On The Beach
Neil YoungI would never listen to this album for a dance party or to sing along, but as cruisy background vibes on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it hits the spot perfectly.
I would never listen to this album for a dance party or to sing along, but as cruisy background vibes on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it hits the spot perfectly.
Beautiful. Listening to it in the background I was enjoying the baritone, stripped back Nationals-esque vibes. When I properly sat down and focussed in on the lyrics and the composition, I felt truly moved. Even more so once I'd read the story behind the album.
Loved the gritty, baritone singing, the use of slow and fast/quiet and aggressive dynamics within songs, the storytelling lyrics. I think this will stick in my head the same way Rain Dogs from Tom Waits did as a unique and compelling album to come back to. 4.5 stars.
This project really is teaching me an appreciation for the nuanced types of music I had previously thought of as 'men with guitars'. I disliked very much the last 'men with guitars' album, but this was delightful and melodic group of men with guitars. Big fan of the eponymous tambourines and beautiful harmonies. A strong 3.9.
3.5/5 stars
Some good songs but nothing grabbed me.
Great album, reminded me of Foals a bit.
Great album. These guys really know how to write a catchy chorus. So many times I tuned out the album in the background, as I normally do, and then got pulled back in by a catchy hook.
I would never listen to this album for a dance party or to sing along, but as cruisy background vibes on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it hits the spot perfectly.
Good album. Chill, simple vibes but with some nice little grooves and catchy tunes. For me very reminiscent of Angus & Julia Stone.
What a great groove. Definitely background music for me, but a lovely vibey background music. Was a little hard to un-associate it with elevator music on first listen, but it definitely grew on me.
This is definitely not my kind of music, neither something I would put on to listen to actively, or to have in the background. But as a once off listen, I had no quibbles. It was an easy listen, and the intrumental breaks were pretty.
Some great songs but nothing really caught me.
I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan, by this has always been my favourite album of hers. Smooth poppy tunes, fun choruses and great lyrics to sing along to.
After albums worth of psychedelic rock, alt rock, pop rock and folk rock, it sure is nice to go back and listen to some basic good old fashioned rock, no extra adjectives needed. A delightfully easy listen.
I listened to a decent chunk of this. Perhaps it was formative at its time, but we have such a rich variety of ambient music now that it's hard to appreciate it.
Yesterday I rated a very generic rock album 4/5 because it was such a refreshing surprise after many alt/post/psych/folk rock albums in a row. I would like to officially apologise for and rescind my high rating for such a generic album. RAtM has reminded me what my heart was truly yearning for all along: punchy, metal, fuck you rock anthems that make you want to smash your guitar against the wall and rage against the Man.
The only Tom Waits song I'd heard before was Flowers Grave, so imagine my surprise clicking on this album expecting to hear a sombre, serious melodic tune, only to get hit with the jaunty pirate waltz that is Singapore. Shock aside, I loved this album. It was entirely different and very enjoyable. Looking forward to exploring more Tom Waits music.
This album made me feel so much joy. How can you listen to this and not want to dance and sing along? Will definitely go into my regular rotation of albums to listen to.
Boy this was a tough listen, and the closest I came to stopping an album part way through. Too bleak and despairing for me. Though I can say, I did get a small chuckle out of TV Party.
Exactly the kind of music I love putting on for a long drive home at night. I listened to Brown Paper Bag while cruising on the highway and delighted at every vocal and instrumental twist and turn. Truly masters of the drop.
This was a groovin style, and I loved the main singer's voice. Not something that I'll be playing again though.
This was a fine album. I really like some of the slower/faster paced songs (Disney Girls & Student Demonstration Time respectively) but as a whole it's not really my genre.
I was a bit offput by the vocals at the start, but I decided if I could learn to like Neil Young's voice, I could learn to like this one. Sure enough, by the Ballad of Lucy Jordan I was really feeling the vibe, and by Working Class Hero I was singing along. On a re-listen, I am definitely feeling the groove and now having read the story behind the album it's a totally different experience. I can't rate it higher than a 3.5 because it's really not my type of music, but it's certainly compelling.
I resented having to waste my time listening to this. Boring and uninspired.
A nice album, but not one I would listen to again or am going to remember in a week.
Nothing about this album captured my interest or held my attention.
I'm sorry Red Hot Chili Peppers. This album has such a great, unique funk rock flair to it, but to my ears it sounds so dated and cliche! Purely a function of me associating it with my younger, cringe years I think. 3.5 stars.
This was delightful. Smooth, melodic, music to my ears. Perhaps I wouldn't dance along, but I'd certainly gentle sway. 3.8/5.
One of the things I love about this project is trying to understand why I like the music I do. What things are universally good, and what things are subjectively good just to me? I still can't quite work it out. Why did I enjoy this album more than the other alt-rock albums I've had to listen to? Is it slightly more crisp? Is the singing slightly more melodic? Did it just feel a bit less whiny? I don't know, but I'm enjoying the process of working it out. 3.5/5 stars.
Beautiful. Listening to it in the background I was enjoying the baritone, stripped back Nationals-esque vibes. When I properly sat down and focussed in on the lyrics and the composition, I felt truly moved. Even more so once I'd read the story behind the album.
Unfortunately, I didn't half mind this album. Some of the lyrics grated on me a little, but the music was much more memorable than I thought it would be. 3.3 stars.
Delightful background music for the Sunday night blues. Will be keeping this in rotation for the nights I just need a low level ambient mood to filter through the house. 3.6 stars.
Loved the gritty, baritone singing, the use of slow and fast/quiet and aggressive dynamics within songs, the storytelling lyrics. I think this will stick in my head the same way Rain Dogs from Tom Waits did as a unique and compelling album to come back to. 4.5 stars.
Won't lie, I thought I was going to hate this from the cover. But it was actually good fun! The songs felt a little same-y is my only complaint.
Having only heard falsetto disco era Bee Gees before, I was surprised by the melodic lead vocals on this one. I thought many of the songs were quite beautiful and well written, but I wasn't entirely sure if I felt much real warmth behind the singing. A confusing one for me - I will say 3.5 stars, but I'm rating as a four because I want to come back and relisten to consider more.
Yeaaaaaaah the girls. 3.5 stars.
I wanted to like this so much, because it felt and sounded so original, but I really couldn't get into the singing style. It's a 2.8 stars for me, but I feel bad about it.
Some absolute hits, but I found myself skipping some songs and wasn't interested in listening to it again. A solid 3.
A good reminder of why I don't like jazz. Music that can't get to the damn point.
Mmmm, smooth.
The whingy lyrics? Negative 1 star. The boppy vibes? 5 stars. So landing on a solid 3.5 stars for me.
Very interesting. It felt like I was listening to a musical, but with far more dissonance.
I quite enjoyed this. An uncommon mix of smooth enough to listen to in the background while I worked, but upbeat enough to groove to in the car on the way home. I also do love a Latin groove. Close to a 4, but I'll settle for a strong 3.9.
Loved this. The style isn't new to me, but so interesting to be listening and learning at the same time, and understanding it through a music theory lense. Very cool to think about how and why music has developed differently in different cultures, what is constant and what is the same. Also just banger music.
I didn't like the last red hot chilli peppers album, and I thought maybe it was just not my album. Now I realise - it's just not my band. A shame because they have some great hits.
Sorry boys, but I simply did not enjoy this. It felt very same same to other, better music I had heard. A+ band name tho.
This project really is teaching me an appreciation for the nuanced types of music I had previously thought of as 'men with guitars'. I disliked very much the last 'men with guitars' album, but this was delightful and melodic group of men with guitars. Big fan of the eponymous tambourines and beautiful harmonies. A strong 3.9.
I have discovered a new genre I do not like, which is this psychedelic/funk/soul combo. It doesn't surprise me that this is influenced by Slh and the Family Stone, which is another album I didn't particularly enjoy. I can hear that it's good music, it just isn't music for me.
I really couldn't get a read on this album, but I will say there were many moments where I was hooked into a song with a catchy moment. Supergirl was a particular favourite. A curious 3.5, definitely one that's up for a re-listen.
To quote another reviewer, 5/5 album but 0/5 human being. Fuck the nazi bullshit.
You know, everything was there for me to like this album. Gravelly voice, New Orleans vibe, unique subject matter. And yet it feels kind of... inauthentic to me? I feel a little like someone is trying to bedazzle me with a fakery they don't really believe in. I can definitely appreciate why it's on this list, the music is fantastic. Just not one that hit home to me.
Eh. I don't know, I just wasn't a fan. The vocal style is not sure me I think.
Mostly, deliberately listening to these albums without context makes for a great experience. I come in fresh, with no expectations, and can hear the music with no external noise clouding my opinion. Going and reading the Wikipedia article afterwards is just the delicious icing on the cake - I don't need it to appreciate the artistry, but it adds something unique to the overall flavour. Listening to this album without context however, was ghastly. What is it? A children's album? A gospel album? Why am I listening to 80s music that was made in the early 2000s? What's with the lyrics? Is this some kind of cult I'm not aware of? Once I had context, it made more sense, but it didn't make it any more enjoyable.
Yes good. Not sure how I missed this one as it was solidly within my generation of music. I liked the unique sound, and the vocals reminded me of America. 3.9 stars and will be on the re-listen list.
I think I liked this. It didn't hit me immediately, but I listened to it a couple of times, and then went back to listen to it again tonight. 3.9, maybe moving up to a 4 with more listening?
I was a bit bored by how each song seemed to continue exactly the same way it started. But I suppose that's a ballad, isn't it? Repeating melody and beat to emphasise the sung story. Weirdly reminds me of Johnny Cash in that sense. But I think the stories were not interesting enough to warrant such repetitive songs.
This was pretty enjoyable. The singing felt very Gerard Way at times (a positive for sure). Doubt I'll listen to it again tho.
The first song was an absolute jam, the rest were pretty same same to me, although I really liked the energy. A solid 3.5.
What a bop. The strings! The horns! The groove! The harmonies! Here for it. And of course, who can go pas the classic Come On Eileen.
I'm sure this is great but unfortunately this genre of music sends me to sleep.
As a kid, I used to roll my eyes every time Dad would put on this album. Us siblings would all join in complaining about Neil's wobbly whiny voice. But I'll be damned, I think my Dad was on to something. Just a great collection of moving, lyrical songs. Southern Man is such a tune.
Have no doubt it was revolutionary in its time, but all I could picture was Whose Line Is It Anyway music improv episodes.
I really enjoy a lot of music in this sampling genre. The classic Frontier Psychiatrist comes to mind, as well as more online artists like Pogo. I am giving this one a pre-emptive and possibly premature four. I enjoyed quite a few songs and I think with more relistening it will grow in me the way other sampling music often does.
I quite enjoyed the last Radiohead album on this list, but this one felt quite listless and the nasal high singing really irritated me.
What an incredible voice, and what powerful songs.
Really enjoyed the rock jazz fusion. Some of the instrumental bits went on a bit too long, but that's just me and my antipathy towards jazz. Will be relistening.
Apologies to the Queen, but like another album we listened to a few days ago, this just sounds outdated to me.
I listened to this whole album....I think? Hard to tell when each song sounds the same as the last. No surprises to me that this is a jazz album, my nemesis genre.
The main thing I thought while listening to this album was 'gee this singer sounds a bit like Midnight Oil' and 'man I'm really looking forward to when Midnight Oil turn up on this project'. So, I guess that's a positive?
I was always going to love this album because it has the greatest feel good hit of all time - Mr Blue Sky. But actually this album is full of great hits - Night in the City and Turn to Stone were particular favourites.