This album is a 2/5 for me, but probably 5/5 for fans of industrial metal. It reminds of me of Beck's Mellow Gold, if Mellow Gold had a much denser arrangement and had more repetitive riffs. What does exist lyrically is thematically very consistent throughout the album and fits well with the musical themes/motifs, but I personally also found the lyrics slightly cringeworthy. I have similar feelings to Mellow Gold in that if I had grown up with this album, I might have more nostalgic feeling that would lead to a different rating. However, since I did not, I feel its only fair to grade this in line with my general tastes.
5/5
Synthpop and politics are two things I've never thought of before this album, and to be honest I'm blown away! I had thought of synth pop mainly in the vein of one-off, mildly offensive songs like Mr. Roboto, or classic, yet still one-off, songs like Take Me On.
There's a certain level of melancholy in Actually that pairs very well in opposition to the upbeat tone and... poppiness of synth pop as a genre. I found Rent to be particularly effective at this, with its short, cutting lyrics about unequal power dynamics paired with synth beats.
The unmistakable critiques of British politics (ye olde Margaret Thatcher) and capitalism of the 1980s are also really interesting. It Couldn't Happen Here could easily be viewed as an analogy to the Sinclair Lewis book It Can't Happen Here, except with Thatcher in the driver's seat. Shopping also criticizes industrial privatization. Then there's also the gay subtext in songs like Its a Sin.
The production of this album is very clean and in my opinion, its held up quite well. The lyrics are interesting, the instrumentals are varied (love the trombone/trumpet use) so the album doesn't feel too same-y, and a lot of the songs are quite catchy. This album is both highly accessible for members of the public, but also interesting from an analytical standpoint, and I find that that is a really rare and beautiful thing.
Production is very clean and sounds like it could have been produced today. Tends to blend together pleasantly, and the vocals are really beautiful! "Back to Life" was a huge hit for a reason - it's hypnotizing, catchy, and very well produced.
Overall early house music isn't much to my taste, but I understand why it was so popular and innovative for its time. 4/5.
One of the most unforgettable, chilling voices in history. An album that is stripped and beautiful, relying on the emotional strength that Johnny Cash's voice is capable of. This album is almost hard to listen to because it feels so imbued with grief and knowledge - you can almost tell that Johnny knows that he is going to die, and this album is a reckoning with the different aspects of a life long lived.
While this is a cover album, it feels transformational (like a great cover album should). Songs like "In My Life" sound completely different. It doesn't sound like a bad pastiche of the original artists, but rather the uniquely simple and strong instrumentation and vocals of a country legend. 5/5.
LOVE a good harpsichord (a double edged sword, as it also dates this album a lot, but has some fun harpsichord motifs). Formulaic chord progressions taken from blues rock, but interesting things happen with the instrumentation, particularly with the use of background noises and the sitar, even if the chords are basic.
Unavoidably comparable to the Beatles Rubber Soul, which came out a year prior. Similarly sarcastic lyrics, but rambles more both lyrically and in song structures. Some really funny song titles, but unfortunately they don't live up to the promise. Some of the lyrics are funny, although it's not clear if it's intentional. As a result, the album is thematically a lot stranger and less melodic. Overall, I can see where this album would be influential for some of the artists that came after because of the way it blends instrumental motifs with lyrical storytelling, but not quite my cup of tea. 3.5/5.
2.5/5
From the first beat kind of dated with the song about the Vietnam War. The instrumentation, with the carnival like drum beats and the laconic tempo, is very mid to late 60s. Lyrics are either kinda cringey or quite good depending on the song, although the plain and carnival-esque backing instrumentals on several of the songs brings them down. This in itself does seem to be part of a wider theme within the album in which the backing vocals or instruments mimic the themes of the songs, i.e. on a song with a magician in the lyrics, there are carnival like instrumentals, or a xylophone motif alongside lyrics about a dancer.
Most of the songs are mid to slow tempo with a focus on vocals and sparse guitar/mandolin, as was the theme for mid to late 60s folk or singer-songwriters. This is fine, its just not to my taste. Buckley's distinctive voice and great range (the falsetto!) help make the experience pleasant despite this not being my cup of tea. Thankfully with the exception of a couple of songs most of the songs are pretty short, so they don't drag on.
Two personal standouts for me are I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain and Once I Was. Overall a little bland to my taste, but some good lyrics and vocals.
On the better end of the rock trends of the late 70s. Lyrics are a little cringey in general and the instrumentation and guitar solos overwrought at times, but still has character, good singing, and strong melodies. The flow from theme to theme within songs is a little jumbled at times, and isn't very sonically or conceptually cohesive. I also think the album isn't as playful as it could be; it takes itself a little too seriously.
This album seems to exist in the strange in-between from classic rock of the earlier 70s to the soft rock/metal of the 80s - its a reflection of its time, but not always in a bad way. Not really to my taste, but I can see why a lot of people like it! Definitely good driving music, not the greatest for a standalone listen. 2.5 but I'm feeling generous so I rounded up.
4.75/5
An album of straight up bangers, and the trend setter of so much hard rock that would be to follow, for the most part Led Zeppelin II has stood up so well to the test of time.
The guitar riffs, from Whole Lotta Love to Heartbreaker to Moby Dick to Bring It On Home, are amazing. The drum solos, amazing. The vocals, amazing! A highly cohesive album in terms of the sonic themes and influences, most notably from delta blues.
Admittedly, I am slightly biased, as the Led Zeppelin version of Bring It on Home (the original by Sonny Boy Robinson is also fantastic) is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs. Unfortunately most people don't know this song is a cover - if I'm docking a fourth of a point, its for two reasons.
One is that the influence of delta blues is clear to the point of being at times a little uncomfortable in the stylizations of the vocals - I find it a little bit laughable when Englishman Robert Plant sings about what are clearly Black southern American concepts. Unfortunately the 60s were not a time when people were more cognizant of how this might be uncomfortable at best.
The other is that the lyrics, particularly when it comes to women, can be pretty cringey. If there's one song that HAS NOT stood up to the test of time, its Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman). Led Zeppelin's whole thing with chivalrous manhood radiates "nice guy" energy. This might be why I personally tend to gravitate towards Led Zeppelin songs with minimal singing in them or songs that weren't written by them, as on some of their songs the lyrics are terrible to the point of distracting.
But regardless, this album is full of impressive, blueprint setting guitar work. Bombastic and complimentary drums, cymbals, bongos, and more fascinating use of backing instrumentals. Vocals that radiate personality and would only become more distinctive and impressive on albums like Led Zeppelin IV. Experimental use of tempo, the rock song structure, dynamics, and more. There are endless things to find on each listen of this album, and that is so rare!
I love this album. It's cohesive, incredibly catchy, and a defining moment in the 2000s. The flow of the album from song to song, fantastic guitar hooks, and distinctive singing all make this one of my favorite albums of the decade, if not all time.
Middle of the road. A lot of the songs strike the same tone, use the same chords, use the same chord patterns, and are at similar tempos with similarly mediocre singing. This made it difficult to differentiate song from song and led to a lot of the songs blending together. No one song felt distinct - while none of them were terrible, none were standouts. Most of the album was fairly bland. Unlike other alternative bands of the 90s (Green Day comes to mind) the personality behind the singing seems lacking. 2.5/5
The songs on the first half of this album tend to blend together for me. The chords and melodies are similar, as is the general soft rock tone. The singing is good, but not distinctive, plus Liam has a propensity for going flat. Ditto for the lyrics, which ring as apathetic, but not cringeworthy or bad.
I found the second half better with more lush guitar work and instrumentation in general, but still had issues with needless lyrical repetition.
Oasis gets compared to the Beatles and as copying to the Beatles frequently, and their influence is certainly clear on some of the songs (most notably to me, She's Electric, both in the lyrics and in the instrumentation, Morning Glory, and Champagne Supernova). But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, and I do think that there are other later influences from the 70s and 80s punk era that are also present in their music, not just the Beatles. Plus, if you're going to have clear influences, I think there are worse bands to choose. Champagne Supernova is an interesting reminder that the Beatles had limitations in their time and what they could lyrically discuss with frankness, which Oasis doesn't when it comes to things like drug abuse.
Standouts for me are Wonderwall (predictable, but a refreshing outlier in the first half of the album - very necessary to break up the other songs), Some Might Say, She's Electric, and Champagne Supernova. I think the second part of this album is quite tight and good (verging on great!), but unfortunately the first half is lackluster with songs that are very similar, lyrically uninteresting, and lacking in good instrumentation. The second half tackles more interesting subjects like starstruck love and the feeling of being high, has some great guitar solos and use of other instruments like the harmonica, and the singing is generally better. The album as a whole is pretty cohesive, but not varied enough.
2.75/5
