i am half-listening to this album so i don't know how accurate this rating will be. also, these are rough notes i wrote while listening and not a fully structured review.
this reminds me of damon albarn's music heavily, especially the tracks from 2-4. also ,the sixth track sounds like a danny brown beat and the third track kinda sounds like icarly music. i don't know what to think about that.
more songs need to have paul mccartney chomping veggies.
HOLY DAMN NO SYMPATHY'S BREAKDOWN
oh no, they used the eiffel 65 voice effect on track 10. i'm also hearing some matty-healy-isms in the lyrics.
i feel like this album could definitely be a grower on me. there are a lot of parts that appeal to me and that i might return to later.
a bit of a weak closer but ending the album with lyrics about will smith is always a strong choice.
overall, pretty nice.
3/5
i went into this thinking it would be a boring indie rock album based exclusively on the cover and i am very glad that i was wrong. i'm definitely happy i checked this out and i'm very interested in checking out anohni's solo work.
this is obviously heavily radiohead-inspired but this is still a really good album. i recommend this album even to people that aren't that big of a fan of coldplay.
i loved the vibraphone and jazzy chords but i felt the album to be somewhat tedious for the a sizeable chunk of the album. i do however think that there are some great moments such as the jamming and vocals on the fifth track. also there's a part where tim buckley says "soldier boy" and it sounded so much like soulja boy. i laughed way too hard at that.
you could tell me most of these songs were released this year and i would probably believe you. insanely influential and ahead of its time.
there is a strong case to be made that this is better than pet sounds. and depending on the day, i just might think so. while i prefer the production and atmosphere of the smile sessions version over the solo brian wilson version, the overall cohesion is way better. but either way, good vibes.
i knew this was going to very british from there being a song called "billericay dickie" and yet, it still somehow exceeded my expectations of how british i thought it was going to be. it's a very fun album (especially the pub rock tracks) though some of the lyrics are way too goofy and/or horny.
the best parts of this album sounds like stevie wonder and mario kart, and the worst sounds like funkier maroon 5. overall, decent.
great new wave album and pop album in general. the melodies and production are all really fun and the lyrics (aside from the use of the n-word) are good as well. i can also hear a lot of artists who i feel have been influenced by elvis costello in this, including talking heads, the boomtown rats, and neil cicierega. i highly recommend this album for anyone who hasn't checked out elvis costello's music yet.
the fact that a rap album from the 80s has aged as well as it has is proof that this album is great.
also, "she watch channel zero?!" is very funny now knowing that flavor flav went on to get his own reality tv show but it's still a good song.
this is a uniquely diverse album for the 60s. "seven and seven is" is definitely one of the hardest rocking songs of the 60s and probably one of the best proto-punk songs. the lyrics of "she comes in colors" were definitely ripped off by the rolling stones' "she's a rainbow" but both songs are still good in their own right. some of the slower songs don't do it for me as much but when they work, they really do. "revelation" is a great blues jam song to end the album though i don't know if it quite justifies its length. overall, this album definitely surpassed my expectations.
pusha t, freddie gibbs, griselda, or any other mafioso rapper would probably not exist if it wasn't for this album. the beats and the lyrics work so well together and i love the gritty atmosphere of all of it.
despite this being a raekwon album though, i feel that the person who really takes the show is ghostface killah as he has the best verse on nearly every song on this album. but don't get me wrong, everyone on this album does great.
there are still some problems i have with the album, namely some of the outros going on for too long and a lot of the homophobia as well. but despite that, this album definitely deserves it's classic status.
what hasn't been said about this album at this point. it revolutionized gangsta rap and helped it become the dominant style of hip-hop while also launching the careers of ice cube, dr. dre, and eazy-e. the title track and "fuck the police" being the first two songs on the album is a crazy move, especially because those are the two best songs on the album. unfortunately, it doesn't quite reach those highs again: but to be fair, it is hard to follow up those classic songs. there are definitely some moments that have aged strangely on this album. it is very funny hearing dr. dre out of all people rap about how weed gives you brain damage on "express yourself" considering he would later go on the make "the chronic" and would also help start snoop dogg's career. and it was hard not to laugh hearing mc ren and dr. dre call people "wacky wack" on "compton's n the house - remix" because it's just so insanely 80's. also, the first verse on "i ain't the 1" is very rough but the song gets better the longer it goes on for. the album ends with "something 2 dance 2", the only song on the album that features short-lived member arabian prince with a fun electro-hop beat. and while it is not as "cool" as the rest of the album, it sure is fun and i think it's a good closer. overall, this is a very good album but it is not perfect, as it does have some moments that are rough around the edges. but the stuff that is good is really good.
one wrong move and this would sound insanely cheesy but this album strikes just the right balance of stuff that sounds like normal 80's pop and
the more experimental stuff. it's crazy knowing that this was only their second album.
p.s. whatever you do, don't listen to the world cup lil baby remix of "everybody wants to rule the world". worst mistake of my life.
i like the writing on this album a ton. the instrumentation does get boring at some points but it still is fresh enough to where it's interesting. i hope this website keeps giving me more albums from lgbtq+ singer-songwriters i haven't heard of before because man, they are interesting.
the only real thing i knew about this album before listening to it (other than album the album's reception) was the strange instagram post announcing the album cover where she said that she wasn't racist because she "dated rappers". i'm would be glad to say that the album is better than that post but i think that was pretty easy to do. the production is gorgeous—especially on the guitars—and the lyrics are poetic as always but this time, more positive than usual. however, there's a big chunk of songs in the middle of the tracklist that i feel like i could do without but maybe that's just my bias against piano ballads most of the time. but overall, pretty good.
this was the first time i've ever really listened to fugazi and now i want to see them live. everything seems so raw yet so precise, especially the guitar riffs. you can just feel the energy in the room when you listen to these songs.
i always knew that sonic youth was highly influential but i never really dived into their music until now; and this definitely surpassed my expectations. this album sounds forward-thinking even though it released over 30 years ago. this album feels like someone went to the future, listened to all of the bands inspired by sonic youth, and then came back and made this; you know that a band is unique when they sound like they're inspired by themselves.
what a nice album, i wonder what style she'll go in 2010. on a serious note, this is one of the best-written albums i've ever heard and it almost justifies every strange turn in her career. i mean if you've wrote "divorce song", every other album could be like "funstyle" and i could not care less. extraordinary album.
this is the first album i've generated that i've already heard before and luckily i already love it. "summertime clothes" is still such a bop and "bluish" has grown on me a ton and is also way more shoegaze-y than i remember. i didn't even remember "taste" but now that's probably one of my favorite songs on the album. the soundscapes in the background of these songs are like a psychedelic rainforest and it's incredible. i had a little bit of a worry that i wouldn't like it as much as i had when i first heard it but nope: it's still great and i honestly might like it more than before.
this is probably some of the most elegant music i've ever. i could use endless adjectives to describe how cinematic and grandiose this album is. and to think that walker would later be making insane experimental music is wild.
while i do like the lyricism, i feel as though a lot of the songs are kind of one-note. the production is also pretty overproduced with an abundance of reverb and flanging on everything that feels like too much at times. despite all that, there were still some great songs, especially "we are the pigs". even though i was lukewarm on this album, i am still very interested in their other work. it still feels like suede are my least favorite of the big 4 britpop bands though.
fun fact: beyonce was supposed to be on this album but scheduling problems got in the way and it never ended up happening. i really wish that happened but this is an amazing album. listening to all the different voices used is so interesting and it's so cool to hear how bjork combines all of them. you would think that an album like this would feel gimmicky but it is far from that. i'm very glad i got a bjork album on here because she's one of my favorite artists and i have been meaning to listen to this for a while. excellent album.
while i have the unpopular opinion of liking sister more than daydream nation, this album is still very great and the moments that are good are incredible. compared to sister, the songs are way longer, more pop-leaning (well, as pop-leaning as you can get for sonic youth), and more energetic. and though i like more of the experimentation on sister, the bangers on here make me question that a little bit. i want to give special mentions to "kissability" for the amazing guitar tone and "rain king" for the questionable lyric "your sister is a beauty when she's naked, like my kid" (insert druski quote here.) overall, great album.
i didn't expect this many fun songs because the first song i heard from this was "by this river" and also considering that the next album he would make after this was "ambient 1". that was a pleasant surprise though, as my favorite songs are probably on the more post-punky, groovy first side. the ambient-leaning tracks are gorgeous though.
this website keeps giving me albums from 1988 but i'm not complaining considering all of them have been good. i knew just from "fast car" that i was going to enjoy this one and i was correct. i love the songwriting, especially on the first four songs which are fantastic. i do think that the production sounds a bit dated in parts but it's excusable considering that it's not the main focus of the album. an example of this is the instrumental of "mountains o' things" that sounds like the music in rainforest cafe before tracy tree (insane coincidence) starts speaking, even though i still like the song for its lyrics about consumerism. the standout for me is "behind the walls", a song that is completely acapella and it's incredible. i'm glad i checked this album out.
while i do like the singles the most (basic take i know), i like the more psychedelic stuff a lot as well. that being said, "electric feel", "kids", and "time to pretend" are perfect songs that are hard to beat in my book. the closest they come to beating that though has to go to "4th dimensional transition" with its fast drums and sci-fi synths. i'm definitely not disappointed though and i feel like the songs i'm not that big a fan of will grow on me a lot.
even though i'm typically more of a fan of kate bush's zanier work, the slower songs really did it for me. the writing is so good and the production, while obviously 80s at times, still holds up today. the standout tracks for me are "the fog", "heads we're dancing", and "rocket's tail". it's strange that this is the first kate bush album i listen to, but this only makes me more excited to listen to hounds of love in full.
bare with me on this one: i think that fleet foxes are kind of the eminem of indie music. obviously, their music, lyrics, aesthetics, and overall discography quality are wildly different. the reason i think this though is due to how it can be easy to hate on both of their best music after hearing so many of the artists they've influenced sound corny. but if you try not to think about all of their successors, you realize how interesting they really are.
this is one of those albums where you can picture the music in your head and i love that. it feels timeless to the point where it sounds like it was made in the 1460's and the 1960's at the same time. there are some moments where it can get a bit sleepy and uninteresting. but when it's good, it's great.
every song feels like you are a small fairy floating on a leaf in winter and it's magical.
there's definitely elements that i like on here like the production and guitars, but i'm not head over heels for it just yet. i feel like i should give it a bit more time though because obviously, i'm gonna like the song that was featured in one of my favorite movies of all time over everything else.
there was a time where i didn't get the hype for this album and thought it was kind of boring but it was semi-recently when it clicked for me. it seems like every time that i listen a song from this album again, i notice something i haven't before. if there was a food that i could compare to this album, it would be a multi-tiered cake: decadent and layered. they also both have animals involved i guess.
i'm always kind of conflicted on this album. while it is a definite classic and it does have some of the beatles best songs on it, there are entire sections of the album that i don't return to very often. an example of this is the run from "piggies" to "why don't we do it in the road?", which i think is one of the worst in their entire discography. but at the same time, the variety is what makes this one of my most listened beatles albums behind revolver. and if we're talking about track runs, the run from "everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey" to "revolution 1" is probably one of the best in their catalogue and possibly best period. so while i can't give this a perfect rating like many others have, i still do consider this to be one of my favorite albums.
