Overall a solid and interesting record. Found myself getting a bit tired of Morrison's vocal delivery at some points, but the lyrics that he came up with for the album work great with the music. The record sometimes tricks you into thinking that it's just another blues album, but then finds a way to surprise with psychedelic elements, dark lyric themes and weird chord progressions. All the musicians involved in the recording have done a stellar job. Especially I enjoyed the amazing keyboard parts. The keyboardist seemed to always find a way to spice up the arrangement with his haunting organ. Beautiful playing all around. Definitely going to come back to this record when I am in the mood for some Morrison madness.

This album caught me in an exactly right mood for it. On a different day I would have most likely turned it off after 30 seconds and never came back to it. But that's not what happened. Never heard of the band before, so came into this listen completely oblivious. Judging by the cover I thought it would be some sort of melancholic synthy pop and I wasn't that far off. From the first seconds it became obvious that this was going to be a noisy and layered record with tons of ambient soundscapes in the background. And honestly, I think this creative layering saved this album. The songwriting was simple, yet effective. Nothing too crazy in the guitar department apart from distorted guitar parts in "I'm the man that loves you". Electric guitar in that track made my ears bleed. Out of place, out of tune and played horribly. It was definitely recorded like that on purpose, but still, my guitarist brain cringed quite a bit. Acoustic guitar parts sounded great though, as well as the little electric guitar licks that creeped up every once in a while. Simple chord choices worked well here, allowing the vocals and crazy synths, strings and sound effects to take centre stage when it's needed. The lead vocalist made his limited voice work on most tracks, providing simple and catchy melodies. Sounded a bit forced and pitchy at times though, but hey... at least he's authentic. You don't expect vocal craziness in singer songwriter sounding stuff anyways. Vocal harmonies in "War on war" fit really well, I wish they added more of that in the other tracks too. At times the lead vocal sounded a bit boring and dry. Anyway, the main elements that make this album interesting are production, layering and keyboard and string arrangement. I think there was even a brass part at some point. The mix reminded me a lot of early pink floyd and even some solo Roger Waters work. With a different producer this album would most likely flop. The mixing and mastering complements the music very well. Every little sound can be heard when you need it to be. The last two tracks sound especially great, even cathartic at times. It was hard to pull off all this noisy synthy sounds without the mix becoming a muddy annoying mess. But it worked. Will definitely come back to some of these songs on a cloudy day.

Wow, what an interesting listen this was. Again, didn't know the artist and haven't heard even a snippet of her music before. The album cover didn't really show what direction the music inside would take, so it was a surprise for me overall. And to be honest, I am not sure Fiona knew what direction she was going to take either. This album is such an eclectic collection of songs. You have your jazzy ballads, old-school hip-hop beat driven songs, Nick Cave-ish instrumentals, creepy soundtrack-like tracks and combinations of all these influences in one. Yet, somehow all these crazy influences don't feel out of place, but spice up the listening experience in a great way. A lot of elements in this album feel like a stream of consciousness. Lyrics don't always rhyme and some vocal melodies are broken up rhythmically in weird ways. Fiona's choice of vocal melodies really makes this album unique. The influences from jazz shine bright in her vocal delivery. Some lines feel like they have been written on the spot or improvised in the moment. Her singing is so dynamic in this. In some songs she sounds emotional and vulnerable, then sexy and reckless in some, and in some switches seamlessly between different deliveries. I wouldn't call Fiona Apple the most technically advanced singer I've heard, but she has a lovely low to mid range timbre and uses it amazingly. Her personality shines through each lyric and melody, and for a debut album this it is a hard task to accomplish. Now let's give a massive credit to the arrangements and the mix. The piano was recorded flawlessly in this one. Sounded raw and authentic and at the same time very technically proficient. Some of these songs would have worked great as piano and vocal pieces, but the added strings, synths, guitars and percussion elevated the record to another level. Each song surprised me with a synth or cello line that I was not expecting at all. Even the upbeat songs had an eeriness about them, created by dissonant piano or synth lines, drenched in reverb. This underlying theme of ever-present darkness found a way to manifest itself in every song. The uneasy feeling of an abruptly ended childhood and general unease that the artist was going through can be heard clearly in the masterful mix. Crazy to think that this was Fiona's first attempt at writing a record. Having said all that about the brilliance of the album, I have to address some thinks that didn't rub me the right way. First of all, some of these songs drag on a lot longer than they should, in my humble opinion. The pacing of the record was a bit off for me. When listening to the second half of the album it was a struggle at times to stay awake. Songs started to blend together and the soothing production was slowly but surely closing my eyes. It would have been great to hear more rhythmic and upbeat tracks in the latter half, but heyyyy, what do I know. All around, this was an amazing discovery for me. I will definitely check out more Fiona Apple, but maybe a bit later. I think I've had too much of her for today Rock on

They definitely did not become my favourite band after that. I guess I am just not a big fan of the genre.

What an amazing piece of music. I have tried to take this record in a couple years before but it didn't resonate with me at all. I guess the rock was too progressive for me to comprehend. The unsung hero of the album is definitely the bass player. Chris Squire's tone is on another level. So gritty and raw. Absolutely loved the grooves that he came up with.

Before only listened to OK Computer and some tracks from The Bends, so I was expecting something similar to these records. But this one has a completely different sound to it. The vibe of this record is really melancholic even for Radiohead. I think Pyramid Song might be up there in the list of the saddest songs I've heard. The sadness just covers you like a fluffy blanket when this tune comes on. In this record the band tried to create a special atmosphere. There are a couple interludes consisting of weird sounding electronic soundscapes that connect the songs together and create a special mood. Even though the band tried to diversify the record a bit by adding a some semi-upbeat sounding moments, the pacing still seemed slow to me. In some moments I caught myself wanting to turn the record off, but some cool melodies and song ideas always stopped me from doing that. Overall I was left impressed by the band's eagerness to experiment and redefine their sound

Sorry, not my cup of tea

I am a little biased in reviewing this album. This was the first Led Zepp record I heard in it's entirety and it left a very strong impression. To this day my favourite Zeppelin tracks mostly consist of songs from this album. This record blew me away when I first heard it and still gives me joy now. The album flows really well. You have a good mix of ballads, chill songs and upbeat rock bangers with some fun psycholelic moments to spice the whole thing up. The lyrics are for the most part about classic rock'n'roll subjects of love making, love and women of all kinds and ages. Of course you also have a Tolkien inspired track Ramble on, which is still one of my favourites. When I first heard the record I was instantly impressed by the badass guitar playing of Page and bluesy shrieks of Plant. But now I have grown to appreciate the rhythm section a lot more. The groove here is off the charts. The bass tone on Heartbreaker is one of the main reasons I listen to the song. So gritty and raw. And of course you have Bonham unleashed in Moby Dick, showcasing how much of a beast he is behind the set. This album has a special place in my heart and it is always a pleasure to come back to. Easy 5

Based on the music that I love I was supposed to really like this one, but unfortunately it didn't happen. I can hear how Jane's addiction influenced a bunch of bands in the 90s and can see why it has a cult following. The record mixes elements of glam rock with raw punk energy and some proggy weirdness at times, sometimes even surprising with a brass section out of nowhere or some clear jazz influences. The rhythm section reminded me a lot of what Faith no More would do later on with Angel Dust. Very tight grooves and a great connection between drums and bass. The guitar playing on this one surprised me quite a bit with some slick guitar licks and fun riffs. And the jazz guitar chops sounded very convincing on Thank You Boys too, so big props to Dave Navarro. With all respect given when it's due, the vocals just weren't for me. Some parts could have really benefited from a better take or a double track or harmony. It is clear that the singer has a great range and can cut through the mix, but the vocal delivery just turned me off. It was a great shame because I loved all the other elements of this record.

Not my cup of tea. Some orchestral moments in this were interesting, but the vocals and lyrics didn't really impress me.

Really loved the vocals. Stevie's voice sounds great in every track. He sounds smooth in his ballads, but can turn the grit up in the funky tracks with ease too. Unfortunately the songs themselves left me wanting more. More experimentation, interesting chord progressions and more funk. Anyway, some songs are worth coming back to.

Overall enjoyable record. Loved that there was some humour in the lyrics and vocal delivery. Some guitar parts were pretty slick too. Good listen

I appreciate the effort that went into writing an hour and a half worth of songs, but the songs themselves were just not for me. I am not a southerner, so I didn't get some of the references in this. And I don't really like Skynyrd either. Anyway, I respect the guys for trying something interesting

Pretty generic sounding hard rock. Enjoyed the record, but don't think I will be coming back to it