Chilling, ethereal, and sometimes hypnotic - this is a good first look at a genre that has been much imitated since this release, but in the opinion of these fresh ears, not replicated.
STANDOUTS:
-One Hundred Years
-The Hanging Garden
-The Figurehead
-A Strange Day
-Cold
For a one-man project, not all that bad. But the songs can be a bit repetitively grungy - and because some were written during a time Nirvana still existed, you can’t help but wonder if they were supposed to BE for Nirvana. Overall though, there’s been worse - and admittedly, a fair amount are bangers.
STANDOUTS:
-This Is a Call
-I’ll Stick Around
-Big Me
-Floaty
-Weenie Beenie
-For All the Cows
-X-Static
-Wattershed
A good record, but not my bag. A bit too long, but some songs make for some serene night driving.
STANDOUTS:
-Get Ready for Love
-Cannibal’s Hymn
-Hiding All Away
-The Lyre of Orpheus
-Babe, You Turn Me On
-Supernaturally
-O Children
Phenomenal debut, with masterfully crafted folk / chamber pop songs. Sounds like a solid mix between CSNY & The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds.’
STANDOUTS:
-White Winter Hymnal
-Ragged Wood
-Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
-Quiet Houses
-He Doesn’t Know Why
-Your Protector
-Blue Ridge Mountains
A solid, early new wave record with some surprising instrumentation.
STANDOUTS:
-The Beat
-Pump It Up
-Hand in Hand
-(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea
-Lip Service
-Living in Paradise
-Lipstick Vogue
-Radio, Radio
A haunting record with traces of noise rock, this has some great songs - and some I’d consider unlistenable, if not for the unique instrumentation. Definitely sticks with you though!
STANDOUTS:
-Schizophrenia
-Stereo Sanctity
-Pipeline / Kill Time
-Hot Wire My Heart
-Master-Dik
A stunning pop record with incredible diversity. Definitely electronic-based, but I’d argue brings a fair amount of alternative rock to the table as well. Unfortunately drags a bit in the second half.
STANDOUTS:
-Drowned World / Substitute for Love
-Swim
-Candy Perfume Girl
-Skin
-The Power of Good-Bye
I respect what the group was trying to do here, but this is way too long and droning for my tastes.
I'm sure the lyrics were great - if I could hear them.
And I understand the instrumentation was unheard of for the time, but the only thing - in my opinion - that makes this album stand up so much today is that it feels like a collection of tailor-made beat samples for songs that would probably better benefit from them.
STANDOUTS:
-Family Affair
-(You Caught Me) Smilin'
A great pop album with well-written tunes; every song is bop-worthy with a lot of variety. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.
STANDOUTS:
-Faith
-I Want Your Sex
-One More Try
-Hard Day
-Hand Over Mouth
-Monkey
-Kissing a Fool
A great folk album with wonderful lyrics, but again, not my bag. I appreciate the artistry that went into this - but really only the “commercial sounding” songs appealed to me.
STANDOUTS:
-Tangled Up in Blue
-Idiot Wind
-Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
-If You See Her, Say Hello
A modern-day masterpiece. An ambitious piece of “prog-rap” that is nearly unequaled to this day.
STANDOUTS:
-Dark Fantasy
-POWER
-All of the Lights
-Monster
-So Appalled
-Devil in a New Dress
-Runaway
-Hell of a Life
-Lost in the World
A good folk album that has punk influences in its first half, but slows down - much to my disliking - in the second.
STANDOUTS:
-Fisherman’s Blues
-We Will Not Be Lovers
-World Party
-And a Bang on the Ear
Music you can get lost in... A remarkable listen, with a good mix of straight-shooting hard rock and Latin jazz instrumental classics. Also nice that it’s short and sweet, and doesn’t prolong the fun.
STANDOUTS:
-Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
-Oye Como Va
-Incident at Neshabur
-Mother’s Daughter
-Samba Pa Ti
-Hope You’re Feeling Better
An immaculately produced jazz-pop record... Technically every song is a winner. Every song invokes a mood, and that’s a mood I want to be in all the time.
STANDOUTS:
-Faron Young
-Bonny
-Appetite
-When Love Breaks Down
-Goodbye Lucille #1
-Moving the River
-Horsin’ Around
-When the Angels
Few albums kick this much ass. Almost a precursor to metal in some ways, this is HARD hard rock that deserves to be played on a windows down kinda day. If I could give half ratings, I would. Only four and half because of a few duds that drag on first listen, but probably hold up on more.
STANDOUTS:
-Waitin’ for the Bus
-Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
-Move Me On Down the Line
-Precious and Grace
-La Grange
-Sheik
An enjoyable electric blues album. Typically not my style, but as the title implies, there’s a nice selection of harder-edged tracks on here that do occasionally hit.
STANDOUTS:
-Mannish Boy
-I Want to Be Loved #2
-Jealous Hearted Man
-The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock ‘n’ Roll
-Crosseyed Cat
-Walkin’ Thru the Park
A decent half psychedelic / half alternative new wave hybrid, but certainly nothing I’d go back to. Second half is EONS above the first.
STANDOUTS:
-Chocolate Cake
-Fall At Your Feet
-Whispers and Moans
-There Goes God
-All I Ask
-As Sure As I Am
-Italian Plastic
-She Goes On
