1001 Albums Summary

Well, the only way I know how to talk about music anymore is by comparing it to other music, so: It reminds me a bit of Weyes Blood if her music was more art-rock and less baroque. There's also some instrumentals in there which remind me of bands like Bark Psychosis? Super ambitious for an album made by an 18-year old. It didn't absolutely blow my mind, but overall it's pretty good.

She's a talented vocalist and the soul influence is a nice differentiator when measured against your standard pop-fare. I just can't help but feel like she has absolutely nothing interesting to say. Not all pop music has to have exceptional lyricism, but I can't help but feel like I know *nothing* about Adele after listening to her music aside from that she considers herself a "tortured soul." A tortured poet, perhaps? But it's not just the lyricism. With the exception of a few memorable songs, a lot of her music has a tendency to blend together in my head. The pop influence really hurts her when you listen to one of her albums in full. It sounds so oddly formulaic for soul music. Almost like you pushed a soul tune through a playdough factory, smushing it through a pop-tune shaped mould. It robs the music of the soul it so desperately needs.

I tried to give this a shot but 52 minutes is just too long for an album this one-note. There are some really nice moments here, but I can't say I have any desire to listen to it again in a single sitting.

I'm probably too hard on this album. But it's a step down from pretty much everything they did before it, and even some of the things they did after it. It's, like, somewhere around maybe the 6th best REM album? And, all things considered, it's still pretty good.

Liked this when I was in high school and there are still some great songs on here. There are a lot of forgettable songs on here but the singles are great, and the whole thing has a nice aesthetic.