On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, the boys discuss the season that was. We re-rank the albums, talk about winners and losers, and what albums really stood out to us this year. We also get into albums from previous years! On a less fun note, we also discuss some changes for Season 4. Will their be laughter? Will there be tears? Come along and find out!

Here's our Top 10s

Bell:

1. Frank Ocean - Blond(e)
2. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
3. Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog
4. Jack J - Blue Desert
5. NxWorries - Why Lawd?
6. Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
7. Peach Pit - Being So Normal
8. Coldplay - Parachutes
9. Lupe Fiasco - Samurai
10. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Jamie:

1. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
2. Deafheaven - Sunbather
3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
4. Carole King - Tapestry
5. Lana Del Rey - Did You Know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
6. D'angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah
7. Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
8. Peter Gabriel - So
9. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
10. Joey Valence & Brae - No Hands

Adam:

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
3. Death Grips - The Money Store
4. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
5. D'angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah
6. Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
7. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
8. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
9. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
10. Deafheaven - Sunbather

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's last pick for the season, Lupe Fiasco's "Samurai". Released in 2024, it was his ninth studio album. The whole concept for the album is based around a voicemail Amy Winehouse left her producer, stating that she kept coming up with battle raps, and Lupe Fiasco makes the quote a reality. Coming in at a tight 30 minutes in length, the album explores themes such as the struggle artists face, fame and self doubt. But will the boys like these really neat, very beautifully alliterated little battle raps? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's final pick for Season 3, The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds". Released in 1966, it was a monumental work that influenced many artists. Inspired by the Beatles' 1965 album "Rubber Soul", Brian Wilson, the creative head of The Beach Boys decided to make an album that surpassed it in every way. The pursuit of perfection meant that the band didn't actually play on many of the songs and instead enlisted many session musicians to complete the album. Initial reactions to the album were decidedly mixed, with fans and critics alike not understanding the new sound and direction for the group. Retrospective reviews of the album are much more favourable, with many citing it as one of the greatest albums of all time. But where will the boys place this album on their rankings? Come along and find out!

Hey it's your buddy Jamie - sorry we've missed a few uploads here and there lately, all of us have been very busy!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's last pick for this season, Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black". Released in 2006, it was her second and final studio album before her death in 2011. Propelled by the singles "Back To Black", "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good", the album hit #1 in 19 countries. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, it won Record of the Year , Song of the Year for "Rehab", and Best Pop Vocal Album. Winehouse herself won Best New Artist, and the producer of the album, Mark Ronson, won Producer of the Year. The album has a sound that is both modern and reminiscent of ages old Jazz as well as pop and soul recordings of the 60s. But what will the boys think? Will they say 'no, no, no'? Or will they find themselves "Addicted"? Come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam go see a concert film! In a first for the podcast, we cover Pink Floyd's "Live At Pompeii" film, which was recently re-released to theatres in IMAX format. Along with restored visuals, the films' audio was reworked with a new 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson. Filmed partially inside the Amphitheatre of Pompeii and partially within a studio, the film explores their music prior to the release of "Dark Side of the Moon", and is bookended by a performance of the song Echoes, originally from the album "Meddle". But what will the boys think of the movie? Come along and find out, and be sure to let us know if you'd like us to cover other concert films and their soundtracks in the future!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend Reece to talk about Adam's next pick - Joey Valence & Brae's "No Hands". Released in 2024, it was their second album. With a sound that is a callback to hip-hop of days past, the duo raps with a style reminiscent of the Beastie Boys, which we've covered before in our episode on their album "Paul's Boutique". The group's ability to go viral on platforms such as TikTok has allowed them to skyrocket in popularity in a short period of time. But what will the boys think of the album? Will they say its "OK" or will they say it's "THE BADDEST"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, AC/DC's "Back in Black". Released in 1980, it was their seventh studio album. Following the death of their lead singer, Bon Scott in February 1980, the band sought out a new singer and selected Brian Johnson who was formerly of the band Geordie. The album was recorded quickly and released in July 1980 to tremendous success. It is the second-best selling album with an estimated 50 million records sold, following Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which has an estimated 70 million sold. The album spawned four hit singles and their tour in support of the album was one of the most successful in rock history. Additionally, many metal and rock groups have cited the album as influential. But - will the boys like it? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other". Released in 1999, it was their second studio album. Following the success of their previous album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all", the band was invited to perform at Woodstock '99. The band's performance has been widely criticized as having further instigated violence at the festival, particularly during their performance of the song Break Stuff. Controversy surrounding this appearance propelled the sales of this album, and led to further mainstream success of the band. But will the boys be able to cut through the controversy and ask the album to "Show Me What You Got"? Come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend and former host, Plouffe! Plouffe's pick for this week is  "Demon Days" by Gorillaz, a call back to our first episode, which was their album "The Now Now". Released in 2005, it was their second album. Propelled ahead by the success of the singles "Feel Good Inc", which later won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration and "DARE", the album is their most successful in terms of sales to date. The album discusses a number of dire things plaguing humanity, such as our propensity to violence, our willful destruction of nature and greed, making it somewhat of a concept album. But what will the boys think of this Plouffe pick? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Deafheaven's "Sunbather". Released in 2013, it was their second album. The album was critically well received, with many reviewers noting its ability to unite elements of other genres and styles into one cohesive sound. On year-end lists for 2013, it was listed as one of the top albums of the year, with many publications saying it was the best Metal album of that year. But will this be the best metal album of this podcast? Will the boys find it "Irrestible"? Come along and find out!