The Housemartins - the people who grinned themselves to death, 1987

"Comparisons to the Smiths are essentially irrelevant by the point of the Housemartins' underrated sophomore effort – the melodies and arrangements move away from the upbeat guitar pop shimmer of London 0, Hull 4 to further explore the group's fascination with Motown and gospel, while P.D. Heaton's lyrics articulate a leftist anger and scathing social commentary the likes of which Morrissey's insularly personal lyrics only hint at."