A good album, but not a great one. 3 out of 5 at best. Highlights: `Papa Was A Rollin' Stone` ; `I Ain't Got Nothin'` ; `Do Your Thing` ; the interlude section of `Mother Nature`. Skippable: `Love Woke Me Up This Morning` ; `The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face` 1. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On - 3:06 I dislike the mixing decision of having such a wide stereo image and a lot of hard panning in such a way it “feels” like there is a lot of channel decorrelation, similar to the effect of listening to out-of-phase speakers. I liked the electric guitar tones and the shredding spitting fire on the distant background, along the brass section. To be honest it was kinda hard to pay attention to the song itself, I’d say this wasn’t a remarkable way of starting the album, had to give it another listen to be able to provide more review and I think there’s way too much going on specially towards the end of the song. could be better. 2. Run Charlie Run - 3:00 quite dynamic and groovy, interesting concept and good delivery. I probably liked it more right off the bat due to the great relief from listening to the “weird phasing mix” of the first track, so maybe I’m rating a little better than I would otherwise, but who knows, maybe I’d have to revisit the record in the future to say for sure. 3. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - 11:44 great mixing! very nice intro, super nice arrangements, loved this track. a lot of textures and cool sounds, specially the ambient brass section contrasting over the delicate distant strings. loved the groovy nature of the band, a lot of call & response and stereo interest built with many layers of instruments carefully organized. interesting concept for the lyrics, very creative instrumental, I'd say this is the best song of the album. 4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning - 2:21 wide mixing has proven a frequent choice made in this record, and at this point I already embraced the aesthetic. great bass tone, big strings and nice piano. The drums + piano panned all the way to the left definitely distracted me and maybe I’d say bothered me right away. At least there is enough going on to keep the interest going, but it also made the song sounds like too much and I kinda wanted to move on after a little while. 5. I Ain't Got Nothin' - 3:33 I’ve been talking about mix and stereo image a lot, so here’s a new fresh thing that got my attention instantly on this one: the stereo image begins much more closed and as soon as the guitar and vocals come in it explodes sideways and the strings flip sides (actually what happens is that the cellos are panned left and higher strings panned right and they seldomly overlap) giving the track a back-and-forth motion that kinda makes you float amidst the whole arrangement. Very very nice bass tone, keys are sitting nicely without overpowering anything but also not so far back, vocal clarity is superb. lyrics are quite mopey but I guess this was the right moment in the record to do so. 6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - 4:10 hated the vocals, it feels kinda disconnected from the song, the delivery didn’t convince me and the tune is kinda too loose for my taste (can’t help but feel like it’s out of tune, even if just a bit). I don’t mind a slow song, but this one sounded kinda boring overall, probably the first bass line that disappointed me in the record. I don’t dig the tone on this one, probably because of the “reverse power-chords” (4ths) ringing in a weird way during several moments. not very creative lyrics. Overall this one sounds quite repetitive and I just wanted it to finish so I could move on to the next. 7. Mother Nature - 3:08 awesome brass returns, contrasting nicely with strings that definitely were the stars of this one. nice touch of percussion (floor toms?) at specific moments of the arrangement. nice bass line. weird lyrics, maybe I just don’t get it, but I was so focused on the instrumental that I kinda took the vocals as just the melody, not minding what the words really were. That being said, the vocal performance was great anyway, specially after the previous track. I gotta highlight the short interlude that happens at 1:42 up until 2:03, definitely the peak moment of the track. 8. Do Your Thing - 3:31 cool intro, friggin’ cool bass line, awesomely sounding piano (specially the low note hits followed by those high-voiced descending/arpeggiated chords. really like the reverb on this one. I’d guess drums panned to the right would bother me right from the start, but I was so entertained with the arrangement that it took me a while to notice. The percussion thing (vibraslap? I don’t know the name for sure) quickly became annoying though, forgiven by the fact that it sits nicely in the mix contrasting with the other elements. Very groovy and one of the highlights of the record.

Super solid live album, even more considering the (mostly) acoustic format - yeah, there are some guitar pedals and whatnot, but hey, wait… I can’t complain! Since I can’t use decimals I’ll round up, from 4.5 to 5, and I don’t care if anyone disagrees, much like they wouldn’t either. Highlights: `About A Girl`, `Dumb`, `Pennyroyal Tea`, `Something in The Way`, `Where Did You Sleep Last Night` Skippable: `Oh me` 1. About A Girl - Live - 3:38 very cool to see it included in the set, even more as the gig opener. I really like the vocal performance on this one. 2. Come As You Are - Live - 4:13 I never really liked this song much, it’s ok but overhyped imo. I kinda like the small imperfections of this live performance though, somehow it makes it more real/true to me. 3. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam - Live - 4:37 I totally forgot this song existed/was played and even more that there’s an accordion being played (by Krist if I can trust my memory). the cello adds a bit of texture to the mix, although a bit distant in the mix. 4. The Man Who Sold The World - Live - 4:21 Gotta say I’m young enough to have heard this version before the original by Bowie, but I can’t ever say it’s better than the original. still a great rendition and even the mistakes add up to its raw nature, which is what make this whole performance remarkable to me. 5. Pennyroyal Tea - Live - 3:40 simultaneously haunting and provoking. not to repeat the same argument over and over again, but the raw, completely stripped down version of this song makes it much more powerful. the poignancy of those voice cracks really reveals that, even being the only one playing a song on the stage, at its very center there is only emptiness. 6. Dumb - Live - 2:52 really enjoy the dynamics on this one. cool bass tone, but the highlight on this one for me is definitely the cello, dramatic and intriguing. great song and great performance. 7. Polly - Live - 3:16 an iconic song with very disturbing lyrics that were intentionally vivid to point out this hideous horridness which is unfortunately a frequent issue all around the world. the fact that they played this song after “Dumb” weakens it though, mostly due to the similar riff/chord progression and thus musical repetitiveness. the track itself sounds good, but I think it would have been better if it was somewhere else in the setlist. 8. On A Plain - Live - 3:44 it is now time to make it unclear, what the hell am I trying to say? seriously though, cool riffs and vocals, but surely gotta say the bass line on this one was what grabbed my attention this time 9. Something In The Way - Live - 4:01 great version of an epic song, what else can be said? well, I’ll just highlight the cello again bc why not? 10. Plateau - Live - 3:38 It’s a bit off, but my music taste is often target as quite strange, so no surprise that I enjoy this one as well. realize now that I’ve never heard the original song before, gonna check it out after I finish listening this album for the second time since I begin writing this review. 11. Oh Me - Live - 3:26 this one might be the one I care the least about of the set. nothing wrong but also wouldn’t highlight it among the rest of the setlist. yet another song to check out the original version afterwards. 12. Lake Of Fire - Live - 2:55 really like the riff and the vibe. what impresses the most about the vocals on this song is that its key is clearly too high for Kurt to sing comfortably, but he manages to deliver it in a way that sound very fitting for the gig format and musical context. at this point I realize I will have to listen to the whole Meat Puppet’s album and probably get familiar with their discography. 13. All Apologies - Live - 4:23 oh yeah, I love the cello! and the vocal harmonies sound pretty cool as well. the drums on the original version sound huge and powerful, and I kinda miss that energy when I listen to this version, and maybe a bit of the chaotic distorted sounds that make the original so unique. the clear take on this one showcases a different perspective though, so instead of questioning it I guess I’ll just be glad for being able to listen to both. 14. Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Live - 5:06 the western vibe on this one is super cool, but what makes this track special for me is the harsh vocals on the last 2 minutes of the song, very aggressive, razor-sharp and intense vocals delivering a remarkable finale for a live performance that will be talked about for many years to come.

A finely crafted album! Some of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, but also a few that are just good. Always hard for me to commit to the whole numbers on these ratings. Tbh, I wanted to rate the album with 3.8 stars, considering the entire thing. However since there are some real gems on this one let’s do a full 4 out of 5. To be fair, some of these songs alone would rate above 5, if that makes any sense. Highlights: `Dreams` , `Go Your Own Way` , `The Chain` , `Oh Daddy` , `Gold Dust Woman` Skippable: `Songbird` 1. Second Hand News - 2:56 starting off the record with a really cool vibe, the percussive plucking right in your face is super interesting, contrasting with the hard panned guitars, backing vocals and super wide drums, giving the lead vocals a lot of movement and making the song super fun to listen to. the layering was masterfully done, the production is on point, the lyrics are very good and I think the only thing I don’t like on the entire arrangement is the “bam bamm bammbca baam bammm bam”, but that could be just me. 2. Dreams - 4:17 fat bass tone, swinging keys, dynamic swelling guitars, shiny acoustic guitar, balanced mix, wide backing vocals. delightful and easy to listen. This song makes me think that Dawes actually took a lot of inspiration to their sound from Fleetwood Mac. 3. Never Going Back Again - 2:14 acoustic guitars are a bit too loud to my taste, but I get that this was intentional. the issue for me is that the vocals are frequently overpowered by the guitars (except for when they decrease in dynamic). short song with just a few lines of lyrics, but well delivered nonetheless. I feel like the backing vocal swells could have appeared a bit more often, and after their first I was left longing for more. maybe that’s the idea, I mean, of never going back again 4. Don't Stop - 3:13 Over the years I’ve grown used to complex chord progressions and odd time signatures, a lot of variation and all things prog/jazz/fusion, and because of that i get really bored with repetitiveness or lack of variation. But at the same time there’s a part of me that still enjoys a when a song is so solid that it does exactly what it should, no more, no less. It’s not so frequent that a band manages to do just that, and get away with the beauty of a well made simple thing. This is a great example of that, and after 3 minutes of a galloping groove with steady beat and synced bass line you end up surprised the song ended, never growing tired of it. That being said, the drums sound great, excellent mix, crystal clear vocals with uplifting melodies, really nice sounding piano and guitars (specially the super rad guitar solo, that does just what the song needed). To me, it could be only be improved by enhancing the dynamic contour, leaving a bit more room to grow on that last chorus, right before the tag. 5. Go Your Own Way - 3:43 another great song with great mixing, amazing bass line, well balanced guitar tones (each of them painting just the necessary colors to make the whole picture cohesive and never overwhelming in any way). the organ on the chorus could be slightly louder, just to cut a bit more through the mix, not getting so shadowed by the guitars, apart from that everything is spot on for my taste. I love the drum sound on this. I think the percussion shaker is a bit too loud, and kinda distracting. lead guitars are pure fire on this, i’d love to geek out on what gear was used for these tones. 6. Songbird - 3:20 a lot of albums have this track that serves a similar purpose as a short break in the middle of a concert, like stopping to take a breather in the mid of hike or something like that, taking a slow pace and aiming somewhere different, or at least to provide some contrast through an alternative perspective. while I’m totally fine with this formula, i don’t think it worked for this song, as it is overly sentimental, too sugary and sappy. sure, the piano and mellow vocals sound pretty and all, but make not mistake, this is no Carpenters. 7. The Chain - 4:29 I love this song, I don’t think I have anything bad to say about it. solid arrangement, very immersive and incredibly interesting. It’s so dynamic that it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, with sublime build-ups that let you float just long enough before grabbing you back by the collar and dragging you through it all once more. You are left anxiously longing for closure but the song delays it until the very end, never actually giving it to you clearly, fading out to uncertainty and leaving you mesmerized instead. the climax is superb and might be just the cherry on top. give me chills every time — one of my favorite tracks by them for sure. 8. You Make Loving Fun - 3:33 groovy, funky, snappy, the kind of song that forces you to move, even if just by nodding your head to the rhythm or tapping your foot. the backing vocal swells finally returned, paired with face-melting guitar leads. the keys and rhythm guitars are super warm, the midrange on the bass guitar is velvety and suits the tonal quality of the track just perfectly. the drums are a bit minimalistic, but they do serve the song just as it requires. finally I can say I am satisfied with the percussion, not being too loud nor too silent. the vocals sound great but I feel like the statement that “you make loving fun” is not reflected by the way the lyrics are sung, at least in my opinion, almost as if there was a bit of hesitation on the tone. the backing vocals for instance sound a lot more amused in comparison. 9. I Don't Want to Know - 3:16 the constant, never changing, incessant snare on 2 and 4 on this one makes it a bit repetitive for me, and what’s weird is that the guitars are super groovy, with syncopated accents and a very interesting stereo image that makes the rhythm almost an illusion that revolves around you and put you face to face with the catchy melodies sung by the vocals, in perfect synchrony. percussion once again as loud or louder than the drums, in general, if it wasn’t for the guitar solo it would be very distracting. the bass sits nicely on this one and the track would be a lot better in my opinion if the drums were a bit more creative than what was played here. 10. Oh Daddy - 3:56 love the minimalistic intro, and when that low note on that piano is thunderously smashed at the very center you instantly get the dark vibe that’s about to hit you, and no amount of guitar layers, pretty harmonics, counter-melodies, harmonies or backing vocals will ever let your attention wander, like a dim light in the very center of a dark road—but during a freaking storm. in this analogy, the drums are the road, the bass the curves, the vocal is the light, and everything else is rain, wind, and darkness. the tempestuous nature of this song makes me feel like the lyrics might reflect the turbulent relationships between the band members, as the many conflicts they endured are no secret. 11. Gold Dust Woman - 4:55 truly impressive instrumentation. yet another production masterfully executed, with impeccable mix and remarkable arrangement. vocals deliver a such a great performance that you’re left completely amazed. what a journey. I love when a record manages to start off just right and then at the very end delivers a knockout blow that takes you to another dimension. I don’t think they could have chosen a better way to end this album. there are so many layers and so much stuff going on, and yet everything is incredibly clear and well balanced. you can’t help but feel surrounded by all of these sounds, like standing in the eye of a hurricane.

Ha! Once again another 1977 album, but this time… damn, I wouldn’t imagine I would ever get this disappointed with a release from that decade, seriously. I will give my 2 cents but in summary I mostly hated it. I don’t think I should rate this one as more than 1.5/5, but I since the the mix wasn’t bad and the instrumental is fairly ok (and mostly because I can only do whole starts for the rating here) I will give it 2 out of 5, reluctantly. Highlights (sort of): the main riff of `Marquee Moon`, even though I quickly grew tired of it once the song started repeating itself pretty early on (within the first couple of minutes, and the song is over 10 minutes long!). I also liked the instrumental section between 8:42 and 9:12. the “intention” of the track `Friction`, the vibe of the track `Torn Curtain`. Skippable: pretty much the entire album tbh The biggest complaint is with the vocals. Never heard of the band before and honestly might never hear again. 1. See No Evil - 3:52 song starts, I start feeling the vibe during the first 15 seconds and then the vocals come in, and holy crap, it totally ruined it for me. I tried keeping it together and let it play, waiting until things make some kind of sense again, but then some minutes later the album was over and I couldn’t stand any more of these vocals and desperately went to play anything else instead of giving Spotify the chance to randomly play anything else by them. oh, I forgot to talk about the song… yeah, unremarkable 2. Venus - 3:49 chord progression is better than the previous song, and the raw vintage drum sound matches nicely those guitar lines. bass sounds good and could be a bit louder. hated the vocals. also quite repetitive 3. Friction - 4:43 I recorded a few indie bands that write riffs like this one in particular, and I totally get the “DIY” nature and glimpse into what the band’s approach to making music looks like. that being said, I remember thinking about “trying not to be too harsh on the review” from this point forward (but spoiler alert: the empathy wears off after a few more tracks). So far, these are the “least bad” vocals of the album, but I had no hopes it would be any different from the previous tracks. 4. Marquee Moon - 10:38 I liked the push/pull motion of the riff, but only after the drums started playing and I realized I my counting was on the offbeat and the riff is actually syncopated. this is by far the most creative thing on the entire album and probably the only reason I decided to round the rating up instead of down. like I mentioned before on the highlights section, I grew tired of the repetitiveness and had to withstand several more minutes of this song. the only reward was the short interlude excerpt from 8:42 and 9:12, which was really cool. the improvised solo before it has a chaotic nature and it reminds a bit of the cool effect of “not-ocidental” music genres breaking barriers and influencing ocidental music in general. hated the vocals. 5. Elevation - 5:05 super repetitive riff and and I got tired of the chord progression rather quickly. I liked the lead guitar fills between the sections (specifically into pre-chorusses and also the stuff before and after the chorus). the vocals aren’t so terrible on this one, but I still don’t like this style. I get the idea, i just don’t like this kind of singing, thus my incessant complains regarding this topic throughout the whole record. 6. Guiding Light - 5:32 at around this point I remember feeling like I was already too numb to clearly make any judgement on what was going on, and I was kinda counting how long until the album finally ended. this one probably beats the opener on the unremarkable category. I must say the outro was the best part, it felt good to think it was almost over. 7. Prove It - 5:00 the band plays a look with rests and groovier riffs, more movement going on. the drum sound caught my attention once more and I compliment the recording and mixing of the drums on the record, because despite all the points made, the drums are very consistent and match the style very properly, if not to say they elevate the whole thing. the section between 2:45 and 3:16 was the best part of this track and I think the performance imperfections are what makes it work for me. hated the vocals, but I was much more used to it at this point that most of the album had already played. 8. Torn Curtain - 6:56 cool idea for the intro, another showcase to highlight how the drum sounds match the style perfectly. the riff idea for this one sounded fresh in comparison to rest of the album. the dramatic vibe was cool and is what makes the track work for me. I like the strange chords at the end and shifting melodies that seem to indicate key changes that doesn’t really happen. I head piano on some other track, but only on this one it was memorable enough for me to point it out. outro seemed too long, but it could be me anxiously waiting for the end so I could play anything else (preferably with good vocals).

In Rainbows (2007) - Radiohead Suffice to say that there was not a single drop of doubt that I would give this album the best rating. I would rate even higher if I could. I call the legendary “5 out of 7 perfect score” https://imgur.com/a/when-you-become-smart-trolls-personal-enemy-Gjcb5 Highlights: hard to choose, I love the entire album. Let’s say Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Faust Arp, Reckoner, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Videotape Skippable: none, this album is pure gold. 1. 15 Step - 3:57 first of all, I love the beat in 5, it feels so natural that I would bet most listeners don’t even notice it. the mix is perfect, the effects, the ambience, the quality and precision of the stero image. vocals are super clear and consistent, the fxs are awesome, this song is epic, great stuff. 2. Bodysnatchers - 4:02 i love playing this riff, it is as fun to play as it is listening to, and this is a word that captures the energy here. this is a fun song, intense and energetic. the guitar riffs slightly out of sync, but perfectly alternating in a syncopated manner are very charming and give the song a lot of movement. the density of this track is absurd, there is so much going on, I can’t quite explain how it works so well, but it does and that’s why I can’t give enough compliments to the arrangement and mix of this track. 3. Nude - 4:15 an elegant track with very nice moving textures and alternating minor/major harmony. vocals are soothing and delicate in comparison to the prior tracks, which were very agitated, and this sets a motion towards new territory. we approach an entirely new perspective in the storytelling and this is not only exciting but also an interesting development. 4. Weird Fishes / Arpeggi - 5:18 then we arrive on this timeless classic, dare I say. the steady beat is challenged with a persistent ostinato of guitar arpeggios and softly fingerpicking-like harmonies in layers of nice lush and wide ambient tones. drums give it a rest while the vocals are sailoring gracefully over this ocean of sparkling arpeggi, only to suddenly recover the motion after a dramatic break, giving the song a new vibe and pace, even thoughthe rhythmic formula is pretty much the same. now we have some deep sounding bass melodies giving eerie vibes with some sort of underlick, accompanied by synth pads and loads of ambience. amazing song. 5. All I Need - 3:48 great fuzzy synth bass sound, love the texture and the contrast with higher synths and production effects. the melodies are awesome, the instrumentation is on point, the vocals are super consistent and deliver exactly what the song needs, no more no less. the build up is amazing and epic, dramatic and intriguing. great songwriting, production and mixing. this is all I need to say. 6. Faust Arp - 2:09 the free/broken-rhythm nature of the vocal lines is something I really appreciate on this track, and the amazing orchestration and balanced mix just help make the point of how amazingly well this was written. such a great display of good songwriting. i love the strings and how well the acoustic guitars complement the arrangement. reminds me of nick drake. 7. Reckoner - 4:50 very melancholy track with cool vocal harmonies and motifs. this one opens with a super wide and really greating sounding drums, soon to be accompanied by a mellow and warm guitar riff that feels new and familiar at the same time. when the piano starst playing, the song gains a lot of depth and suddenly grows more powerful. the weird percussion elements add to the vast/diverse texture showroom and suddenly with are provided a break from all this to contemplate the emotionally charged vocals under the spotlight, with the rhythm following along, but soon to be greeted with this sublime ans brilliant string orchestration, that soon leaves you desperately forlorn and wistful, but soon return with the wide beats. after this beautiful sonic reconciliation we are rewarded with a final moment of beauty with a fresh chord progression that slowly fades away, in a - for a lack of a better word should I say - “hopeful” manner. 8. House Of Cards - 5:28 minimalistic intro riff that slowly develops with several layers of instrumentation that keep building up one by one, and slowly incrementing this house of cards. the song feels so sparse and wide that it almost feels like there’s no strong winds to challenge it. actually, I can’t help but feel like the whole arrangement is floating in outer space. forget about your house of cards, fall off the table and get swept under. great mixing and production. 9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place - 4:08 this song has a strange power to keep me super locked in as it goes, almost as if I become a little piece of a puzzle, that slowly falls into place, but unsure about the whole picture all along the way. I love the drums, bass, synths, acoustic guitar riffs, the whole isntrumentation. the vocal delivery is superb. the eerie backing vocals locked in with the lead synths are super cool. outstanding track. 10. Videotape - 4:39 I have always loved this song. I think it was one of the first radiohead songs I’ve heard and the rhythmical illusion thing is something that always intrigued me and drove me into looking deeper and deeper through the many mysteries of music theory, and that has always been something very important in my life. I have listened to this album many times, and this song being the closing track is not only fitting, it is almost a requirement of some sorts. I can’t really explain much of what I think or feel about radiohead, their songs and this album in particular, but I feel deeply comforted by the fact that it was never really the point. the song has a voice for itself, and it sings all the deep feeling and thoughts I can’t managed to put into words, and it resonates to the very core. great ending to a great album.