Recent comeback album poll (post 2000)

Black Messiah is the only comeback album I like more than the earlier material.

wait....Low??

I like that album but I don't think they've released a bad one

Third long ago cemented itself as one of the albums that defines me as me in some way, so it's an easy vote. But Tribe and D'Angelo are not far behind.

wait....Low??

Low never stopped releasing records... Double Negative just was so good on its own that it made you forget the albums leading up to it, I guess?

An artist who was very close to being in this list, and arguably should be in it if we're shortening the gap from 10 years to 8 is Fiona Apple

Hey Octo, thanks for doing this poll! I'm still going with Slowdive but Wire is tough competition. And it depends on what we're looking at - just LPs or do EPs count too? Cause they released an amazing 1997 EP, "Vien", which was smack in the middle between the Wir album and "Send".

Totally fair - would have thrown in the Read and Burn EPs if they hadn't put out Vien, which is too long ago for this poll (post 2000 comebacks), but definitely worthy of discussion!

This list is absolutely abbreviated and missing a number of worthwhile picks. Mostly happy there's at least a thread to encapsulate this discussion as it has spilled into multiple threads in the past (and the Slowdive one the other day) and there's been quite a few astonishingly good comeback records of late.

Portishead is the only album here where I'd argue it's their best work. Cherry Thing would be my "other" vote, and it's defiantly my favorite thing Neneh has done.

ended up voting slowdive and now i'm having voter's remorse. definitely should have gone with lookaftering or third.

Write-in for Carcass.

Scott Walker for both Tilt and Drift.

Some people might think it an odd or really bad example but I really love the third Comus album even though it's really an EP + one live archive track.

So many I want to hear, including Linda Perhacs.

Huge list
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/lastnightadjsavedmylife/your-ears-have-waited-follow-ups-10-years-later/

I am starting to think that solo artists shouldn't really be considered for this unless they fully withdraw from the biz, retire, etc

Some favourites of mine: Shed Seven - Instant Pleasures; Cast - Troubled Times and Blur - The Magic Whip (yeah, I got the impression that this one isn't very popular around here, but I love it)

But maybe I'll pick a more 'respectable' choice as my write-in: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - History of Modern.

Not sure if Madness counts, as they did some shows (albeit partially under a different name) and released a covers album in 2005, but as for original material, they followed up 1999's Wonderful with The Liberty Of Norton Folgate in 2009 - arguably their best album.

Similar thing with Peter Gabriel: Up was released 10 years after Us, but he did the OVO project a couple of years earlier which resulted in an album as well.

voted for third
i liked the harvey milk return but not sure youd call it a comeback

Good selection. The Tribe album is good but it doesn't measure up to Low End or Midnight Mauraders to my ears. Of this list, Aerial, Third, and Black Messiah are the ones I've listened to the most. I don't know which one is my favorite. Second the recommendation for Suede's followup comeback album(s), they are excellent.

Oh have people stopped voting for Tribe?

It was nearly Portishead..

mbv and syro were both fine too but were more of the same. The above two albums were beyond.

I still love the Who’s Endless Wire, despite the production being so-so. The production is much improved on last year’s WHO, but the record sags a bit in the middle. Just because Townshend can write arena-ready anthems in his sleep doesn’t mean he should. But the beginning (“All This Music Must Fade”) and end (“She Rocked My World”) are stone classics.

Astonishingly, Daltrey sounds better on WHO than on anything — live or on record — since 1978.

Voted Tribe. One of my favorites of the 21st century.

I’ve said this before and got flack for it but m b v is their best album. Still not voting for it tho, given the competition.

Does that just mean you were never smitten with Loveless?

Celtic Frost - Monotheist

Are you loveless when it comes to the classic MBV?xp

Indeed I am. Or rather I only love about half of it.

Good shout.

2xp

Two more I liked a lot at least initially

Grace Jones - Hurricane (2008, 19 years on from Bulletproof Heart)
Gil Scott-Heron - I'm Not Here (2010, 16 years on from Spirits)

Was the De La Soul comeback album (12 yrs) bad btw? I can't remember hearing it.

Not bad and I think some people argued it was better than Tribe's but the latter really seemed to eclipse it dropping at pretty much the exact same time.

Bill Fay was another comeback from a long long absence that's missing from the wiki list, but I can't say I listened to that album as much as his early works

One I just remembered: trumpeter-composer Jacques Coursil’s Minimal Brass, coming 34 years after his previous record (Black Suite). It’s a pretty amazing record; my first impression was that it sounded like a Miles/Gil collaboration where the only instrument is (overdubbed) trumpet.

Gil Scott-Heron - I'm Not Here (2010, 16 years on from Spirits)

Good call, this was a really good record.

the true winner of this is Scott Walker and Tilt though

Chuck Berry, Chuck - released in 2017, his first album since 1979.

listened to Syro this morning and it ruled, but I like Aerial even more

50 Words For Snow isn't a comeback so it doesn't count aiui

Possessed's reunion album even if it was really just Jeff Becerra "and friends"

Stephen Fellows' album from this year should be on this list (last album is 1997)

hah putting Bjork on that list is kind of cheap

yeah, it was only 13 years between the self-titled and Gling-Gló

Not sure if Madness counts, as they did some shows (albeit partially under a different name) and released a covers album in 2005, but as for original material, they followed up 1999's Wonderful with The Liberty Of Norton Folgate in 2009 - arguably their best album.

imo The Dangermen Sessions album shouldn't count because it was intended to be released as The Dangermen, not Madness... but they never split up (again) in the '00s so probably not quite the same thing as is going on with most of these. Liberty Folgate is their best though.

Grace Jones - Hurricane (2008, 19 years on from Bulletproof Heart)

Great one.

Was the De La Soul comeback album (12 yrs) bad btw? I can't remember hearing it.

Only seven years between Are You In? and And The Anonymous Nobody. The former was better.

wild how I voted Black Messiah and it's my least favourite of his three albums

could os mutantes count too, that was a good record

Gil Scott-Heron - I'm Not Here (2010, 16 years on from Spirits)

You mean "I'm New Here" .. yeah this was a blatant omission on my part along with the Sleep record.

Didn't Aphex Twin continue to release new music throughout the '00s and '10s under different aliases? Does it really count as a comeback, if he only didn't use that name for 10+ year s?

Grace Jones - Hurricane (2008, 19 years on from Bulletproof Heart)

Great one.

please add to thread the new charles webster https://charleswebster.bandcamp.com/album/decision-time

None of the albums in this poll supersede the artist's previous work except Third

Would have voted The Drift or I'm New Here-- the latter isn't superior but is such a wonderful departure/final statement

re Aphex - nearly all of the other musicians here also released music under other names in between too; Slowdive, MBV, ATCQ, Swans, Portishead for sure.

Third is going to walk this. #1 in our noughties poll.

and it wasn't really a comeback, they never officially split?

it is v good but def overrated here. we really, really love misery

‘Comeback’ is used veeeeeery loosely itt anyway so let’s just disregard that detail.

Not enough imo.

xp

i wonder what the most truly miserable album i love is