Dec 29 2023
View Album
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts 1-5- First 4 minutes are terribly slow when it does develop the music becomes very engaging and builds atmosphere quite well. For being a relatively slow paced song and for it being fairly long the song is able to maintain being fresh. Weakest point of the song is beginning that struggles to get to the point. Strongest point of the song is towards the end when the saxophone comes in and adds a little extra texture and emotion to an already emotional song. Overall the song is a fitting tribute to a founding member of the band.
Welcome to the Machine- I love the way this song opens on this wavy synth and then dramatically strumming what sounds like a 12 string guitar. I love the darker tone of the song and I love that this song veils the criticism of the music industry in a way that it can be interpreted in multiple ways. Over all I think this a much stronger song than Shine on you Crazy Diamond. The various electronic effects combined with the simple guitar parts lends to a very powerful sonic dynamic that is very engaging.
Have a Cigar- This song is considerably more to the point than Welcome to the Machine or Shine on you Crazy Diamond. It definitely does a great job of combining the more blues rock oriented base that Pink Floyd has with their more musically progressive tendencies. The vocals are a little inconsistent for me especially when the singer goes into the slightly softer parts. As far as a rock song goes musically it is very strong I didn't notice the weak vocal part in the rest of the song except for the part towards the beginning. Song does kind of randomly end without it feeling like it has reached its natural conclusion.
Wish You Were Here- I really love this song. As somebody who isn't really into Pink Floyd this is one song that has seen the occasional play from me. I love the lyrics and think they are very relatable with feelings of alienation. Again I love the acoustic guitar in this song and the use of synths on this song and find that Pink Floyd is quite adept at this combo. I think this one of the strongest songs on this album. Vocally it is one of the strongest as well, it is very simple but packed full of emotion that lends itself well to over all idea of the song.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts 6-9- The opening on this track is much stronger than on the first Shine on. The mixture of the synths and the electric guitar plus the simple drum beats and all the rest of the layering and textures going on in the beginning is quite masterful. The one thing I think that would make both Shine on's better is if they were back to back as a 25 minute piece instead of split up into 2 halves. Musically this one is much more engaging than the first shine on. I think it was wise to keep this song mostly instrumental. This song does a great job of keeping things engaging musically something that the opening track struggled with a bit.
Definitely a strong album 4/5 I think. Would give it another listen even though it isn't in my normal wheelhouse.
4
Dec 30 2023
View Album
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
Wasn't blown away by the album just feels like generic funk music. I think the album in general is overrated
2
Dec 31 2023
View Album
The Wall
Pink Floyd
3
Jan 01 2024
View Album
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
I found this album almost unlistenable. Kate Bush's vocals were extremely annoying, the musical arrangements tried to be innovative but they just end up sounding incredibly derivative, and the lyrics were terrible.
1
Jan 02 2024
View Album
Raw Power
The Stooges
Solid album very high energy. I appreciate hearing one the early influences of punk music. would recommend to others if they want to hear something a little more on the aggressive side from the mid 70's
4
Jan 03 2024
View Album
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
The album suffers from trying to hard to be indie when it wants to be a rock record. The best parts of the album are when they ditch the over done annoying indie vocals and just stick to making rock music.
2
Jan 04 2024
View Album
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
I'm not super big into jazz and have a very surface level knowledge. I definitely wasn't expecting an instrumental album but I loved that it was as it really allowed the saxophone to be the main star of the album. The album is well paced and interesting enough that it doesn't feel like a slog to get through. I would definitely recommend this album for people wanting to start getting in to jazz.
outside of some minor flaws I really enjoyed this album would strongly recommend to others looking to get into jazz/ bossa nova
4
Jan 05 2024
View Album
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
Really solid album. I love the dark atmosphere these guys created through much of the album. I love the noisier elements and the variety of genres included on this record. Don't really have a lot to say about it other than the vocals can be a little one note but it does fit the over all aesthetic of the album
4
Jan 06 2024
View Album
Parallel Lines
Blondie
Debbie Harry has these vocals that just hit with the right amount of grit and ferociousness when necessary but is also quite capable of these softer vocal timbers that makes her so engaging to listen to.
Hanging on The Phone, One Way or the Other, Picture This give the impression you are going to get a straight ahead rock album but then that notion is bucked when Fade Away and Radiate come in with a much softer and darker sound to start. Fade away and Radiate is a very interesting track in that it incorporates musical stylings from a variety of different genres making it one of the most engaging tracks on the album. Pretty Baby is an ok track nothing super interesting but it is another nice change of pace that keeps you on your toes as to what to expect on the album. I Know But I Don't Know gives elements more similar to prog rock but eschews that for a more straight forward rock sound with a ripping guitar solo the Lyrics are also fairly funny to me. 11:59 throws a bit of a curve ball, you think you are getting a rock track and then transitions into an almost 50's style pop track with that characteristic swing that I associate with much of the popular music of the 50's. Will Anything Happen is a nice return to a more straightforward rock approach. Sunday Girl gives me more of 60's approach and changes the pace once again still keeping the listener on their toes Debbie Harry really shines again here on this track showing the versatility of the genres here voice fits in to. Heart of Glass adds another genre on to the pile giving more of a disco feel and again really showing off Harry's versatility. I'm gonna Love you to is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album. The album ends on an ok note. Musically Just Go Away is kind of a let down considering all the experimentation that the listener has come to expect. Vocally I feel like Just Go Away is hindered by the backing vocals from the band and might have been better service if Harry sang the back up vocals on the track.
over all I enjoyed this album and will check out more of Blondies stuff.
4
Jan 07 2024
View Album
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
First lets discuss the good things, Isaac Hayes has one of those voices that just draws you in. Hayes is so good at expressing tender love, heart break, sorrow and many of the other emotions typical of the funk genre. The length of each individual song isn't a problem for me as I listen to a lot of black metal with a lot of long songs. Instead what each song feels like is that I'm sitting in on a jam session. Isaac is definitely the star of the show of this album.
Now lets discuss the bad parts of this album. Even though I didn't have any issue with the length of each of the four songs each song definitely could have been shorter as a few times I found myself wondering if the I had the album stuck on one spot.
Over all the repetitiveness of some of the parts are minor problems when you are presented with the masterful singing that Hayes provides. I'm glad I got a chance to listen to an album by a singer that has either Directly or indirectly influenced a lot of music I listen to.
3
Jan 08 2024
View Album
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
I'm not typically into live albums as they usually just sound bad but Motorhead is made for live performances. Motorhead are legends with Lemmy's distinct snarl and the fast and aggressive sound that would have been out of this world for the 70's or even 1981 when this came out.
Musicianship is tight, the songs are well crafted even if we don't get a lot of versatility. Anybody who is just getting into metal or wants something a little heavier from their normal rock rock music check out Motorhead.
5
Jan 09 2024
View Album
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
John Coltrane is a beast on this record. He really makes you feel what he's feeling through just the use of his Saxophone. Solid Jazz record and would recommend to anyone looking to get into jazz
4
Jan 10 2024
View Album
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I love the dark atmosphere but vocally this album just irritates me. Nick Cave is by far the weakest part of this album and it's such a problem that the really cool instrumentals are over shadowed by how terrible Nick Cave is. Vocally the best parts of the album are the ones done by the guest singers. This has the potential to be a good record but it is marred by the terrible vocal performance and the incredibly cheesy lyrics.
2
Jan 11 2024
View Album
Stankonia
OutKast
3
Jan 12 2024
View Album
Calenture
The Triffids
such a boring album. none of the riffs were interesting, the vocals were extremely subpar. I really had to fight to get through this album
1
Jan 13 2024
View Album
Document
R.E.M.
For me this as an exceptionally average album. I didn't particularly like or dislike anything.
3
Jan 14 2024
View Album
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
Has some good songs but has a lot of boring filler. Sheryl Crow is a very serviceable singer but doesn't have a blow you away type of skill. The best parts of this album are when it ditches the poppier elements in favour of the more blues, country and occasional jazzy parts.
3
Jan 15 2024
View Album
Savane
Ali Farka Touré
really enjoyed this album. great mixture of african folk music and blues. Vocally it was haunting and you could hear the pain in his voice
4
Jan 16 2024
View Album
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This album is perfect. It was one of the first two metal and introduced some of the first sub genres. All of the songs are expertly crafted with Ozzy's haunting vocals that suit the darker, doomier environment that essentially didn't exist until Black Sabbath's first two albums. Even in the lighter moments Ozzy's vocals shine. The true star of the show however is the band, Tony with his crushing simple but heavy riffs, Geezer Butler's rock steady bass rhythms, and Bill Wards very jazzy way of playing drums created a fantastic dynamic that set the tone for future heavy metal bands.
Anybody looking to get into metal should start here, not Metallica, not Iron Maiden, not Judas Priest, not Motorhead, Black Sabbath should be every prospective metalheads starting point.
5
Jan 17 2024
View Album
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
I think Kurt Cobain is wildly overrated as a guitar player, singer and a songwriter.
2
Jan 18 2024
View Album
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
felt like it was missing something
3
Jan 19 2024
View Album
Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
Had really cool elements to it didn't love the vocals.
2
Jan 20 2024
View Album
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
There are some amazing songs on this record like My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, Brain Damage, Role Model, Rock Bottom, Just Don't Give A Fuck, Bad Meets Evil, Still Don't Give. there are some bad points to the album though like the skits which don't really add to the album and some of the songs feel very much like filler.
4
Jan 21 2024
View Album
Roots
Sepultura
Great album. It's at it's best when it is incorporating all of the folk instruments of the indigenous population. Vocally it does get stronger over time. I do think it was a weird decision to end the album on a 13 minute instrumental track that is extremely slow paced given the rest of the album which is why it get's a 4/5
4
Jan 22 2024
View Album
Parachutes
Coldplay
Don't panic has a really cool instrumental track but Chris Martin vocally seems to be on another realm of existence and the two don't really sync up.
Shiver is another song where cool instrumental track but Chris doesn't get on the same page as his bandmates until the end of the song. The annoying falsetto doesn't fit with the song and it would have been better served by keeping it in his normal range.
Spies makes good use of the falsetto by using effects on it and creating a really interesting atmosphere. Instrumentally it is a very engaging track and for the first time both the band and and Chris Martin seem to be on the same page.
Sparks this is a track where it has an interesting idea but it never really really progresses past that point. Chris Martin's voice is very annoying on this track.
Yellow this song while a big hit is just generic pop rock filler. Chris is insufferable on this track and at this point in the album I want to shut it off. The instrumental isn't anything to right home about and the entire song comes off as some sort of self importance and takes itself way too seriously just makes it frustrating to listen to.
Trouble is an interesting track but not because of it's quality. It's interesting because I've never heard a popular band be so one note before like they seem insistent on making these slow, lazy tracks and utilizing Chris' higher pitched vocals but it just doesn't end up working most of the time. This feels like another filler track even though this was a single.
Parachutes is funnily enough the shortest song on the album but it makes the best use of Chris' voice. Chris' voice seems to fit a more singer songwriter type of situation.
high speed doesn't have the most engaging instrumental but this song Chris makes use out of the lower register of his voice and it makes for a much better listening experience in spite of the lack luster instrumental behind him. The high pitched croons are Chris Martin's signature but I think it is a weakness musically.
we never change- this song is grating both vocally and instrumentally. It is another slow paced song with more of Chris annoying vocals. So far you could cut this album to 3 tracks and it literally would change nothing about this album as most of the songs are just generic filler.
everything's not lost finally picks up the pace a little bit and is a different song idea at the very end of the album. Tonally Chris is fine however it seems like Chris is incapable of picking up the pace himself so the song just ends up falling flat.
the hidden track is a meaningless throw away track
This album has a few good ideas but they seem to cater to Chris Martin's very slow vocal pace. Chris doesn't have enough vocal heft and the music isn't melancholic enough to warrant such a slow pace all of the time. The band seems to want to pick up the pace but every time they do they slow down to accommodate Chris. Musically this album is bursting at the seems with filler.
2/5 because there are a few good ideas hidden amongst all the filler.
2
Jan 23 2024
View Album
The Yes Album
Yes
Really solid album. Wasn't at all what I was expecting and a solid early prog rock album
4
Jan 24 2024
View Album
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
If it wasn't for the audience cheering I would never have guessed this was a live album. It was a sonic journey, extremely well recorded, the musicianship was on point and the vocals were stellar. Musically it was solidly put together which sometimes can be a struggle with prog rock
4
Jan 25 2024
View Album
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
It was ok nothing blew me away
3
Jan 26 2024
View Album
All Directions
The Temptations
Really solid album. loved the vocal dynamics and the instrumental dynamics. no real major problems
4
Jan 27 2024
View Album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
vocally Elton does a very good job. Musically this album does a really good job with dynamics and makes use out of a variety of genres very well.
4
Jan 28 2024
View Album
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
pretty solid makes good use of dynamics, mixing and mastering are pretty solid. I enjoyed the mixture of the rap vocals over blusier elements. overall pretty good would recommend to fans of incubus
4
Jan 29 2024
View Album
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
The vocals were shrill and listenable. The instrumentals were bland and uninteresting.
2
Jan 30 2024
View Album
At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
It's ok not a big Johnny Cash fan. The vocals are pretty average although I think Cash's strength is live performance so hearing the people at the prison and hearing Cash interacting with them made the album experience much more entertaining
3
Jan 31 2024
View Album
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
Even for 1991 this album has a very dated sound. My favourite song on this album is Midnight which samples the eponymous track from Black Sabbath and it also has the most modern flow.
3
Feb 01 2024
View Album
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and ambiance of this album. The ability to use a minimalist approach to create music is very enticing to me. This album for sure won't be for everybody but if you don't mind space and repetitiveness I think you will enjoy this album
4
Feb 02 2024
View Album
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
It was a pretty fun album. Nothing too complicated or too simple. I did find the album a little one note and I did find at times the singing was a little annoying
3
Feb 03 2024
View Album
Live!
Fela Kuti
4
Feb 04 2024
View Album
What's That Noise?
Coldcut
Pretty solid if not a little dated sounding. Unlike classic albums that sound timeless this one sounds exactly like the era it came from and not always in the best way.
3
Feb 05 2024
View Album
Purple Rain
Prince
really enjoyed this album. Although I personally don't love the song Darling Nikki it does bring up a funny memory for me. This album does a great job of blending styles and doing it seamlessly.
4
Feb 06 2024
View Album
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
very progressive for the 1960's. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the Beatles finding their music a little uninteresting I can recognize it's cultural impact and the influence it had on many of the musicians I love.
4
Feb 08 2024
View Album
Hysteria
Def Leppard
4