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Last Active 07-27-22 7:57 am
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| Discovolante's Best of: 1986
From the beginning of the year to the end, via the Sputnik release calendar. | | 1 |  | Big Black
Atomizer
Big Black was like a giant steel bulldozer destroying everything alternative music had established in the mid 80s off the floor. Their short journey started in 1986 with "Atomizer", which is revolutionary, penetrative and hideously beautiful. 37 minutes and 10 tracks of pure musical venom. | | 2 |  | Antietam
Music from Elba
When dorm greats Antietam released their second album, "Music from Elba", in 1986, the group finally found their voice with odd, DIY song structuring and a highly addictive sense of pure melody. One of the most memorable albums of the year, without a doubt. | | 3 |  | Painted Willie
Mind Blowing
Perhaps taking influence from Meat Puppets, LA punks Painted Willie were a short lived band that had a divine mixture of alternative and psychedelic elements, with some new wave flair thrown as well. This is best captured on their 1986 album "Mind Blowing", which does exactly what the title boldly claims. Something that definitely should have broken out from the underground depths it originated from. | | 4 |  | Dead Ends
Complaints
Dead Ends were an iconic punk band from the Philippines, and one of the earliest ones as well from their country. Ironically, their best moment is on their hardest-to-find release, their 1986 debut "Complaints", which was released on cassette only, until finally being re-released on CD over 30 years later in 2020. Its melodic, rowdy style is very contagious, and you are guaranteed to be pogoing alongside to this marvelous piece of early Pinoy punk. | | 5 |  | Bogshed
Step on It
Bogshed was a band that was far, far ahead of what was going on at the time, although they have since been largely forgotten which is a shame. Their debut, "Step on It", is a blistering, deranged album with a piercing tone that can be heard among many post-hardcore bands today, knowingly or unknowingly, with the latter most likely being the case. | | 6 |  | State of Play
Balancing the Scales
State of Play was a new wave project that had a lot of money behind it. A LOOTTTTT of money, at least for 80s standards. The commercial failure that was their 1986 debut "Balancing the Scales" left the band in debt for over 100,000 pounds, although it did lead to the formation of the duo Curve as half the members of State of Play formed it afterwards. It's definitely a high budget production with sleek rhythms, sometimes having a semi-ethereal-esqued feel on some tracks. A ridiculously ambitious gamble that in a bizarro world would've paid off, although Curve wouldn't exist in that realm. Hmm... | | 7 |  | The Dead Milkmen
Eat Your Paisley!
The Dead Milkmen's second album "Eat Your Paisley!" takes off right where their debut "Big Lizard in My Backyard" takes off, and is some more quality punk parody, and is actually a step-up from their debut in my opinion due to it trimming some extra fat in the form of too many songs and being more coherent and focused. | | 8 |  | Fetchin Bones
Bad Pumpkin
Cult North Carolina alt rockers Fetchin Bones released four albums during their run, but their best has to be their second, "Bad Pumpkin". The musicianship is all over the place, with styles ranging from just about all over the musical spectrum being explored. The twin vocals of Fetchin Bones also have good range, as they go from rough and abrasive with male vocalist Gary White to light and playful with female vocalist Hope Nicholls. An incredibly satisfying album with just the right amount of variety. | | 9 |  | Run-D.M.C.
Raising Hell
Even though Run-D.M.C.'s previous album, 1985's "King of Rock" was gutsy in the sense of being one of the very first rap rock albums in popular music, it has always had a sense of varied opinion since its release. But the follow-up, "Raising Hell", is a bonafied hip hop masterpiece which is acclaimed across the board. Their cutting, braggadocios rhymes are as on point as ever, with some of the most groundbreaking songs making up the album, including the iconic Aerosmith collaboration "Rock This Way", earning Run-D.M.C. a worthy Grammy nomination (back when they mattered), making them the first rap group to be nominated. | | 10 |  | Bad Brains
I Against I
The last really, really good Bad Brains album. Legendary stuff. | | 11 |  | Trotsky Icepick
Poison Summer
Los Angeles band Trotsky Icepick never really made it beyond college campuses, but their sound is still as fresh as it was all those years ago. One of their most acclaimed efforts is their debut "Poison Summer", which impressively blends in elements of bouncy new wave and melancholic alternative to create a unique listening experience unlike virtually any album of this era. | | 12 |  | Public Image Ltd.
Album
After a few mediocre albums, Public Image Ltd.'s 1986 "Album" is generally regarded as one of their last really solid albums. And with its ambitious, bold sound, one can definitely see why. A quality temporary comeback for one of post-punk's most enduring acts. | | 13 |  | Sonic Youth
EVOL
"EVOL" was really the first Sonic Youth album that proved they were capable of branching out of the unorthodox avant-garde world into the vaster alternative one, thus helping sculpt the cooler Sonic Youth sound that they would be renowned for world over. Easily one of their best albums. | | 14 |  | The Cure
Staring at the Sea
Compiling all of The Cure's singles from 1986 and before (as well as B-sides depending on which edition you pick up), "Staring at the Sea" (or "Standing on the Beach", which depends on where you live in the world) is quite literally one of the best compilation albums of all time. | | 15 |  | Megadeth
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Often called one of the greatest thrash albums of all time, for very good reason. | | 16 |  | The B-52s
Bouncing off the Satellites
The most painfully underrated album in the catalog of The B-52s in my opinion, "Bouncing Off the Satellites" has the reputation of being their darkest album, spearheaded by the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson from AIDS. This death led to the band taking a hiatus during much of the album's release, leading it to come and go and making it their lowest selling album for years. It's a shame it has such a mixed reception even today since it contains some of their best songs, including "Detour Thru Your Mind", "Girl from Ipanema..." and the surprisingly somber closing track "She Brakes for Rainbows". | | 17 |  | New Order
Brotherhood
Yet another homerun for the great New Order. | | 18 |  | Niagara (FRA)
Encore un dernier baiser
Niagara were one of the most successful French bands of the 80s, with their fame leaking overseas to Canada, with the group touring there a dozen times during the early 90s. Their best album, in my opinion, has to be their 1986 debut "Encore un dernier baiser". A kooky new wave album with a good amount of eccentricity to keep it interesting and unlike a lot of other new wave albums at the time. | | 19 |  | The Creepers
Miserable Sinners
The Creepers was essentially a solo project of guitarist-turned-radio personality Marc Riley, who formed the band immediately after his departure from the legendary post-punk band The Fall. Although already releasing three albums by this point, "Miserable Sinners" was the first album release credited to simply The Creepers instead of Marc Riley and The Creepers. "Miserable Sinners" is a very eclectic offering that is both serious and jarring, with fairy tale like lyrics from Riley over a bare, bleak instrumentation. Very basic and to the point, "Miserable Sinners" is one of the hidden gems of dark 80s post-punk. | | 20 |  | Beastie Boys
Licensed to Ill
Without a doubt the most radical and earth shattering debut albums in hip hop history. | |
quetzal
08.03.21 | you're missing the colour of spring and skylarking my dude
also black celebration and strange time | discovolante
08.03.21 | I enjoy a bit of XTC, but they never really did it for me like that. Not a fan of Depeche Mode and not really familiar with Talk Talk, but I haven't even heard of The Chameleons. I'll look into em! | kkarron
08.03.21 | 1 can be 1 every year, really. | quetzal
08.03.21 | you like new order but not depeche mode? they're both in my top 3 bands of the 80s list. if you haven't heard black celebration it might change your mind. | discovolante
08.03.21 | I know, I've wondered why I liked NO but not DM, but they just never did it for me. I'll look into that album sometime though. And yeah kk, Big Black were great. |
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