1001 Albums Summary

Très français. Très chill. When chillout went mainstream. An album for those who found Daft Punk too gauche.

Pitch-perfect spiky pop

Before Trump. Before the conspiracy theories. Before the antisemitism. It's easy to forget amongst all of his various controversies, that Kanye West was (is?) a rapper, and a good one too. He showed his promise on this debut album, with a charming, easy-going vocal style. There's some occasional wonky production, including on the hit single, but overall, an auspicious first effort.

Before Trump. Before the conspiracy theories. Before the antisemitism. It's easy to forget amongst all of his various controversies, that Kanye West was (is?) a rapper, and a good one too. He showed his promise on this debut album, with a charming, easy-going vocal style. There's some occasional wonky production, including on the hit single, but overall, an auspicious first effort.

Rush proves that it's more than a poor man's Led Zeppelin (though there's plenty of Led Zep influence on side 2) with a drift into prog territory. The band shows great musicianship but don't really have the hooks necessary to connect with me. The opening rock opera (7 songs and instrumentals arranged across one track) has a weak story and the parts don't particularly distinguish themselves. The one-off numbers of the second half, mostly classic blues rock material, are a bit more fun. Perhaps this album might grow on me given a few more listens.