The John Bills 100: 91

91: Pulse Ultra - 'Headspace'.
This band were the first band on at Ozzfest 2002, and I went to see them just to fill a spot I guess. However, I was absolutely thrilled with what I saw. Yes, I was young and impressionable at the time, but this was everything I would have wanted from a band at the time. Sort of like Taproot, but a lot cleverer and minus the same harmonies on every song. I saw them supporting Taproot not long after, and was given a set list and drum stick for singing along to every song. Because I am that cool. However, don't let the nu metal put you off. This is cleverer and far more intricate than your standard nu metal fare, incorporating many different time signatures in individual songs and displaying some damn impressive playing. Its an album I can still put on to this day and be as excited by. Fantastic.

Download: 'Build Your Cages', 'Never the Culprit'.

The John Bills 100: 92

92: Quicksand - 'Slip'.
Ok, so I don't seem to be able to add a photo of the album cover, I'll edit that at a later date. Before Walter played in Rival Schools, he played in a number of hardcore bands, one of which being Quicksand. Quicksand released 2 records, both of which get a lot of praise by bands and critics, but not much coverage. They are one of those bands really. Loved by people who play music and write about music, and for good reason. Each song on this album has a gritty riff at its core, and there is a gritty intelligence underneath every tune. 'Fazer' opens the album with a nice simple drum fill and rolling riff, and its all forward from there. A criminally underlistened album in my book, and Walter's vocal performance is equally terse. Top stuff.

Download: 'Head to Wall', 'Fazer'.

The John Bills 100: 93

93: Phema - 'Oomnoom'Shibi'.
I cant find a picture of the album cover anywhere. Thats how little reward this band got. Playing good old fashioned meat and potatoes rock (meant in the nicest possible way), Phema were a 4 piece from Milton Keynes who impressed all who saw them, but never quite got the push they deserved. Like the Foo Fighters with bigger balls, Jimmy Eat World but less lame at times, this is pop rock with a tank engine. You won't hear better hooks than the ones found in 'The Answer', 'Chugga Chug' and 'Promotion' anywhere on those other bands recent albums. It baffles me how this band weren't adored by huge numbers of people. The songs just sound like they are supposed to be sang by throngs of adoring fans. To boot, superbly nice gentlemen as well. I think Graham (frontbloke) does some solo acoustic stuff which is very nice indeed, look him up on youtube (Graham Hulbert). A massively underappreciated album from an equally underappreciated band.

Download: 'The Answer', 'Chugga Chug'.

The John Bills 100: 94

94: McLusky - 'McLusky Do Dallas'.
If you are in a rock band, and you are recording an album, and unsure how to open said album, then I suggest you buy this record. If it was up to me, every album would open with a song like 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues'. It is absolutely wonderful, and if there is such as an attention grabber, this is it. The rest of the album follows in a similar vein, with short sharp fiery intense songs kicking you repeatedly in the balls and then taking a step back and laughing at you. Lyrically it is constantly entertaining as well, as with the usual output from Andy Falkous. Sarcastic, biting, hilarious, it is all of the above. If you are just starting out playing in a band, listen to this album. Please. Now.

Download: 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues', 'To Hell With Good Intentions'.

The John Bills 100: 95

95: Peeping Tom - 'Peeping Tom'.
Mike Patton, Mr.Productive himself, finally released a pure pop record. Well, its a pop record, but not as you'd know it. It is modern day pop music, twisted and forced into new interesting shapes. Nobody every doubted that Patton would be able to do this and do it well, but some of the results are blindingly good. 'Mojo' is as blatant a single as there is, all be it a dark and slightly demented one. It sounds like a party, but a really dark one. 'Five Seconds' opens the album with a similar dark party vibe, and is probably the best song on the record. Supposedly there was enough material for another 2 records, but these are yet to see the light of day. C'mon Michael. He said that this is the type of music he would want to hear on the radio, and by god I wish he was right.

Download: 'Mojo', 'Five Seconds'.

The John Bills 100: 96

96: The Ocean - 'Precambrian'.

This album is heavy. Not Made out of Babies heavy, not terrible hair metal heavy, but whale heavy. Like a few tonnes of actual metal, this is very heavy. The Ocean are something of a supergroup, featuring guys from bands such as Cave In, Converge, Textures, and even some members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and they all come together to play some seriously brutal music. A 2 disc set, it starts off with 'Hadean', which is probably my favourite song on the album. Thats not to say the rest of the album fails to reach those heights, far from it. Its just a seriously intense album. There are moments of clarity in it all though, as the 2nd disc displays a teeny bit of restraint. The key term is teeny, as the majority of this album is serious faced heavy heavy music. And it is freakin' wonderful.

Download: 'Hadean', 'Eoarchaean'.

The John Bills 100: 97

97: Sunna - 'One Minute Science'
This album, or more to the point band, get a bit of stick these days. They get lumped in with bands such as Vacant Stare, Autonomy and other long forgotten British nu-metal bands, as part of an era of mistaken music from Britain's youths. However, whilst listening to this, even whilst looking into the bands history, you see that they don't fit in with those bands, that they deserve something more. This is a dark album, taking cues as much from Nine Inch Nails as it does from Korn. There is angst here, but unlike a lot of bands from the early part of this century, it is entirely earnest and honest. Its a much underappreciated album, covering a hefty amount of ground in the process. Songs like 'I'm Not Trading' and 'Power Struggle' drown themselves in the aforementioned angst, where as 'One Conditioning' and 'I Miss' should respectable restraint. A fine fine record.

Download: 'O.D', 'One Conditioning'.

Book Club XV: One More Year

Sana Krasikov - 'One More Year'.
This collection of short stories was a pleasure to read. It starts off quite slowly truth be told, but each story has completely engaging characters that you find yourself completely involved in towards the end of the story. It follows various immigrants from the former Soviet Union and their lives in America. This includes affairs, arguments, lost family and whole manner of other subjects, all of which tend to spring up in Soviet area literature. And for good reason, no one writes about these subjects like those in the east. Take loneliness for example. Whilst everyone on the planet has experienced loneliness at some point, the people from the former Soviet Union seem able to express loneliness in a far more poetic form than most, and it shines through not only in literature but also in film. This is a great little book, and to think its her first! Fantastic.

The John Bills 100: 98.

98: Made Out of Babies - 'The Ruiner'.
First of all, fantastic band name. Julie Christmas is also a fantastic name, and she is without doubt the highlight of this record. Take her out, and Made Out of Babies are a good off kilter metal band, taking various obvious cues from Neurosis. However, with Christmas on top of it all, they become something very different. A hugely cathartic, almost violent record, straight from the opening, its grabs you by the back of the skull and screams full on into your face. It is raw, it is unhinged, it is intense. And it is absolutely wonderful because of it. At times its a difficult listen, much like Christmas' other project Battle of Mice, but that voyeuristic aspect really raises this record to another level. 'There's nothing you can do to her that hasn't been done before, but its worth a try'. Stunning.

Download: 'Cooker', 'Bunny Boots'.

Book Club XIV: A Dirty War.

'A Dirty War' is a book featuring many articles and essays written by Anna Politkovskaya regarding the conflicts in Chechnya during the 90s and early 00s, as well as the effect this had on the neighbouring republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia. Its a damning critique on post-Soviet Russia, and the negligence that still exists in the country. Whilst the world sees a picture of a Russia moving forward and developing, Politkovskaya brings to light many disgusting decisions and non-decisions made to the people of Chechnya. Its a non stop story of ignorance and broken promises, and makes for difficult reading at times. The wars in Chechnya are difficult to understand at the best of times, and when the reasons for their happening are laid out they become even more unbelievable. Whilst the world sees wars that are won and lost, the only people who are losing this war are the ordinary civilians in Russia's North Caucasus regions.