September 19th
album anniversaries

Watermark develops Enya’s voice into layers that often behave like an instrumental ensemble. Producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan help shape a record that moves between piano-led pieces, choral textures and the rolling momentum of “Orinoco Flow.”

The title track begins with piano rather than a large vocal arrangement. That quiet entrance makes the later layers feel more expansive, while “Evening Falls…” brings the focus back to the intimacy of the lead voice.

New Jersey continued Bon Jovi’s work with producer Bruce Fairbairn after Slippery When Wet. “Lay Your Hands on Me” begins with an extended rhythmic introduction before the full band enters, setting up a record designed around large, shared choruses.

“Bad Medicine” pushes that approach hard, while “I’ll Be There for You” gives Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora a slower setting. Acoustic details and vocal harmonies soften the edges between the heavier songs.

Food & Liquor introduces Lupe Fiasco through detailed stories and shifting points of view. “Kick, Push” follows a skateboarder, while “He Say She Say” uses repeated lines to show how the same family situation sounds from different positions.

The production gives those narratives room, mixing warm samples with sharper drums. “Hurt Me Soul” makes Lupe’s own complicated relationship with hip-hop part of the album’s subject rather than keeping him outside the scenes he describes.

Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? pairs Dave Mustaine and Chris Poland’s guitars with David Ellefson’s bass and Gar Samuelson’s drums. The playing is fast and tightly arranged, but blues and jazz inflections keep it from moving in a single straight line.

Ellefson’s opening bass figure makes “Peace Sells” immediately identifiable. “Wake Up Dead” develops through several instrumental sections, showing how much of the record’s drama comes from the band changing shape around Mustaine’s voice.

Better Broken returns Sarah McLachlan to an album of new songs after a long interval. Her voice remains the centre of the arrangements, carrying reflections on change, vulnerability and the work of staying connected when life becomes difficult.

The title song sets out those concerns without needing a large gesture, while “Only Human” offers a more direct note of reassurance. Piano and the surrounding instrumental textures give the performances room to breathe. Across the record, the writing approaches resilience as something people practise in ordinary relationships rather than a simple declaration of strength.

Futique continues Biffy Clyro's interest in the meeting point between sharp-edged rock and large, direct melodies. Simon Neil's voice links the quieter passages to the full band's more forceful moments, with the songs frequently changing scale around him.

“A Little Love” provides a clear entry into that balance, while the album gives the trio space to move through different rhythmic and emotional settings. The familiar combination of guitar, bass and drums remains important even when the arrangements broaden. Its changes work best heard together, as parts of a connected album performance.