It's a good album, but I'm wondering if I don't know where it fits historically/contextually with it's time period. Today, it sounds like a very standard post-grunge era rock album. I've never been particularly into grunge in general.
Favorite Songs: One Line
Least Favorite Song: Beautiful Feeling
Good album! Definately an example of why I tend to be drawn to British musicians. Though I'd need a couple more listens to give a more detailed description.
The album seems to fit more in with the late 80s alternative period than the new grunge scene in the states.
I feel like I can hear sounds that would influence groups like the Arctic Monkeys a decade later.
Favorite Songs: Early Years
A bit odd and not something I would normally listen to but very catchy. In a way it makes me think of 80s electro-pop stylistically, but without the electro parts.
The first couple of songs were decent, but as the album went on I kind of got bored of it.
Favorite Songs: Becoming more like Alfie
Least Favorite Songs: Middle-Class Heroes
A very 60s album, and a good listen overall. Definitely a band who's discography I expect to listen to more.
Forgot to record favorite/least favorite songs.
This album is not a style I would normally listen to. And I found the album to be more interesting thematically than musically. The spoken tracks mixed in talking about the Black American experience was cool and was interesting to listen to. Honestly, if I was going to re-listen to this I'd consider just listening to the spoken sections.
There were a few instrumental parts that made me perk up, generally when they pulled in some blues or funk elements. But it was never enough to keep me really interested through an entire song. I do like how the album flows in and out of the spoken bits into from one song to another. Overall, not much really stood out for me. I can't say that any song is bad, just that I found it musically uninteresting.
Favorite Songs: Cranes in the sky
Obviously a great album from a classic band. Though not one of their more highly appreciated albums, this is still a great album with some classics on it. The Kinks are often said to be the 'first punk band' and you can certainly hear elements that would eventually influence bands such as the Clash. The guitar parts in Australia come to mind. Lots of other interesting sounds mixed in as well. From the silly circus style music in "She bought a hat like princess marina," and some surf-rock like guitar mixed in elsewhere.
I wouldn't call it a 'Rock Opera' in the same sense as Tommy for example, but it's still an interestingly tied together concept album.
Favorite Songs: Victoria, Nothing to Say
An interesting album from an artist I'm not familiar with. The acoustic guitar parts are awesome, and I'm generally a big fan of acoustic rock. The guitar parts are incredible and really the main attraction to this album. His singing style however doesn't do too much for me. It's soothing but it doesn't draw me in to listen closer to the lyrics, or make me want to sing along.
I think my main issue is that as an album it feels like it lacks variety. Nick Drake has a style, and he sticks to it. But there isn't much change in tempo, or virtually no change in dynamics from one song to the next so as the album goes on, each song blends into the next one. Only the closing song is really significantly faster than previous ones. This makes it a standout for sure, but I with there was more variety throughout.
I feel like I'll probably explore the artist a bit more in the future, but I don't see myself listening to him very often. Though I could also see this album growing on me with each listen. I could definitely see myself trying to learn to play some of these guitar parts.
I'd give it 3.5* if allowed. But it just falls short of 4 for me. If it was just instrumental, or had a few more songs mixed in that were purely instrumental I might jump it up.
Favorite Songs: Horn, Things beyond the sun.
The Pixies feel like a band I should be more familiar, and like more than I do. But the early 90s alternative/grunge scene was never something I ever got into. I never even went through a Nirvana phase. So it's likely they're just not a band for me.
Surfer Rosa feels pretty consistent in sound throughout, with "Where is My Mind?" The standout track for sure coming through with a much different sound than most of the rest of the album. Lyrically, I feel like I could give another listen. I picked up on the largely comical feeling of the lyrics, but didn't pick up too many specifics beyond Tony's Theme parodying super here theme songs. Musically you can clearly here the sounds that would influence grunge over the next few years
Overall, I think this is an album that would have felt much different when it came out than it does now. After all, I'm not really comparing it to the hard rock sounds that came before it but rather the grunge and alternative scene that came after. But listening to it now, over 30 years after it came out, it doesn't stick with me. It's not off-putting in anyway, it just seems to blend in with the music that came after which I just never really got into.
Favorite songs: Where is my Mind?
Back to back Pixies albums! Another chance to learn more about a band I feel like I already be familiar with.
For me, Bossanova is a big step-up over Surfer Rosa. It carries a wider range of sounds making it a more interesting listen from start to finish. To me, its built on the sound established in the earlier album but managed more melodic melody lines going through them.
It's still not a style that I'm super interested in though. But after this album I do find myself more interested in exploring more of their music. I probably would give this 3 stars again in an island, but to contrast it with Surfer Rosa I'm bumping it up.
I am not a rap or hiphop person. And if I was going to get into it, I wouldn't start with this album. Almost every song I wanted to change to something else but to remind myself that I need to finish it.
It's obviously well crafted, and I like the jazz backdrop to the songs. Lamar clearly understands music history and worked it into the album.
But I just really don't like it. I don't tend to like heavily processed things in general, let alone when it's done in a genre I don't care for. There were areas where I couldn't even understand the choice, with weird awkward voices as the singer.
I want to give it 1 star, because I REALLY don't like this album. But it's really just so outside of my wheelhouse there was no way I was going to find much in the album. But it's very well crafted, and I like the jazzy backdrop enough to at least avoid giving it 1 star.
Good album! Another artist I wasn't familiar with by name, but I know I've heard Rescue Blues before.
I feel like this album is a great representation of singer-songwriter rock in the early 00s. I can hear sounds that remind me of other artists I'm more familiar with from the era. I also hear some strong elements of 70s era singer-songwriting. I can certainly hear the the influence of Dylan, Young, and Springsteen throughout the album.
Favorite Songs: The Rescue Blues
Very much a classic 60's psychodelic album. Largely I think it kind of get's lost in other albums in the era. But something that jumped out at me was there seems to be a strong country influence that wasn't seen as heavily in rock music at that time.
I feel like I need to talk about this album outside of it's title track. There's a reason this album is an absolute classic as it's a great example of 70's blues rock. There's really not a mediocre song on the album.
Favorite Songs: Can't Get Enough, Bad Company
Certainly not my usual style of music. And I thought I would only recognize the title track. But I did recognize a couple other tracks in it. Overall I'm not sure I have much to say about this album. It's very 80s, and George Michael is a great singer, but it's really not my style and doesn't hit as hard as say Michael Jackson. But it's a great album for what it is.
It's interesting that the Spotify version makes it look as though 'A Last Request' is the last song on the original version, rather than 'Kissing a Fool.' Listening to Kissing a Fool, it's pretty clear in my mind that it's meant to be a closing track. It one of my favorites on the album because of the big Elvis-esque impact it has, reminding me of Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love With You". A Last Request doesn't work nearly as well as a finale, and I'd consider it one of the weakest songs on the album as a whole if you include it.
Good 70's jazz funk fusion album. The first keyboard that came in really felt it like setup the sounds that would stick through the album. Then the bass line in particular was super funky. I've been wanting to listen to more jazz, and while this wasn't exactly what I had in mind it was a blast to listen to.
Favorite Songs: Street Life
I'm not nearly as knowledgable about jazz as I should be considering I played a decent amount of it in highschool. So I don't have the ability to really compare this to jazz of the era, or much else altogether.
But I did really enjoy this album. I'd like to start listening to more jazz, and I would certainly consider Hugh Masekela as an artist to listen to more of as I get further into jazz.
I didn't think I knew her, but Criminal is a classic where I just didn't know the singer's name. This album is fantastic and while it clearly fits into the era it was released, you can hear the older rock influences in it. It's very bluesy overall, but then songs such as Shadowboxer sounds a bit like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane.
You can really hear where many recent singers where influenced by her, Billy Eilish being the most obvious recent influencee
Favorite Songs: Criminal, Sleep to Dream
One of the great classic albums of it's times, and it's not even necessarily considered to be the best RHCP album. It's amazing how many hits came off of just this album. Almost every song on it is super recognizable and is still commonly heard now over 20 years later.
Favorite Songs: Scar Tissue, Otherside, Road Trippin'
Not bad, but mostly not really my style. It may just be a bit too 'soft' for me. Not really sure. Nothing on it that I would call bad, but to me it's a very forgettable album. Like it's something that could be on and I wouldn't even notice for 3 songs that there was music playing.
Happy Phantom was probably the only song that stuck out which I would listen to again.
