The two hundred and tenth TV show: #651 Monkey Dust

I don't think Monkey Dust is for the faint of heart - it's a very dark comedy, the animation is fairly rough in places as each sketch has its own animation studio and style, and it doesn't avoid any topics they wanted to touch. It adresses pedophilia, as well as the attack on it, the war of terror that was happening at the time, and a number of other things. A lot of them feel like they still apply these days, to some point - at most swapping out some names and ideas. It's dark, but if you're ready for it they are so good to watch - I certainly had a great time watching this.

The five hundred and eighty-fourth album: #584 The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths' indie rock strikes here. The album has some interesting and smart lyrics with references that reach quite far. Add to that some solid music underpinning it - the vocals always come first as Morrissey has a lot to say, but the music and effects are what really pushes the tracks further.

The seven hundred seventeenth song: Can’t Be Sure - The Sundays

As Bjork has really hit, others are filling a similar niche. The vocals and music here are similar to hers, although with a clear English accent to them. It's an incredibly attractive and engaging sound.

The seven hundred eighteenth song: Lullaby - The Cure

The soft, seductive vocals create a dreamlike feeling, with a sultry mood that doesn't give anything away. It's strange and mysterious, a real treat that feels designed to lure you in - a grown up lullaby with its own edge.

The seven hundred nineteenth song: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty

This is a folk rock song that contributes to that feeling of the open road, a story that describes some part of America's heartlands. It doesn't go too country, which lets it keep its attraction a lot more for it, as an interesting and engaging approach.

The seven hundred twentieth song: Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor

This is a sweet and accessible love song, simple and romantic, not overproduced, instead focuses on a tortured performance that infuses the song with a lot more of a feeling something is wrong and isn't going anywhere. It's beautiful in its scale.

The seven hundred twenty-first song: The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground

Having grown up with more of the grim rap side of hip hop, the lighter sound of hip hop that comes through at this point is interesting. While we've had more upbeat songs, this feels like a full on pardy song, Humpty is a character by lead Shock G that takes on posers - not unlike other track later do - but there's something charming about the over the top portrayal that feels quite engaging. It's an odd one to listen to, but it's a fun concept that still has a really good groove to listen to.

The seven hundred twenty-second song: Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) - Soul II Soul

The rhythmic repetition of the core lines of this track is surprisingly engaging, a really addictive feast that I get stuck in my head every once in a while. It's a lovely R&B track that will just stick with you.

The seven hundred twenty-third song: Nothing Has Been Proved - Dusty Springfield

The production that underlies this song makes it sound a bit like a smaller, subtler James Bond theme - there's trumpets and jazz, as fits its status of movie theme, but the theme and feel of it is more subtle. There's a lot in it, without any of the music going over the top. It makes for a really lovely track.

The seven hundred twenty-fourth song: Headlights on the Parade - The Blue Nile

The synth pop feel of this track is longing and slow, creating a real invitation to lounge and wait things out. It's again another journey, a track that stretches out in front of you that you go down, that love will survive and that you will live through.

The seven hundred twenty-fifth song: Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone

As two grunge songs combined, the change in the last two and a half minutes of the song is clear enough in how it shifts down its energy and becomes more languid, the vocals disappearing for a while as the rhythm guitars pull back their sound. It's a nice approach that works well for this sound, managing not to outstay its welcome despite its eight minute length.

The seven hundred twenty-sixth song: Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson

Another Jackson really begins creating danceable songs, with Rhythm Nation really feeling aimed at the masses to do so. There's a lot of energy in this track that I can see hitting especially well in the right circumstances, with a crowd dancing together. It's incredibly attractive in every beat it hits. What a pile of energy to end the eighties!

The five hundred and eighty-third album: #583 Anita Baker - Rapture

Rapture stands out as an R&B album, mixing a soulful core with more abundant tracks and energy. The tracks are engaging, the depth of emotion clear and the vocals impeccable, the star of an album that's got the bigger production without going over the top with it - pulled back just enough to stay good.

The two hundred and eleventh classical recording: #655 Ottorino Respighi - Roman Trilogy

One of the big things that stands out for me in this trilogy is how bright it feels - it's upbeat, uses a lot of bells and some pretty fast motifs. There are darker areas, but overall it feels it moves quickly and stays light for large parts of the run. The energy it gives you throughout is really engaging and really gets you into the piece, shifting to more ominous without feeling out of place - in fact creating a very clear mood that connects it together. It creates a setting, if not, in some parts, a story.

The five hundred and eighty-second album: #582 Bad Brains - I Against I

There's a strong punk rock album here, combined with some very heavy metal guitars. Lead singer H.R.'s voice manages to do it all - loud metal screaming, almost jovial punk sounds and a lot of other tricks in between. It's immediately engaging, more so than you would expect it to be, and the album pulls off what it wants really well.

The seven hundred seventh song: Wicked Game - Chris Isaak

Although there's an emotional ballad in Wicked Game, it's one that I can't get on board with as much. The country twang feels unnecessary, but I don't get much more out of it regardless.

The seven hundred eighth song: Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode

The added pop energy of Personal Jesus really helps after the last track. The dark drum influences it a lot of as well, but there's just a lot of energy and feels really strong.

The seven hundred ninth song: Soy Gitano - Camaron de la Isla

The Spanish stylings of this track feel very traditional - even the sound feels like it's from an earlier time. It's quite good at what it is, but as much as I appreciate the diversity of music, I feel like there's more to explore than just this - there's not much here that I don't feel I've heard before.

The seven hundred tenth song: I Am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses

While a fine rock song, I Am the Resurrection's long outro doesn't really lend much to the track - it's a good coda to the album, which this is the last track of, but as a standalone item it doesn't offer much. It really makes it a fine track - something tighter could. be better.

The seven hundred eleventh song: Me Myself and I - De La Soul

Tis is an even clearer late eighties, early nineties hip hop song - a lot of upbeat synths, feeling like an artificial, neon-styled track. The lyrics are pretty good, the hook is incredibly catchy but it feels very produced as well - not as real as the lyrics want it to be.

The seven hundred twelfth song: Epic - Faith No More

This is a properly anthemic rock song, the tight rap really contrasting positively with the longer, slower chorus that feels more like the standard rock sound. It's an incredibly effective combination, creating an epic and powerful song.

The seven hundred thirteenth song: Like a Prayer - Madonna

It feels like we already have Madonna reinventing herself again. Like a Prayer is an incredibly effective song, really engaging and good to listen to. It's catchy, it's meaningful, and just about controversial enough to get your attention.

The seven hundred fourteenth song: W.F.L. (Think about the Future) - Happy Mondays

W.F.L. is an odd, avant garde punk song, drifting through the music over its continuing beat, not really settling in as a song. It's not bad, just difficult to grasp.

The seven hundred fifteenth song: Getting Away with It - Electronic

The influence of Pet Shop Boys on this electropop track goes beyond the lyrics - the feel and vibe of it are the same, even as it becomes less brash and intrusive, instead having a tentative feel to it that lends it a different emotion, although I struggle to really make that feel in the context of the song.

The seven hundred sixteenth song: Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies

With Monkey Gone to Heaven, the Pixies have created a weirdly ambiguous song. On one hand, it has an environmental message it pushes forward quite well. On the other, the lyrics are esoteric enough to give you quite a different feeling for a lot of it. It hits some really good, pleasant notes, having some engaging lyrics while also forcing you to think further.

The five hundred and eighty-first album: #581 Steve Earle - Guitar Town

Guitar Town is an unapologetic country rock album, telling stories of hitting the road and small town life. There's not a lot of really in depth content that I could determine, which left me cold - there's not much to connect to here and the music doesn't really work for me either - the classic rock sound becomes too classic.

The five hundred and eightieth album: #580 XTC - Skylarking

The entirety of Skylarking feels a bit like a dream, a lazy weekend day with gray weather and a world that's slowly going on around you. It's both well thought and enigmatic in its energy, while sketching out the basics really quickly so you don't need all of them as much. It's theatrical, but that's the feeling that works well in this context and the album is more powerful for it as a result.

The six hundred ninety-eighth song: Opel - Syd Barrett

Six minutes of maudlin folk isn't a great place to start, and while bigger critics see merit in this, I found this track to have little more to offer. Syd Barrett's vocals don't feel strong enough to sustain the track or emotion and the guitar playing doesn't add enough to make it work.

The six hundred ninety-ninth song: Everyday Is Like Sunday - Morrissey

That other side here is a nice, calm rock song, a work that doesn't get aggressive, but has that chill Sunday feeling the title invokes. It's so simple and straightforward, it works incredibly well. Yeah, it might be silent and grey, but there's some comfort in that too.

The seven hundredth song: Orinoco Flow - Enya

Enya still feels like a rare example of this type of new age pop to make it mainstream. I've always loved this sound and Enya is one of the best known with it. There's something magical about the travels described here, something otherworldly that encourages all of this. It's a lovely pearl of a song and it's a shame I won't get more of it for these lists.

The seven hundred first song: One - Metallica

Metallica's metal ballads are among their strongest tracks, imparting an emotion and darkness that's hard to reach otherwise. One has this, a lamenting track encouraged along by the underlying guitars. It's dark and the pleas for god to help hit ever harder because of it. There's a real beauty in it.

The seven hundred second song: The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

There are a lot of layers to this song from the start. The dark, gothic rock sets that atmosphere from the start, while the competing vocals add to a sense of uncertainty and imbalance. It's not a restful song, keeping you focused on it all the way through, and it doesn't let go.

The seven hundred third song: Ederlezi - Goran Bregovic

While I've enjoyed previous adaptations of local folk songs, this adaptation doesn't work for the time it was released in. It doesn't lift or elevate it. The performance is capable, but it doesn't have much that it stands out with.

The seven hundred fourth song: Ale Brider - Klezmatics

Sadly, something similar applies here. The upbeat music appeals more naturally, but there's not as much that it offers. It's a fine song.

The seven hundred fifth song: Love Shack - The B-52’s

Love Shack is a pretty standard pop rock song, one that really feels summery to me. The joy, as artificially big as it can be at times, is infectious and it feels like a joy in a way that I don't think you get from many songs in the late eighties, a nice celebration that's just as welcome.

The seven hundred sixth song: A Little Respect - Erasure

We finish 1988 with a nice synth pop track, a nicely composed unrequited love song that manages to hit home that more closely than the basics of the song might indicate. It shows the depths that I've been discovering more in synth pop tracks, digging deeper than they normally would, with this a great example of that.