Fuzz, high-pitched vocals. Slightly distorted drums. Updated/Retro Classic Rock. Apparently a duo. Listenable and coherent. Tone is often a bit harsh for my preference. Some songs have a nice feel toward the end of the album.
Quite familiar with DaftPunk but not the whole album. Well-crafted dance music, which is a bit monotonous in places, but probably does the job when you want to dance. Best in class.
Obviously he invented a lot of ideas around lyrics, so a lot of credit due. Haven't listened to this before and the only songs I knew were Rainy Day Women (bizarre title) and Just Like a Women. Band is blues influenced/folk rock with prominent keys. Similar arrangements on most songs.
Some songs much better than others IMO. I am not a fan of his singing. Like the rhythm of the delivery on some songs though. A lot of the music sounds a bit disconnected, more like an accompaniment than a coherent song, and rather samey. Don't like the harmonica. I don't think I'll ever want to listen to a whole album of this. Fourth Time Around sounds like Norwegian Wood. Probably on purpose - apparently the Beatles song was first.
I know one or two songs by Velvet Underground and the banana album, but not this one. "Deadpan" comes up quite a lot in connection with The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, and I can see what they mean. I gather from reading up on Wikipedia, that this album was a self-conscious move away from experimental approach on the two preceding albums (which were very arty/countercultural). This is quite a peaceful record with a gentle raw sound (little distortion, dry sounds). Always there's a slightly menacing or alternative feel, and the contrast works nicely in my view. The drums are mixed very low and bass and drums play simple parts. Untreated guitars are prominent and sometimes a bit loose. Vocals very present/close. Subtle keys. Some of the pitch bends are a bit hard to hear, I guess its part of their signature sound. Nice, quirky album. Coherent and purposeful.
Distinctive and original at the same time. I turned it up. Classic and new at the same time. Echoes at times of Gil Scott-Heron, Seal, Marvin Gaye. Lovely vocals, nice arrangements. Overall dreamy/thoughtful tone. Probably deserves more listens.
I'd heard of Burning Spear but did not know the band, album or any of the songs. All the signature sounds of classic 70s/80s reggae which include sparse laid-back grooves, with thoughtful arrangements - bass, clipped guitar, drums, percussions and occasional slightly Cuban sounding brass and piano. Plaintive vocal. Lyrically each song tends to hang on a single theme mainly around Jamaican history/politics. I like the textures, not a genre I would go to very often, but this is a good one to go to.
I only knew Proud Mary. Although some of it is ringing a bell, so maybe I heard it a few times back in the 80s.
Knew several songs from this classic album and I like the overall sound and ensemble grooves they establish. Great. I really enjoyed Sex Machine for example which stays on one chord for about 14 minutes.
Very nice. Songs worth listening to, interesting lyrics, original musical ideas. Lovely voice, nice arrangements.
Not really my genre and I was tempted to skip tracks several times. On the plus side they make good use of dynamics and keyboards. Drums sounds great. Ian Gillan's vocals are great (although you have to be in the mood for the more intense bits). Guitars are a bit too heavy in the mix for my liking and are often too harsh/trebly for me. But there are some nice techniques and presumably they helped invent some of them. In places they are reminiscent of the Doors and Led Zepp. I knew Deep Purple a bit because my stepfather had Machine Head when I was growing up. I also know Ian Gillan from the original Jesus Christ Superstar album. Some good moments, and it is a good, innovated example of its genre but not for me.
This is going to make me impatient I think. It's a certain type of catchy loop-based 90s pop, which I can remember (You couldn't escape Brimful of Asha). Earworm territory, but the songs are pretty monotonous and thin. Perhaps they were thinking of De La Soul? In places Air. In any event there were much better examples around. I had to flick most of the songs after 50% as you get the idea pretty quick. More interesting where they make use of genuine Asian sounds e.g., We're in Your Corner. I feel life is too short to listen to the whole album. Sorry.
I know this album pretty well. I like it and I like Bjork, I am a fan. I haven't listened all the way through for a while, so let's see how it sounds now.
Well what strikes me know is as well as all the music - which I always loved, the lyrics are great e.g., There's more to Life Than This, what a beautiful vibe. Surging irrepressible emotion is never far from the surface as in Violently Happy, sometimes it makes her feel like the alien outsider as in Human Behaviour, sometimes pain and pleasure are mixed up (as in the striking finale Play Dead), but the main mood is intimate and sensual in Venus As a Boy, Big Time Sensuality, One Day, Come to Me. It's got a lot of London, but also lots of Iceland too: oceans, volcanoes, fires and jumping off high things.
It takes courage to enjoy it.
Lovely quirky musical choices nothing formulaic or obvious, but often inspired. With hindsight it's clear that she was choosing to make something poppy and by her standards accessible. Love her unique voice, unique melodies, arrangements that mix classical with pop/dance music, She often takes an unpromising set of ingredients to come up with something entirely new but somehow delicious like a Michelin-starred chef. I think she's a genius. I got completely obsessed when this came out, and if anything the next one (Post) was even better.
I only knew "One Day Like This", which was a favourite of my partner so it was played on a loop when it came out. In some ways this has put me off the band. It's a good song, with a structure very like Hey Jude, very catchy and anthemic, but I heard it too many times.
So what do I think of the album.
I quite like the sound of the vocals. Lyrics are more interesting, grown-up and imaginative than most. Melodies are not too obvious, and catchy in places. I have a feeling lots of the lyrics, especially in the verses, were written first, and the melody sometimes twisted to fit - they don't always quite go. Quite a languid, summery vibe. I noticed a lot of the songs are on the long side 4-6 minutes, maybe sometimes out staying their welcome.
Arrangements are inventive and atmospheric - in places there is a touch of the dramatic sometimes maybe heading towards bombastic. The Bones of You has an interesting rhythm. Grounds for Divorce is a good song. Weather to Fly hangs together nicely, dreamy but coherent. Loneliness of a Tower Crane driver has a distinctive airy arrangement and nice soaring vocal. The Fix is a kind of heist song with mystery movie themes with big contribution from Richard Hawley. Friend of Ours is a poignant and heartfelt ending. I prefer the slower songs.
