the same sort of enemy story. It could either be a bad break up or a more soul searching I’m my own worst enemy sort of thing. I’m not entirely sure the lyrics make much sense. It’s ok, punk pop isn’t always about sense, it’s sometimes just about feelings.

Also, today I saw one of those signs on the side of the road advising a gig which claimed Imelda May was playing (it was one of those signs which you drive past and it has the artists in big letters and then smaller print which could be information about the costs or could be saying its really a tribute act or that a house band is playing songs by the artists mentioned. I never trust those signs to be honest). I was like, I totes know of her from one album I listened to this year! Yay me!.

Waves

Today I was still in the 2022 chart and listened to ‘Unwanted’ by Pale Waves.

I know of Pale Waves and remember sort of liking their music.

Unwanted is their third album and was released quickly after their 2021 second album due in part to the lockdowns and prevention of touring.

They stated that they like Paramore and that they channelled that sound into that album. Which is totally true because this was a Paramore album.

And if I wanted a Paramore album, I’d listen to one.