Similar to the more thoughtful end of the early '90s alt-rock movement (Throwing Muses, Belly, the Breeders etc), this fourth effort from Laura Kidd aka She Makes War is a heartfelt and honest album veering from political despair ("Devastate Me") to quite brutally honest looks at human relationships ("Undone", "Then The Quiet Came"). Similar to Frank Turner or Louise Distras, Kidd is a talented musician with a good songwriting talent and "Brace For Impact" is a good demonstration of her abilities.
29. BIG BOY BLOATER & THE LIMITS - "Pills"
Hand on heart, I'd heard a few BBB albums before this and never quite got what the fuss was about but "Pills" definitely represents his strongest effort to date with the gallows humour of songs like "She Didn't Even Buy A Ticket"" and "Slacker's Paradise" balanced out by the more serious "A Life of Debt" and "The Digital Number Of The Beast". Definitely worth a listen for the old-skool rock 'n' rollers out there.
28. ELECTRIC SIX - "Bride Of The Devil"
E6 have usually figured somewhere in this list over the last few years but "Bride of the Devil" is definitely their strongest effort for a few years (probably since 2014's "Mustang" at least) with the likes of "Hades Ladies", "You're Toast" and "Full Moon Over The Internet" giving some catchy hooks to Dick Valentine's never less than surreal lyrics. Definitely a bit of a return to form here.
27. SARAH VISTA - "Killing Fever" (Review here)
Sounding like Tammy Wynette and Nick Cave sharing a couple of bottles of moonshine in some Wild West saloon while Ennio Morricone provides the atmospherics, this was a good first effort from the former Kiria/Missy Le Pink, crammed full of country style murder ballads and grim tales of lethal revenge. For those who like their country music a bit darker than yer average, this is definitely recommended.
26. THE VIRGINMARYS - "The Northern Sun Sessions" (Review here)
After a turbulent year which saw them dropped from their label and reduced to a duo following the inexplicable commercial failure of their second album "Divides", "The Northern Sun Sessions" saw the Virginmarys pouring every ounce of vitriol about their predicament into song form with the result being a ferocious and angry collection of songs which grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go. Sheer anger and frustration has rarely sounded this addictive.
25. FAZ WALTZ - "Double Decker" (Review here)
Stop me if you think you've heard this one before - Italian band, definite '70s glam influence, decent way with a tune and hook. Nope, it's not Giuda, in fact Faz Waltz have actually been around longer and, on "Double Decker"'s evidence might actually be slightly better than their fellow countrymen if I'm honest with this album. As well as the T-Rex/Mott/Elton influences, there's also a nod towards Small Faces indebted '60s style psychedelia. Certainly, this lot should definitely be picking up a few more plaudits than they have so far if this album is anything to go by.
24. THE AMORETTES - "Born To Break" (Review here)
After a bit of a creative mis-step with 2016's "White Hot Heat", "Born To Break" saw the Amorettes get over their awkward phase and evolve into a slick Runaways-style bubblegum glam-rock outfit. With an improved production job and some decent chugging riffs and hooks (most notably on comeback single "Everything I Learned (I Learned From Rock 'n' Roll"), this was the sound of a band getting their mojo back and blowing the cobwebs away nicely.
22.= HANK VON HELL - "Egomania" (Review here)
22.= TURBONEGRO - "Rock 'n' Roll Machine" (Review here)
The Turbojugend had double cause to celebrate in 2018 with both Turbonegro themselves and former singer Hank Von Hell (formerly Von Helvete) on the comeback trail. Von Hell's album was pretty much a straight continuation from where he left off with the band a decade previously with the likes of "Wild Boy Blues" and "Pretty Decent Exposure" rocking like a caveman's implement of choice while "Never Again" and "Adios (Where's My Sombrero?)" showed a darker side to his work.
"Rock 'n' Roll Machine" on the other hand saw Turbonegro at their most bombastic, liberally chucking bits of Van Halen, Def Leppard, '70s Elton John and AC/DC into the sonic mixer and topping it off with their none-more-irreverent sense of humour. Cheesier than a swimming pool full of fondue, it could've been a disaster but there's just something about its sheer cheek and killer tunes and riffs that undeniably works and gets you up and boogieing on the dancefloor again. Impossible to pick between these two so I've put them equal on the list but rest assured they're both well worth a listen.
21. DIRT BOX DISCO - "Immortals" (Review here)
Like Electric Six, Dirt Box Disco are one of those bands who seem to crop up on this list every year but "Immortals" is another enjoyably rough 'n' scuzzy slice of foul-mouthed pop punks from these Derby veterans. Like the Undertones and the Toy Dolls having a closing time punch-up, the likes of "Stop Shouting", "Box Of Tapes" and "Caveman" are exactly the sort of songs you can see rooms full of people yelling along to at future DBD gigs and long may it be so.
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