Five things we learned at ADM Towers this week
Michael Palmer reflects on the week's action in the ADM chart
1
Turns Out People Wanted A Blur Album After All
For the first time in ADM history, Blur release an album. And it
turns out that the critics actually like it. A bunch of 8s and a 6
totting up to a combined weight of 7.7, making it the highest rated
Blur-related album ever, apart from Gorillaz' Plastic Beach.
Following? No, me neither. To clear it up, here's how all the
Blur-ish (Blurry?) albums rank:
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach, 8.0
Blur - The new one that we're talking about right now, 7.7
Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots, 7.6
Graham Coxon - A+E, 7.4
Graham Coxon - Spinning Top, 6.5
Gorillaz - The Fall, 6.6
Damon Albarn - Dr Dee, 6.0
So that settles it. The Blurs are definitively ranked: Albarn on
his own is last, then it's Gray-Cox, then it's Blur themselves, and
best is Albarn with Snoop, De La Soul, Mos Def and pals. That's
that settled then.
See all the reviews here
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2
Passion Pit's Charm May Be Slowly Fading
While Blur have only released one album in our ADM timeframe,
Passion Pit have actually released every one of their albums in our
ADM lifespan. That's right; to the rankings!
Manners, 7.7
Gossamer, 7.1
Kindred, 6.8.
Uh oh. Manners, the one with all their hits, was their debut.
That's the highest one. Below that, their next one, which had one
or two hits. Then there's the new one bringing up the rear. Bad
news: it's going backwards.
See all the reviews here
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3
The 10s Are Drying Up
A few weeks back the 10s kept flooding in. One after the other. 10
after 10 after 10. Sufjan? Have some 10s! Young Fathers? Sure,
here's a few 10s. Bop English? Sure, here's a couple 10s, no big
deal, don't worry about it. This week though it seems the 10s are
all gone. Only one little measly 10, dished out to Alabama Shakes
from State. That's it. Maybe Kendrick took them all? All the 10s
are Kendrick's now. That must be it.
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4
Alabama Shakes Are Only Getting Better
The
new Alabama Shakes album made waves on the ADM Chart this week,
their second album Sound And Colour taking the coveted prize of
being the highest new entry. They got the only 10 of the week, but
we've been through all that. They're also the anti-Passion Pit, in
that their ratings are getting better with each album. Their last
one: 7.0; this one: 7.8. So there you go. Oh, wait! Honestly, I
just got their name. Like, it "shakes" like an earthquake. This for
real just clicked for me. I genuinely thought before that it was
"shakes" like milkshakes. Alabama Shakes like the place shaking is
a decent band name. Alabama Shakes like milkshakes is terrible. It
makes much more sense now!
See all the reviews
here
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5
Built To Spill Are Still Rockin' Like It's
199something
So Built To Spill released their 8th album this week. They've been
going since 1993. They've been going since the first English
Premier League Season. They've been going since the season finale
of Cheers. They've been going since Ariana Grande was born. They've
been going since CERN started the "World Wide Web". They've been
going since Mrs Doubtfire came out. And Cool Runnings. And Free
Willy. Anyway, it got a 7.5.
See all the reviews
here