Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Peter Gabriel's " So". Released in 1986, it was this fifth studio album after leaving Genesis in 1976. This album is his highest charting, most critically well respected and most awarded. Five singles from the album charted, with the most successful being Sledgehammer, which we covered in the Season One episode Hot...

On this inaugural episode of CD Consensus, Bell, Jamie and Adam explore the magic world of music played by lasers! Adam brings Weird Al’s album Straight Outta Lynwood, released in 2006 . Bell brings the soundtrack to the 2015 game Life is Strange . Jamie brings the Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape , released in 1997. Just like our previous incarnation as a vinyl record podcast, the choices co...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, NxWorries' "Why Lawd?". Made up of the duo of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, this is their second album, released in 2024. Following Anderson .Paak's painful divorce, the album touches on a number of related emotions and thoughts. Critically well received, the album was praised for Knxwledge's intricate production wo...

On this special epsiode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam ask their sisters to pick an album from their collection. Bell's sister Ashley picks Bill Withers' "Just As I Am" , released in 1971. The album was critically well received upon release and was home to the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine" , which won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Adam's sister...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, King Crimson's "Red". Released in 1974, it was their seventh studio album, and the last King Crimson album until the group was re-formed by bandleader Robert Fripp in 1981. The album has been cited as an important work in both progressive rock and heavy metal, influencing a multitude of other artis...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band on the Run". Released in 1973, it was his fifth album since leaving The Beatles in 1970, and his third album with his new group, Wings. To date, it is his most successful post-Beatles album in terms of sales and critical rating. Recorded partially in Lagos, Nigeri...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Pezz's "Watoosh!". Released in 1999, it is the only album from Pezz, because as it turns out, there was another band called Pezz already. The band later changed their name to Billy Talent and is now one of Canada's most successful artists. "Watoosh!" is reminiscent of a number of albums we have covered previously be...

On the special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by guest Jonathan Horst. Our former colleague at the office, Jonathan brought with him Jack J's second album, "Blue Desert", released in November 2024. A mix of musical sounds that are reminiscent of a number of genres popular between the mid 80s and the mid 90s, the album is skilful at sounded upbeat while having somewhat do...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly" . Released in 2015, it was his third studio album. Upon release, the album received rave reviews, with many critics lauding its production, the social relevance of the lyrics, and the use of many styles of music. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, it received 7 nomina...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Green Day's "Dookie". Released in 1994, it is way up there on the list of the best selling albums of all time. Their major label debut, it came out of the gate strong and was amplified by an absolutely unhinged appearance at Woodstock '94. Critics have said this album marks a turning point in...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Coldplay's "Parachutes" . Their debut album, it was released in the distant future of the year 2000. The runaway success of the album was propelled by two of the singles, Trouble and Yellow. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album at the 2002 ceremony, and has gone on to sell upwa...

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam dive into the topic of greatest hits, best ofs and other compilations! Bell brings blink-182's "Greatest Hits", their first such compilation, released in 2005. A fun, often goofy release from the masters of pop-punk, it came out two years after their fifth album. Adam's pick, Engelbert Humperdinck's "20 Great Hits", released in 1977, r...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Bjork's "Homogenic". Released in 1997, it was subject to widespread critical acclaim. Many critics lauded the production, lyrics and general vibe of the album as being excellent. The album spawned five singles, two of which were nominated for Grammy Awards for their music videos. The album itself was nominated for A...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Gary Numan's "The Pleasure Principle". Released in 1979, it was his first solo album following two albums with the group Tubeway Army. The album covers a number of genres that were in popularity at the time, including synthpop, new wave, electropop and electronica. Taking its title from a surrealist painting of the...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Beck's "Guero" . Released in 2005, it was his ninth studio album. Propelled forward by the single E-Pro, the album was his best selling and highest charting, worldwide. Critically, the album was well received, with most reviewers noting it was a return to form for Beck. But what will the boys think? Will they say 'H...

Merry Christmas from Vinyl Verdict! This year the boys decided to try something new - gifting each other albums for Christmas. Adam gifts Jamie D'Angelo and the Vanguard's "Black Messiah", the long awaited followup to "Voodoo ". Jamie gifts Bell Pink Floyd's iconic album "Dark Side of the Moon" . Finally, Bell gifts Adam L'Orange's "The City Under the City". As always, the picks could not be more...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam’s picks from Bell and Jamie’s collections. From Bell’s collection, Adam picked Dump’s “ Superpowerless”. A collection of home recordings from James McNew, the bassist of Yo La Tengo, “ Superpowerless” is a look at the creative output of a very talented guy. From Jamie’s collection, Adam picked The Police’s “Synchronicity” , thei...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Charli XCX's "Brat". Released in 2024, it was her sixth studio album. Entering the Billboard 200 at #3, it represented her highest debut on the chart. Critically lauded upon release, the album went on to be nominated for 9 Grammy awards, including Album of the Year. But what will the boys think? Will the album be fu...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, The Cars self titled debut album. Released in 1978, it was an immediate radio hit, later going 6x Platinum. Described variously as New Wave, Power Pop and Synth-Rock, the album incorporates elements of all three genres. Rolling Stone has most recently named this the #353/500 Greatest Albums of all Time. But will th...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Mac DeMarco's "This Old Dog". Released in 2017, it was his third studio album. Some of the themes of the album are Mac's relationship with his father, aging, and relationships. On the album, Mac plays every instrument himself, while also handling production. Reviews for the album were overwhelmingly positive, with m...

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell and Jamie pick two albums from Adam's collection! Bell picks Death Grips' "The Money Store" , released in 2012. Jamie picks Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality", released in 1971. As always, the picks could not be more different, with one being a highly experimental rap album and the other being one of the first albums in the stoner metal genre. Which...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, The Rural Alberta Advantage's "Hometowns". Their debut album, it was released in 2008. The album exemplifies the indie rock sound of the time while exploring themes of the the lead singer's upbringing in - you guessed it - rural Alberta. The album was originally released independently in early 2008 and following the...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, The Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Time Out" . Released in 1959, it was the thirteenth album released by the Quartet, and was their most successful album. After taking a trip with the US State Department on a trip of Eurasia, Dave Brubeck discovered the street music of Turkey and their use of time signatures that would be...

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Frank Ocean's "Blonde" . Released in 2016, it was his second studio album. The album was highly anticipated, having been delayed several times and came out to widespread critical acclaim. Some of the things critics raved about were the progressive sound and introspective lyrics in the songs, with a number of publica...

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by special guest Sven! Sven brought Lana Del Rey's "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd", her ninth studio album, released in 2023. A beautiful, full sounding album, the title recalls the actual tunnel under Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach, California. Some of the genres the album takes influence from are Ameri...