Phrenology

I used to really like the roots 20 years ago. The more I listen to them now, the less I like them. Did Jimmy Fallon ruin them for me?

s'alright.

Correcto

Some songs were a bit too experimental but most were great - the seed (2.0) was definitely my favourite and thirsty! is a great party and hype song.

Too long. Too boring. A couple good songs. Too little. Too bad.

The first song is garbage. This album is a mess. That said there are a couple of decent songs on here. Thought @work is pretty good. Also like Quills But Pussy Galore is painful. Overall kinda meh? The sort of album I wish I could remove from my Spotify history.

Enjoyed the last third

I thought it was ok

Need to read more on this one! I love the seed.

The decline of neo-soul, as a genre and a movement, was always an inevitability. For as fertile and abundantly creative a landscape it was, there was a sense of instability looming the moment a brighter light shined on it. The Roots, in light of Things Fall Apart, must have understood this. Phrenology is a throw everything including the kitchen sink type of record, one where a lack of limits gives way to new forms of expressions. It was the kind of music they had to make in order to circumvent the circling drain and keep heads afloat. A smart move in a career of rollercoasting longevity. Favorites: Rock You, Sacrifice, Rolling With Heat, Thought @ Work II, The Seed (2.0), Break You Off, Water, Pussy Galore, Complexity, Something in the Way of Things (In Town), Rhymes and Ammo, Thirsty!

This album is ALOT y’all. I kinda wish it was two albums. It’s all excellent but occasionally there will be a harsh shift in style that takes you out of the sweet groove you were in. Like they wanted to show the different styles they could do, or discuss all the ideas, which are all important but sometimes it’s confusing to take it all in at once. Not to take away that this is a banger of excellence. My faves: Thought@work, The Seed, Pussy Galore

More up-tempo than what I'm used to from the Roots. I enjoyed this more fast paced and in-your-face production and bars from them. Front to back a super powerful and enjoyable record. Every member brought their A game, as did every feature.

Alright

Das zweite Rapalbum in Reihe. Ich bin wirklich kein Fan davon.

The seed is a great song. Illadelph Halflife was a much better album, hope it made the 1001 albums.

# 426 : I don't love it, I don't hate it. I thought it was very ordinary, quite long and rather forgettable. I still don't like rap…or is it Hip-Hop (shrug), anyway, this was another album where I didn't feel like it warranted the "must hear before you die" label.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. Has some mix tape energy at times.

En del helt ok låtar men jag sugs inte in. Kanske krävs mer fokus på texterna än vad jag kan uppbringa just nu för att verkligen uppskatta detta. Velar mellan en 2a och en 3a men för stunden blir det 2 av 5.

Inte det album av deras som jag rankar särskilt högt i deras diskografi. Men alla deras albums är av väldigt hög kvalle.

What a wild ride. As someone who grew up on Dre, Snoop, and the rest of the late 90's and early 2000's hip hop, I am shocked I missed the roots. This was a hell of an introduction with amazing beats and powerful lyrics. Definitely want to listen to more of them,

High energy, rhythmic flow. I like the pace. Loud though lol, bit much at times. Passionate lyrics, sometimes questionable. Eclectic instrumentals and wacky, weird beats.

Love the various artists that are also part of this album

Nice rap album, some good hits and beats, tons of rock influences and guitar parts.

I wasn't aware they are such a straightforward hip-hop group. Highlight(s): Rolling With Heat/Thought @ Work Lowlight(s): The Seed/Water

Not bad Not what I expected

Lovin the energy.

I got into The Roots back in the late 90's, they were and still are ridiculously tight musicians. I've seen them twice and they do not disappoint. This album was cutting edge at the time but they have better ones. They incorporate hip-hop and rock to create an aggressive sound. "The Seed 2.0" with Cody Chesnutt is one of my all time favorite beats & I heard it in an ad the other day. "Break You Off" & "Sacrifice" were minor hits and I dig "Rolling With Heat" and "Thought @ Work". There are a few real stinkers with "Pussy Galore", "Water", & "Something In The Way...", not catchy - not fun. Top 1001, maybe for influence & message but not for hits or staying power but it did put them on the map way before they were added as the houseband for Jimmy Fallon. 3 Stars

Lots of songs i didnt like

I don't quite know what I was expecting from The Roots, but it definitely wasn't this! The progressive hip hop label fits but also doesn't do the album justice. There's a lot going on here, highlighting some of the best of early 2000s hip hop and neo-soul, mixed with a diverse array of other genres and a deep social consciousness. The African American experience is the focal point, particularly how it's been shaped by centuries of racism. The title and cover art reference the debunked practice of determining intelligence and personality traits from the shape of a person's head. This pseudoscience was used for a disturbingly long time as a justification for racist policies, colonialism and genocide. The fact that The Roots draw attention to this suggests that they're focused on the historical context of systematic racism, not simply what exists today. The lyrics remind the listener of urban decay that stems from these historial roots. Despite this, there's a explosion of creativity and diversity in the sound, reaching into jazz and punk seemlessly with hip hop and soul. There are occasional moments of misogyny that feel out of place in the other socially conscious collection. This aside, it's a great album and I can see that I definitely need to start paying more attention to The Roots now.

Album starts off decent enough, but quickly loses all momentum with the interludes being just boring. I know the album came out in a weird transition period for hip hop, but this just doesn’t fit in anywhere and not in a good way.

No to Rap. I try to listen, but just can’t.

Really interesting use of different genres. Clearly very experimental at times and still enjoyable to listen to.

It’s okay. Got to be in the mood for some of this though. The more laid-back stuff is chill enough but the more in-your-face moments are a little more challenging for me to just sit and listen to.

I should really love The Roots as on paper their skills both from a performance and production standpoint are of the highest calibre, but there’s something about them I find just a bit too polished and sterile, and so whilst I enjoyed this album, I couldn’t remember a single song from it an hour later; I prefer my hip hop with a bit more grit.

Very long Content is decent But man, some editing on these albums wouldn't go a miss. Why are we making a 42min album into a 70+ min album. It's unnecessary and doesn't add to the experience. It makes it harder for a first time listener Fussy Galore is a good tune Album closer sucks

Not bad so far as rap goes, each track has different elements

This was way, way too long. First half of the album is great, but it completely loses steam at the 50% mark.

I was disappointed about about how typical this album seems. To my novice ears, very little differentiates this album from its contemporary hiphop peers.

Wanted to enjoy it more.

When they slow down a bit they are definitely better. The Seed (2.0) is probably the best song here although the lyrics are a bit dumb. Overall, I like the singing and music much better than the rapping. I know I’m missing out on the message but it wasn’t meant for me anyway.

4.5

The Good: Who doesn’t like a nice bit of phrenology? The Bad: Turns out that, according to phrenology, I don’t like rap… The Ugly: Just like phrenology is considered a pseudoscience, this album contains pseudomusic!!! Dear diary, what have I done to deserve this? my last 6 albums were, in order from oldest to newest reviewed, 1* 1* 1* 1* 2* 1*, and now I get this… I really tried finding stuff that I would like on the album, yet most of the time I could only think “why are they trying so hard to be something, instead of just being something?” I heard some almost blatant Prince rip-off, go listen to the song The Ladder (from the album Around the World In a Day) Then there’s the obvious “we’re from the hood too” shit that I just can’t stand Plus, I keep seeing that stupid Jimmy Fallon bobbin’ his head in line with the beat to show he’s got street credit too! Also, I HATE DRUM MACHINES… So, here’s to me praying for some actual music to show up tomorrow… even if it’s Taylor Swift… 1*

The Roots are so great! A very ambitious album, not perfect but very enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this album.

Really strong start, but it ended on a real low note

Ambitious but overly long. A case where a studio exec should lve stepped in and said ok that's enough

this was the Roots' most experimental release up to this point, and it's not usually a fan favorite, but it's right in my wheelhouse. especially towards the back end, the songs veer away from hip hop and into electronic jazz fusion territory. the ending of "Break You Off" is incredible, with all the new chord changes and the new drum groove. Black Thought verses are literally never bad. there's an amazing version of Cody ChesnuTT's "The Seed" which is a straight-out funk jam. I totally get why people prefer other Roots albums over this one, but there's some days where I'd call this my favorite of theirs. decent 9/10.

Heard this album before a long long time ago - was not my thing but I do understand the strong drum melodies with message rap / Camino thing

Solid stuff. A tad overlong but this one delivers. Really good hip hop here. I think Things Fall Apart should have been included but I have no problem with this being in as well.

Jimmy

I thought I rated this already. I guess not. it was fine

4/10 - It was alright. A lot of interesting pieces but nothing that I enjoyed all too much. They are the band that plays with Jimmy Fallon which is cool I guess. It does hit a wide variety of genres.

It’s fine. I’m pretty sure the roots are Jimmy fallons live band which makes it hard for me to take them seriously as real artists. But also this album just wasn’t that good

..

Good rapping over strange beats; will have to revisit. Initial listen: 7/10 or 3.5/10.

Back in the early 2000s, I completely overlooked this album. Everyone was always talking about The Roots, so I was too busy searching for something fresh and underground. Now that I’ve given it a few listens, I realize this definitely would have been right up my alley back then. The conscious style lyrics are pretty standard for that era, but the experimental tracks really caught me off guard in a good way. There’s also a mix of funky, soulful tracks that add an easy listening vibe. Overall, the album’s diversity really stands out.

Never listened before, a lot more rap than I expected but it was good

Not my thing

Awesome music. Really interesting beats both acoustic/band and more loop/electronic sounds. Great rapping as well. This is an album I’d recommend checking out.

Garbage

Surprisingly diverse sounds on this album. Thirsty! is proto Death Grips / Danny Brown. Super fun album. Glad to hear it.

Despite me not always jiving with black thought’s flow and lyricism (comes off pretty corny at times), the musicianship and songwriting are impeccable.

This was such a great album. It's funny that this isn't one of Apple's "essential" albums by the Roots. After listening to this I think it's incredible. I was surprised at all the different "types" of music that I heard while listening to this.

Why?

Not my vibe, was not in the mood for this music and could not get into it... :(

Interessant am Anfang, dann aber gar nicht meins

My main takeaway was that this album is repetitive, monotone, bland. The bass synth + electronic percussion combo in Rock You, hitting beats 1 and 2 of every bar for three minutes, gets old really fast. Not my thing. Many of the tracks can be described in an extremely similar fashion, including Thought @ Work, Water, and Quills. Then there are complete flop songs like Pussy Galore (what?), Rock You, and the weak album closer Thirsty. I think it's pretty telling that the most popular tracks on the album (by Spotify listens) are those with clear-cut vocal melodies, instrumental hooks, strong backing vocals, and less focus on monotone, clichéd rap delivery. It's obvious what listeners want, and The Roots seemingly covers their ears and sings (raps) "la-la-la, I can't hear you" after their first four studio albums to arrive at this mild train wreck with a couple of scattered gems. One thing I'll give props for: the track transitions, particularly between an interlude and the following track, are darn smooth. I also find it pretty funny that The Roots brought in Ursula Rucker for the 20-second opening track, and she doesn't appear anywhere else on the 67-minute record. I'm stealing a comment from another reviewer because it sums up most of my view about this album (and many other 90s/00s hip-hop records): "This was a real slog. Overlong, half acerbic and irritating rap, half bland nu-soul, neither very good. Black Thought's voice and lyrics are pretty uninteresting, and the "it's a real band" conceit leaves little room for innovative (or even catchy) samples or effects." 1/5 Key tracks: Sacrifice, The Seed (2.0), Break You Off

What a unique mix, tied together by hip hop. A little bit of everything. The longer songs are the better ones for me-- Water and Breaking It Off were great. 4/5

Love the Roots. Varied styles, but all good

читаки друг от друга не отличаются, этот момент мне не нравится

loved every single second. just so fucking cool!

Solid first half. Really enjoyed it. Back half got a little too experimental for me. Overall fun time.

I was surprised it was rap given the amount of rock records on here. First time listening to the roots

Not their best work but still good. A bit unorganized though.

I like the Roots quite a bit but this album has never really impressed me that much. There are plenty of solid tracks here but overall its nothing special when compared to many of their albums that came before and after this one. "Undun" deserved this spot on the list. Favorite track: Sacrifice

The roots are banging. But slightly too long

Horrible

This was quite astounding. I expected a hip-hop album, but I got something completely different. Later, I connected the band to Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. They are versatile and talented, and there are some quite complex arrangements here. Thirsty! reminded me of The Prodigy.

Zaskakująco dobry album. Mięsisty, muzyczny, instrumentalny. Ale też jest coś narcystycznego w nagrywaniu kawałków, które mają więcej niż 10 minut. Pod koniec byłam już zmęczona. 6/10

Rock you hit me like a ton of bricks that started so I was ready to go then the screening started and quickly went into a vibe track. What a way to start an album.

Probably the most musically complex Hip Hop album I’ve ever heard.

Solid

It's OK. Nothing amazing, but not bad.

3.5

Good classic funky hip hop

Wait. The Roots? The funny band on Jimmy Fallon's talk show? They make serious music? That was my initial reaction to seeing the name Questlove and the Roots in the album description on Apple Music. I did enjoy the album, but considering my only experience with the Roots is thanks to Jimmy Fallon, rap was not in the least bit what I was expecting. This absolutely goes hard from the get go. That being said....its too much. 3/5

kinda a banger good hip-hop vibes and production n stuff.

Love the diversity of genres on this album, although I felt it kept going on a little too long. 1 hr was too much.

Really skilled but occasionally too much all at once

Tiresome.

Some are good, some are really bad.

boring american hip hop

No idea these Jimmy Fallon fools have such a long history.. they manage to somehow sound very white, but the album is not too bad. Interesting musical bits with some varied rapping styles.

Real Hip Hop!!! Black Thoght is just phenomenal, poignant lyrics., cool ass delivery and flow and of course Quest ties it all together. I love the arrangement of the records, the production is smooth & enjoyable. Tremendous record!

Album 629 of 1001 The Roots - Phrenology (2002) Rating : 2.75 / 5 I'm not a big Hip Hop fan and if this was purely that, it would likely rate lower. The blended elements of hip-hop, rock, soul, and jazz, creating a unique sound that I find more appealing. A good listen but still not likely to go back to it.

p889. 2002. 1 star. Pretentious, foul mouthed obnoxious (c)rap.

Extremely unique, and lots of skill on display at all levels of production.

I remember the first time I tried to get into the Roots. My cousin lent me this album and I listened to it several times. It didn’t take then and it still didn’t now. I like some of the raps and the DJing but the throwbacks to funk and soul just kill the vibe for me.

Turns out this is exactly the kinda shit I’m into. Black Thought is one of the best MC’s ever, full stop. Fantastic musicality and instrumentation too.

It’s a nice mixture between rock and rap/hip hop (as far as I know - I’m not really into the hip hop/rap genre). I can hear that they are very good at what they do. But I just don’t really want to listen to this type of music Some of it is fine as background noise and The Seed 2.0 is great

Many genres on one album: rap, acid jazz, techno, and rock.

Not for me

I know a lot about Questlove the drummer but not much about The Roots, so an enjoyable listen….

Some songs hold up, some have that issue where I would not be able to sing along to them, but I guess that’s more of a me problem. Still a classic with some songs I would go back to.

Very good album with just few too many filler tracks.

Rock you really set the tone of the album for me with a stand out beat, lyrical mastery and simple chorus that carries the song from verse to verse. Didn’t pay attention to song titles after the first track as I was genuinely lost in the music…until halfway through “water”, what the fuck was all that about. Perhaps Sean has an intellectual breakdown of the artistry of the track because I was left confused and quite frankly disappointed. Thankfully normal service resumed on the next song. Thoroughly enjoyed the album and will definitely go back and give it a listen along with their other works. I’ve never really given the roots any attention and now I’m regretting it, this album reminded me how incredible the hip hop genre can be. Engaging storytelling, beats that make me zone out and not even register the lyrics at times, old school flows that blend so beautifully with elements of r&b and soul. What other genre can have a song like pussy galore, from the title and chorus it would be easy to assume it’s just an old version of a lot of the bullshit that rappers make these days but each verse was such a juxtaposition of those assumptions. Rhymes and ammo seemed like it was just them flexing their rapping and lyrical talent. What a great way to bring the album to its crescendo with arguably the most 00’s sounded track. Unfortunately they ended things with techno, I’m all for artist showing range but it seemed very out of place. Personally I think you’d be hard served to find a better era of rap than the mid 90’s to early 00’s and this album is further proof of that. Sadly what would’ve been a 5 star was ruined by water and thirsty, if you can think of a witty joke in relation to those titles and my opinion please let me know

Again another album by a group/artist that I've never heard before. I'm starting to realise what a sheltered life I've lived... what a poultry set of notches on my musical bedpost. This album was a fine notch to add however. I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoy a bit of the hip and a bit of the hop anyway, put them together with some funky jazz instrumentals and I'll gladly open my apparently barely deflowered (ear)holes. The album was balanced, unpredictable and changed course enough throughout to remain interesting. Some parts were a little too experimental for me (like the instrumental on water which takes somewhere between 5 and 10 business days to end), but I could appreciate them to an extent with the rest of the album being as good as it was. I haven't heard much from Black Thought but after this album I'd consider myself a fan. For me, a well deserved 4 stars.

Some bangers... an awful lot of just absolute noise. Sacrifice is great Water starts well - doesn't need to be 10 mins - middle of it sounded like the old ainsley.exe videos. Erykh Buda never fails to impress. 'You Got Me' is great, largely thanks to her. Unfortunately averages out to being middle of the road at best. Which is a shame considering some of the good stuff.

It's an odd collection of songs, with discord and crackpot tinkering that's not often explored this much on rap records. Some of the featured artists bring a bit of character to it. It's an album that I think struggles to know what it is. Just as Mowgli could hang with the wolf pack, but was better off in the man village, The Roots definitely have impressive Hip Hop credentials, but in my opinion, are better off as Jimmy Fallon's house band. I can hear Goodie Mob, Outkast, Saul Williams, it's kind of cool, but ultimately too busy, and a bit too long. I want to like The Roots, but their USP of experimentation, an ever-evolving lineup, and multiple instruments, just never turns into anything I enjoy. I'm hoping their earlier albums pop up in this list and pleasantly surprise me.

Did not enjoy this.

I've listened to this a few times and I just don't think it's for me - apparently it's not their strongest album, so fingers crossed for next time

The Roots do The Roots well. Some of their songs become almost like background music because 1. they sound like brunch DJ battle or 2. the verbal pace and energy barrels relentlessly, but they’re pretty damn talented at what they do and when they throw in a slower song, they get me. Musiq Soulchild (chef’s kiss). Not the same song, but I’d never heard the lyrics “From your cheekbones… to your deep moans,” and that pairing deserves some applause.

This is fine.

6/10 pretty good 11-29-2024

Did anyone else catch the Beastie Boy references throughout? The beginning of Thought @Work #2 was the same opening beat as Looking Down the Barrel of A Gun, and !!!!!!! sounded a lot like Time for Living off Check Your Head. I am conflicted with a lot of this album honestly. The rhyme and flow was on-point. ?Love proves why is one of the best drummers of all time throughout, but then the continuous racial references made it feel like I don’t belong to this album nor it to me. Maybe it’s just my “woke” socialization. The Seed (2.0) was a smooth jam that got a few listens. Complexity was pretty good too and I liked how Black Thought’s vocals were a jazz solo in themselves, especially paired with Jill Scott’s smooth vocals. There is no mistaking the talent here.Thirsty should have felt more displaced but somehow fits. The production was an emotional rollercoaster not right for every occasion but worked. If I believed in Napster style downloads I would turn this into a well edited set of mixtapes. But that would be illegal and I would never…anymore.

This one was way more varied and interesting than I assumed going in. I liked Rock On, Sacrifice, and The Seed as the best tracks. Was surprised by the outbursts of punk a few times. And even a bit of noise rock too. The ability to morph and adapt on this album shows why they are a great late night band now with Fallon. We should have seen it coming. The last track was so wacky and weird. Did someone lose a bet and had to let it be on the album?

Not really much. Not so terribly boring. But also not really interesting

A standout hip-hop album that could benefit from some editing. The best parts are exceptional, but there is some excess material that stops this from being an absolute classic

I used to listen to this quite a bit, but with listening yesterday, I remembered how 100% straight through was a bit much. Rock You is a perfect opener, energizing and bringing the listener to attention. The Seed (2.0) is what I've always gone back to. The beat is incredible, the flow is great, and Cody Chestnutt wraps it all up nicely. The beats on this, at first you think they're minimal but then you pick up on everything going on. Very cool in that sense. Break You Off is where it starts to lose me. I think compared to the tempos before that, it's just a downer. Complexity would've been a great closer, but then it kept going for 13 minutes.

Great hip hop here. Production style makes it feel a little older than it actually is, which is a good thing for my tastes. I sort of checked out of rap when the production became too far removed from simple beats, and samples. Even the R&B parts on this (that I generally hate and skip) are solid. Did NOT love the closing track however.

The Roots never disappoint man. Black Thought and Questlove, before the Jimmy Fallon days… these dudes could write and flow.

Lekker hoor

This album gets really going with "Sacrifice" and gets better and better from there. Great songs to check out: Sacrifice Break You Off Quills (nice sample of Swing Out Sister's Breakout)

2.5 decent beats but nothing really resonated with me

Fuck I love The Roots

this is one of the coolest sounding albums of all time. like the sound is just so cool. it oozes cool. the beats here are infectious, the verses are great. listening to this genuinely makes me sad that the roots are just jimmy fallon's house band now. we could have had it all.

A great album, and yet not my favorite Roots album. Feel like this is the album where the Most Incrediy finally stopped being slept on, likely driven by the success of “The Seed 2.0” … which was great, since The Roots demand to be heard. But for those of us who were early converts to “Do You Want More!?” and “Illadelph Halflife” and the greatest Roots record ever made, “Things Fall Apart,” the buzz just felt inadequate. I’ve always loved “Quills” … a great Roots track. And I have never, ever seen a bad Roots show, starting when I first saw them in 1996 at Red Rocks on the inaugural Smoking Grooves tour … up until last summer when I caught them at Mission Ballroom.

Didn't expect to like this but it's quite relaxed and smooth despite the cutting rapping.

This one was interesting, there's a lot of different things going on, but it was also a bit chaotic and not super cohesive due to all the different styles. I might enjoy this more if I listened to it more, but not a ton stood out to me on the first go-around so I probably won't get around to picking it up and listening to it again Standouts Rock You 3/5

Surprisingly uneventful. Wonderful production and original beats. Lyrics were good. Nothing too much to say, otherwise. 4/5

I love The Roots but this is not in the running for their best work. It is good, but not great. They tried to break into the commercial realm which is fine but it really doesn't suit their strengths.

Love this effort from The Roots. Influences are pulled from almost every genre within this album, and the Roots show off their ability to genre-bend with the best of them. I think Black Thought may be one of the best rappers to ever pick up a mic, he brings the energy, the lyricism and the flow every time without fail. Water, of course, is just weird.

Fine. A lot of random parts thrown in here. The 2nd half is really good. Rhymes and Ammo is the best song. Ez 3.5

Not bad

Like the word play and use of internal rhymes across lines and within the same lines. Some nice mix of hip-hop, funky and R&B sounding beats.

Rap vibe

Cool.

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover and I absolutely did with this album. I saw the cover and thought whatever I can’t be bothered with this, just another 2000s indie album But when I listed to it I was actually super impressed - it’s so listenable to me and I’m such a fan

It's shit

The parts that are less hip hop and more soul/rock n’ roll are the parts I prefer.

Everything besides 'The Seed (2.0)' felt like musical homework I didn’t sign up for.

3.4988 stars. Can't bring myself to round up.

This album did prompt me having to explain to somebody what phrenology was and why that's a cleverly ironic title for a hip hop album, so I got a free pass to be a know it all.

Sounds pretty nice, however I did not enjoy Rock You and Water much

An ok hip hop album by the Jimmy Fallon band.

hell yeah i love the roots not that the production on Things Fall Apart is bad, its very good actually, but I kind of prefer this sound over the cleaner jazz instrumentals. Its a lot more creative and out there, borderline experimental and because of that it kind of appeals to me more. production kind of reminds me of Pharrell idk how to explain. might be my favorite roots album ngl

Fantastic. One of the best on the list so far

I liked the variety - just too long. 3/5

Good stuff.

Not for me. Tough to get through.

I'm not saying I wouldn't be married to my wife if not for this record, but I'm also not not saying that. When we were dating we had the best time seeing The Roots on this tour at the Roseland Ballroom. One of the best shows I've been to, and I've been to many. To me, this record is head and shoulders above their others, not the least because of their borrowing of Cody Chestnutt and his instant classic "The Seed."

I've known the group's name for years (decades, I suppose), but as far as I know I've never listened to any of their albums, and I doubt I've heard much of their work on the radio (or at least the radio stations I've listened to). It's an impressively wide-ranging album, and the album is tight and well-produced, albeit too long, and I'm not sure I can really agree with "The Rolling Stone Album Guide" highlight of "Water" as an amazing track. I was also impressed at how the early small intermission-like tracks have some of the more interesting range of styles in this album ("!!!!" has some Fishbone-inspired guitar licks/sounds, and I enjoyed the spoken word "WAOK (Ay) rollcall"). I particularly enjoyed the track/video "The seed (2.0)", definitely a highlight of the album; and also the semi-Public-Enemy-style "Thought @ work", and the pounding "Quill", and I largely enjoyed the jazz-poetry-experiment of "Something in the way of things (in town)". It's not really my taste musically, so I'm not sure I can really judge whether this was as ground-breaking as the Wikipedia entry seems to suggest, and it does seem weird that the project didn't have The Roots' previous album ("Things Fall Apart") given that album's breakthrough success (and more well-known status), but I *do* like the title and the album cover, dripping with irony.

New to this group and album. Gets out of the gate fast with the stellar Rock You, then fades a little with the next two songs and picks up with Thought@Work, building to The Seed, a fabulous blend of styles. Water is interesting--not sure if it works completely--and I'm not a fan of Amiri Baraka so am not thrilled with Something in the Way of Things. I like their vision and scope for their music.

I liked a couple of tracks: "The Seed (2.0)" and "Water". But every time a song featured rap, I was turned off.

Een album met behoorlijk wat afwisseling. Dit moet zelfs één van de grotere anti-hiphop trolls op deze site toch positief stemmen. Ik vind het wel jammer dat er wat geluiden op staan die ik als irritant ervaar, maar verder is dit wel een oke album. Hoogtepunt voor mij is toch de hit 'The Seed (2.0)'. 'Sacrifice' kwam me ook bekend voor, maar dat is denk ik omdat de baslijn klinkt als 'Give It To Me' van Timbaland en 'Whats Luv' van Fat Joe. Verder kende ik hier niks van, maar ik heb ook na het luisteren geen nieuwe tracks aan m'n playlists toegevoegd. Het zit een beetje in dezelfde hoek als OutKast voor mij. Ik weet dat het goed is, maar het is niet helemaal m'n ding. Iets te random soms. Ik hou het op 3 sterren.

Excellent album let down only by its slight self indulgence taking the runtime to a lengthy 70+ mins. Surprised I’ve only ever heard of The Seed (2.0) from these guys, given they seem to be huge…

деградация.

The Roots. Where have you been all my life? Love their mix of live instrumentation plus some drum and bass elements. I even hear traces of Bad Brains on a couple tracks. Wonderful, vital, revolutionary.

This was great. Sonically diverse, bottled energy on the mic. 9/10 Music for cruising.

Not what I expected at all! Quite an enjoyable album. Loved the beats. A bit long for my liking though 4 ⭐️

maybe cool it with the seed talk

It is what it is, I have no real thoughts on it as it’s not really my type of music. Some nice vibes but equally lengthy and uninspiring in places. Probably a 2.64 so rounded up to a 3

Eiiii eiii The Seediä, sitä ei saa pois päästä (mikä kertoo tarttuvasta melodiasta, se taustalla junnaava). Ihan hyvä levy, kiva tasapaino, kun liu’utaan räpimmästä popimpaan ja sit takas räppiin. Mut miks lopussa tulee bileet? Se on ehkä hauskinta. Mutta lähtökohtaisesti en hirveesti pidä, ei aivan yllä kolmoseen.

Paljon puhutaan tämän levyn kokeilevuudesta, mutta en kuule mitään erityisen mutkikasta, vain keskivertoa huomattavasti paremman LP:n. Biitit toimivat, räppi toimii, HC-tsoukki toimii, väliharhailut toimivat (no, ainakin melkein). Ja sitten on tämä The Seed (2.0): ei vittu mikä biisi! 78-80-vuosien Keef rämpyttää rap-osuuksien taustalla hypertarttuvaa riffiä, ja kertosäe on melkein minuutin pituinen korvamato, joka säpsähdyttää härskiydellään. Kiitos tästä, lista.

Not sure what to say other than 1) I like it, 2) I like that it's more like '80s rap than '20s rap. But still, 7 out of 10, and I'm rounding down. 3 stars

It's The Roots! And ... I didn't like it. There may be a couple of songs that actually sound like songs on here, but I just don't like or understand rap. I know - but they are on The Tonight Show. Maybe I like 'em there because it's Mostly just the band?

This was fine for the genre.

Mad Men theme worthy

A good vibe to this with a few duds thrown in, but overall a good listen.

I don't think any of the songs are particulary good, but the record is so crazy that you use all your energy on trying to figure out what tf you're listening to instead of caring about quality of it.

Eugh

Honestly, a bit meh. I file The Roots under Very Respectable but haven't heard much of their output. Two of the tracks here and "You Got Me", of course? I *think* I put Phrenology on, once, briefly, but that's about it. The thing is: I feel other Hip Hop artists who have done the genre bending made a bigger impression on me than this did today. And it seems a bit "here's your regular stuff that you know and love and NOW HERE is where we do the noise-fusion, weeee, crazy shit, huh?" But take this all with a tsp of salt, it's mostly a sound and vibe I'm not in the mood for today. It's fine, really.

Why did I miss this great HipHop album before? Nice flow and strong lyrics

yes

Phrentastic.

Bumpy.

Too much of too many good things

The pace of this album is incredible.

I feel the structure of this album when I listen to it in its entirety. The sequencing is deliberate, there's the pre-flight of Phrentrow leading to the solid and true kickoff of Rock You. But where I really sense the intention is how this record is built around the core of Thought @ Work, The Seed(2.0), and Break You Off. Both leading in and exiting the beating heart of the record takes you different places tonally and emotionally before the record ends solidly with Rhymes and Ammo. And, gives us a little rising/falling action by trailing that end with the fun Thirsty!

Fire

🔥

This is fire. Hadn’t listened to the roots just knew they were Jimmy Fallons band. Shame on me.

Compared to Throbbing Headache, this was lovely stuff. Actually I did really like it. It’s the kind of dancehall rap of the era that I have allot of time for. There is a bit of the wince inducing sampling and “collaboration”, but in the whole just good catchy tunes.

Yeah s’alright this, not gangsta, had a nice variation of styles (although maybe a bit too much). Preferred the more funk based tracks, and a good but random track to end on. Can’t think of anything interesting to say. Well, not related to this album anyway. But I did see Monster Magnet last night, and Dave Wyndorf has still got it, absolute legend that man. 10 min version of Spine of God was epic!

Something for everyone. A good antidote after enduring the musical shart of throbbing gristle. The gristle could learn a lot on how to be experimental and tuneful from these guys. God I hated the gristle

i enjoyed it, but no real standouts.

this was an interesting album and though I'm normally a fan of the mixed-genre forays, this one felt a bit more scattershot and unfocused than most. i listened to the album all the way through, then revisited a few tracks in the middle, but they didn't really grab me the second time either. also i don't get why we needed a weird 10 1/2 minute soundscape dropped into the middle of the album (and right after another long song). not my favorite. also had no idea this was the same "the roots" that's jimmy fallon's tonight show house band???? wild. favorites: rock you, the seed (2.0)

Started off pretty strong; thought I was listening to a 4 or even 5, but it did start to slow down quality-wise as it went on. I'll probably listen to it again and see where I'm at then, but as of my first listen I'm sitting at a 3.5/5

Really good

Not as bad as I feared it might be

Sacrifice, the seed, thirsty. I actually really like this album but it’s not “fun”. Goes in a lot of directions

There's a couple tracks here that I thought were alright but at the end of the day I don't think this one's for me. The Vibe: You're driving around in a video game and this is the fake music that's playing on the radio.

Did the Roots ever make a bad album? This one is very good, but just too long and agree with others that Things Fall Apart would have been the logical choice for this list.

Not sure how to rate this one. There are nice moments (e.g., I like the closer) but regularly I get lost.

Favorite Track: The Seed (2.0)

2.4 There were some interesting elements but meh.

Man this is produced so well. I think it should be on this list for that alone. It feels so intimate, but the style evolves depending on what the song's vibe calls for. But it is too long and gets a little tedious. There are some wild creative things going on here, but some of the songs get overly repetitive. generally I like the vibe. It would be good to have in a background of a hip dinner as long as some of the offensive lyrics aren't understood..

I root for The Roots from South Philly. What an interesting album with bongo rap mid-track and an ending straight out of a cheesy club night

El rap no es uno de mis estilo favoritos, y menos en una lengua que apenas controlo. The Roots tienen la fama de ser uno de los grupos con más exito de la segunda ola de rap alternativo y seguramente tiene una razón de ser. Su música es brillante en lo experimental y en este disco suena además contundente. Me gusta algo la guitarra de "The Seed (2.0)" y el arranque del tema "Water", una extensa canción de algo más de diez minutos en la que hablan sin tapujos de los problemas del ex MC Malik B. con las drogas. También el sencillo "Break You Off", un dueto con Musiq.

3.5☆/5 09.11.2024

After the dull Thundercat, the Real Thing steps up.

Excellent, sexy, subverted expectations. Some parts are very danceable and high energy while others are really smooth - great features and consistently good vocals. Also great variation! 4.2

More focus woulda make this a much stronger record. Throw out all the nu-metal stuff and get no more experimental than "The Seed" and "Break You Off" and "Complexity" of which are first-rate. Otherwise this is overstuffed – too many guests, too many ideas, too much genre-mashing/imitating. The overall effect is uneven, largely because what's not too loud is too long or incongruous with the adjacent vibes and flows. Aside: any song named "Pussy Galore" should be much better. And what a shame to end with a Prodigy soundalike.

Generally liked but do not foresee myself putting this on again

Excellent listen! Should have had this in the rotation a long time ago

Cool

I’m not sure about this one, it’s longer than I like albums to be, and while I think the quality of the beats and the lyrics are both high, there’s also not anything that stands out as excellent to me. I listened to it on a speaker while cooking dinner, moving around a bit and maybe not paying attention as much as I should. But I’ve done that before, and there are albums that I ended up really loving using this method of listening. Ahh, who cares?

The legendary Roots crew!

The roots were all the rage when I was in my indie phase and I never really got into them. But god damn. My bad.

i really liked how conceptual this was and the jazz influences really went well in this album, the style was great, the ending was interesting as well it was like a dance song

Really cool and innovative stuff

Fantastic, inventive, progressive. Very very cool conceptual album

used to love this album but it does not hold up. very dry.

So diverse! Love that kind of hip-hop

Pretty good. 2.5

För långt och inte helt min grej.

Listened Before? N These guys are great, and this album is brilliant. Before reading the wiki entry, I had never considered the concept of Progressive Rap. That's exactly what this is and I love it. Bonus points for great use of sampling on this one as well. I hear it was delayed - it was worth the wait I'll bet. I will listen to this one again for sure. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Sacrifice

Sacrifice // The Seed //

Some "songs" (what do you call it when it's a repetitive beat with someone talking over the top with little relationship to the music) consist of a beat with someone talking in that earnest, angry fashion. Some of them have a bit of tinkling over the repetitive beat while someone talks earnestly. Some of them even have a background singer, which is so wimpy it gets lost. All of it is soul-numbingly boring. Oh yes. He likes saying that word because he's obviously cool. There is plenty of hip-hop with variation and musicality that deserves to be on this list. This doesn't.

1/5

I liked this record which isn't usually the case for older hip-hop. I almost exclusively did not like the features though. That's especially true of what appears to be the most popular song on this record featuring this Cody Chesnutt guy. The chorus "I wanna push my seed into your bush"??? Like cmon that's brutal. Fan of The Roots I'd say, not so much of the rest of it.

Hur kan jag ha missat detta?

Not bad. Not sure how much I want to listen to it again, but I can appreciate the lyrical masterwork of the songs at least. Water is quite out there though.. Gave me some free form jazz vibes.

listened to this in 3 hits, and although it needed a bit of breaking up for me, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Great

It's a cool combination of rap, rock and electronic, but nothing special really.

Very ambitious and gritty early 2000s rap album that surprises with a multitude of different genres. I'll listen to just about anything that Questlove touches

Nothing stood out to me, but the flow and sound was quite nice. Maybe one I'd come back to in the future, but not a must.

2/5

3.5

This probably needs a deeper dive. There’s a lot going on in this album. A lot a like and some that’s just too dense. As someone who has seen The Roots live and loved them, this record doesn’t sound like that performance. It’s an ambitious work that’s near impossible to give a quick review after one listen. I respect it and could potentially love it on a relisten. 3.5/5

I’ve always loved The Roots and my old band actually got to open a show for them back in 2008. This is an incredible album that could easily be appreciated no matter what type of music you like

Great album that aged with grace. The Roots built up from the soulquarian movement of the late 1980's and 1990's hip hop, r&b, jazz fusion, and funk became a hyper-amalgom of the soulquarians. With no defined strengths or weakness. Just proficiency in all genres and skill associated to music production. 2002 and this album sounds as current as current can be. I'm nostalgic and impressed at the same time.

Strong starting and closing tracks, but the middle was a letdown. Overproduced and overcomplicated, it felt like they were trying to demonstrate everything they could do instead of just creating good, straightforward tracks. "Water" almost unlistenable - why was it 10 minutes long? Still an interesting album, at least.

Not my favorite hip hop but it was still decent

I really love this album. Innovative with so many peak moments. Drags a bit in the second half. Surprisingly, a little weird for my tastes.

Enjoy Questlove and the team!

I'm normally a fan of hip hop, but couldn't get into this one as much.

A fine album. They do good work. Some tracks were straight up hip hop. Much was creative transitions and asides. A good album to enjoy in its entirety and a rare rebellion from the iTunes only listen to songs in isolation world we have made.

Eclectic, creative, and fun. I enjoyed this and want to return for a closer listen. +1 ⭐️ for Philly representation

Skipped through it.

Despite my proud ownership of the official ?uestlove signature drum set, I couldn't wait for this record to run its course.

Bit strange

After hearing of this band's reputation, I was excited to listen to this album. The experimentation and collaborative effort of trying out different ideas is immaculate. It's slow at first, but it starts to pick up the speed as you get further into it. The song that ended the album was regrettably a rough listen, but the rest of the album more than makes up for its faults. I'd listen again. Best - Thought @ Work, The Seed (2.0), Break You Off, Quills, Complexity, and Rhymes and Ammo Worst - Water, Pussy Galore, and Thirsty! 3.50-4.00/5

La verdad que muy bueno, y eso que no soy tan amante del rap

Can't understand the lyrics and not gonna try. Mostly doesn't sound too good, but songs with female vocal hooks have a nice vibe A bunch of unsuccessful experiments. Rhymes And Ammo is more classic yet actually sounds good

Listened to this thrice. Would've given it a 5 if I rated it after the first because I am absolutely in love with the R&B and jazz elements of this album's later half. Though, when I relistened to it, I was reminded of how I didn't really like the first 7 beyond them being listenable. Strong 4

I really liked the boombastic in your face songs.T he albums did have a few duds though, like the 10 minute song Water.

Vulgar in every sense of the word, but on Phrenology The Roots makes all the different musical elements blend together almost seamlessly. A tad uneven, but the highest high of 'The Seed (2.0)' is something else.

A phenomenal hip hop album proving that you can produce a 70-minute album without filling it with skits. It stills overstays its welcome a bit, but there’s no denying the greatness of this Roots-era.

Sadly, another band I have never listened to. I thought this album was very good overall, pretty varied and creative. Will put The Roots in rotation.

I liked the techno/rock elements of the album! It was interesting. That being said, I don’t think i’d listen to again.

I want to like this, and there are a few strong songs, but honestly this is not fun to listen to. It’s somehow a little too experimental yet also pretty boring? Something’s just not clicking. Best song: Rhymes and Ammo

Great album standout songs: Sacrifice The Seed 2.0 Water

This is a great hip hop album

Fuckin. A. 5

Loved it!

Das ist unerträglich

I liked a good portion of this. Some good flow, interesting beats, and once this got going I really felt it. Then I got to “Water”, and all that came to a screeching halt. Avant-garde does NOT fit here. That song sucked so hard it brings my entire score down one star. It should have been left off entirely.

Black Thought is perhaps the most underrated rapper in the game. He is top notch, but I’m not as hyped about the rest.

Hell yeah! Except that exclamation mark song. Shit's annoying.

Far from cohesive Skills lost in exploration Pushed a bit too far

Never listened to The Roots before. What an album!

Awesome variety of styles

Now that’s a good album ! Music, lyrics, variety …. Quality stuff. !!

So when I think of The Roots, I think Jimmy Fallon – so this was an eye-opener for me, since I’ve never listened to one of their albums… Musically – the album is extremely well-done, and the hip-hop based lyrics were pretty solid as well… Best quality of the album, was the fact that the sound and range of the tracks was pretty diverse – which is always appreciated… Best tracks IMO, were – - Sacrifice – Decent musical track, with an excellent message lyrically… - The Seed (2.0) – Primarily related to the musical track, and less so the lyrics… - Water – Not awesome, but I found it to be a very interesting track… Would probably give this one a 2.50 if I could, but can’t quite get it to a 3 – but definitely a solid album for sure…

Thought @ Work The Seed (2.0) Rhymes And Ammo I like most hip hop but this just feels bland to me

Haven't heard of these guys, but I'm a big fan of this style of Hip-Hop. The backing was great, and a nice diverse array of songs that didn't make this album feel long at all. 3.4

First time listening to them besides the odd song here and there. I haven’t listened to their bigger album right before this one which I’m sure would give me a better appreciation for this. The album didn’t do much for me. It was alright with some fun beats but didn’t feel that game changing to me. Rating: 3.0

This was my first hip-hop album from the list and it didn't disappoint. It had some really fun beats and I loved the variety of instrumentals. Some of the tracks were a bit noisy but I found them enjoyable nonetheless. It felt like a really complete hip-hop album.

Some good tracks but end got more than a little eh. verdict 5.5/10

Nah. Not a fan except like one song.

"The Seed" is a great track, but the labum falls flat towards the end.

Respect the experimentation but not my kind of thing

A heap of fine craft, thought, good faith and intention leaves me wishing for something with anything near the edge of Public Enemy's :"Elvis was a hero to most/ I said Elvis was a hero to most/ He never meant shit to me/...Motherfuck him and John Wayne". Amiri Baraka made me listen: his poem blazes out of the throng, but I'd be happier listening to it without the music. The Cobain/Burroughs "The "Priest" They Called Him" came to mind as the right approach - instrument counterpoint to the reading, rather than background. Most alternative hip-hop on this list is a chore; this is no exception.

This was a real slog. Overlong, half acerbic and irritating rap, half bland nu-soul, neither very good. Black Thought's voice and lyrics are pretty uninteresting, and the "it's a real band" conceit leaves little room for innovative (or even catchy) samples or effects. About as entertaining as a piece of dry brown toast. Saved from 1* due to an unexpected dash of one of my fey favorites in the mix

very listenable hip hop with great flow and hard hitting beats.

A really good album. I've heard a couple of their tracks over the years, but this is my first time listening to a full album. I enjoyed it throughout. The variety of beats is really interesting and helps to hold the attention.

Highly creative and full of surprises. Thought provoking and challenging in all the right ways. Fave Songs: Water, Something in the Way of Things (In Town), Thought @ Work, Rolling with Heat, Rock You, !!!!!!!

Fantastic rap album that stands in sharp contrast with some of shit that runs rampant these days. 4.1

A complex, interesting, and ambitious hip hop album. Will definitely listen again.

Every single song had an E next to it

3/5

Songs sounded great but never really went anywhere and went on too long

Unfriendly listen but still interesting and very great at parts

This was good. I really enjoyed break you off and complexity. The second half was definitely stronger than the first for me

I have a healthy respect for The Roots as the pre-eminent live-band hip-hop act, but I have generally found their music to be hit or miss for me. Rock You starts us out with some boom-bap punchy aggressive energy -- quickly backed up by !!!!!!! a Beastie Boys esq hardcore interlude. Sacrifice bleeds naturally out of the previous track, but sheds all of the aggression in favor of an 808 and snare lead jam with Nelly Furtado featuring. This song is a jam. Beautiful production on display here. Rolling With Heat has a solid groove to it. Weird that Kwali isn't credited on Spotify given his prominent feature at the front end. Thought @ Work makes me think of early Wale and Go-go music with the rhythms at work. Water is an unexpectedly spacious song weighing in at over 10 minutes. Rhymes and Ammo is a late album standout. Love the flow and energy on this one. I've listened to this about 3 times now trying to figure out where it falls... On one hand it is enjoyable and varied enough to listen to 3 times. On the other, a lot of this kind of falls into a serviceable middle area, where the songs are solid, but don't fully elevate. I tend to prefer the jammier/crustier Roots songs (Essawhamah?, Pass the Popcorn) but this had some really solid points. All in, I'm a high 3 leaning 4 here.

Some of these songs were jams. I Liked Though @ work and the seed 2.0. Pussy Galore was an interesting song lol. Wasn't a bad album to listen 3 stars for me.

Couple of good songs on here, but no real duds. The beats early on were pretty dry, but they seemed to get better as the album went on. I liked that there seemed to be a few high profile features and you can really hear the influence on each song form the features. Not really my jam, but it was fine.

Not sure what it was exactly but that album did it for me. The beats and vocals were extremely on point the entire album. As well Questlove on drums and what not. The amount of different instruments used to create these songs too were awesome. Thirsty! was a cool ass mixing to end the whole thing. This was probably my favorite hip-hop album thats come up on our list so far. This was pushing a 5 for me

Sacrifice is the first song I'm really liking on here. Something about the production is getting me. I absolutely LOVE the Seed. Was a favorite of mine growing up it just scratches some type of itch. Had to make sure I was listening to the same album during Water. This album was all over the place but really got really into it at different points. Production is on point for this one. High 3

Some short songs but still pretty good

It's alright. Interesting moments for me but never really moved the needle either way.

A raucous, emphatic statement that should be seen as one of the best of their catalogue

Good jams. Great music, strong lyrics. A lot of fun.

I was such a huge fan of Things Fall Apart that I bought this album the day it came out…and was disappointed. All these years after the last time I heard it, still underwhelming. Bloated, too many cheesy interpolations, and very little of what made love their earlier work so much.

The Roots are always a group I’ve had my eye on. But with my seemingly endless backlog of albums I want to hear, that only continues to grow because of this list, there has been very little time for me to ever sit down with their catalog. I figured it would happen one day though. I guess today was the day. But I wish I could have spent my introduction with something a little more fitting. Or, unfortunately, a little better. This isn’t exactly a bad album. But compared to their earlier work, especially Things Fall Apart, it’s not seen as their greatest work. And I can understand why, even without having any prior experience. This highlights another issue with this list. Which is the often glaring omissions of obvious albums that totally deserve to be on here. And they are commonly replaced by albums from the same artists that just aren’t as good. This album goes back and forth between songs that feel poorly executed, unfinished, and kind of flat, and songs that actually balance experimental East Coast hip-hop and soul music really well. I’m really not familiar with the rest of the group, but I’m well aware of who Black Thought and ?uestlove are. And I believe they are a very talented MC and a very talented drummer respectively. The former of the two does really feel like the main one leading the music here. But on certain songs, the instrumentals are pretty solid. Especially, like I previously mentioned, the drums. Those are almost consistently good on every song, even if the other elements aren’t. I’m just not sure where this stands as a proper hip-hop album. Because something about it feels like it’s lacking those main elements that make hip-hop such a good genre. It’s kind of a hard feeling to describe. The Roots have always toed the line between soul and jazz adjacent music and rap. And I don’t think this record represents the strongest aspects of the group’s fusions. Rating: 6/10

Este álbum foi difícil de ouvir. Existem algumas composições de Rap que são interessantes a nível instrumental, por norma são repetitivas, mas por vezes interessantes. Este álbum fez algo que eu não contasse que fosse possível ficar apático a músicas com até alguns instrumentos. Os instrumentos ficam demasiado contidos na repetição, sem tempo para se desenvolverem e com fortes influências de musica eletrónica a mistura. Isto tudo por cima de um Rap pesado e zangado ficando uma mistura homogénea e solida que embate contra ti. As músicas vão melhorando ficando mais melódicas, destaco a Break you off, a Quills, a Complexity e a Rhymes and Ammo neste requisito mais melódico. Algumas músicas são longas só por serem longas sem acrescentarem muita coisa com o tempo que gastam nelas, parece que é ruido só por ser, destaco neste área de encher chouriços a música Water. O álbum tem 16 músicas e uma duração de 1h7, este tempo todo muito caracterizado pela repetitividade do Rap. A melhor música do álbum foi o Pussy Galore e a Rhymes and Ammo. Nota: 3/10 23/05/2024

Ok album until it gets to Thirsty! Banger 3/5

Not bad, a 3.5 from me