Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined by Shea! Shea's pick is the soundtrack to the 2008 film Twilight, based on the 2005 novel of the same name. The soundtrack album features twelve songs featured in the film. Five of the songs on the album were new at the time of their release on the album, with Paramore contributing two of them. The album was the bestselling movie soundtrack since the release of the movie-musical Chicago. Both the album and the single "Decode" by Paramore were nominated at the 2010 Grammy Awards. But what does Shea like about the album? Will we get to hear about all the lore behind each song? Why are the vampires sparkly? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined by their friend and former host, Plouffe to talk about his pick: John Mayer's "Room For Squares". His debut album, it was released initially as a digital download in June 2001, before being released as an actual physical album in September 2001. Spawning three hit singles, the album has gone on to sell five million copies in the US alone, and earned John Mayer a Grammy in 2003. But what will the boys think of this album? Will they say it's one of the best of all time, or will it be "No Such Thing"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie talk about Jamie's first pick of Season 4, Dire Straits' "Alchemy". Released in 1984, it was their first live album and their fifth album in total. This album has been requested by our most loyal fan, Dave (sorry Sarah). Clocking in at two LPs and just a hair under 90 minutes in length, "Alchemy" represents the final show of the tour in support of the album "Love Over Gold". Recorded via the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at the Hammersmith Odeon, the album captures Mark Knopfler at his peak, and the crowd is absolutely eating it up like they're at a Led Zeppelin concert. But is the album more like iron pyrite than actual gold? Come along and find out!

Welcome to season four of Vinyl Verdict! On this episode, Adam and Jamie discuss Adam's first pick, Vampire Weekend's "Modern Vampires of the City". Released in May 2013, it was their third studio album. Following the success of their second album "Contra", the band took a break before coming back to record this album. The result was an immediate commercial and critical success, with dozens of outlets calling the album one of the best of 2013. The album was supported by three singles - "Diane Young", "Ya Hey" and "Unbelievers", all of which charted. But where will the boys put this on their chart? Will they put it at the top, or will they be "Unbelievers"? Come along and find out!

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!