I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2024 : 91-100

 

For the last eight years We have compiled annual Best Of 's  because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. A reminder that only new albums are included among these 100.

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, A song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

91 Day Dreems - Day Dreems      IDHAS Review

92 The Duke Of Surl - Borneo      IDHAS Review

 

93 The Proctors - Snowdrops & Hot Air Balloons      IDHAS Review

94 The Duskwhales - Strawflower Lane      IDHAS Review

95 The Hard-Ons - I Like You A Lot Getting Older      IDHAS Review

96 The Successful Failures - Enemy Sublime      IDHAS Review

97 Radio75 - Screaming Out      IDHAS Review

98 Love Fiend - Handle With Care      IDHAS Review

99 Neon Bone - Eager To Please      IDHAS Review

100 Young Scum - Lighter Blue     IDHAS Review

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The Successful Failures - Enemy Sublime

The 11th Studio album from The Successful Failures and the Trenton, New Jersey quartet know what they are about. Mick Chorba's vocal is so distinctive and lends itself to what ever direction he wants to take. Be that Indie Rock, Power Pop, Classic Rock and Americana.

You are always going to hear some awesome Electric Guitar, be it riffs or solos. This is never more so here and on Future Employers, it may the best ever Guitar Rock song that they've ever added to an album, it is a mind bending guitar fest, yet never plank spanking, it is so damn melodic.

Yet the band's well known versatility can offer the Americana Twang of Costume Party and the Country Rock and Roll all together now with Sad x Bad x Three. Then there's the Classic Rock of Alone In Texas and the Power Pop of Tell Me Again.

Yet they can be incredibly gentle, witnessed by Face The Face and they can Jangle with the best of them as on A Song Is Always On My Mind. Adelaide is great Pop Rock, again riff heavy, but with a Country slant. 

Worried All The Time is as heavy as they've ever been, a real rock yer socks affair. I just love this lot as the past reviews here reveal, but there's never been a duff album and the versatility, performances and arrangements are just dynamite.

Chorba's vocals are something that I could listen to forever. This is a Guitar album through and through, but new listeners will find something they like due to the variation. More mainstream than we normally write about maybe and certainly more Rocky, but exceptional in every way.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can buy it on Vinyl, CD or as a Download.

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The Successful Failures - Wrong Together

 

We are long time fans of Trenton New Jersey's The Successful Failures and I've remarked before that Mick Chorba's writing is never less than interesting. I talk about versatility and there is no greater example than here, but I do think that it has held the band back a tad in the past.

How do you define a quartet that are equally at home with Americana, Noise Rock, Power Pop, New Wave, 70's Pop Rock, Country and even Pop Punk? The answer is you don't try. but that still doesn't help listeners who hear their first song and the second is nothing like it. Thankfully, Digital and FM Stations have picked up on them at last.

This variation is in their DNA and finally people have realised that what you do is listen to the whole album and choose which suit your show or a listener's mood. I am a massive advocate of listening to albums all the way through, a thing too many don't do, particularly some reviewers. I mean I can't count how many times that I read PR and it is nothing at all like the music, yet people print it verbatim.

I have to admit that my favourite Successful Failures song is one that they crash in on and this time's example is The Worst Of Our Kind. You want Rock you've got it and they even manage to slow it down to gradually let it blast again.

They become outlaws on Kings From Italy. yet All I Really Want is a lesser seen ballad, a little Southern, yet at the same time almost a Doo Wop Song. Learning What Is To Be Free is a sort of Campfire altogether, unusually gentle, but highly effective and includin a whistle.

The closer though revives that Chorba growl and adds a killer melodic solo. Kids Of Queens adds a twang, but has a rhythm not a million miles away from Glam Rock. Millions Of People, the lead single, still grabs every time with that riff.

New City is even very R.E.M. vocally and what a solo!. This does feel a more gentler softer album than times gone past. It also works because of that. Chorba's lyric writing is as spot on as ever. Few write songs similar to him and the band are as ace as ever. Highly Recommended as is all of the back catalogue.

You can listen to and buy the album here. There is also a fab Substack Page here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2021 : 21-30

It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a List person, I just think what's the point?

However, for the last few years I have compiled annual Best Of 's  because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

There are few rules. All albums have to have been reviewed on IDHAS. Reissues and Live Albums are not included. Previously unreleased albums are included, but Best Of's are not. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album. 

No 21 : Quivers - Golden Doubt    IDHAS Review

No 22 : Kid Gulliver - Kismet      IDHAS Review





No 23 : The Green Pajamas - Sunlight Might Weigh Even More    IDHAS Review

 

No 24 : Tamar Berk - The Restless Dreams of Youth         IDHAS Review

No 25 : The Wry Dogs - Pigs Might Fly  IDHAS Review

 

No 26 : The Harmony Motel - Topical Depression       IDHAS Review


  


No 27 : The Successful Failures - James Cotton Mather     IDHAS Review

No 28 :  Electric Looking Glass - Somewhere Flowers Grow    IDHAS Review


 

No 29 : Chris Catalyst - Kaleidoscopes   IDHAS Review

No 30 : Surreal Prismatics - Conscious Dreams       IDHAS Review

  

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The Successful Failures - James Cotton Mather

 

The Successful Failures have never made an album that isn't engaging, so they are not going to start now. They are a quartet from Trenton, New Jersey who specialise in an Indie-ish Rock with a difference. The difference being that they can easily switch into Americana, even Country, instantly.

This is largely due to Mick Chorba's vocal which has a twang that makes that quite simple. The Rock has at times leant towards a noisier version of Power Pop, but not here. This is a Rock album, wonderfully so, beautifully constructed, an absolute gem of an offering.

All the hooks are still here, but this is more of a heads down affair that will translate splendidly to the live stage, an area where the band truly excel. The band just don't come up for air which suits me because I prefer them most in this mode.

There are still nods to the Power Pop, particularly on Tiger Gravel Opposition Child and there is more than enough variation to keep all interested. For instance, Little Ivan goes all Ry Cooder and Freedom Within is particularly anthemic.

Hand Grenades is a ringer for The Black Crowes and Old Man River is almost spat out via a fine vocal. Let The Power Go Through You even hints at Glam Rock. But it is the power of the songs that shines through. This is above all, a Plugged In Guitar album. Riffs fly from everywhere.

The band is the sum of its parts, but Chorba has such a distinct voice that is just so easy to listen to. The album is a concept album about James Cotton Mather and nautical in its thread. But the songs stand up individually. I thought I couldn't love The Successful Failures any more than I do. I've discovered that I can. This is superb.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2020 : 21-30

It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a List person, I just think what's the point.

However, for the last few years I have compiled annual Best Of 's because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

I would also add that the Top 100 includes albums available as Download Only. To suggest that they are anything less than equal to a Physical release is grossly unfair, even more so in 2020 with all that has happened during the year. To qualify, an album has to be available for sale in any format.

For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album. 

No 21 : Foxycontin - This Time You’re on Your Own    IDHAS Review

No 22 : Gretchen's Wheel - Such Open Sky      IDHAS Review









No 23 : The Successful Failures - Pack Up Your Shadows     IDHAS Review

 

No 24 : The Amiimopps - Life On Pluto          You Tube Group

       

No 25 : The Bye Bye Blackbirds - Boxer At Rest    IDHAS Review

 

No 26 : The Mommyheads - New Kings Of Pop       IDHAS Review




 




No 27 : Answering Machine - Bad Luck     IDHAS Review

No 28 :  The Happy Fits - What Could Be Better    IDHAS Review



 

No 29 : KEYS - Home Schooling   IDHAS Review

Libertino · KEYS - The Strain

 

   

No 30 : DISQ - Collector         Review

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The Successful Failures - Pack Up Your Shadows

I absolutely adore Trenton, New Jersey's The Successful Failures. In my review of 2017's Ichor Of Nettle, I tried to explain how varied they were. You can read that here. Pack Up Your Shadows was recorded remarkably quickly earlier this year and was initially planned to be an EP, but the quality oozed and so you have the nine songs.

Essentially, the band vary between Pop Rock and Americana and this can confuse people like me. I think my views on how one size fits all has all but killed Americana, but these four remind you of how great the genre can be. Particularly when it edges more towards Country than Bluegrass.







It also gets forgotten that Mick Chorba is a fine songwriter that is never afraid of surprising you with a turn of phrase or an unexpected musical turn. This album is largely half and half. Two Americana songs by followed four outstanding ventures into Pop and Rock and then bookended by another two Americana-ish affairs. Then adding a great Country cover of Clarence Williams's My Bucket's Got A Hole In.

Honeycomb is a campfire opener whilst On Down The Line is a hillbilly romp. Then it gets really interesting with probably the best song that you will hear this year and its a Murder Ballad. Murder 'Neath The Silver Moon is incredible and what a Guitar solo to close it.






This Girl could be Nick Piunti, it is a Power Pop delight and followed by a 50s Rock And Roll weepie in How Many Words. More Of The Same is even more interesting a sort of Rockpile Rock Out. Whiskey Song is a country ballad and Something Good has Chorba in Hank Williams mode.

Pack Up Your Shadows is a great great album. The Successful Failures may be accused of confusing listeners with their different song directions, but that would be pointless, why would you not want to hear such varied talent? One of the joys of listening to their albums is that variety. Highly Recommended!






You can listen to and buy the album here. The CD is on Ray's excellent Kool Kat label and what a year he is having with some top notch releases and more to come.


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The Successful Failures - Ichor Of Nettle

After a quiet couple of months, this year is really hotting up. New Jersey's The Successful Failures release album number six and it's an absolute stormer. The FDR label provided one of my two albums of the year last year with Somerdale, here is this year's contender.

In any review I'll try and describe what to expect, but the favourites are those that are so varied that they are hard to pin down. Ichor Of Nettle is just that. The band is probably at it's best when it's noisy and it does that incredibly well. But they can be quiet and all in between. There's Americana, Replacements like noise, Power Pop, New Wave, 70's Pop Rock and even Pop Punk.

Mick Chorba's writing covers themes as diverse as tragedy and redemption and all are wrapped up in hooks and choruses. There's a lot of literary references. Low Resting Heartbeat could be on a 1975 UK Pop Rock album with it's magnetic hook, yet No Good Way could be The Plimsouls with a twang.






When Did Everybody Grow Up is classic UK late 70's New Wave, it has all the chops, Tennessee Boy is acoustic Americana, all yee haw with mandolin. The Devil Took A Liking To Me could be Jackson Browne, Sam Houston has a real Faces / Stones riff.

I like the album most when it is noisy and wow does it get noisy. The title track and Into The Battle rock like classic Replacements. There's also a big hurrah for the Power Pop. Misguiding Light and All Wrapped Up could appear on any great Power Pop album of the last four decades on not be out of place.

Ishor Of Nettle is so varied that it could be a compilation, let's call it Now That's What I Call Great Songs Volume 1. What a splendid album this is, you can and should buy it here.