Good to go back to an earlier album. Besides the singles I hadn’t listened to a full album other than In Rainbows (which is one of my faves).
The more I listened the more I enjoyed (and the more I added to my liked tracks). Some really stellar renditions and lots of new ones for me. Had to take a detour a few times to listen to other artists versions of some tracks (Chet Baker “Not For Me” & Billie Holliday’s “The Man I Love”). But I got thru it!
Pretty rockin’. Great use of cowbell.
No doubt these are exceptional musicians but I found this jazz a bit hard to swallow. This style sort of ambles too much for my liking and might work better live for me or just as background music.
Was a big fan of Kanye’s from Late Registration peaking at My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and falling off after Yeezus. Since then I’ve found it hard to separate the man from the music and somehow didn’t get around to going back to this album. Never vibed with the whole “chipmunk soul” sound but there is plenty of good production on here (so many contributing artists esp for a debut) that would be explored and refined on future albums. A few great tracks in the middle like Breathe In Breathe Out & Two Words and The New Workout is stupid fun.
Memorable album cover but somehow I don’t think I have ever listened to any of their stuff before. I am a fan of some of the artists who have been inspired by this jaunty, narrative style of indie rock. After a listen to a few more tracks by The Strokes I did a bit of a revisit of some of my favourite Arctic Monkeys albums. There’s something about a UK take on this sound that I prefer but that being said there are tracks on this album I will come back to.
Definitely appreciate a number of MC tracks, I wouldn’t dare deny her vocal range and ability. I also love the whole glamorous, uncompromising, self aware, tongue-in-cheek-or-is-it diva persona she has cultivated. But this album I struggled to get thru and will likely not listen to again. The sound is dated, late 90s r’n’b that to me lacks some of the charm or listenability of contemporaries. I’m gonna go groove the morning away to The Velvet Rope now.
It’s okay… sort of a poor man’s Daft Punk. There are some not bad moments like Phantom Pt II and DVNO for some reason I find catchy. Might be the fruity 80s nu wave vocals. But overall a bit too much late 00s glitchy tricks and not enough melody or interesting rhythms.
Oh this is fantastic. I remember the album artwork terrifying me as a kid and it certainly wasn’t in my parents’ record collection. And my appreciation of anything resembling metal was provably a decade behind this (think Metallica & Guns’n’Roses). Crazy cool guitars and shifting rhythms. Unexpectedly melodic. Strange World, Phantom Of The Opera & Prowler are standouts for me but all very listenable. Feel like I could listen to this with Wayne & Garth. Party on.
Piece Of My Heart was on high rotation as a kid (my mum loved the China Beach Soundtrack). Hadn’t heard anything other than that by these guys and the rest is alright but I probably won’t listen again. The janky mixing at the start had me freaking out that my headphones were busted and the album artwork is pretty naff.
Love me some early 90s NYC hip hop. ATCQ. De La Soul. Native Tongues. How have I not heard this before, it’s a real treat. Slick production layering muted big band, double bass, lounge piano, jazzy organ, laid back beats & artful scratching. It’s all very lush, listenable and instantly set my head bopping. His voice is smooth & melodic and his narrative driven flows are neat. Wasn’t surprised to hear Q-Tip was involved and I anticipate this one is gonna enter regular rotation for me. Fkn loved it. My first five stars.
Again something I’ve never heard before. There was a lot going on at the beginning with Peaches En Regalia. So many elements, many of which I dig but felt a bit much & I was worried I wouldn’t like the rest of it. But as we went on there’s some very cool jams, in particular Son Of Mr Green Genes & The Gumbo Variations.
This is okay but not really my jam.
This record sounds just like I expected it to… a sound you can smell. A dingy pub with beer soaked carpet, body odor, ciggys and a waft of anarchy. I kinda dig it.
Really quite outstanding. Haunted. Maudlin. Melodic. Discordant. Shifting. Cohesive. Think this one is a keeper.
I don’t mind a bit of blue-eyed soul but contemporary easy listening is not a genre I have on high rotation. Some pretty tracks nonetheless.
Folks sure loved differently back in the day. Not my fave of her songs but some classics.
I can never tell if I enjoy The Beatles. It’s familiar in spite of the fact that I’ve never intentionally listened to any of it. How do I know so many of the lyrics? I do like the cover artwork of the Australian release. The font is delightful. Neutral rating.
No thanks.
Camp as tits. Jingly and jangly. Some good sounds. Some dodgy lyrics.
This is delightful. Smooth and easy to listen to. Doesn’t amble pointlessly. Jazz-tastic.
Golly gee. What a fruity little pastiche of an album. I rate it.
This is outstanding. Loved it.
These are some lovely ditties. The only way it could be better is if it was covers by (or duets with) Kermit and I was baked. Four stars.
Bowie does funk. He called it “plastic soul” but I still dig it. I only knew Fame from the Pretty Woman soundtrack & Across The Universe. Fascination is a jam even if the lyrics are “opaque”.
I remember when the singles were released from this record, it was like nothing I’d heard before. I remember going to The Muses in Rundle Mall and listening to it start to end because I couldn’t afford to buy it. Nellee Hooper production. Björk being Björk. Really enjoyed everything she did from this thru to Medulla.
I can’t tell if I love this or hate it. The cover of I Got You Babe is great though.
Bloody love this. Very enjoyable and totally listenable post punk genre exploration.
We had this on cassette and listened to it on countless road trips when I was a kid. So it has some lovely nostalgia for me and is some sweet ditties. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what the cool kids were listening to… it’s a little daggy but I like it.
Brian Eno & David Byrne experimenting with found sounds, samples and Afro beats sounds exactly like I expected to. It’s good for what it is but what it is is not really my jam.
Madonna’s electronic-spiritual-mother record released after the drastic post-Erotica mellowing she did to get the Evita role. A sort of return to form but with noticeably less edginess and zero controversy. Some lovely songs with some outstanding music videos.
This is a bit naff. But he ended up working with Madonna so I guess that’s something.
Bloody brilliant.
Jaunty, mundane, irreverent. A snapshot of London in the early 90s. Nicely crafted pastiche that apparently defined Brit Pop. Gotta be in the mood for it. Today I was wasn’t sure if I was but by the time Lot 105 came around I was enjoying it.
Jolly. Inoffensive. Something my parents used to listen to.
Delightful genre-blending album. Very listenable.
This is jaunty and fun. Better than the other Beatles album so far. Plus it gets a little gay.
Kick ass debut. Along with the singles 10 Dollar & Amazon are two of my faves.
Another excellent debut. Gosh grunge was a great thing. Had only heard the singles until now but Garden, Deep & Why Go are now on high rotation.
Classic Bowie. I love this guy.
