Before: Hip comicbook thump/guitar merchants with a compelling attitude

Minimalist banging with unpredictable fuzzy buzzy guitars. Passionate voices defiant and vulnerable, honest and not without humour. It’s surprisingly tender at times, before second half of the album belters kick in. Hard to know how serious it all is; it seems sincere but an ironic twist runs deep. Often I found myself smiling; the spontaneity of the guitars almost comical, the sound produced not quite like anything else I’ve heard. Loudness is tempered by the sparcity of instruments and production. A blues punk mix somewhere in a lost American garage.

After: More varity than expected, and more fun, despite the intensity.

Counting down the Top 50 over at Best Ever Albums. They’ve taken 6,600 greatest album charts and compiled them into an overall chart.