Honest & Unmerciful Record Review Podcast

Pete and Brian return with a journey through "El Dorado", the 1974 concept album by Electric Light Orchestra. Jeff Lynne and Co. craft a record that's sometimes a cinematic throwback with its orchestration, and sometimes a progressive-leaning rock LP. Does the "concept" hold up and is the variety a feature or a bug? Tune in to find out! Episode originally released 2 February 2025.

Pete and Brian travel back to 1985 when Tears for Fears ruled the world, or at least the pop charts on the strength of "Songs From the Big Chair", their multi-million-selling second album. Featuring massive hits "Shout", "Head over Heels" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", the creative forces of Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal were on full display. But with such huge singles, how does the album hold up? Tune in to find out! Episode originally released 27 May 2024.

Join Pete and Brian as they explore a monumental album of the shoegaze scene, My Bloody Valentine's "loveless" from 1991. Kevin Shields and company crafted an unmistakably, oft-imitated sonic identity and changed the way guitar could sound and songs could be structured, relying on distortion, odd tunings, tremolo techniques and painstaking production tricks. Add on layer of ambiguous vocals, and the result is a groundbreaking, sometimes challenging listening experience. So does "loveless" get all our love, or less? Tune in to find out! Episode originally released 1 September 2023.

Join Pete and Brian as they discover the virtuosity of 1981's "Discipline" album by King Crimson. is it progressive rock, math rock, gamelan-inspired systems rock, new wave, or something altogether unique mixing all of that? Only bandleader and guitarist extraordinaire Robert Fripp knows for sure. But we'll aim to unpack the interlocking rhythms, melodies and styles of this incarnation of the influential, ever-evolving band. Episode originally released 30 March 2024.

For our big 40th episode, Pete and Brian rediscover Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes" from 1981. These soulful crooners scored #1 singes with the title track and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", but the record also holds some adventurous surprises, too... tune in to find out! Episode originally released 31 January 2024.