Maybe it was the simple act of using Richey’s lyrics again, but the music of Journal For Plague Lovers is fucking glorious. It isn’t simply a matter of the fury, the feeling, and the riffs returning but something about embracing those past ghosts and genius entirely revitalized every aspect of their outlook and output. The result is one of their best albums, and arguably the best album of 2009. If I have any real criticism, it’s that too many of the songs end in an abrupt way – a sudden or stilted stop instead of a more thought out conclusion. That’s just me though. More than any of their albums, almost every track is on an even level so my ranking is more pointless than usual. Here it is:
- Virginia State Epileptic Colony
- Peeled Apples
- Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
- All Is Vanity
- Me And Stephen Hawking
- Doors Closing Slowly
- This Joke Sport Severed
- Facing Page: Top Left
- She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach
- Marlon JD
- Bag Lady
- Pretension Repulsion
- William’s Last Words
No bad songs here at all, and Number 13 could just as easily be in the top five. No ideal version here – most of the bonus tracks released around this time are instrumental or not exciting – no singles were released for the album so there isn’t the usual collection of B-Sides to rip through. Let us know your ranking in the comments!
The Spac Hole 