1986

Killing Joke
Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
(EG)

1986 pretty much sucked shit for music. There were really only a few decent albums released — The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead, Killing Joke’s Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, Hüsker Dü’s Candy Apple Grey and Sonic Youth’s EVOL, none of which are particularly amazing.

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is probably my favorite Killing Joke record, (though most fans probably disagree with that sentiment, I actually prefer Jaz’s melodic side), even though there aren’t really any standout tracks as there are on other their albums. And I do like EVOL, as it marks a significant turn toward Sonic Youth’s more pop-oriented, structured records, but it’s pretty inconsistent. I can’t say I really listen to either Candy Apple Grey or The Queen is Dead that often (though Mould’s acoustic prowess on “Too Far Down” and “Hardly Getting Over It” is quite apparent, and Morrissey’s songwriting is sharp as ever).

The inconsistency of EVOL ultimately led me to lean more towards Killing Joke.