Really really good… don’t think it’s on the level of exodus or burnin’ for me but some excellent songs
Some really beautiful songs (changes), unexpected but broke up nicely and kept a balance… keen to listen to the one with purple writing
Hymns in those beautiful deep hums and bass that I’ve finally noticed the effect of. Talking about relationships with different people, journeys, movement both in lyrics and the sound. Obviously 3 of the best songs ever as well.
Gorgeous gorgeous vocals, perfect sunny day walk album - your love is king tops them all, amazing song.
Pretty pretty good… do find that the songs melt into one but I also feel as though I still haven’t given it a good chance - was distracted as I listened (day too hot). Hazy Jane still brilliant. 2.5
Alright… quite The Who-y with some emotional depth but didn’t do much surprising apart from that. I’m sure they’ll have another better album here.
Real cruisin’ album. Don’t really care about learning to drive but would great to be in a low top convertible pumping this album. Title track and “Express Yourself” are all timers but also really liked “Gangsta Gangsta” and “Parental Discretion Iz Advised”. Anti-role model music but the production should be appreciated by all. Samples go hard. Final song great energy. 4.2.
Some of the extended takes sounding quite contemporary. Definitely get the doors comparison here but not as convinced by the lead. Drifted through the album a bit.
Almost medieval-y. Can appreciate the musical achievement here… would like to space out with it. Relatively vivid memory of 4 am walking to the train station in Edinburgh to this after clara had broken up with me to try and win her back. Ed had recommended it to me.
First song got me very excited - discordant twangs of the guitar on that country accent felt like grounds for subversion but the PJ Harvey-ness of the guitar seemed to fade a bit. Recentered to me with April 14th - think it’s because I’m reminded of wish you were here. 3.75
So 80s, feeling pre-grunge, teenage anxty... definitely enjoyed the beginning of the album after starting call me by your name - made me feel like the lead in a rom com. Bit same after that. 3.25
Bowie post-Blur; coming out the gates like Damon Albarn or however you spell it rapidly aged fresh off Parklife. Love the album cover - won’t take the bait of calling it meta, though now I have. Notes of Springsteen. Think it would be unfair to judge this on the basis of his best, even if diamond dogs would present a, sadly, very damning comparison. After the first four songs, Where are we now brings me a hopeful familiarity - glam stardom floating between a career that embedded unrivalledly bright diamonds on top a middling period of forgetability. I think the track may precisely be an understanding of this strange progression. If you can see me definitely feeling like a necessary stepping stone before black star - think this album is slightly hesitant to fully delve into its forebearer’s experimental fervor. You feel so lonely you could die is strangely reminiscent of Black Pumas, and the theatricality of the rise and fall… perhaps I’m not as swain by the lack of character imbued. Don’t mind the guitar playing on heat, but space oddity but don’t think it fits the vocals that well. 1.8
Suspected that the album may have been carried by the catchy, bad-ass track "Connection"... feels like a female-led blur with more punk. Great bass I guess... "S.O.F.T", instrumental was head-banging alright. Think I'd like to see them live, would be interesting to see if their energy would transfer over as well as it seems. 2.9, does a job and would've been fun at the age and time but not my cup of tea now.
Fucking amazing, really haven't heard anything like it before. Can't be arsed to find the notes but feels like that sort of punk, dark music that London art students like done really, really well. Not lazy and leaving shit to chance. Somewhat groovy? Had an air of stone roses. Think they also sort of remind me of Underworld which will always help. Dirge and Aisha amazing tracks all through. 4 feels too low so I will go with 4.6.
Not really sure why they didn't make an exception for Mamma Mia and shove the title track on at least a blooper reel. Certified anthem nonetheless, to be in the 90s fucked off my head with all my mates at a gay bar on a greek island... pwah! Synth edging out of the decade strong just like Disintegration. Express yourself failing to... disappoint! Was going to suggest that love song sounds like a shit Prince song and it actually is! Eternal sound but doesn't have enough dirt under the fingernails, especially for something that wasn't too far away from sign of the times (temporally). Actually warming to it but feels like we are getting towards something but not being fully delivered upon, suppose it's in the lyrics. Proper dance tracks like "till death do us part" and "keep it together" (slap that on a function playlist), but not fussed at all about some slower shite. Cherish very much upbeat, of its time. Like Dear Jessie though, feels like its reaching towards the 2000s. Last track sounds like she tried to do another Prince track but he was booked up and she was junked up. Funny one but overall low rating - 2.
Blister in the sun is just one of the best... 1983 as well! Feels as though there's an intimacy to it. Have realised that I can use this as a 3 year diary too - 14th July. On the tune - like you're in the room with them, they all know they've got something properly good. Pre-nirvana/ NMH evident, hope that makes sense. Today on holiday we finally went to that other beautiful beach - ligares I think it's called. Tanning well. Miss my friends, I finally think I'm at a point where I have very good friends - never got that close with anyone at school and foundation nothing felt too lasting. Obviously year and a bit I didn't really consider love for friends during Clara but now I miss people more than I thought I could. Liked the idea for art I had about accompanying strange sounds with mundane objects. Just need to make something really, takes no time at all. Proper bass (I think - loosely strung). Doesn't feel expectant but has a continuity that borrows from bluesy folky country storytelling (Please do not go) - almost Ska-y. Still thinking about getting mugged, that really stupid feeling that I should've risked it and done something but I know that I did the right thing. I need to continue to see it as a testament to my calmness and ability to relativise - nothing is more important than my life, absolutely nothing. Great punky vocals on the album, add it up... I'd love to paint my bedroom yellow, maybe I use large canvas and pin it up in LA. That scene from TopBoy was beautiful - colour obviously effects the way we perceive experience heavily. Nick Cave-yness to the vocals. Definitely contemporary relevance now on ‘Confessions’ - think it’s just good, proper punky rock. I think it’s very interesting but also normal that certain events will revolve around my mind as seminal moments in my sequence - not necessarily things I very much enjoyed or hated but rather points that harbour a lot of regret - I think I need to see my achievements and myself as a way to scale down these orbits. A lot more minutemen-y than I thought (To the Kill). This song is really good. Finally an album with more variance… Album started brilliant, got alright and now upward again (Gone Daddy Gone) - has that 50s/60s catchy chorus with that messy post-Stoogeness. So Stooges, the vocals really hit. Also the Velvets legacy shines through here (Good Feeling). Think it would be very harsh to say pastiche… think it decidely marks a bridgeway for bands like Wilco, NMH, Weezer even. Can’t wait to listen to a Blondie album - (Ugly is great). Will say that this is the most thought about rating - think a 3.6 is very fair - great tunes and variety but didn’t blow me away.
That first switch up in See no Evil is perfect… EEEEEEVIIILLLLUGH. Interesting to have such a comparable band to yesterday (femmes). Switching up throughout… friction is excellent! Has that beefhearty fiddle on the guitar, perhaps without as strong guiding vocals. In that sense feels younger, but not to a fault. Marquee moon is a fucking experience… I’m too lazy to not do anything in the background… BUT I’m going to make an exception. As it gets to minute 9 there is a beautiful climax… deconstructs back down for the final run around. Badass “Elevation” - guitars very much precede RHCP. Really good guitar on this song especially. Quite clash-y/ johnny don’t surf on “Guiding Light”. MISREPRESENTATIVE VOCALS. Some of latter songs do feel somehwat laboured (final one). So Talking heads but perhaps stripped slightly back and not 80s. Solid 4.
Some really, really great tunes - would say that it feels a bit scatter-gun-y but that could also be seen as a plus... seems like a real shame that he fell off but "Even After All" is beautiful, "It's Great When We're Together" has that Portishead-y strings accompaniment and dubness. Generally reminding me of Massive Attack with different vocals. "Sunday Shining" has proper swagger. "Your love gets sweeter" is also beautiful. Was originally going to give a 3.4 but I'm going to knock it up to a 3.65.
Proper party music. First real listen to The Prodigy and it didn't disappoint - first half of the album was absolutely excellent, notably "Voodoo People" and "Full Throttle". Think the latter side was intended to be more pure dance, and that's fine but for me takes it down a bit. 3.85 all in all.
Rather than loving all of Arcade Fire I very much appreciate their music. I think the pain they sing about or through perhaps is something I'm unfamiliar with or haven't processed yet. There are some specific songs I really like in the middle stretch, especially "(Antichrist Television Blues)". There's just a slight lethargy that feels American and not personally resonant. Maybe the next year will change that for me. This (a repeat comment) is music that I think would really change if seen live - might just be the fact that I have to use stupid adapters to actually listen to it but I suppose there's something satisfyingly begrudging about that. Really growing into the album. "No Cars Go" is great and punchy, like I'm running about in a park. 4.05 is predicated very much on an appreciation of how "good" the overall musical quality is. Wouldn't say I prefer it to some other albums with similar ratings but it itches a different scratch. Was going to say that the final song wasn't changing my mind but that switch-up was great - really an album that I want better headphones for. Upping to 4.1.
Driving music. Not appropriate to listen to whilst reading the sad bit of a book. Going to rank this one on personal basis - 3.25
I want to be unpacking my shit to this album every time I move. Feels reminiscent, foggy, of good times in the past and prescient, vividly, of even more good times to come. Not even going to finish the album before rating, just going to enjoy it. 5
Sounds like a reconstructed, developed thoroughly Pharcyde album. Less silly. Amazing, Building Steam with a Grain of Sand is not only one of the best song titles ever but is exquisitely mapped out. The Number Song will also always get me. Hadn't listened to The Changeling before but the way it devolves and changes and balances is mental. Motifs echo throughout the albums - ghostly teardrops, clandestine peeking around corners. Strong 4.55.
Heard this sort of stuff before, quite bored. For these bands I might just give a blanket 2.
Instant 5. Don't need to say much - Lover, You Should've Come Over and Mama You've Been on My Mind (on expanded version) are my favourites. Prior especially the soundtrack to my first breakup and bonding with Dom. The title track gets better with every listen. Last goodbye as well. Only once I read that he was a big Led Zeppelin fan that the dots connected slightly better - him singing Whole Lotta Love before he died. Greta Van Shite should look at Buckley's way of channelling Led Zeppelin rather than just ripping them off. Very difficult to tell what is a cover and isn't because all the songs belong on the album. So Real is like a soft, psychological horror score condensed into 5 minutes. Stopping at LYSCO to enjoy it.
To have this as your first album... wow. Happy that I voted Natty Dread as a 3 because this is far ahead for me - 4.1. Latter half was excellent, perfect for the heat in London this week.
Mix between thom Yorke and Michael Bublé. Overall wasn't that fussed, definitely nice vocals and all but repeated itself until it got french. Similar to nick drake and my lack of praise for him. However, the song peach trees (and to a lesser extent art teacher) was absolutely excellent and brings this up to a 3.78.
I can't lie, I find his voice really annoying and don't have the patience to get through the whole thing... Such good tracks and I didn't realise the extent to which the band was so orchestral. I'll give it a 4 in terms of talent appreciation but a 2.5 personally. Actually, going to start again. Phenomenal - voice still tad annoying but get used to it. Just beautiful music, 4.4.
There's some standouts here with 'pleasant street' and 'once I was' but I've found it hard to fully get into all of Tim Buckley's music for a while now. 3.1
Jammy rock, not too fussed. Smoke on the water is a banger. 2.3 personally
Hardcore. One step closer and crawling especially hype. Actually enjoyed the album as a whole, now onto cure for the itch which is left field for LP and a very welcome shift to the tracklist. Combination of enjoyment and appreciation 3.6
Boring again. 2.1 from fatigue
What a welcome change! Fun, energetic music to dance to - lots of shades of Graceland here reflecting the influence of African music on Paul Simon... Hope this leads me to more finds of a similar ilk. For what it's looking to achieve 3.8.
Beautiful, beach boys-y sound and that sort of happy-go-luckiness. Close to you, baby it's you and maybe it's you are the favourites. Gentle listening, great for the train - solid 3.3.
OG concept album (as donned by Finley)... definitely encapsulated in the fiddle song. Really loved the fist half, especially the long instrumental numbers and Pinball Wizard, of course. Does get quite into its conceptuality towards the end though I suppose I ought to assess it on this meter. 4.
WOW WOW WOW. So fucking funky, no shits given in the titles. So tight, sexy, confidence-inducing. Doesn't feel overdone. 4.4.
I think previous attempts at forcing myself to like Zappa have desensitised me... This wasn't as jarring as I thought it might have - some good tracks but don't feel as though the quality I listened to it at did it justice. Need to get my hands on the record to make a valid judgement - 2.5 for now.
Quite repetitive but very jumping on bed as teenager 90s classic. Title track was great and overall not a bad listen. I'll go with a decent 2.3.
Extremely demure - collection of thoughtful bangers, range is much more expensive than I thought and holds up against later work. 3.7.
Just amazing. 5. Can listen to it in so many ways. If seminal was an album.
So beautiful, especially the song by that name. Also has the Gilmore girls song, what a tune.
I get it but I don't really want to listen to it. Similar to The Flaming Lips but I'm not going to relisten - annoying voice paired with lazy lyrics. I'm sure there will be a person, place and time that changes my mind. 2.2
Unexpected really nice album. Very 80s but very listenable... Like the new waveness, would love to have this vinyl on a lazy day, morning vibes. 3.4.
5/5, first half of the album is pretty much perfect. Steadier second half but no detraction, listening to it again reminded me that MTV album isn't necessarily better just different. RIP
Not my favourite Stones album by a stretch... Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers are well clear. Gimme Shelter and You can't always get... Are obvious standouts - two of the band's best songs which certainly raise the project as a whole... Country stuff doesn't convince me really, never got into blue and lonesome more recently... Maybe that's an age or patience thing. For those two songs - 3.37.
Absolutely fantastic... Makes sense that it's before TPAB - bangers are certainly there but as a full album it doesn't exactly hit in that same seamless meter. Poetic justice, money trees, swimming pools are excellent among others. 4.475.
Really beautiful, calming, first song was especially touching. Hope more like this (good variation) are still to come. 4.1
AI generated rock, quite boring, not fussed. 2.1
Fucking brilliant, had no idea what the music would be like but great melancholy bait. Great length, exactly my sort of music - nice distance from Elliot Smith but similar vibe. 4.55.
Didn't really know what to expect - so stripped back, charming, charismatic and humorous. Really just enjoyed it but maybe not in the usual music listening experience sort of way - felt as though it lay in-between a concert, comedy show and TV programme. 3.8
Excellent, sexy, subverted expectations. Some parts are very danceable and high energy while others are really smooth - great features and consistently good vocals. Also great variation! 4.2
Definitely not bad but got quite repetitive - need to be stricter on ratings so they're only going to get 2.4 but some alright songs.
Fucking amazing, back to front hype with more sexy, essential naughties tracks. Lyricism, flow is peak peak hip hop. Samples go absolutely insane. All I need and girls, girls, girls at the top for me. So catchy, so hard.
First half of the album was sitting on a pretty good 3... I'm not that big of a beastie boys fan when it's centred around their voices. After sabotage however, this album sends a no hitter, a triple double, a hat trick. The production is amazing, the jazzy bass running through and interesting genre blends completely subverted my previous opinion. Sabotage, sure shot and flute loop always hit anyway. 4.3
In a similar way to how I'll give thriller a 5 - this album has now gaps. It's only 43 minutes and flows through the rivers of pop rock Elysium. It's so camp, grandiose and datedly timeless. 5.
Surprisingly good - will definitely have to mark down for Jamaican Jerk-Off but Bennie and the jets always bangs. Dad suggested that there were similarities with the stooges which was an interesting take. Generally hard not to tap a foot to pretty much the whole album. 3.4, could've edged to 3.5/6 without JJO.
Absolutely brilliant - so nice to hear the duality Vs. electronic stuff. Great for moving into the coop in LA! Very solid 3.8.
Almost finished the album but was always going to give it a 5. Dad was saying that more a collection of great singles than album but I don't think that really matters. Brown sugar, wild horses, sister morphine, dead flowers and moonlight mile are top tier. 4.7 rounded up.
Didn't really listen that intently but boring, 2.1.
Amazing. Frantically added so many of the songs to so many FEZ playlists... Sexy, sweet, warming. Loved it, 4.8.
Kind of as I imagined. Tad boring, get why people like it. Personally wouldn't love listening for any longer, 2.4.
Definitely the worst Radiohead album I've listened to but worth the listen... liked the jungle aspect in some of the songs but felt a bit strange generally. Will undoubtedly give another listen at some point. 3.2
Listened before but just so American... In the best way! Title track and dancing in the dark are obvious standouts - pretty quintessential stuff. 3.8
Fun and sexy but got a little too 2000s for me... Too long an album 2.9
Quite elevator music-y, easy listening, not bad persay... 2.3
Not listening. I'm sure it has it's crowd
Fairy/ impish chaos... Finally not super annoyed at her voice because I listened the whole way through. Definitely want to listen to all her shit now. Easy 4.2
Loved it - much more mass appeal but that's not a bad thing - feels of the time, maybe not ahead of it but really enjoyed. 4
A little repetitive... But good chill vibes shit. Grumpus was a song I really liked before but it feels like an early peak in the album. 2.6
Really really liked this album - reggae overtones hit well, beds too big without you was a lot of fun. Need to listen to more of the police! 4
Much more country than I remember but is a repeat listen from now on. Excellent songs, fitting to listen to... 4.3
