Very interesting album overall. Got some good beats. Can really see how he was inspired by cinematic music to make it. I enjoyed the first couple tracks the most...they have a good groove
One of those albums that I know in theory should be up my alley, but I'm not wild about it for some reason? Maybe it's their voices that I don't jive with for any reason? The highlight for me was the song "I Dare You" but the rest of it wasn't that memorable.
Not what I expected from a Leonard Cohen album. Doesn’t make it bad! It’s just that he released a Leonard Cohen album in 1987, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. I was expecting guitar but instead there was a lot of synth and more electronic beats. “Everybody Knows” and “First We Take Manhattan” remind me of how dystopian it feels to live in the world both then and now. “Everybody Knows” is particularly timely and honestly, how much more cutting would it have been released in 2025?
The first half of the record is much better than the second half. I think that Flea/Frucasante (spelling lolol?) are very talented musicians and I enjoyed a lot of their bass lines and guitar work here. Especially Flea on bass. Some of the melodies rock but I sort of find Kiedis on juuuuuuust this side of obnoxious. Lyrics shallow. Also, there was a song on here...can't remember which one because I was vacuuming but god damn if it didn't belong on a Limp Bizkit record (derogatory). Didn't add a single song to my playlist! Ah!
Good ol' Morrissey...lol. One of rock's biggest assholes, this indie betch loves him anyway. ha. Not as good as some of the stuff he made with the Smiths, but a decent record from beginning to end here with "Vauxhill and I" nonetheless. For me, the big highlights were the single "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" which by title made me sort of roll my eyes because OF COURSE he has a song called that. ha. The other highlight was "The Lazy Sunbathers" which I think I liked more for the instrumentation than the topic at hand? Anyway, overall a good listen.
The guitar playing here is amazing! I wish I could understand what the vocalist was singing about. It's not necessarily my style but it was a good listen.
I’m a sucker for a good horn section. The level of talent shown on this album is impressive. I love how many different instruments are featured here. Almost perfect, could have gotten rid of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” but everything else including the 8 minute song “Blues, pt. 2” is excellent. I listened to the deluxe edition which also featured two live tracks which were a bop. First album of the year I’m saving in my library AND put songs in the playlist.
Despite Steely Dan being super cheesy in my mind and feeling like "why would I ever like that?" (lol) I enjoyed this record. It's definitely not necessarily my vibe but the musicianship (separate from singer/vocals) on this record is great. Lots of little flairs I hadn't noticed before. For me, "Dirty Work" is the highlight of the record. Is it because the song is good or because it makes me think of Tony Soprano? Idk. But I dig it.
I enjoyed listening to this and despite never listening to Blur before, I could instantly clock the britpop/90s indie vibes. Songs had some good variety and will probably listen again.