And the stock answer is: seven hundred years of oppression.
Plus Irish people are more fun, less stuck up than English, and don't give two ****s about the Queen. :laughing:

Seriously: you go abroad, people say "Oh you're English?" with a kind of bored expression, you say "No, Irish" and suddenly they're all smiles. True story.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...albumcover.jpg
Album title: E.G. Crazy
Artist: E-Girls
Genre: J-Pop/Dance/EDM
Nationality: Japanese
Release date: January 18
Position in Discography: Fourth
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Check out more from this artist? Yeah, I might
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Maybe
Well, I said it would happen, didn't I, and here it is: not quite a 30-track monster, but certainly 24 tracks on a double album. And looking ahead, I see there were about three million albums released on January 20, so sigh, but on we go. Can't say for sure I'll get through all of this (it IS a double album, after all) but so far it's not terrible. Catchy, certainly, if nothing amazing. Halfway through the first side and I have no impulse to turn it off. Quite enjoying it to be honest. Ok, so the two sides of the CD (shut it) are called “EG Pop” and that was the one we just finished listening to, now we're moving on, apparently, to “EG Cool”. Well, I don't have anything bad to say so far. Ah yeah, this is fun. It's not reinventing the wheel and it won't make you rush out and buy their albums, but it's a good time for all.

http://www.trollheart.com/speed7.jpg

Expectation Index: 7

Europe sounds funny.

sorry TH but i would associate "fun" with MLM and Goofle long before I would with you m8. :D

A lot of English people are arseholes in Europe. We're coming to your country, getting drunk and pissing in your streets and you'd better ****ing speak English.

^ look who's acting emo now.

It can be.
I didn't say I was fun, did I? Though if you got me out with the lads I can be fun. Fun, hmm? Let me just look that up on wiki. And obviously I don't mean every single English person is a ****. Though those two are. ;)
Exactly. Especially football supporters. Sorry. Irish fans are beloved all over Europe, and further.
https://media.giphy.com/media/CiYImHHBivpAs/giphy.gif

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._album_art.jpg
Album title: AFI (also known as The Blood Album)
Artist: AFI
Genre: Punk/Post-Punk/Gothic Rock
Nationality: American
Release date: January 20 (here we go...)
Position in Discography: Tenth
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Check out more from this artist? Yes
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? I might, yes
Maybe it's just the word punk that sets off alarm bells in my head, but I had expected this to be much rawer and more visceral, but from the beginning I don't see any punk tendencies here – not that I'd recognise punk tendencies if they followed me down an alley, mugged me and ran away with my wallet. Mind you, I'd have the last laugh: my wallet is empty! But the album kicks off nicely, though I reiterate my annoyance at bands self-titling any album that isn't their debut. That aside, this is quite enjoyable so far. Scratch that: it's ****ing excellent. The only thing I can imagine that gives these guys a punk in their genre tag is the energy, which is certainly there. Great stuff.

http://www.trollheart.com/speed9.jpg

Expectation Index: 9

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...bum_Cover.jpeg
Album title: Okay
Artist: As It Is
Genre: Pop Punk
Nationality: American
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Second
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Meh
So punk raises its belligerent little head again, two albums in a row. Well, if this is anything like the AFI album I have nothing to fear, and given that the punk is qualified by a descriptor of pop, I'm cautiously optimistic. Yeah well it's all right, but I don't see the justification for the punk tag. On the AFI album I could see it – lots of energy, a little anger – but here? No. This is more just like pop rock, or alt-rock, or alt-pop or some ****ing thing, but pop punk? Maybe it is, I wouldn't know. But if it is, and if this is what pop punk is about, it's kind of weak really. Not bad, but just not particularly good. The album title is completely appropriate here.

http://www.trollheart.com/speed6.jpg

Expectation Index: 4

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Album title: Future Politics
Artist: Austra
Genre: Electronic/Synthpop/Darkwave
Nationality: Canadian
Release date: January 20
Position in Discography: Third
Fear Factor: Moderate
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Doesn't encourage me to, no
Yeah this is ok but it's a little drab. Yer wan who does the singing – there's a technical name for that, isn't there? What is it? Let me think ... oh yeah. Yer wan who does the singing. Anyway, yer wan seems to have some sort of weird French or European accent, so it's maybe odd to find they're Canadian. Or, maybe not. Canada-France/France-Canada? Either way it's a little drear and depressing, which is odd with the mostly upbeat rhythm behind it. So that's darkwave is it? Can't say I'm sold. God this is dreary. I'm tempted to hit the eject button but I'll try and last it out. What's next? Indie rock, then jazz, some power metal coming up... not too bad I guess. Better than this watery tripe anyway. Sigh. Is it over yet? It is? Hallelujah!

http://www.trollheart.com/speed3.jpg

Expectation Index: 8