Welcome to Albums Ranked. A series in which we take the discography of an established artist and rank them from best to not so best. It was a staple of Dead Good Music, so I’m pleased to bring it to Sounds Good!
For the first post of the series – the first post of the entire blog actually – we’ll be ranking the discography of Wolf Alice. The band have risen through the ranks since their inception in 2010 to become one of the best bands around. With hits like ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, ‘Bros’ and ‘How Can I Make It OK?’, it still feels like they’ve not hit their ceiling yet. I personally think they’ll be headlining festivals in the next couple of years.
With their newest album The Clearing arriving last year, it’s a good time to get into Wolf Alice. Here we’ll be ranking all of their albums from the not so best to the very best, and because I saw them perform back in 2014 (setlist.fm is a treasure), we’ll also include their EPs Blush and Creature Songs too. Not their 2010 EP though – that seems to be nowhere! I hope you enjoy.
Let us know what you think of the albums ranking in the comments below!
CREATURE SONGS EP (2014)
It hurts to stick any album in the “worst” spot, but all rankings have to start somewhere. For Wolf Alice, it’s their third EP, Creature Songs. Comprised of four tracks, the EP feels very much like a tale of two halves. It launches straight out of the gates with “Moaning Lisa Smile” and “Storms”, songs that feature some of their heaviest riffs to date. I personally enjoy “Storms” the most, as it brings an intensity that’s somehow sustained throughout. Kinda like walking on a tight-rope – it’s precarious as fuck, but the thrill makes it fun.
Stacking the front half with these behemoths makes the change into “Heavenly Creatures” quite harsh, as the song strips away the aggression in favour of a more subdued sound. A middle ground of sorts is found on “We’re Not the Same”, but the broken cohesiveness doesn’t make me return to it as much.
Favourite tracks: “Moaning Lisa Smile”, “Storms”
BLUE WEEKEND (2021)
The first album to hit the list. Blue Weekend features some of the most pristine production heard in years, explores relationships, love and everything in-between to great detail, and presents a level of vulnerability you probably wouldn’t expect from a band that’s three albums in.
“Delicious Things” channels this open-heartedness with a wander through the streets of LA. Its humility expressed at “making it” is quite earnest, and quickly introduces us to the main trope of the record – the harmonies. Larger-than-life choruses are heard multiple times, to the point that it might become a little samey if they didn’t sound so good. Wolf Alice do challenge this with different styles, such as the rapid-fire tempo on “Play The Greatest Hits”, shoegaze-y instruments on “How Can I Make It OK?” and the piano keys on “The Last Man On Earth”, but I think the way it circles around this particular trope keeps the record at a certain level. One that is pretty, and filled with great songs, but none that hit as heights of previous albums.
Favourite tracks: “Lipstick on the Glass”, “How Can I Make It OK?”, “The Last Man On Earth“
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