MRL"s Top-Twenty-Two Music Posts '08 (Full-lengths)

Why another list?
Because good bloggers spread unheard music around the world for little reward besides a few hits on the Crackmeter and stray comments. (Written as a proprietor of a blog and a voracious consumer of the same. )
To limit the list I tried (and failed) to chose sites that:
- avoid full versions of readily available releases
- offer full releases (single, e.p. or album) with artwork
- give a write-up offering at least some context


1. Ammonites Demo (U.K. Two-Tone Ska, 1979) Marco on the Bass (In two parts)

2. Ruts Peel Sessions (U.K. Punky Reggae Party, 1979) Commercial Zone

3. V.A. Stiff Sounds (UK Quirk-rock, 1979) (Rocket Remnants)

4. Nils Discography (Can. Hüsker-core, 1983-1986) (Model Citizen...Zero Discipline)

5. Chumbawamba Discography* (U.K. Anarcho-punk-folk-dance) Da Terror
Contains some in-print items but for a band who once recommended people shoplift their album this should not be such a bad thing.

6. Semantics Powerbill (U.S. Slick-power-pop, 1993) Puppy Strangler

7. Gary Myrick and the Figures S/T (U.S. A.O.R. New Wave, 1980) Scott's Music Blog

8. V.A. 4 Bands Who Cold Change the World (U.S. Whoa-0h H.C. , 1986) Down Underground)

9. Seventeen A Flashing Blur of Stripped-Down Excitement (U.K. Mod-punk, 1979) Control Total

10. Red Rockers Condition Red (U.S. Clash-Punk, 1981) Sons of the Dolls

11. Numbers Add Up (Can. Power-la-la-pop, 1979) (ISKP)

12. V.A. Canuck Punk (What it says, 1977-1981) (Last Days of Man on Earth)
(Not really a comp but it plays like one)

13. Rattlers Rattled (U.S. Garagey-Ramones-pop, 1985) (Powerpopoverdose)

14. Break-Up Society James at 35 (U.S. Retro-power-pop-punk, 2004) Powerpop Overdose
(Two from one site is usually verboten but both of theses posts represented singular accomplishments in ferreting out and exposing musical obscurica.)

15. Headboys S/T (U.K. Pointy-headed new wave, 1979) Vinyl Goldmine

16. Stiv Bators The Lord and the New Creatures (U.S. Evil-pop, 1983) Power Pop Criminals

17. Billy Bragg Live '84 (U.K. One-man-Clash, 1984) Sir Charlie Palmer

18. Real Kids Outta Place/All Kinda Jerks (U.S. Power-Glam, 1977) Ratboy69

19. The Rumour Purity of Essence (U.K. New Wave of British Pub Rock [NWOBPR], 1980) Twilight Zone

20.Parasite Compost (U.S. Ultra-prolific pop-punk, 2000) Hangover Heart Attack

21. Purple Hearts Head on Collision Time (U.K. Parka-punk, 1985) Born in the Basement

22. Attila International Sandwich (US World-core, 1981) Feelin' Kinda Froggy
(This is a "Trouser Press" album", by which I mean an album long only read about until this post revealed it to be a weird and intermittently fascinating curio.)


Due to my own limitations, many great bloggers are not represented here - find more musical spadework in my blogroll.

Next: E.P.'s and Singles