The Most Disappointing albums of the last 12 months

The Public have been longing for a publicised mega album to come along and deliver on the hype it creates. So far in the last year many have attempted the feat but have failed. Bands at the top of their game create a buzz for a forthcoming release to large to fill and the result is always the same, a below-par record from a presumed above average band.
The first to spring to mind would be the fifteen year anticipation train that was Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses which not only failed on the hype but disintegrated as a rock album in general. I personally gave special attention to its arrival but inevitably found myself skipping track after track waiting for at least one stand out tune, but to no avail. I couldn’t help but ask myself “why did this tripe take so long to come to fruition?” The answer in my opinion lies with what is left of a now tattered and worn outfit – Axel Rose. While other members of the original line up were being proactive in their post Roses work, Axel found it hard to let go and seemed to become obsessed with making Guns N Roses live again. After the longest delay for an album release I have ever heard of, he failed miserably and the album was a huge disappointment to say the least.
For the more commercially minded, the album next on the chopping block is Coldplays Viva La Vida, which is by no means a complete waste of talent in comparison to the previously mentioned. No, in fact the album itself isn’t exactly the horror show you would expect from the title of this article nor did it have as large an anticipation as the Axel nosedive. The problem I have with this album is that it began to fall under the radar and nobody prevented it. The sad side to this story is that the public may be starting to get sick of Chris Martin, who is beginning to portray the standard “celebrity in the spotlight” therefore taking notice away from the record. Am I the only one who thinks he is slightly too egotistical for his 18th Century fashioned boots? (Seriously, he has been wearing that Master and Commander stuff non stop!). Unfortunately the public media or whoever else you want to blame has caused the album to fall short of expectations after gaining worldwide recognition with X/Y. The extreme attention given to the people in the band have drawn critics away from the music which caused a chain reaction of people ignoring the album because they just don’t care. The only upside is they can actually make good music sometimes, so the wait begins again for album number five. Fingers Crossed!
Now for my primary target, a controversial pick which may disgruntle the majority audience. Some call me a music snob for my following opinion but I simply see it as a disillusioned fan sticking to his guns. And I am not the only one, for this argument has played out in a plethora of social situations always ending with an even ratio for each side of the dispute. The album referenced is none other than the huge commercial success of Only By The Night by Kings Of Leon. They literally are kings of the music world at present after mass sales of the singles Sex On Fire and Use Somebody, and big things were expected from their fourth outing together. This expectation was fueled by the brilliance of their first two albums and the ever so slightly sub-standard third. To put things into perspective, let it be known that Aha Shake Heartbreak is one of the greatest modern albums ever created with every song showing an outstanding quality to fuse southern blues and hard rock into a new Indie market. I foresee this album being remembered in twenty years the same way Led Zeppelin II, Who’s Next and Back In Black are today. It is for these reasons that loyal fans kept the torch burning when Because Of The Times was released. The album has many bright sparks but doesn’t capture the same glow as its subsequent record. Enjoyable? Yes, therefore the void we felt can relate to fans setting the bar higher than any follow up to Aha Shake would ever reach. Naivety was our poison. So with that realisation forced to the front of our minds we awaited the new edition to the catalogue, knowing that only a miracle would cause the release to exceed Aha Shake in quality. I, however, still expected a great album. What I got was something which I can only assume was a direct way to immediately change their target audience and abandon the avid fans that have followed them all the way.
Only By The Night is so well received publicly because they have succeeded in the audience change, from a cult following of southern rock lovers to Pop guzzling teens looking for the “U2” of their own generation. KOL have completely and knowingly changed their sound to reach a more mainstream level of acclaim and left behind everything we originally fell in love with. The words SELL OUT spring to mind. My first listen of the album instinctively drew me to what would soon become their first number one, Sex On Fire, reason being that it was of only a possible five tracks even worthy of release. The song itself is now my most hated as a result of an almost “Killers” style abuse of marketing with the track played eighteen times a day. In fact, the only song worth repeating on my stereo is the opening track Crawl, oozing rock n’ roll but still sounding progressive in what used to be their style. It is blatantly obvious that what they have created is specific for stadium venues to create a sense of anthemia and openly want to follow in the footsteps of U2, Coldplay and the Killers when they should be sticking to what they do best, creating raspy rock tunes that remind us sometimes whiskey, cigarettes and parties are acceptable.
Truth be told, the original and previously loyal followers have lost respect for the band, and with lead singer Kaleb adding such fuel to the fire as being quoted in Q magazine saying that playing their older songs “make him want to die”. The reality is Kaleb; the new material is having just that same affect on me.


Words by Dave Quinn