Some absolute gems on here, but I miss the blue eyed soulfulness of 21 a bit! Easy to see how she blew her voice out trying to tour this one. Still a good listen, but the instrumentals get a bit Florence and the machine when I’m wanting the muscle shoals band.
I liked it! Beautifully recorded with some really nice guitar playing. Nice to-the-point 34 minute album. Jazzy. Doesn't have any of the songs that I knew from Steely Dan but I can dig it.
Ok boomer! (Complimentary)
Oh man, I knew that intro from waaaaaay back but I didn’t know the context! The record was fine but too vibey for me, not enough rhythm. That style of “indie voice” hasn’t aged well I fear, found it grating after a while. Bit of a “don’t you want me” vibe with the 2 vocalists. Pretty good I guess.
Beautiful record from the best blue-eyed soul singer to ever do it. Some great less-known King/Goffin tracks as well. “Preacher Man” merits 5 stars on its own!
Interesting time capsule of what mainstream “protest-y” music was talking about in the late 80s. Obviously Fast Car is goated, but I was struck by the bleakness of the rest of it as well. Really clear why she blew up so big back then.
Mad impressive coming from a 19 year old-- what on earth was that caveman jumpscare doing in the middle of side B though!
Cool to hear how early punk and early electronic music were totally in conversation with each other. Not the kind of thing I’d listen to again, but a neat time capsule.
Understandable how, despite everything, people will still risk a no-show to buy tickets to a Lauryn Hill concert. When she's on, she's unbeatable. Feels like this is one of those rare albums that basically everyone on the planet agrees on— I don’t even really mind the skits!
Great record, I can see how influential it was on all the indie rock to come. But I just don't love his voice! I'm so so so sorry!
A 10/10 opener with “Victoria” but it’s a shame nothing else on here rocks nearly as hard. Feels like the Kinks are the key artist that all the Britpop bands would reference ~25 years later, you can definitely see that influence here.
Platonic ideal of a blue-eyed-soul album. Man, I hope this Van Morrison guy doesn't develop any questionable views in his old age!
Like
As someone who was more familiar with later Leonard Cohen stuff, it was interesting to hear him sing with his younger voice! Still an old soul, though. Wasn't really for me I guess but you've gotta respect the craft.
I have never tried psychedelic drugs, so maybe I'm missing something! Clearly an influential album but every time it got a good groove going it would spiral into some weird nonsense.
I don't think I've ever heard drums sound this good-- Headley Grange must have really been a special place! You could tell they were enjoying pushing the boundaries of what a rock band could sound like in the studio-- I just wish the run time was a liiiitle bit tighter!
Post-punk era U2 at their very best! Stadium ambitions clearly beginning to show through. Absolutely love this album, they really captured the insane range young Bono had. It's called "War" because it feels like going to war every time I have to defend this band to my fellow millennials post-iTunes incident, but defend them I must. Gets a 4 instead of a 5 because Red Light absolutely sucks
The songwriting wasn’t quite Ramones/Clash level, but the band absolutely rips! Went riiiight up to the point of being too “hardcore”/not melodic enough, but still a fun/quick listen.
I'm a pop-songs, hooks-first kind of guy so I wasn't expecting to love this, but I was pleasantly surprised! Way to craft some cool soundscapes and put me into a chill mood, Icelandic Sugar Ray.
I remember, as a nerdy 5th grader, pouring over the copy of the Guinness book of world records in my school's classroom-- I remember the image of a young, floppy-haired Alex Turner wielding a white Strat, with the caption explaining how Arctic Monkeys held the record for the fastest-selling debut album in U.K. history. Back when I actually got into rock music in high school, I finally gave it a listen-- man, what a band. The songs absolutely rip, the lyrics hold up after all these years ("sexy little swine" gets an audible reaction from me still), and while I might personally consider "Suck It and See" to be their best, this one deserves a spot on this list for sure.
Glad we didn't kill him
Not a name that I had heard of when it comes to big New Wave type bands, but I really enjoyed this record!
Really pleasantly surprised by this one! Never listened to it, she's so ingrained in my head as an older, pop-star type figure that I couldn't picture her as a 25-year old country crooner. What a devastating title track! Impressive that so much of this was self-written. Really liked it!
Crazy impressive work for such a young guy without a computer! This one had a bit of an uphill battle to win me over because I'm more of a "tight, completed songs" kinda guy but the soundscapes were really cool.
Stone cold millennial classic. I’m a bit more partial to Pure Heroine as the definitive Lorde record, but it’s easy to see why this one cemented her as a legend and shot Antonoff into the stratosphere as a pop producer. She was 19, and she was on fire. Love it, cherish it, make your mom dance to it. Awesome, right?
Some absolute gems on here, but I miss the blue eyed soulfulness of 21 a bit! Easy to see how she blew her voice out trying to tour this one. Still a good listen, but the instrumentals get a bit Florence and the machine when I’m wanting the muscle shoals band.
Pretty solid, didn't really jump out at me! It's understandable how these guys ended up being hyped as a part of the same scene as the Strokes and White Stripes, but this feels a bit too "generic garage-rock" to me versus having any kind of unique take on the genre, or songwriting so good that it doesn't need anything stylistically new. Feels a bit like a car commercial at times, but definitely listenable and not bad at all.
Like a less daring but more accessible MBV! Vapor Trail is an awesome album closer. Wonder if Andy is gonna do the Oasis reunion shows.
Still can't believe they let him put this out just as he was poised to be the next great arena rocker-- interesting to listen to this one after the Suicide record, you can hear that influence on State Trooper for sure! Incredible storytelling, and a perfect fit for his voice. A classic.
Perfect blend of repeated grooves and traditional song structure, hooks for days, and some killer guitar solos-- now all we need is for Spotify to get its act together!