Another great album. Listened through this a few a times a couple of years ago. Three tracks (Inspitation Information, Aht Uh Me Hed, Strawberry Letter 23) on the album remained in constant rotation for most of the year afterwards. I Remember this as being psychedelic and colourful while remaining grounded. Look forward to a revisit. Inspiration Information Extremely cool and funky. Great bass playing. The switchup for the chorus is delightful. I really like the back and forth between the sharper and smoother vocals. The guitar adds great rhythm. Great summer song. Underrated guitar solo. I do think the song is mixed really well. Fantastic. 5/5 Island Letter Deep and crunchy bass. Soothing psychedelia. Colourful and bright. The vocals never overshadow the instrumentation. Final instrumental part spanning the final 2 minutes of the song lifts it to a level above. All the instruments sound great individually as well as in tandem. Fantastic. 5/5 Sparkle City Great buildup into the instrumental. Amazing bass tone. Solid rhythm. Rich and powerful, takes its time. Lyrics paint a detailed picture of a late night cityscape. Great use of brass instruments. His voice isn't mindblowing, but I still think it works well for the style of music. The bass is just stunning. 5/5 Aht Uh Me Hed A moodier track. Instrumentally super catchy. Rhythm is great. The additional instrumentation is lush and beautiful. The switchup is super catchy. The keyboard line is just so catchy. Psychedellic. Scratches that itch perfectly. Amazing. 5/5. Happy House Tight. Sounds effortless. The keys are magical. Lushly produced. It being too short is my only complaint. 4.5/5 Rainy Day Jazzy. Very fitting name, sounds like a rainy day. Incredibly soulful guitar. A little psychedelic disruption adds an extra element to the song. Great. 4.5/5 XL-30 An early use of electronics. It's an interesting experiment. I enjoy the background licks and keyboard lines. Sounds a bit dated. Found it interesting. 4/5 Pling! The effect on the keys give it an almost ambient feel. While the drum-machine's mechanical rhythm give the ears something to catch onto. And while subtle the bass sound is the real star. Calming, meditative. An ocean of sound. The subtle saxophone adds a lot with just a few notes. Ahead of its time. 5/5 Not Available Back at it with a combination of a fantastically catchy duo of bass and guitar. Interesting structure. The addition of disco elements make for an interesting closer. Solid ending. 4.5/5 Bonus tracks. All of them are exerpts from Shuggie's previous album 'Freedom Flight' which is also a great listening experience in its own right. I'll rank them below, though their rating won't affect the album's final rating, even if I'm pretty sure it won't matter much. Strawberry Letter 23. Classic. While the cover is probably more well known I still maintain this as the superior track. I think it's produced immaculately, and extremely catchy. Fantastic verse structure. Lush and soulful chorus. Explodes into great psychedelia, with an almost hypnotic instrumental passage. Fantastic. 5/5 Sweet Thang Just effortlessly cool. Bold, psychedelic weird. All the instruments are doing something interesting at any time. The additon of the vocals ground the chaos. Experimental in a way. Well performed. Evokes a warm summer evening. Fantastic. 5/5 Ice Cold Day Dream Fun tempo. Marvelous bass performance. The organ is also a highlight. The vocals on the chorus are a bit weak. The panning effect sounds a bit dated, but in a charming way. I think it's structured well around the guitar. Great. 4/5 Freedom Flight Soulful, I enjoy the sparseness it starts of with. Slowly adding new sounds and building on the what I can only imagine is a mostly improvised guitar track. The psychedellic jazz elements create a vivid sonic landscape further enhanced by how the track is mixed. I find the way it grows and builds upon itself very stimulating. The bass towards the end is just enchanting. The length does not bother me one bit. Fantastic track. 5/5 Hilariously underrated artist. There's just so much talent there. From the songwriting to the mastery of several instruments, to the use of electronics. Absolutely fantastic record with loads of highlights throughout. I think everything here works to create an approachable but deep and stimulating record full of colour and life. Really close to being a perfect record for me. Will remain in my rotation for a while. Just a pure vibe through and through. Fave track. Aht Uh Me Hed Least fave track. XL-30

This one is hard for me to rate as I've heard songs from this album played over my parents speakers for most of my early life. Jeff's voice, and the general sound of this album has always had a special place in my heart. I'll try to do individual song ratings, but I can't promise I'll always be able to provide suitable commentary. Mojo Pin Angelic. Brilliant piece of songwriting on all fronts. Doesn't get much more emotionally evocative as this. Powerful and beautiful. One of the greatest ever. 5/5 Grace Transcendant and large. Instrumentally deep with an amazing vocal performance on top of it. Love how powerful the drums sound and how crisp the guitar is. Gets stuck in my head really easilly. Fantastic. 5/5 Last Goodbye That bass is a pretty great foundation for the instrumental. The sound of this track is lighter and less condensed than the previous two songs which makes for a pretty nice palatte cleanser. The song closes itself out tremendously well, the final minute really elevating the song. Great. 4.5/5 Lilac Wine A pretty little song that really makes a highlight of his voice. Delivered beautifully. Great cover. Good. 4/5 So Real A great piece of alternative rock with a soild instrumental which gets surprisingly heavy at times. Has a great, simple chorus, performed to perfection. Great. 4.5/5 Hallelujah The definite cover version of this song for me. Does plenty of justice to the original while being unique and in an entirely different style. Doesn't replace it, but exists in a different space where it can be enjoyed for what it is. Beautifully composed and performed. Fantastic. 5/5 Lover You Should've Come Over One of the best love songs ever. Yes it's a bit cheesy, but come on. 5/5 Corpus Christi Carol Beautiful rendition. His falsetto is haunting and ethereal. Simple and effective, especially following the explosive finale to the previous song. Great. 4.5/5 Eternal Life Following up the previous song with the a decently heavy electric guitar riff. It's an alright alternative rock track, but it really doesn't have the same songwriting quality as previous tracks. The instrumental meanders a bit and the vocals are lacking in interesting melodies to really make it stand out. Is a bit too long for its own good. The performances are still stellar however. Weakest track on the album for me. Decent. 3.5/5 Dream Brother Has some psychedellic elements in the instrumental, creating a cloudy, dreamy atmosphere. Adds to the diversity of the album while being an interesting experience of its own. The lyrics have some feel mystical and strange at times, and he does a lot with his performance to enhance their effect. Great 4.5/5 Forget Her The vocal melody on the chorus is really good. Has some bluesy elements, feels really cold and broken. A really bitter sounding performance. Love the drums and the keyboard, adds nice texture. Also really like the bass. Amazing closer. 5/5 This is a fantastic record through and through. Everything falls into place for a varied and quality-wise consistent piece with fantastic vocal performances and an instrumental which really knows what its doing. Powerful and emotional, really pushing the limits of what this type of music can be. 5/5 Fave track. Mojo Pin Least Fave Track. Eternal Life

I know of one song from this artist (Intro) and nothing else. I generally tend to overlook electronic music of this era, scoring it lower than perhaps it deserves. Hoping this is the 2010s electronic project that finally clicks, if not I hope that there's at least something unique about it. Dangerous Interesting bassline. The vocal layering is pretty cool, the male/female vocals combination with the swapping between lead and backing vocals is a pretty neat idea for this track. Suffers from generic writing. Instrumentally a bit uninspired, the horns are kinda rough. Fine. 3/5 Say Something Loving Opening buildup sounds pretty nice. Slow. Boring writing, by the numbers vocal performances. An absolute snoozefest of a duet. Feels manufactured and forced, evoking zero emotion. Did not like. 2/5 Lips The claps are awful and sound dated. Hate the backing vocals. Same boring writing, different instrumental. The chorus at least has a bit of a kick to it, but otherwise this bores me to sleep. Did not like. 2/5 Violent Noise Has one instrumental part perhaps worth caring about, the rest of the song is slow, repetitive and formulaic. Bland, low energy instrumental with vocals that do nothing for me. Did not like. 2/5 Performance More of the same bland, uninspiring drivel which does absolutely nothing for me. Another piece of disappointingly unintetesting songwriting, and another track which goes absolutely nowhere. Get me out. 2/5 Replica Some long awaited variety in tempo and instrumentation. Has some pretty parts in the post chrous instrumental. Chorus has a decent melody, and is produced really well. The lyrics aren't great. Fine. 3/5 Brave For You At this point I'll be more entertained listening to static or whale noises. Stop it. 1.5/5 On Hold The sample is interesting? Structurally it does something different from the previous few tracks. The bassline is decent. Fine. 3/5 I Dare You It's pleasant enough, goes in one ear and out the other without leaving an impression. Feeling sleepy all of a sudden, cannot for the life figure out why... Average. 2.5/5 Test Me The part in there that has quasi-ambient qualities, where it's pretty calming and nice sounding, more of that please. Genuinely the first and only time throughout this entire record where the track actually resonated with me. Has a bit of repetitiveness and tranquilty as well as a nice little melody to let your brain follow with that synth line. Decent. 3.5/5 I don't want to talk about this further. Forgettable and generic, with boring songwriting, safe and by the numbers instrumentals and vocals that don't produce a single memorable moment. It's pleasant to listen to, and for sure competently produced, but lacks any personality or edge. Goes in one ear and out the other and leaves you with nothing. The only positive thing I can say about this album, is that its acceptable background music if you're feeling tense. Really brings down your energy levels and makes you sleepy. Will not return to. 2.5/5 leaning more towards a 2/5. Fave track. Test Me Least fave track. Brave of You

Never heard of this. Listened to a few of thei most streamed tracks not on this album as preparation and I cannot say I'm too impressed. My expectations lay somewhere in the middle for this one, hope to be pleasantly surprised. In It For The Money Not sure about the production. Sounds kinda compressed. The guitars at the start are pretty cool, has a decent atmosphere. Evolves in a bit of a negative direction for me. Has this very stereotypical Britpop writing style in the chorus, which really comes across as stale and overdone. Average. 2.5/5 Richard III The bass tone is pretty good. The production style really isn't my cup of tea. Has some decent energy in the vocals. Can't say there's much to care about here. Decent outro. Average. 2.5/5 Tonight This sounds horrible. Hate the vocals at times. The horns are awkwardly implemented and sound toneless and overly sharp. Not great. 2/5 Late in the Day Why are the vocals so quiet? Bland guitar. The keys are so much louder than anything else. Boring vocals, lacking any character or depth. Bad. 1.5/5 G-Song Uninspired, boring, bland, uninteresting, monotone, soulless. Skip to 3.27 for the best part. Did not like. 2/5 Sun Hits The Sky Has a sliver of energy of some sort. Draaaaaags. Has the most unecessary instrumental break in history. The synth sounds goofy as all hell over this overblown, overpowering production. Hate how there's not any space anywhere in the mix. Pointless. 1.5/5 Going Out What a garbage vocal effect. That's the only notable thing about this song. The unlikable and whiny vocals somehow got more unlikable and whiny. Formulaic and repetitive. Like being blasted right in the ear with an airhorn. Annoying. 1/5 It's Not Me Actually has some interesting instrumentarion. The guitars ar pretty alright. I'll be generous to the vocals here. Think they work well with the lyrics. Average. 2.5/5 Cheapskate Has an actual groove to it. Simple but effective. The chorus isn't too bad either, has some power to it and feels fairly impactful. Decent. 3.5/5 You Can See Me Another alright instrumental. Has some depth to it with the switchup for the chorus. The instrumental post the second chorus is really fun, shows some great synergy within the band. Fine. 3/5 Hollow Little Reign Lacks some dynamism, feels like it's just repeating itself without really going anywhere. The solos don't cut it for me, they just don't have much impact as they feel sluggish and generic. Average. 2.5/5 Sometimes I Just Make You Sad Those grunts sound awful. Broken carnival ride type instrumental, doesn't help that it overpowers the vocals. Latin guitar is a cool inclusion I guess. Don't like the vocals yet again. Did not like. 2/5 Can't say I liked that very much. Absolutely hate their production style, and I don't care for their songwriting very much. Ends up being a boring, messy piece which generally just melds together into this uniform blob of blandness which rarely manages to either excite or impress. Britpop will never be my cup of tea, genuinely I cannot understand the appeal. Like most of their genre contemporaries they suffer from these aggressively nasally, whiny vocals that somehow are both too loud and too quiet at the same time. I will give them credit for their use of different instruments, their bass generally sounds pretty nice, and their use of horns and keys produce moments where they build upon their sound into something that's almost interesting. But those guitars, they just are so damn overpowering, and so obnoxiously loud at times that the other instruments don't really get a chance to shine. Pair that with many tracks leaving no space in the mix, and the aformentioned issues I had with the vocals you're left with a headache inducing 43 minutes. It's not the worst thing in the world. Generally being inoffensive, with specks of charm scattered throughout it, but in the end its issues become too much for me. 2/5 Fave Track. Cheapskate Least fave track. Going Out

Recording quality a bit distracting. Horns - LOUD! Crowd noises - LOUD! James Brown is James Brown, great singing/charisma Bouncy bass = fun Repetitve instrumental - soothing Stop trying to fuck the crowd it's weird Soul is good, soul feels good Themes of longing/yearning are well executed. Worth a revisit. Fave track: "I Don't Mind" Least fave track: "Try me"

I am familiar with some of Depeche Mode's other projects. Good stuff, but nothing too mindblowing. Excited about this one! Synths SYNTHS! Extremely catchy first track, amazing last minute. 5/5 Little bit janky transition (Spotify) Holy layers! 50 sec ish transcendant synth-line, reminds me of Kraftwerk Mantra-like lyrics fit well with the cold spooky atmosphere of the track. 4.5/5 Janky transition again. Opening sets an eerie atmosphere Fun synth riff. Certain effects seem a bit dated (lasers). The synth drum fills are too much at times. Catchy chorus. Hypnotic ending. 4/5 Great transition. Religious vibes freaky contrast to earlier songs. Unexpected. Some awkwardly written vocal lines. Meh chorus, cool synth breakdown post chorus. Vocals a bit too far back in the mix at times. Interesting perspective. Ends excellently. 3.8/5 I hate gnawing synths here. Jarring to the ears. Is this a serial killer song? Uncomfortable. Cool instrumentation at around 3 minutes. Needs revisiting. 3/5 Bassy! Panflute-like sound? Fun instrumentation. Sounds like falling down a neon staircase. Would be a great driving song. (duh) Weird lyrics but ok. Extemely catchy, dark and almost gothic. Fun track 4.8/5 My ears, stop sucking them. Acapella-like start is truly fucked. I respect the placement in the tracklist for this. Experimental, cold, almost industrial at some points. Outro is large and powerful. The sucking must stop friend. 4/5 Old russian radio is spooky at 4am. Intriguing, gothic, grainy, vocals a bit unclear. Drumline and background synth reminds me a bit of The Cure. Spooky. 3.5/5 Awkward, sudden transition. Bassy. Metallic. The bassline carries this song. The pessimistic/apathetic nature of the lyrics fits with the robotic uniformity of the music. 3.5/5 infinite-staircase-ca-mario64-core.wav Who summoned the end game boss? Ok boss is in phase 2 oh shit Layeeeeers baby. Don't drop those keys... Epic 5/5 Spooky helicopter-bug going crazy Instrumental dark gothic synth is fun! The little guitar riff is a nice addition to that particular part. So dark and electric. Jumpscare! Really atmospheric. I enjoyed this a lot. Fav track: Pimpf Least fav track: Little 15

I am very familiar with Radiohead's discography, having listened to most of their albums. Last time I heard this album was probably around 2020. I remember feeling indifferent about it then. Interested to see what I think about it now. I enjoy the energy of the first track. Solid opener. Fun switchup. 3.8/5 Atmospheric. Builds well on the piano loop. Electronic bass is deep and fuzzy. Great layering. I enjoy the mix. Electronic section is a strong addition. Plays welo with the drums. Fantastic bassline. 4.5/5 Distant sounding instrumentation at the beginning sets the tone of the track. Guitar is well executed. I enjoy how much space there is in the song. Radiohead(tm) vocals. Really enjoyable harmonies. Cold track. Relisten. Tentative 4/5 Not sure if I like or if I hate the panning effect here. Reminds me of Kid A. Noise elements are integrated well. Intriguing instrumental section. Underwater vibes, feels like experiencing pressure at the bottom of a pool. Liked it 4/5 Instrumental contrasts heavily to the last song. Alt rock aucustic guitars, faster tempo, production tries to make it sound big though it ends up feeling a bit empty and almost uninspired. A bit boring 3/5 Opening bassline shows promise. Vocal effects immideately noticable. The bass and synths keep me interested. Vocal melody is very well written. Beautiful background effects. Electric guitar adds grit to an otherwise smooth musical landscape. 4.3/5 Claps and piano combined, usually a personal red flag. Opening vocals come off as a bit jarring. Gorgeous vocal layering. Builds into a chaotic break, interesting. Haunting background vocals. Mixed thoughts, song works, might need repeat listens to fully get. 3.5/5 Static is not pleasant playing loudly through headphones. Sparse underneath the very electronic instrumentation. Cold and technological, the repeating vocals add a nice atmosphere. Enjoyed that overall 4/5 Rythmic. Catches the ear immideately. Exelently crafted vocal melody. Instrumental switchup comes at the perfect time. Builds upon the vocals to create a very fun pattern. Background guitar sounds great. Bass needs a mention too. Best track so far 5/5 Simple and eerie. Strange delivery. Interlude/5 Builds up strongly at the start. Funky instrumentation. Repetitive tendencies, gets a bit boring after a while. Piano too loud in the mix, overpowering at times. Could be a grower but for now 3/5 Tight and loud electronics with slurred drunk sounding vocals. Ugly sounding. Overstimulating. Does however feel like it's done on purpose to drive home the point of the song. Hard to judge on a "first" listen 3/5 Guitar is nice. Passionate delivery. Builds up into beautiful moments. Great execution of a great and relatable concept for a song. 4.5/5 Stressful, lyrically dense. I enjoy the release that comes with the howl at the end. Confusing. 3/5 Fave track: There There Least fave track: Go to Sleep

Notes got deleted. Overall fine album, foundit pretty average. The production of the album proved challenging with my setup. The best songs were the high energy "deep cuts". Favw track: Stare it cold Least fave track: She talks to angels

I've heard this album before. It's great. Intro. Not much to say, establishes themes present througout the whole album. Lost ones. Opens the album with a solid bop. Beat is bouncy, verses are well rapped, and the singing on the chorus is marvelous. Ends in a solid interlude. Production does not take the attention off Lauren Hill's performance. 5/5 Ex-Factor. Soulful. Strong RNB track. Produced excelently. Great layering of vocals. Passionate and oozing confidence. Love the windchimes, and the background vocals. Large and powerful ending. Guitar solo carthartic. 5/5 To Zion. The Latin guitar brought by Carlos Santana immediately sticks out as something fresh and different. Rougher mixing than the previous track. Religous themes well executed. Passionate and epic. The storytelling brought by the interlude is intriguing. 4.8/5 Doo Wop (That Thing). Gets into the action quickly. Great energy. Classic. Great beat. Solid flow on the first verse. Horns contrast well against the instrumentation so far on the album. Iconic chorus. Always a pleasure 5/5 Superstar. Starts a bit weaker than previous tracks Slower, vocal focused track. A bit sparse. Repeats itself a bit too much for my taste. 3.5/5 Final Hour. Flute sample is cool. Fun bars. Rhyme scheme is impressive. Confident. Horns deserve a shoutout for their inclusion, subtle. Singing wraps up the song nicely. 4/5 When it hurts so bad. Bass immediately sticks out for it's deoth and groove. Vocals float over the background music in a really natural way. She does a great job on some really difficult sounding vocal parts. Clear cut and straight forward messaging about opportunity. Well written track front to back. 5/5 I Used to Love Him. A bit sharp on the ears when the opening line enters the track. Fantastic bass. Somber and reflective. Quite beautiful. Great feature. Builds upon itself into a really catchy and infectious tune. Had to instantly replay. 5/5 Forgive them Father. Immediate contrast to the previous track. Catchy. Great beat. Great use of the (horn sample?) Classy and just straight out cool. African american struggles are well communicated in the lyrics. 4/5 Every Ghetto Every City. Funky. Triumphant. Nostalgic, reflective track, mirrored in the funk inspired instrumentation. Fun track about of the good ol' days. Decent enough, probably more significant if you understand the references. 3.8/5 Nothing Really Matters. Smooth. D'Angelo is a gem. Lovely harmonies. Momentous. So so smooth. Minimal instrumentation really gives the song the space it deserves. Sensual and sweet. Amazing 5/5 Everything is Everything. Chaotic. Not sure about the instrumentation. A bit too loud to the point of it being distracting. Well performed. Layering on the chorus is exceptional. Decent. 3.5/5 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Sums up the themes of self-empowerment, faith and building one's own path. Soulful and passionate. Organ and piano plays well off each other. Simple and effective. 4/5 Can't take my eyes off of you (I need you baby). Great cover of a classic track. Interesting to hear this song from the perspective of a woman. Subtler and less bombastic than the original. Makes it her own. 4.2/5 Tell Him. Acustic guitar plays a nice little melody. Passionate. Wraps up the themes of love nicely. Present and aware. Powerful backing vocals. Great closer. 5/5 Absolutely stunning album front to back. Fav track: Impossible to chose Least fav track: Superstar

An album I've been meaning to listeb to for a while. Having listened to Nick Drake's other albums I'm expecting more of the same. Time Will Tell You. Calming, sparse at times a little hypnotic. Flavourful and strong. 4/5 River Man. The strange delivery makes Nick Drake sound like he's from a distant time. The strings are a good addition to the simple instrumentation. Feels like a fairytale soundtrack. 4/5 Three Hours. Opening sounds mysterious. Mysticism vibes continue. Psychedelic in a way. Great track. 4.5/5 Way to blue. Moody land owkey 4/5 Day is done. Lullaby-like. Background violin is beautiful. Guitar plucking makes a nice melody. 5/5 Cello song. Really pleasant guitar melody. Cello is used effectively. Poetic lyrics. Percussion is interesting. 4/5 The thoughts of Mary Jane. The delivery is a bit rougher on this track. Flute playing a contrasting melody. Sounds like a quiet wet summer morning in the garden. 4.2/5 Man in a Shed. The mixing does not sound good in my headphones. Can barely hear the vocals. Jazzy piano and upright bass is umexpected. A bit boring. Let down by the mixing 2.5/5 Fruit Tree. Opens up with what sounds like the start of a campfire song. Great poetry so far. Sad and depressing. Dramatic instrumentation. Liked it 4/5 Saturday Sun. Opening piano sets the tone well. Starts off optimistic, but ends off sad and defeated. Surprisingly jazzy at times. Gloomy. 4.5/5 Really sleep deprived and tired when listening to this. Needs a relisten in a better mood. First impression might be somewhat skewed. Fave track. Day is done Least fave track. Man in a shed

Heard of but never listened to. Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space. Instantly captures my attention. Calm and serene. Elvis interplatation is a wild choice which works wonferfully. Definitely feels like floating in space. Backing vocals are powerful. Meditative and psychedelic. So far right up my alley. Had to immediately replay. 5/5 Come together. Alternative rock angle is a wild shift from the previous track. Bassline slaps. Great energy. The use of the backing vocals carries nicely over from the previous track. The addition of horns is a surprising inclusion which shows up at an interesting time where my interest in the track seems to lull a bit and brings me right in. Ends chaotically. Interesting. 4.5/5 I think I'm in love. Transitions nicely from the previous track. Trippy beginning. Unexpected harmonica. Vocal effects add to the psychedelic vibe. Hope it manages to keep my attention for the entirety of its 8 minute runtime. The changeup is welcome. Hypnotic rhythm. Doors-esque. Original, will return to. 5/5 All of my Thoughts. Piano and strings opening is great. Really explosive psychedelic madness contrasts well to the low-key vocal focused parts. Fantasticly dissonant, chaotic and large second instrumental parts is a real highlight. Great 5/5 Stay with me. Really open, full of reverb. Western like at times. Eerie whispery vocal delivery. Synths make the song sound large. Electric guitar adds to the largeness. Slowly builds up to a really dense and pleasant soundscape. Really interesting. 4.5/5 Electricity. Organ!!! Did not expect a fuzzy garage rock track. Noisy and full of energy. Bass is mixed really well. Awesome solo. More heavy-psych goodness. Contemporary comparisson immediately goes to King Gizzard's heavy psych songs from their live-shows. Hell yeah! 5/5 Home of the Brave Loudly mixed unrefined vocals over strange dissonant instrumentation gives a really eerie, somber and moody vibe. The noise taking over as the vocals quiet down paints an awesome visual image. Immaculately produced and strongly written. 5/5 The Individual. The noise carrying over from the previous track makes for an amazing transition. What an eerie and frankly scary soundscape. Unpleasant in the best kind of way. A dense piece of noise with the quiet background bass adding a human element. Feels like a lonely wanderer in a terrible hellscape, perhaps the titular "individual"? Powerful 4.5/5 Broken Heart. Space-like. Ambient at the start. Reminds me of Brian Eno's Apollo early on. Distant brass instrument contrasts well to the quiet vocals. Beautiful violin. Really sad. Film-score like instrumentation is unexpected but excellent at conveying the themes of heartbreak in the song. Beautiful, powerful. 5/5 No God only Religion. Jumpscare! Noisy, somewhat jazzy. Great bass. Sounds like a violent sea, the drumming made me make this conclusion. Large with individual elements working together in disharmony. Sounds transitional. Really enjoyable. 5/5 Cool Waves. Interesting vocal effect. Violin and harmonic work surprisingly well together. Chorus feels like a welcome release. Emotional. Church choir sounds great. Wow. 5/5 Cop shoot Cop. Love the western vibes. Delay on the guitar is fun. Crunchy bass. Taking it's time to build up was a good choice. Fuzzy psychedelic guitar is a great early peak for the buildup to build up to. Shreds. Could listen to this forever. Stimulating. Holy noise! Return of main instrumental with minor changes comes at a good time. Horror-esque. Definitely justifies it's 17 minute runtime. 5/5 Great album. One of the best I've heard in a long time. Frustrated that I've let it slip by me for so long. Fave track. Broken Heart Least Fave track. Stay with me

First impression before listening: That's a horrid album cover. Pre "The Bad Seeds" Nick Cave sounds like an interesting listen. Blast Off. Loud. Erratic. Unclear recording, suspect. I like the bass playing so far. Full of punk rock energy. Good. 3.5/5 She's Hit. Gothic. Great vocal delivery. Not sure about how the drums are mixed. Paints a vivid image. Distant background guitar adds a disconnected uneasiness to the track. Haunted. Goes on for a bit too long. Anothet decent track. 3.5/5 Dead Joe. Feral. Horror movie chase scene vibes. Guitar sounds possessed. Noisier parts of the song are well layered. Who's Joe? Unsure, leaning towards good. 3/5 The Dim Locator. Haunted carnival vibes. Those are some interesting sounds. Demented vocals. Gets stale after a bit, but still fine. 3/5 Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow) Interesting bassline. Edgy lyrics. Hectic and extra vocals. Jim Morrison on an extended drug trip rambling core. The bass carries the song. Getting more into it at the end. Good. 3/5 Several Sins Switchup in energy appreciated. Spooky chorus is suprisingly catchy. Ghoulish 4/5 Big Jesus Trash Can. A blusier track than previous. Harmonica is a cool choice. Cool concept. More of the same. 3/5 Kiss me black. Compressed. The distant echo effect is interesting. The Guitar riff works well. Ultimately too unstructured and erratic. 2.5/5 6" Gold Blade Great opening riff. Gothic. Nonesensical creepy lyrics. Vocal performance is great, the screams add an interesting layer to it. Rambly and weird. 2.8/5 Kewpie Doll I like the bassline. Really don't like the vocals here. Sounds terrible. The drums are mixed weirdly, and sit in an uncomfortable place in my headset. Avant-Garde. Dislike 1.5/5 Junkyard. Nightmarish. The vocals has a lot of depth to them. Sounds violent and almost psychotic. The repetitiveness makes for a cool rhythm. Cathartic ending. Strong track. 4/5 Bonus track Dead Joe - 2nd Version Not much to add that wasn't noted already. Ultimately feels similar to the other version. 3/5 Release the Bats The difference in production is instantly noticable. Vampire imagery is fun. Fun gothic vibe. 3/5 Strange album. Feeling mixed on this one. Not much sonic difference between tracks, and weird production. Some great ideas and performances. Can defintely see that something like this could be influential. Maybe I just don't fully get it. Fave track. Junkyard Least fave track. Kewpie doll

Album cover is bland and uninspiring from a band with an uninspiring name. Never listened to them, though they seem to have a lot of streams. Could be good. Precious. Moves along nicely. Drum tempo is cool. Vocals sit oddly in the mix. I like the attitude of the vocalist's performance. The panning guitar effect could've lasted longer. Overall fine 3.5/5 The Phone Call Awful vocal effect. Garagey guitar performance. Sonically stagnant. I like how it ends. Average 2.5/5 Up the Neck Instrumental is a vibe. Verse structure is well fitting. Love the guitar and bass on this track. Cohesive. Gives strong post punk vibes. Solid. 4/5 Tattooed Love Boys. Sus title. Upbeat vibe was unexpected. Danceable. Bass sounds great. Vocalist sounds confident and like she's having fun on the track. The guitar solo doesn't work for me. The different sonic palatte is welcome at this point in the album. Perfectly fine track. 3.5/5 Space Invader. Solid bassline to start. Crunchy. The drums are a little too muted. Good panning effect on the guitar. Cool but a bit sparse. 3.5/5 The Wait. Vocals stand out over a bland instrumental. Chorus has great energy. Garagey guitars return. Standard solo. Danceable. 4/5 Stop your Sobbing Acapella opening is a choice. Not sure if I like it. Kinda annoying chorus. What a weird concept for a song. Unimpressed. 2/5 Kid Western vibes from the guitar. Lacks the attitude from the previous tracks. Bridge was good. Chorus feels a bit underwritten. The fade out stinks in comparisson to the many great endings to their previous songs. Average 2.5/5 Private Life. Vocals sit weirdly in the mix again. Bluesy. Not sure about the falsetto in the backing vocals. I don't mind the placement of that guitar part. I like the writing on the verses. Doesn't really do anything surprising. Is not bad, but not particularly inspiring. Good moments brings it above average. 3/5 Brass in Pocket. Upbeat and plucky. Backing vocals work well here. Could be fun to sing along to. Summer driving song. Solid. 4.5/5 Lovers of Today Cheesy. Expecting a grand over the top chorus anytime now. Don't like how loud the bass is here. Welcome instrumental switchup. Just sort of underwhelmed by the chorus. Decent little guitar parts helps smooth over a boring instrumental bit. Overstays its welcome. 2.5/5 Mystery Achievement. Opening bass part is really catchy though a bit rough around the edges. Singable and full of charisma. Works well with what is given. Enjoyable 3.7/5 First impression says pretty solid record. Nothing mindblowing, but it kept my attention throughout. Impressed by the fact this is a debut record. The singer does a great job bringing fun charisma and attitude to the table. Wish to see more instrumental variety should I hear more of them in the future. Bass playing was solid throughout, and the guitar solos worked well for the most part. Fave track. Brass in pocket Least fave track. Stop your Sobbing.

I've heard their last album prior to this one. Enjoyed it, but never retuned to it. Generally a fan of the genre. Freak Scene. Energy of the track contrasts with the downturned attitude of the vocals. Guitar sounds crunchy with a nice distortion effect. Good solo. Shoegazy. Strong opener 4.5/5 No Bones Flat drums. Interesting riff. Slightly whiny vocals, works fine. Acustic guitar is a nice addition. Noisy. Vocals disappear a bit at the end. 4/5 They Always Come I really can't hear what the vocalist is singing on the first verse. Subtly solid drum performance. Great distortion, the droning guitars are beautiful to listen to. Solid. 4/5 Yeah we Know Loud. Low energy. Structured well into the instrumental bit. Overstays its welcome. Lacking in variation. 3/5 Let it right Punky opening riff. Ambivalent about the writing on the track, the repetitiveness doesn't impress. The really loud pair of guitars at the end marks an exlosive final third elevating the song. 3.5/5 Pond Song An entirely different vibe to start. The guitars contrast well against each other. The serene guitar playing cut by the agressive riffing of the other guitar makes for a pretty cool effect. Decent. 3.5/5 Budge Getting straight into it with some great layering of the distorted guitars. The bass is more prevalent here, almost post-punky in its execution. Strong chorus. Good. 3.8/5 The Post Dark, gothic to start. Great chorus. Post chorus breakdown bookmarks it well. Ebbs and flows. Explosive. Muted drums again. Good. 3.8/5 Don't Great guitar effects. Screaming vocals add a lot to the distortion of the track. Some different energy to the vocals is welcome. Noisy. Some nice melodies buried beneath. I'm enjoying the aggression here. Ends in an explosion of sound. All round great track. 4.2/5 Keep the Glove Vocals start a bit rough. A bit more upbeat instrumentation. Shoegazey loud guitars close the album well. Decent closer. 3.5/5 Liked it quite a bit. Think there were some rough parts but overall enjoyable. Did a great job of making each song sound different from each other with a limited spectrum of sonic ideas. Fave track. Freak Scene Least fave track. Yeah we Know

90 minute Dylan live album. This is a real undertaking. I'm ambivalent on Dylan. Listened to many of his albums, though I find him really hard to get into. She Belongs to me Not much to comment on. As Dylan as a Dylan track gets. Singing is odd, harmonica is good. Fine. 3/5 Fourth time around Opens quite well. Unrefined. Great storytelling. Doesn't excite me too much, but is a good enough song for me to not be completely disinterested. Fine. 3/5 Visions of Johanna Paints a somber atmosphere. Impressive worldbuilding. Some of the inflections on this track are unique to say the least. Never really goes anywhere interesting to me. There's a story here, and the writing is good just isn't something I'll be returning to. 2/5 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue Bluesy. I like the melody on the verse. Harmonica sounds great here, played really soulfully. Passionate delivery. Zoned out a bit, sorry. Fine. 3/5 Desolation Row Classic. I enjoy the narrative structure. Guitar melody is nice in the background. I appreciate how easy the story is to follow, and the picture it paints over the course of the song. The final verse caps off the song wonderfully. Great 4.5/5 Just Like a Woman First two lines set the tone well. Not sure if I like the chorus. Wish I had more to add, just nothing stands out too much. Enjoy the somber vibe. 3/5 Mr. Tambourine Man Yeah this one I can't rate fairly. Heard it too many times so not an actual first impression. I think it's an absolute classic. This version has a slightly different tempo and delivery. Prefer the studio version, still a 5/5. First half is good, just not entirely too exciting for me personally. Kept my attention through most of it. Had a good time in general. Tell Me Mama Opens quite differently. Appreciate the sonic difference brought by the electric instruments and the drum. Bluesy. Nice energy. Don't care too much about the lyrics. Decent. 3.5/5 I don't believe you (She acts like we haven't met) I notice the organ as soon as it comes in. Love when the multiple sounds of the band come together with Dylan's voice. Love the vocal performance here. I like the confused character of the narrator in the song's story. Ends well. Enjoyable track. 4/5 Baby, Let Me Follow You Down Unsure about the first minute. Chaotic. Guitar is played with a lot of feeling. I do not like the organ solo. Okay piano solo. Rounded out nicely. 3/5 Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues Sluggish. Whiny. Decent enough instrumentation. Some cool melodies there. Okay concept I guess, just really not entranced in anyway. Find myself a bit bored of it around the 3 minute mark. Average. 2.5/5 Leopard-Skin-Pill-box-Hat Repetitive. Nothing really to comment on, kinda funny I guess. Tounge in cheek lyrics. Fine. 3/5 One too many mornings First verse is well structured. Sounds like what it's trying to sound like. Executes its concept very competently. Totally okay with hearing it again. 3.5/5 Ballad of a Thin Man Classic. Vocals are really quiet. Complicated. I guess I don't really understand the lyrics. Am I stupid? I'm entertained by my own confusion. Can't say I'm not entertained. I like it I think? 4/5 Like a Rolling Stone Probably heard the studio version of this song 1 million times. I think it's just fine. Just never been my favourite. Don't like the sound quality of this version too much. The organ is too sharp in my headphones when playing the higher notes. I understand why he'd end with this song. Works great as a closer. Catchy, kind of bored of it. Rating on the day. 3.8/5 Was what I expected. Enjoyed most of it. Will probably prefer returning to more condensed Dylan projects over this one. His studio records are easier for me to listen too, though as a historic record I'm glad I finished this one at least. Fave track. Mr. Tambourine Man Least Fave track. Visions of Johanna

So I generally don't like this band whenever I've heard them. I find their music quite bland and safe and generally boring. Never listened to a full album by them, maybe I can be turned around. Everlasting Light. Annoying vocals. Sluggish. Compressed. Goes nowhere interesting, you've heard one minute you've heard the entire song. Don't like. 2/5 Next Girl Call and response sets a dreary atmosphere. Pseudo blues writing does in my opinion not work with the singers vocal style, comes across as performative. Weird chorus. Average. 2.5/5 Tighten Up Slightly overplayed. Fifa soundtrack-core Vocals are fine. Guitar plays some nice licks. A nothing instrumental bridge. Clean production. Switchup gives the song another dimension. Fine. 3/5 Howlin' for you Sounds like a car commercial. Is that a kazoo? rarely a good idea. Distracting whatever that is. Ruins the song. MY RIGHT EAR WTF. One dimensional song outside of that. Boring solo. Nearly unlistenable. 1.2/5 She's long gone Cool rhythm. Lyrics are kinda dumb. Don't mind the bass on the song. Mosquito-like guitar just doesn't sound good. Meh. 2.5/5 Black Mud Opens with a decent bass line. Psychedelic elements are a nice surprise. Wish the drums had more punch to them. Decent. 3/5 The Only One Synth organ sounds like a carnival ride. Adds a psychedelic element to the verse. Less tight, more spacious gives a more pop vibe. Works surprisingly well. Wish there was some diversity in the verses. The bass could be more prominent, a bit muted. Like it. 4/5 Too Afraid to Love You Cool change in instrumentation. Could be a cool hip hop beat. Singing does not come across as soulful in the slightest if that's the intention. Sounds unfocused. Fine. 3/5 Ten Cent Pistol Weak opening. Sounds kinda flat. They're playing their instruments well. Chorus works. Fine 3/5 Sinister Kid I see the potential from how the track opens. Verse kinda sucks. Chorus does a decent job being engaging. Cliche lyrics. Fine. 3.2/5 The Go Getter The instrumentation here is multilayered and fun. Stomp stomp clap on the chorus is too much. Chorus kinda brings down the energy of the track, my interest in the track disappears into the void when it comes around. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit. 2.8/5 I'm not the One Feel like I've heard this exact verse like 5 times this album. If you're not enamoured with the singers voice this track provides nothing for you to latch onto. Teases a buildup then leads into nothing. Not worth commenting on the lyrics. Offensively forgettable. 1.5/5 Unknown Brother Sentimental sounding. Sweet lyrics. Triumphant. Not much to say sonically, but can't hate a track about someone's dead relative. Nice guitar licks. Solid. 3.5/5 Never Gonna Give You Up Not the Rick Astley song :( The "horns" are distracting. Appreciate the change in instrumentation. Think this song should've gone for more risks. There's a bunch of potential for a bright fun track, but feels too muted to be anything notable. Forgetable. 2.5/5 These Days Slow and earnest. Love how the lyrics are written. The delay on the guitars works well with the slower structure. Quite a sad and retrospective track. Good closer Enjoyable 3.5/5 Bonus tracks Chop and Change Not much to discuss. The female background vocals add an additional layer to the song. Average. 2.5/5 Keep My Name Outta Your Mouth Bassline does a lot of work. The compressed vocals make it hard to hear what he's singing at points. Flute sample is catchy. Some nice distortion. Fine. 3/5 Black Mud Part II Continues where the last part left off. See above. Unecessary. 2.5/5 Competently executed, just not really ny thing. Honestly found it boring for the most part, though it had some moments I thoroughly enjoyed. Fave track. The Only One Least Fave track. Howlin' for You

One of the greatest albums of all time. Had the entire album in my Spotify wrapped one year. There's nothing I can add about this album that hasn't already been said. It's perfect. Fave track. Hidden Place, Cocoon, It's not up to you, Pagan Poetry, Heirloom, Unison Least Fave track. N/A

Not something I'd check out in my own time. Been wanting to get more into country music as it remains a large musical blindspot for me. Not sure what expectations to have going into this one. The Grand Tour Feels quite standard for a country song. It's a fine vehicle for the story he wants to tell. Using a house tour to convey sorrow over a woman leaving is admitably clever. Amused. 3.5/5 Darlin' Opening straight onto the chorus. If you see this song as being about the same person as the previous song it then adds an interesting layer to it. Otherwise fairly standard. 2.5/5 Pass Me By (If you're only passing through) The chorus has a nice melody. The steel string guitar helps distinguish the song from the others on the album so far. The Piano also adds another layer to the instrumentation. Fairly uninteresting concept however. Fine. 3/5 She'll love the one she's with Another sorrowful song about unrequited love. The singer comes across as unlikeable in this one. Basic song structure. Unremarkable. 2.5/5 Once you've had the best Instrumentation at the start is nice. The strings were a surprise. Cute little love song 3.5/5 The Weatherman A different tempo is a breath of fresh air. Using the weather forecast as a metaphor for relationship trouble is probably novel for the time, it's at least fun. Backing singers do a great job. Fun! 4/5. Borrowed Angel Repeating some themes here... Is this a song about cheating with a married woman? Extremely suspect. Weird. 1.5/5 She Told Me So Extremely unlikable premise. Getting gaslit anthem. Dumb chorus. Did not like. 2/5 Mary Don't Go Round Swingin'. Fun chorus. A dencent change in vocal performance. 3/5 Who Will I Be Loving Now Finally a song about the narrator getting over someone. Seems like an unhealthy relationship with love. Boring 2/5 Our Private Life Higher tempo. Confused commentary about people obsessing over celebrity culture. Tongue in cheek, though also comes across as bitter. Feels like someone's response to getting cancelled. Weird vibes. 2/5 Yeah not sure about this one. There's some good here, but there's just a lot of the same old love songs about being sad about some girl. Competently performed, and some of the tracks are well written, but ultimately falls flat for me. Fave track. Weatherman Least fave track. Borrowed Angel

Rolling Stones... I like them, I think? Never a skip at least, loving many of their songs admitably limited to classic rock stations/playlists. Though still have never listened to a full album of theirs, but probably would've at some point. High expectations for this one. Sympathy for the Devil What is there to say about this song that hasn't already been said. Absolute classic. Great rhythm, edgy concept for the time and an all time charismatic performance from Jagger. Oozing coolnees. Iconic. 5/5 No Expectations Massive shift in both tone and energy from the last track. Alternating guitars are cool. Nice bass sound. There's something nostalgic about it though I've never heard it before. Piano at the end seals the song nicely. 3.8/5 Dear Doctor Bluesy start. Weird mix on the vocals. Not sure about the instrumentation. The voice... No that's terrible... 2/5 Parachute Woman Bluesy. Kinda basic blues rock instrumentation. I've heard other takes on tracks similar to this where it's been imo executed much better, not bad just not inspiring. Fine. 3/5 Jigsaw puzzle Sounds much better than the previous two tracks, much clearer recording. I like the progression. Some nice guitar licks. The bass sound is also great. Great synergy within the band. Groovy piano. Catchy chorus. Fun track! 4.5/5 Street Fighting Man Loud guitars. Sitar? Wish it was implemented more. Great vocal performance, gritty yet showy. Finally got a more psychedelic element in the end, great! Good. 3.5/5 Prodigal Son Folky. Sounds like he's playing a character. Sparse. Lyrics paint a vivid image. Fine. 3/5 Stray Cat Blues Great intro. The bass playing stands out. Suspect lyrics... The chorus sounds fine but the lyrics... Hope this is some satire that I'm not getting. Uncomfortable. 1/5 Factory Girl Nice rhythm. Great acustic guitar. Folky. Hope this girl isn't underage... Nice violin solo. Fun track. 3.5/5 Salt of the Earth Weird stereo effect on the vocals. Buildup to the chorus works well. Don't care much for the vocals. Comes off as propaganda. Didn't care for. 2.5/5 Really mixed reaction to this one. Some great, and some questionable tracks. The performances from the band/vocals were the highlight on this album. I however feel some of the song concepts were slightly dated. Fave track. Sympathy for the Devil Least fave track. Stray Cat Blues

The Doors have always been one of my favourite bands with this being my second favourite Doors album. Almost flawless, bar a few tracks that fall a bit short for me personally. Psychedelic, dark and enigmatic the entire album is just oozing with personality. As it has been a while I'll do a full active relisten with notes, just to refresh my thoughts and to see if they have changed in any way. Break on through to the other side. One of the absolute greats. The keys, the vocals and the drums all work perfectly together to create a song that is dark but also so full of colour. Everything here just works in tandem. Absolutely perfect. 5/5 Soul Kitchen The keys create an iconic pattern that introduces a deep moody vibe that is continued in the vocals. The vocal performance on the chorus blows my mind. The post chorus verse is also fanatastic. Underrated guitar solo. Simple and sweet. Sublimely produced. Ends on a conclusive and solid note. 5/5 The Crystal Ship Never been my favourite on the album. Evocative lyrics. Slower pace. Quiet instrumental. Good. 3.5/5 Twenieth Century Fox The verses are great, the chorus works though feeks like it's missing something to push it over the edge. The guitar is a highlight. Jim Morrison does a great job on the vocals here. Great. 4/5 Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) Fun tempo. Whimsical in a scary way. Sounds like a cursed carnival ride. Serial killer lyrics. Interesting instrumental break. Menacing. 4/5 Light my Fire Iconic opening keys. Iconic first verse. Iconic chorus. A defining song for the era and rock music in general. Keyboard break deserves every praise it gets. Delightfully psychedelic and moody. Everything just takes its time and leaves enough space for the music to just hit you. Blissful. The guitar just complements the keyboard so well, and the drums while doing nothing fancy ground the track well. And the bassline is another pillar for the track to stand on. When the vocals come back with the keyboard line preceding it is just pure bliss. Never overstays its welcome. Absolute perfection. 5/5 Back Door Man The wild vocals in the intro with the bouncy instrumental really sets the tone. Bluesy and raw. Fantastic vocal performance. An instrumental that just oozes coolness. Strange and unhinged lyrics at times. Underappreciated. 5/5 I Looked at You Driven and well structured. Again, keys are a highlight. Not sure if I think the bass here is too great. Full of energy and pure rock and roll spirit. Solid drum work. Great. 4/5 End of the night Mysterious. Gloomy. A raw vocal performance, almost regretful. Psychedelic guitar. Appreciate it a lot more than I used to. Underrated. 4.5/5 Take it as it comes Big. Dense and tight chorus. Amazing keyboard solo. Bass here is also extremely catchy. Great. 4/5 The End The Godfather of all album closers for me personally. Just almost 12 minutes of pure psychedelic goodness. Not a single second wasted. A true experience, from the enigmatic lyrics to the slithering tempo. Perfect performances from everyone culminate into an absolute explosion of absolute beautiful chaos and madness at the end. Almost too good for words... 5/5 I love this album so much. It always delivers. Just an absolute joy to listen to at any time. Deserves all its plaudits. While I do enjoy Strange Days slightly more these two albums are pretty neck in neck for me and both would be in the discussion for my personal top 10 albums of all time. Just an absloute masterpiece. Fave song. The End Least fave song. The Crystal Ship

So I read up on this album and thought the circumstances of its creation sounded interesting. Threw it on while cleaning the house and had a mixed reaction to it. Won't be going in completely blind, but let's see how my views change on a more active listen. Monk Time Great energy to start off the album with. The frantic talky vocals give a chaotic and raw impression. Not much to say about the instrumentation other than it's solid. The keys stand out. Solid introduction. 3.5/5 Shut Up Great organ playing over a marching drum beat. Not crazy about the vocal melody. Really enjoyable instrumental passage. Points for originality but personally not loving it. 3/5 Boys Are Boys and Girls are Choice Swinging cursed Beach Boys injected with a bit of psychedelia and a slightly off chorus. Fine. 3/5 Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy Annoying guitar rhythm. Yodel inspired vocals are at least interesting. Probably constitutes as originial for its day. Can't say I'm enamoured with it, but it's not something I've really heard before. 3/5 I Hate You Boring instrumental. Great vocal performance, slightly unhinged energy to them which I like. There are some cool guitar effects there. Fine. 3/5 Oh, How to do Now Annoying, repetitive, earstabbing organ. Goes nowhere, does not build on anything. The chorus gets actively more annoying by the baffling decision to keep increasing the pitch and tempo. Horrible. 1/5 Complication I get the concept, but the execution does not translate into anything I'd want to listen to. Just does not work. Feels like a song designed to annoy you. Also the using the word "constipation" will not make me take your song sereiously. Annoying. 1/5 We Do Wie Du Structure is good. The organ melody on the verse works surprisingly well with the strange vocal delivery. Chorus is not as annoying as previous songs. Not great. 2.5/5 Drunken Maria Was this really needed? Call and response is the only barely memorable part. Gimmicky. Forgetable. 2/5 Love Came Tumblin Down The montonous rhythm is really getting old at this point. A fine track in isolation. Some difference in structure with a less repetitive chorus and some decent guitar. Fine. 3/5 Blast Off! Dark, apocalyptic. An explosion of sound. Nice to hear some different keys. Decent execution of the concept. Works well for what it is. 3.5/5 That's My Girl! Now this is awful... The "yeahs" and the hollering over another "Monks(tm)" instrumental. Just plain irritating. Torturous. 1/5 I Can't Get Over You Decent song. There's some charisma here. Chorus strangely works. Structurally boring, and nothing stands out instrumentally. Fine. 3/5 Cuckoo Torture. Absolutely hellish. Brainwashing music. If I ever revisit this know that I've officially lost it. The long term effects of exposure to this song need to be studied. Get me out. 1/5 Love Can Tame The Wild Some nice harmonies. Lyrics are sweet. Nice piano. Is that a banjo? Decent song. 3.5/5 He Went Down to the Sea Bass and percussion both make up for some great melody work. The verse structure is really good. The snare on the word "sea" is pretty fun. Love the addition of the horns. Triumphant. Great vocals. Great. 4/5 Monk Chat Nice little jam to round out the album. Nothing special, but a decent closer. 3/5 Got really tired at the end. Enjoyed some of the tracks. Was bored by others. Really didn't like some. Was totally just okay, not something I'll return to. Was fun to experience a piece of music history though, even if some of the tracks really didn't work for me. Points for originality. Innovative for its time. These factors bring the album up to a 3 for me, though I cannot give it any higher as I didn't enjoy half the tracks, though that might be a personal issue rather then a fault of the artistry on display. Fave Track. He Went Down to the Sea Least fave track. Cuckoo

I know Aretha Franklin mostly from a few hits and her gorgeous voice. Regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time she possesses both power and soul creating some beautiful moments. That being said I've never heard a full album from her so I'm excited to have a listen and see what she can deliver outside of her hits. Respect. One of the hits, and an absolutely iconic piece of music. A cover which truly elevates the song and changes its context to deliver a feminist message. Fantastically performed and popular for a reason. Amazing. 5/5 Drown in my own tears Calming, jazzy, moody. Sentimental performance. Feels true and honest. She paces her performance well across the entire track, allowing her vocals to grow organically towards the end of the song. Instrumentally does get a bit stale after a bit. Very of it's era. Great. 4/5 I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You) Vocal performance as impressive as previous tracks though the instrumental kinda lets the song down. Great chorus. The horns don't sound too great. The mix sorta drowns the vocals out by the end. Decent. 3.5/5 Soul Seranade. Starts really promising. Great delivery on the chorus. The verses are kinda uninteresting, though I guess they're not really the selling point. Doesn't overstay it's welcome, rather peters out by the end. Decent. 3.5/5 Don't Let Me Lose This Dream Feels classy. I enjoy the pacing. The bass is a highlight in the instrumental. The piano is a bit too quiet. Backing vocals do a decent job of adding to the song without taking away from the main performance. Great. 4/5 Baby, Baby, Baby A basic premise and a safe choice. The verses are well written. Backing vocals don't add much. Carried by an amazing vocal performance yet again. Decent. 3.5/5 Dr. Feelgood (Love is a Serious Business) Could come across as cheesy, though feels sincere enough to avoid it. The horns sound kinda rough. Builds on itself. Ends well. Good track. 3.5/5 Good Times A nice positive song about having a good time. Simple and sweet. Catchy, moves along nicely. Appreciate its briefness. Swingin' 4/5 Do Right Woman, Do Right Man Kind of a slow start. Novel through modern ears, progressive for its time. Well structured chorus, though the background vocals are kinda rough. Great. 4/5 Save Me Repetitive instrumental, though has a sort of funky energy to it. Especially the bass. Comic book references are fun. Fine. 3/5 A Change is Gonna Come. Powerful and anthemic first minute. The piano is really pleasant. Has a different kind of class to it, hard to describe what causes it. Really highlights her fantastic voice. Made it her own. Beautiful. 4.5/5 Pleasant listening experience. Certainly a great album. Thoroughly carried by the majestic vocals which remain amazing every step of the way. And while I understand the point of the album is to highlight Aretha Franklin's voice, I just wish there would be something else once in a while to catch your ear on. The instrumental really isn't too interesting for the most part. And while the love songs are beautifully peformed and well written, some change in subject matter would be welcome for more than a brief cameo. Still for what it is and what it's trying to be, it does a great job, and really offers a worthwhile view into the world of 60s soul music. Overall an enjoyable, would revisit.

I've listened to one other Fiona Apple album (Fetch the Bolt Cutters) listening through it once, and remember it as being quite strange. This one is from an entirely different era, so I have no idea what to expect. Sleep to Dream Dense production. Interesting verse structure. Transitions suddenly. Strangely catchy. Concludes solidly. Great. 4/5 Sullen Girl Stylistic shift from the previous track. I do enjoy the ocean imagery, fits well with the deep piano playing. The instrumental evokes a wave effect alongside the drums, adding some beautiful rhythm. Passionate performance carries throughout the track. Surprising. 5/5 Shadowboxer Deep moody vocals, sounds almost confrontational. Great tempo. Chorus feels a bit weak on first impression. The strings sit oddly in the mix. Slightly jazzy. Enjoyable. 3.5/5 Criminal The writing seems very of the era. A bit boring instrumentally. I don't really like the chrous, comes across as cheesy. I do like the synth(?). Fine. 3/5 Slow Like Honey Slow, calming. Not sure about the mix, especially the bass. I appriecate the measured vocal performance. Lyrically solid. Great. 4/5 The First Taste Sparse, intimate to start. Quite different instrumentally, though I'm not sure it works. Conflicts with the vocals, is too loud in the mix and feels distracting. I like the structure of the song. Has issues, but ultimately seems decent enough. 3/5 Never is a Problem Subtle. Well written lyrically, descriptive. Fantastic chorus. Beautifully performed. Fantastic. 5/5 The Child is Gone Nothing really comes to mind immediately. I think the lyrics are interesting, she has a particular writing style that seems to carry over throughout the album. Not to interesting, but above average. 3/5 Pale September Sullen and vulnerable performance. Slightly unclear. I enjoy the progression of the chorus. Sort of makes me sleepy, though not necessarily a bad thing. Enjoyable. 3.5/5 Carrion The subtle guitar is nice. The instrumental shift in the chorus is too loud in relation to her voice, drowns it out. Flat performance. I don't think the closing instrumetation has the punch it intends to have. Disappointing closer. 2.5/5 Great effort for a debut at 19 years old. The songwriting is obviously great, it's perfomed splendidly and there are some moments where the vocal melodies are absolutely fantastic. While it is hard to evaluate lyrics on a blind listen I do recognize their consistent quality and a signature style throughout the album. However there are moments where the production choices do let her down. I also think instrumentally there really isn't too much interesting going on. I feel myself more attracted to the songs where it's less instrumentally dense, and I do think that the weaker tracks are the ones where they go overboard with it to the point of it being distracting. While I do think it is well performed it isn't always that it works for me. I don't find every track on here engaging, finding it slightly difficult not to drift off at times. Still the tracks that work, really work, finding myself enamoured by them. Some making me exlaim my appreciation for them aloud to myself. I find myself wanting to check out more of her discography after this. Inconsistent but still good, would recommend. Fave Track. Never is a Problem Least fave track. Carrion

Album cover has me worried. Nothing I have ever heard of. Early punk can be really hit or miss. Doesn't look boring at least. The Next Big Thing Ridiculous intro. Humorous, dumb, high energy. Powerful guitars, full of testosterone. Sense a bit of irony. Decent 3/5 I Got You Babe Sounds like a standars rock love-ballad. The vocals have a strange delivery to them. Strange inflection. This is a joke song right? Goes on too long. Not a fan. 2/5 Back to Africa Worrying title. Ooga-chaka? Seriously? No thank you... Humour comes across as misguided and slightly racist. If there's an attempt at commentary here it's pretty poor. Has decent energy I suppose. 1/5 Master Race Rock What are they thinking... Juvenile and dumb. A party anthem with a chorus where they're blurting out "we're the members of the master race" is just poor taste, especially since there's no commentary or self awareness there. Just has not aged well at all. Otherwise sounds pretty bland, same high energy as previous tracks. Much of the playing sounds a bit sloppy and theres very few interesting bits anywhere. Bad. 1/5 Teengenerate Honestly pretty fun. Repeating a lot of themes here. Carefree song about embracing being a dumb irresponsible kid. There's something rebellious and free spirited about that. Decent punk song. 3.5/5 California Sun Surf rock vibes, fitting with the title I suppose. Fun guitar riff. Really simple, but succeeds at what it's trying to do. Fun track. 3.5/5 Two Tub Man Shoutout to the intro. Whoever this character is they're building some interesting charicature. Tongue in cheek. Charming in a crass, juvenile way. I find it funny as terrible as it is. Had a good time. 4/5 Weekend. Exactly what you'd expect when you read the title. Loud guitars and singing about how great the weekend is, with all the things he's gonna do. Some gross-out humour and childish energy. Average. 2.5/5 (I Live For) Cars and Girls Obnoxious. Background vocals sound heavily inspired by a Beach Boys song. I guess the sound of the track works. A continuation of the same dumb energy from previous tracks. In the right context it is definitely possible to have fun with this, but to me it just doesn't do much. Do not like. 2/5 I was right that it wasn't boring at least. From the first track I was expecting a bit more depth, some irony or perhaps some messaging relevant at the time, but I didn't pick up much of that. What I did pick up however was a sense of rebeliousness and a love of being young and dumb. A celebration of stupidity and childishness, the album succeeds in being charming at times. Highlighted by ridiculous deliveries, blaring guitars and a long list of tongue in cheek lyrics. I truly believe they had a lot of fun making it. I wouldn't however say there's a lot of quality here. Most of it hasn't aged very well, with lyrics and creative choices that today would be seen as in bad taste. Most of the songs are quite basic, and the performances are quite sloppy at times, lacking polish. While the attitude of being care free might be intentional it really doesn't translate into a consistent and fulfilling product. It fails at remaining much more than a novelty, and I personally wouldn't be surprised if I forget about this album completely in a few months time. Not irredemable, though there are plenty of other things I'd rather be doing than listening to this album. Fave Track. Two Tub Man Least fave track. Master Race Rock

Heard several songs from this before. I generally enjoy Shane McGowan's singing style, and I have had periods where I've listened to a lot of Irish music. I figure I'll probably enjoy this one, especially the hits. Not too fussed about the amount of bonus tracks, though they will not count towards the final rating. The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn I don't really have much to say. I enjoy the energy. Fun. Would definitely be fun to sing along to. Great track. 4/5 The Old Man Draig Evocative imagery. Sounds miserable, pretty in theme with music of this ilk. He does seem to be describing England so it makes sense at least. Liked it enough. 3.5/5 The Wild Cats of Kilkenny Some era appropriate creative choices in the instrumentation, even when using traditional instruments it sounds distinctly mid-80s at the start. Melds into some traditional irish music, which evokes the image of someone dancing on a table. Punk elements blend for a nice fusion. Interesting. 4.5/5 I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day The female vocals were unexpected. Whatever that wind instrument is sounds cool. The vocals are nothing spectacular, chorus is just fine. I'll give it points for being unique on the album. 3.5/5 A Pair of Brown Eyes Fantastic song. I really like how it is written and performed. I just think everything works. Beautiful and emotional. A personal favourite. 5/5 Sally MacLennane A fun nostalgic pub song. Another fun song to sing along to. Well performed. Stereotypical in some aspects, though doesn't detract from it really. Like it. 4/5 Dirty Old Town Another classic song, evokes old memories. If you grew up in a small industrial town or rural area many of the lyrical themes here feel real. Can't explain why this one hit so hard for me. Personal bias. 5/5 Jesse James Rougher vocals fit as a creative choice for the story of the notorious outlaw. The whistle melody is fun. Fun retelling of the famous tale. Good. 3.5/5 Navigator The vocals are a bit muddled here. A bit slow. The chorus is great, think the vocal melody is pretty. Banjo sound good. Good. 3.5/5 Billy's Bones That's fast. Hard to follow. Short and simple, probably fun to attempt to sing along with. Just fun. 4/5. The Gentleman Soldier War critique. The alternating vocals don't work too well. The "female" voice isn't great. The song itself is fine. The leaving for service theme and the marching drums work well. Fine. 3/5 The Band Played Waltzing Matilda The vocals are differently mixed, making them really loud. Instrumentally sparse. I always found this song meandering and slow, which rings through for this version as well. It's an important commentary on the horrors of war, and well written, but I find it sort or boring and long. However it remains relevant in today's strange climate. Fine cover. 3/5 Bonus Tracks. A Pistol for Paddy Garcia Neat little instrumental which evokes old spaghetti westerns, featuring some Irish twang. The horse-gallop-like drums are fun. Decent. 3.5/5 London Girl I don't like the instrumentation, the style, or the mixing. Sounds extremely dated. The pop style really does not fit McGowan's vocals. I don't like it. 2/5 Rainy Night in Soho A popular song. Well written. Sax and flute work well. The strings are also nice. A bit overbearing. Decent. 3.5/5 The Body of an American Tempo switch is interesting. Muddled vocals. Chorus is the highlight. Goes on a bit too long. The instrumental at the end is a bit pointless. Evokes military funeral. Might be fun to sing along to after a few pints. Fine. 3/5 Planxty Noel Hill Another instrumental track, though this one doesn't add anything. Sounds like a fairly standard Irish band jam if that's even a thing. Overstays its welcome, gets a bit annoying. A bit pointless. 2/5 The Parting Glass Another traditional cover. Considering the history of the song it makes sense its at the end of the album. Decent performance. Fine. 3/5 I had fun with this one, though it was hard to figure out what to judge it by, as it's mostly covers and reimaginings of traditional songs. The Pogues did a good job at creating their own sound, and many of the reimaginings created tracks that are more palatable to modern ears while still respecting the originals. Much of what I liked about the album came from the performances. Thought the mixing was a bit hit and mix. Instrumentally I have no idea what I'm talking about here, so I can only say I thought it was good purely based on vibes. I must also add that there is plenty of history here, where many of the songs call back to times of turmoil under control of the British, which adds an element of commentary to the album, which I enjoy. I don't think there were any bad songs on here, some of them were even great, though it still lacks a little bit of consistent greatness to score full points from me. Fave track. A Pair of Brown Eyes Least fave track. Gentleman Soldier

Another great album. Listened through this a few a times a couple of years ago. Three tracks (Inspitation Information, Aht Uh Me Hed, Strawberry Letter 23) on the album remained in constant rotation for most of the year afterwards. I Remember this as being psychedelic and colourful while remaining grounded. Look forward to a revisit. Inspiration Information Extremely cool and funky. Great bass playing. The switchup for the chorus is delightful. I really like the back and forth between the sharper and smoother vocals. The guitar adds great rhythm. Great summer song. Underrated guitar solo. I do think the song is mixed really well. Fantastic. 5/5 Island Letter Deep and crunchy bass. Soothing psychedelia. Colourful and bright. The vocals never overshadow the instrumentation. Final instrumental part spanning the final 2 minutes of the song lifts it to a level above. All the instruments sound great individually as well as in tandem. Fantastic. 5/5 Sparkle City Great buildup into the instrumental. Amazing bass tone. Solid rhythm. Rich and powerful, takes its time. Lyrics paint a detailed picture of a late night cityscape. Great use of brass instruments. His voice isn't mindblowing, but I still think it works well for the style of music. The bass is just stunning. 5/5 Aht Uh Me Hed A moodier track. Instrumentally super catchy. Rhythm is great. The additional instrumentation is lush and beautiful. The switchup is super catchy. The keyboard line is just so catchy. Psychedellic. Scratches that itch perfectly. Amazing. 5/5. Happy House Tight. Sounds effortless. The keys are magical. Lushly produced. It being too short is my only complaint. 4.5/5 Rainy Day Jazzy. Very fitting name, sounds like a rainy day. Incredibly soulful guitar. A little psychedelic disruption adds an extra element to the song. Great. 4.5/5 XL-30 An early use of electronics. It's an interesting experiment. I enjoy the background licks and keyboard lines. Sounds a bit dated. Found it interesting. 4/5 Pling! The effect on the keys give it an almost ambient feel. While the drum-machine's mechanical rhythm give the ears something to catch onto. And while subtle the bass sound is the real star. Calming, meditative. An ocean of sound. The subtle saxophone adds a lot with just a few notes. Ahead of its time. 5/5 Not Available Back at it with a combination of a fantastically catchy duo of bass and guitar. Interesting structure. The addition of disco elements make for an interesting closer. Solid ending. 4.5/5 Bonus tracks. All of them are exerpts from Shuggie's previous album 'Freedom Flight' which is also a great listening experience in its own right. I'll rank them below, though their rating won't affect the album's final rating, even if I'm pretty sure it won't matter much. Strawberry Letter 23. Classic. While the cover is probably more well known I still maintain this as the superior track. I think it's produced immaculately, and extremely catchy. Fantastic verse structure. Lush and soulful chorus. Explodes into great psychedelia, with an almost hypnotic instrumental passage. Fantastic. 5/5 Sweet Thang Just effortlessly cool. Bold, psychedelic weird. All the instruments are doing something interesting at any time. The additon of the vocals ground the chaos. Experimental in a way. Well performed. Evokes a warm summer evening. Fantastic. 5/5 Ice Cold Day Dream Fun tempo. Marvelous bass performance. The organ is also a highlight. The vocals on the chorus are a bit weak. The panning effect sounds a bit dated, but in a charming way. I think it's structured well around the guitar. Great. 4/5 Freedom Flight Soulful, I enjoy the sparseness it starts of with. Slowly adding new sounds and building on the what I can only imagine is a mostly improvised guitar track. The psychedellic jazz elements create a vivid sonic landscape further enhanced by how the track is mixed. I find the way it grows and builds upon itself very stimulating. The bass towards the end is just enchanting. The length does not bother me one bit. Fantastic track. 5/5 Hilariously underrated artist. There's just so much talent there. From the songwriting to the mastery of several instruments, to the use of electronics. Absolutely fantastic record with loads of highlights throughout. I think everything here works to create an approachable but deep and stimulating record full of colour and life. Really close to being a perfect record for me. Will remain in my rotation for a while. Just a pure vibe through and through. Fave track. Aht Uh Me Hed Least fave track. XL-30

The Temptations is a group I primarily know through their hits. I expect this to be full of love songs exploring different aspects of it and what it does to people. There's probably going to be some consistently squeaky clean performances with great harmonies, though lacking in any edge or grit what so ever. I expect to enjoy it on a surface level, but it will probably not have much staying power. Could still be surprising. Cloud Nine I like the bassline. Starting off with a song about their journey from their humble roots to a successful time in their life seems a solid way to open it. Unsure about the mixing. Great delivery on the vocals by everyone involved. Nothing in the song really sticks out too much though. Fine. 3/5 Heard it through the Grapevine Iconic song, probably not the most famous version of it however as many artists have their own cover of it. I kinda hate the mixing on this. Boring instrumentally. While the performances are good it feels a bit formulaic. Average. 2.5/5 Runaway Child, Running Wild It's sad when I really can't focus on the song because of my distaste for how it's mixed. Seems a common problem with the album. I feel the storytelling is sufficiently vivid, with decent worldbuilding. The backing vocals is really the highlight for me. I think the song has a lot of potential, but is let down by a boring instrumental and dated production. Might work for some people, did not work for me. Really wanted it to be over by the end. 1.5/5 Love is a Hurtin' Thing Succeeds at being a soul song. Their voices are nice, the chorus is sufficiently powerful. A bit rough recording wise, showing its age. Doesn't really do much else worthy of mentioning. Average. 2.5/5 Hey Girl Predictable lyrics. Don't want to repeat myself so I won't. Basic song with a premise seen time and time again. Lead singer does a great job on the chrous. Not great. 2/5 Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go) I like the backing vocals. Limited and basic. Not exactly challenging. Probaly fine as background music, but not much else. Average. 2.5/5 I Need Your Lovin' I think the bassline is pretty good. Impressive voice. Predictable and bland. 2/5 Don't Let Him Take Her Love From Me There's a nice guitar sequence at the start. The vocal melody for the chorus is decent, the horns echoing it also works well. Average. 2.5/5 I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back) I guess there's a decently dancable rhythm there somewhere in here. Sax sounds muted and awful. There's a lot of effort put into the lead vocals. Sounds like they had fun. Fine. 3/5 Gonna Keep Tryin' Till I Win Your Love I'm having some fun with the bassline. I can't stand the sharp trumpet. Nothing stands out. Just bland and edgeless, coasting along on a formula that has been present the entire album. 2/5 Did not expect to be as bored as I was by this album. Genuinely felt 3x longer than it was. So safe, so formulaic, blander than white bread. Yes there are some soulful performances, yes there is chemistry within the group, and yes they play their parts competently. Is that enough to make something that holds up today? Not for me unfortunately. I do understand that for the time the production was probably fine, and that there was difficulties for black artist to get access to the funds and equipment needed, but to my modern ears it just doesn't sound good. It really does not help that most of the songs are different varations on the same theme. Would not revisit, but open to hear a different project from them as they are obviously talented. Fave track. I Gotta Find a Way (To Get You Back) Least fave track. Runaway Child, Running Wild

No idea who this artist is, nor what to expect. The Wikipedia blurb makes it sound extremely interesting, especially the part about the recording process. Going to listen especially hard for the field recordings and the background ambience. Going into it a bit tipsy after a long night with friends, so my current mental state might have an effect on the initial reaction. Subject to rereview. Dealer Lush, grand, slightly tropical instrumental. Funky bass. Keys are a highlight, alongside some tight spacial drumming. Not too sure about the vocal style, the breathiness and the smoky grit sounds unusual over such a bright and colourful instrumental. The chorus sort of flew by without leaving an impression. Did not pay much attention to the lyrics. Decent opener. 3.5/5 One World Pans nicely into a cute guitar track. Challenging incoherrent vocals. Mixing is really impressive. I think the instruments and the vocals sit exactly where they should. The delay heavy, distant electric guitar adds an element of depth to the track. After warming up to the vocals I do think they have some moments of brilliance where the stumbling meandering style really works. I don't like the choice to fade the track out when it did, makes it feel unfinished. Good song. 4/5 Smiling stranger Really funky instrumental. I find how they set up the rhythm of the track to be a real highlight. The addition of the strings in the background, alongside the sax add scale to the track, and a jazzy tinge much needed to break up the emerging monotony of the track, perfectly avoiding it. Still not in love with the vocals, though they don't bother me much. Will revisit. 4.5/5 Big Muff Jazzy drumming over a tight guitar experience. Love the effects. Clean and a bit understated. Written for a loungy, sort of sleazy vibe. The band does a lot if lifting to make a not more than decent chrous ahead of where it should be. The instrumental section at the end is decently psychedellic. Decent. 3.5/5 Couldn't Love You More A slightly strained sounding acustic guitar was unexpected. His voice works well for this time of track. Actually delivers a fairly powerful performance, though the voice stretches itself a bit too far for some parts. Decent. 3.5/5 Certain surprise Am I wrong for calling the instrumental bossa-nova-like outside the guitar? I do like the verse structure. Decently catchy. Saxophone is good though a bit lacking in flair or surprise. Gives me hotel vibes. Fade out made sense. Good. 4/5 Dancing Airy but fairly technical guitar. The bass is utilized well. The slightly chaotic guitar juxtaposes against the very structured vocal melody. Great Pre-Chorus. Well performed, tight and sticking to the plan outside a few vocal flourishes. Really fun. 4.5/5 Small Hours Spacious, echoy, great ambience. The natural atmospheric sound add an unpredictable element to the track. Uplifting guitar playing, great delay. Echoes nicely, though the varying loudness makes it sound sharp at times. Reminds me a bit of a late "Talk Talk" track. I think the vocals work well here, they have a serenity to them and a bit of intimacy in their brief cameo. The change of guitars really gives you something additional to latch yourself onto over the ambience. Paints an introspective soundscape with a sense of melancholy though also acceptance. Refreshing and powerful. Stellar track. 5/5 Really did not expect to like that as much as I did. Decently varied, loungy and a bit jazzy with era appropriate production that still sounds oddly good, when many of the choices could sound dated to modern ears. Spaces itself out, and while the vocals take some time getting used to, they do actually add an interesting element to the tracks, though I do think some of the strange inflections also detract from them. There's just a laid back soothing energy about the entire project that really kept me interested. The pseudo-ambient/early post-rock adjacent final track really sealed the deal for me painting a beautiful picture with sound. A great album worthy of revisiting. Fave track. Small Hours Least fave track. Couldn't Love You More

Cocteau Twins to me seems to be a group who's all about creating an atmosphere and an aesthetic with their songs. Hypnotic and weird, with psychedelic reverbed non-sense created for a certain vibe. I have listened to the hits on this album many times, though I've never listened to it front to back. This should be a breeze to get through for my musical palatte. Cherry-coloured Funk One of my favourite songs of the era. Fantastic reverb, the repetitiveness of the guitar feels trippy. I think the vocals are really good, I enjoy how they sit differently in the mix. The vocal melodies are super catchy, and the non-sense lyrics add mystery to the track. The bass sound is so soft and comfy. There's also something strangely nostalgic about the song, sounds like a familiar reoccuring dream (probably where the term dream-pop comes from). Just magnificently produced. One of my all-time favourite songs. 5/5. Pitch the Baby Bouncy. Confrontational bass. The heavy reverb sort of makes the song "swirl" in the ear. Great chorus, the faster vocals tightens a very spacious sound grounding it. There's also a really nice energy to the vocal melody which caps off the chorus, releasing the tightness briefly. Unique and interesting. 5/5 Iceblink Luck Post-punky bassline. I think the vocals are mixed a bit too loudly to start. The chorus sounds like if you slowed down an ABBA song and played it backwards. Love the sound of the instrumental break. Is missing a bit of a kick, part of it feels like it never resolves its ideas. Like it. 4/5 Fifty-Fifty Clown Sounds atmospheric. Has very liquid synths. The drum beat is very of the era. I do enjoy how the chorus rises a lot. The singing in the background has a nice tingle to it. Extremely unique. 5/5 Heaven or Las Vegas The title track is probably the most cohesive song on the album structure-wise. Insanely catchy. Iconic bassline, iconic synth line as well. The chorus is so large and reverby, it's extremely warm and stimulating with all the stuff going on at once. I think the drum beat fits the vibe really well. Dreamy and psychedellic. Fantastic song. 5/5 I Wear Your Ring The synths at the start sound a bit dated. The "simlish" is especially noticable here. I think the vocal layering here is so fun. Winds down nicely into the bridge. Decent. 3.5/5 Fotzepolitic Another fantastic bassline. Drowning instrumental, and satisfying vocals. Meditative. Bursts out into some almost triumphant synths. The ending is a bit abrupt. Great. 4.5/5 Wolf in the Breast The guitar is a bit boring. The percussion adds an element of sharpness which contrasts well with the softness of the reverb. That's a cool drone. Not crazy about the vocals on this one, seem a bit unfocused. The "left ear" vocal is really catchy. Good song, warmed more up to it by the end. 4/5 Road, River and Road. The distant and cold guitar and the warm and fuzzy bass work surprisingly well together. Emotional performance even though the lyrics are just random gibberish. Satisfying. 4/5 Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires A darker moodier vibe, the eerie guitar drone in the background at the start creates an haunted vibe, only enhanced by the repeating piano. The shoegazy switchup with the ghostly background vocals is fantastic. Builds upon itself. Nice vibe, good closer. 4.5/5 It's a sound I expected to like and a sound I did like. I don't really have much to say about it that I haven't said in my reactions to the individual songs. Produced performed and arranged marvelously. Great to listen to in the dark, vivid and colourful. My only minor gripe with the album is that at times I think having actual lyrics would add a lot more direction to some of the songs, the gibberish does take a bit away from what could be some more powerful moments. It's not a real problem though, just an artistic choice. Really like it, will revisit more than just the hits. Fave song. Cherry-coloured Funk, fave new discovery: Fifty-Fifty Clown Least fave song. I Wear Your Ring

David Bowie's 1970s output has got to be up there with the greatest and most consistent decades in an artist's career. This period of music is so incredible that it's hard to put into words. I love this album whole heartidly, the title track being one of the greatest songs of all time. Station to Station My 2nd favourite Bowie song (First being Sound and Vision) just absolutely incredible from start to finish. The atmosphere, the evocative lyrics, and the dark and powerful performance turns this into one of the greatest songs of all time. Amazingly structured with a truly jawdropping switchup. One of many artistic peaks for Bowie. A fabulous rock opera. 5/5 Golden Years Fantastic funk on the track. A stylistical blend of sounds from previous Bowie projects. I love how many so different vocal stylings are used on the same track. Incredibily catchy. Lovely. 5/5 Word on a Wing Lush and layered instrumental. The distant guitar is haunting in the background. Vivid and dramatic. Delightfully weird in its structure. There are just so many parts to this song beautifully stitched together. Where it risks being inconherent it avoids it by geniusly navigating the pitfalls a song like this could easily fall into. Haunting performance by Mr. Bowie. Fantastic. 5/5 TVC15 I love the janky sound of the piano atop the clean bass for the intro. Strangely haunted by the background effects. They keep the song interesting by adding some layers to what could be a repetitive song. I love how the piano is played here. It remains a constant as the song evolves. Fantastic song. 5/5 Stay There's a lot of bounciness and feeling to the intro. Contrasts to the molasses and exhausted performance of the verse. Very entertaining guitar work. The chorus is dramatic and theatrical. Ends with an amazingly engaging and satisfying rock instrumental. I love how the drumming never takes center stage, yet remains a highlight with how it supports the guitar by filling space and emphasising its phrases. Another great tune. 5/5 Wild is the Wind Never heard any other version of this song. I am aware that it is a cover, but will not be able to comment on what it does differently to the original. I think it's a great way to end the album. I especially love Bowie's more subtle and down to earth vocal performance. I think the production of the track allows it to be solemn, bleak and cold while still remaining romantic. Great closer 5/5 I love this man's music so much there was no way this was not getting five stars. Station to Station is one of many absolutely stunning albums by Bowie, just truly magnificent front to back. It's a risky, but natural progression in his career, a different persona in the Thin White Duke who almost becomes an entire world himself. There's just a strange tone of quiet distress during the entire album, a sort of eerieness that truly adds a new element previously unseen in his work. Just knowing the nature of its production and what followed after just adds so much context to the album's weirdness. The execution on this is just marvelous. An absolute banger. Fave track. Station to Station Least fave track. N/A

A group I know very little about having only really heard two or three of their songs before. Not sure what to expect from this. If the album cover is evocative of their sound then I'm most likely in for a ride. Love the energy and motion of the egg shattering. Zero Immediately throwing me off the deep end with the loud electronics. The slight echo effect on the vocals adds some spaciousness to the mix. The singer has some interesting tricks up her sleeve. The chorus grew one me, especially when following the heavy electronic bridge. The ending meanders a bit, overstays its welcome a bit. Decent enough. 3.5/5 Heads Will Roll This song has been remixed so many times, I forgot how the original sounded. The rock-adjacent production on the chorus is unexpected. Has a good energy to it. The synth line in the background is great. I think the vocals work well as a contrast to the heavy electronic instrumental. Sounds like a precursor to a lot of the dance music that would come out the following decade. Decent. 3.5/5 Soft Shock I love the high pitched electronic line in the background. The production does a lot with what on the surface is a fairly simple song. At some points it does take up slightly too much space, where the vocals sort of get overshadowed by it. I think the chrous is cute and simple. The instrumental at the end really ties the song nicely together. Enjoyable. 4/5 Skeletons Spacious and cloudy instrumentation. Love the repetitiveness. The first verse does well to set up the following synth passage. The singer's vocals are really solid and work excellently for this type of instrumentation. Love the departure from the heavy electronics snd distorted guitars of the previous tracks. The ending of the track is beautiful and loud and it sparks some powerful images in the listener's imagination. Works really well, great vibes. 5/5 Dull Life I feel like I've heard this guitar many times before. Don't really like the tone for this track in particular. Really loud and messy switchup. The chorus is made to sound a lot bigger than it is. I think the vocals veer close to annoying at certain points. I'm not really a fan of the chorus, it sounds very of the time. The singer brings great energy to the track, and while her performance especially on the chorus does things I don't necessarily find appealing, it really is the only real highlight for me on the song. She salvages a few points by being unique and by taking things in other directions than maybe expected. Her attitude on this track is also really fun to listen to. Average. 2.5/5 Shame and Fortune The electronic bass is not something I enjoy here, mixed too loudly. I enjoy the punky writing on the verse. Not a fan of the guitar sound again. A bit of a weak track, doesn't really do much for me. I don't think the energy really goes anywhere, and it ends up sounding a bit muddled. Weak. 2/5 Runaway Sharp piano notes. Oddly mixed vocals. I like when the instrumental dips its toes into a noisier darker sound. Feels dramatic. Does veer slightly into movie trailer music territory by the end. There's definitely a largeness to the track, and I think the end result works fine for what it's trying to be, though I think there might've been a more interesting direction to take the track. Fine. 3/5 Dragon Queen Bouncy and full of life. I really don't like the bass sound. Oddly phrased lyrics on the chorus, I do like the vocal melody though. Doesn't seem to go anywhere. The synth line in the background that stays throughout the track sort of overstays its welcome by the end. Can't say I cared much for it. Weak. 2/5 Hysteric Sweet and romantic. I think the lyrics are kinda pretty. Great chorus. I think the instrumental compliments the vocals well. Not sure about how the title is implemented. The ending instrumental builds well upon the track. Good. 4/5 Little Shadow Slight lullaby vibe. It would've worked better for me with less overbearing production. Hate the stadium drums. Overproduced. Feels like a clash of ideas that doesn't really add up to anything special. Going in the dramatic direction really ruined the song for me. Did not like. 2/5 Faces A late 2000s indie rock song sounding late 2000s indie rock song. For once I like the guitar on this album. I think the structure of the song is pretty fun. Feels youthful and energetic. Doesn't really have one particular part that sticks out, rather lots of small pieces that add up to a pretty decent and fun track. Don't understand it as an album closer though. Decent. 3.5/5 A really mixed experience. The great stuff on this album has a lot going for it. Great energy, good songwriting with a few hints of magic here and there. They perform their ideas to their fullest, and seem to commit to exploring different styles. The vocals being a real highlight, bringing a unique and punchy energy, while remaining soft and familiar. Clearly the band not interested in being pidgeonholed into a particular genre or style, and seem to stand well on their own. However I think a lot of the latter part of the album has some stylistic choices I don't personally agree with. It results in a sort of messy, inconsistent listen often with tracks being both great and terrible at the same time, with some tracks that feel like wasted potential. I also think the track listing is a bit incoherent at times, where I wonder why certain tracks are where they are. I do concede that many of my gripes with the album is a matter of personal preference and that someone else could find the creative choices I dislike fantastic. I personally will be returning to a few tracks from this, but the full album probably won't be in my regular rotation. A bumpy road, but a decent listen. Fave track. Skeletons Least fave track. Little Shadow

One of those generational albums almost everyone with even a fleeting interest in music has heard of. The Clash was alternative without being too alternative for the mainstream crowd, and mainstream without being too mainstream for the alternative crowd. A band who came at just the right time in history and thus became a defining act of their era. I've listened through this before so I know what I'm getting into, but it's still fun to revisit since I feel I've grown a lot as a music listeners in the many years since I've last heard it. Kinda sad that there's only the remastered version available on Spotify, but will make do. London Calling For many probably the go-to Clash song. An outright classic that paints a picture of the sensibilities of the late 70s and what was going on in Britain at the time. It still remains commercial and accessible enough to not be confusing for a casual listener. A simple sound and a great charismatic performance combines for a timeless, eternal sort of song. A punk-rock anthem that has stood the test of time. Iconic. 5/5 Brand New Cadillac Following up "London Calling" would always be a difficult task, but I think they really went in the right direction with this one. Just a fun tune with a heavy punk sound, great riffs and a crazy energetic vocal performance. Great. 4.5/5 Jimmy Jazz The song surprisingly takes its time setting up its premise. The chilled out tempo really allows the song to evolve upon itself naturally. There are some jazzier elements to the song, not surprising given the title. Having a bouncier bassline and featuring brass instruments is an idea I really appreciate on a track like this. It was really helped by a strong guitar performance, and the eclectic vocals add a sense of whimsy to the track. Intriguing. 5/5 Hateful I think the song is structured in an interesting way, the way they play with the tempo sets it apart. The main guitar riff is infectious. I appricate the catchyness of the chrous. The backing vocals throughout the track are a fun way to give some multi-dimensionality to the track, even if its used sparesly. Had a lot of fun with it. 5/5 Rudie Can't Fail Not sure about the mix on the split vocals. I also think the drums sound a bit muted. Dancable track, definitely a mood lifter. Fun chorus. The track kinda loses itself towards the end. Could've used a different idea for the ending. Decent. 3.5/5 Spanish Bombs A political song I assume, references I'm not fully getting. Not my favourite chorus of all time. Seems to be mimicking marching songs in some way. Instrumentally it doesn't go in too many interesting directions. Without knowing the context I'm not getting much. Fine. 3/5 The Right Profile I'm having fun with the instrumental. Charismatic and likeable. Had to look up the context - the song suddenly turned really dark. Seems a commentary on the lives of public figures, and the obsession with their darker moments. I learned something. 4/5 Lost in the Supermarket Great intro. Strange concept, sinister undertones that might get lost on a casual listen. Oddly relatable, even more relevant today. Commentary may be a bit on the nose. The guitar echoing the vocal melody on the chorus redirects the listeners focus to the vocals. Great bass playing. Great. 4/5 Clampdown Not sure about the spoken-word intro. The overall sound of the song from the first verse towards the chrous is a bit generic. Then the slowed down passage comes in and adds some depth to the track. Can't say I'm too enamoured with this track. The anti-establishment sort of attitude does resonate a bit, and I do think the chants of "work" are amusing. Fine. 3/5 The Guns of Brixton Now reggae is a musical blindspot for me, can't really commentate much on it. The goofy sound effects contrasts heavily against the lyrics. Works well as a protest song. The singer is a bit monotone for my tastes. The bassline is probably the highlight here for me. Decent. 3.5/5 Wrong 'Em Boyo A cover apparently. Not a fan of the organ. The old school rock and roll vibe is fun. Simple message. Fine. 3/5 Death or Glory Great guitar riff. Anthemic chorus. The simplicity of the track is a welcome listen this late in the album. I'd like to add that I think the drummer does a great job here. A fun rock track. Decent. 3.5/5 Koka Kola As long as it needs to be. Cocaine and the business world goes hand in hand. Calling out the establishment and the movers and shakers in the advertising industry. Feels relevant. Short and Sweet. 4/5 The Card Cheat The piano is a nice surprise. I don't think the vocals are mixed well. Sounds a bit muddled, drowns a bit in the instrumental. The vocal performance is great. I think the instrumental sets it apart from other songs on the album. Written really well. Good. 4/5 Lover's Rock The opening guitar sounds great. Cheesy backing vocals. Cheesy pauses. I detect a bit of sarcasm. Doesn't feel so serious as many of the other tracks on here. Gets a bit annoying. Overstays its welcome. Fine. 3/5 Four Horsemen Generic, not really much going on. Don't like the drum sound. Uninspiring chorus. The ending is at least a bit interersting. Average. 2.5 I'm Not Down Great bass. Funky guitar. Empowering lyrics. Not overly complicated, but executed well. I think the vocalist sounds convinced in himself. Decent. 3.5/5 Revolution Rock Reggae influences prominent. Apparently a cover. Uplifting. Sounds triumphant, also humourous in a way. Strangely works. Gives slight drunk-uncle-on-a-cruise-ship vibes. Not sure why I like it. 4/5 Train in Vain (Stand By Me) Catchy. Dancable. Fantastic rhythm. A classic. Sweet and nostalgic tune. Enjoyable. 4/5 Can't say I love every single song on this album, but there's not a single moment that is actively bad. There's a real quality to the writing on this, where most of the songs have really interesting inspirations behind them. The playing is tight throughout, and the production rarely oversteps. For me it peaks in the first half, then stays consistent at mild enjoyment for the second half rarely veering outside of it. It does feel a bit long, but not so long that it feels bloated. It is a classic however, and it really shows why. Staying this consistently good over that length is really impressive. Would recommend, close to full score but not quite. Fave track. Jimmy Jazz Least fave track. Four Horsemen

Not something I'm familiar with at all. The label britpop worries me however, not really a genre I'm too enamoured with. Can't really say I'm too fond of the album cover, the name of the album nor the name of the band, though the music could still surprise. Really curious as to what this sounds like. With No Shoes Whiny vocals. Compressed. Very late 90s. The electric guitar sounds okay. A bit toothless. Generic chorus. Did not like. 2/5 North Country Boy The verse vocal melody is fine. Cringeworthy lyrics. Sounds extremely dated, very much a product of its time. No thank you. 2/5 Tellin' Stories Flat and soulless bass. The most generic acoustic guitar in all of history. I guess the electric guitar sort of does a decent job. I just can't really find anything interesting to point out. The outro is good. Average. 2.5/5 One to Another Something with a bit of a kick to it. The opening riff has decent rhythm. The song just kills its own momentum halfway through. Shows some promise, but nothing too interesting. Average. 2.5/5 You're a Big Girl Now Decent guitar playing. Really not a fan of the vocals. Absolutely horrendous chorus, straight up parody tier. Hard to get through. 1.5/5 How Can You Leave Us The overall sound of this track is just not working for me. Garbled mess, the production does it no favours. Don't like the vocals, don't like the writing. I'm starting to think this band really isn't for me. Not good. 1.5/5 Area 51 Instruments are being played. The keys adds some different instrumentation to the track, it's a breath of fresh air. Why is this called Area 51? It's not exaclty the image that shows up in my head. Sounds like a vague commercial you're not really sure what's for. A bit pointless. 2/5 How High Nothing to say. Meh. 2/5 Only Teethin' A slightly different sound, hallelujah! Decent instrumental. The keys are good, theres a miniscule level of funk to the guitar and bass that is trying to escape through the monotony of everything else. The energy on the verses is just a mood killer. The whiny Gallagher-esque vocals are especially egregious on this one. The outro is the best part of the song. Average. 2.5/5 Get on it Why is the opening note like 2x as loud as the rest of the album. Hate the mix. If that's a harmonica I want it put down, it's obviously in a lot of pain. If that's a synth or a keyboard note why does it sound like that. There's a bit of attitude here which I appreciate. The interplay between the band members is solid, sometimes some decent synergy pokes through like in the final few minutes of this song. Still don't like it, but I still think they deserve some credit. Did not like. 2/5 Rob's Theme Their song for their band mate who died in a car crash shortly before this album. There's a few psychedelic elements that I quite like. The reverby keys and the repeating guitar. I wish it evolved a bit more. Fine. 3/5 Can't say I liked that much. I hate using the word boring to describe a work of art, but this is what it was to me. Really struggled to find anything to even comment on through most of it. The production was mind-numbing, the lyrics uninteresting or just bad and the performance did not do anything to salvage it. Not even memorable enough to be bad. Leads nowhere. At some points I glimpsed a bit of talent, but it's presented in such a way that by the time I see it I just want the song to be over already. Nothing here I'd want to revisit. Not even interesting enough to warrant 1 stars. Why is this even here? Fave track. Rob's Theme Least fave track. You're a Big Girl Now

Today's the fated day I have to listen to a Kanye West album in full. I have long rued this day, as Kanye West is an absolute tool who I wish would just go away from the public eye forever for everyone's sake. As terrible as he is his music remains critically acclaimed, with this project often regarded as his best. Never listened to it, and thought, especially after his recent outburst that, I never would. Of course as a result of being alive and concious during the last 15 years since this album came out, I've heard more than a couple of the songs from here. Let's hope I can remain objective during this reaction/review. Obligatory Fuck Kanye. Dark Fantasy Fun intro segment. RZA with a producer credit is usually a good sign. Great beat, the use of the sample works great. Some of the effects sound a bit dated. His delivery is fine. Overstays its welcome, the sample isn't so powerful that it's needed one last time at the end. Solid. 4/5 Gorgeous I love Cudi's part, though it sounds a muddled at certain points. Fantastic beat. The effect on Kanye's voice sucks. Solid verses from Kanye, though I don't always love his line delivery. The black balls line is terrible. Kanye's bravado has always rubbed me the wrong way, even "before" he went insane. Bloated song, beat gets stale. Fine. 3/5 Power Classic. Samples one of the best songs of all time, and implements it well. Produced magnificently. The asshole lines remain corny even after many listens. A great time, nostalgic. Begrugingly a fantastic track. 5/5 Interlude Does what an interlude should. Bridges one song into another. Interlude/5 All of the Lights Iconic horns. Rihanna's chorus kicks off the song marvelously. The cast on this song is extremely impressive. Many of the biggest stars of the early 2010s having features on one track is really fun. Anthemic song which represents the early 2010s well. Nostalgic. 4.5/5 Monster Crazy list of features. Production goes hard. Don't care for Rick Ross's verse. Fantastic performance on Kanye's verse. The hook isn't great. Jay-Z's verse has some fun writing. Charismatic verse from Nicki. Outro is fine. Fun track. 4/5 So Appalled Don't like the intro. Not really a fan of the squeeks on the beat. Flows well on top of the beat. Not much more to say, the performances are good, but nothing is grabbing me personally. Maybe longer than it needs to be. Could be a grower. Fine. 3/5 Devil in a New Dress Delicious sample implemention. There's some charming delivery here. The writing is oddly fantastic. The guitar interlude before the feature is great, when the sample comes in is pure bliss. Rick Ross is fine I guess, his voice is great for this, but I don't care much for the content of the verse. Good. 4/5 Runaway The famous piano intro. Some call this Kanye's peak. I like how the intro takes its time setting up the song. Almost a bit vulnerable in the delivery and lyrics. There might even be a bit of self-awareness here which is something I didn't know Kanye West was even capable of. The purely instrumental parts are for the lack of a better word, interesting. It's bold and refreshing sounding oddly beautiful at times. Great. 4.5/5 Hell of a Life Crunchy beat. Iron Man interpolation is terrible. Ambivalent about the lyrics. The storytelling is decent, but the lyrics veer on cringe territory. I don't like the moans. Kanye isn't very likable on this track. Did not like. 2/5 Blame Game Aphex twin song used as a sample is great. Avril 14th does however sound better without Kanye West and John Legend over it. The chorus is fine. The panning distorted vocals don't sound great, but I do like the idea behind it though. The phone part is extremely corny it's sacriligous to put this on top of Avril 14th, it's not funny or charming. Pure blasphemy. 1/5 Lost in the World Vocoder harmonies are fun. I like how the tempo shifts. Didn't find much to appreaciate outside of the production. Closes the album well. Decent. 3.5 Who Will Survive America Gil-Scott Heron! Preach. Interlude/5 A decent microcosm of the early 2010s. Great features, good performances and amazing production. The sample work is fantastic. And Kanye even manages to be likable on some of the tracks. Had a good time for the most part, though many of the songs strayed into overly long territory, where it felt like they ran out of steam. Also many of the attempts at humour fell flat, felt in bad taste or just straight up went over my head. And while Kanye is likeable on some tracks, he is extremely unlikable on others, getting to the point where I just want to block him out. I do recognize a personal bias which might affect my reaction to this piece, but I think I gave it a fair shot and probably liked it more than I thought I would. Fave track. Power Least fave track. Blame Game Rating. 3.5/5

I know nothing about jazz, especially Cuban jazz so this will be a vibes based only reaction. Worried about the audio quality considering its age, anything prior to 1965 is usually a bit suspect to modern ears. I see that there is a remaster available, which is what I'll be listening to. Other than that I'm not sure what to expect as most of the jazz I've listened to is either spiritual or psychedelic in nature. Notes will probably be short. Hoping for a quick and easy listen. Wild Jungle Bongos and horns. Erratic. Every sound sounds purposeful. Not sure about the structure. Don't really get the part where it's only playing the bongos. Energetic. Decent. 3.5/5 Congo Mulence I enjoy the rhythm. The big band esque trumpets take me out of the groove somewhat. Nice saxophone sound, great performance. Decent. 3.5/5 Kenya Starts of grand and dramatic. Great groove. Paints a picture of a cosy, nostalgic place. Makes me picture a semi-busy morning at a market. Good. 4/5 Oyeme The rhythm from here is infectious. Not sure if I like the trumpets on this one. The sax player is clearly having a good time. Sounds a bit too busy for my tastes. Fine. 3/5 Holiday Heard the start of the song before I read the title and thought that it sounded like being on holiday somewhere chilled out and free. Guess they hit the nail in the coffin with this one. Sounds warm and comfortable. Catchy. Fun. 4/5 Cannonology Sounds like an exposition of some kind. Old timey World's Fair type of vibe. I imagine being shown what's the latest within refigirator technology, while overhearing someone talking about their radium infused chewing gum while this is playing in the background. Got my imagination not sure if it counts as zoning out or not. 4/5 Frenzy Old timey superhero cartoon chase scene soundtrack. Definitely sounds like a "frenzy" or at least a scramble of some kind. Love the drums. Don't like the ending. Fine. 3/5 Blues La Machito Late night sort of vibe. Sounds like the smell of cigarettes and car exhaust. There's a little bit of opening credits to a romance movie vibes to it too. Decent. 3.5/5 Conversation Love the melody here. Puts me in a good mood. Danceable. There's some fun interplay here I'm really appreciating. The bouncing between instruments does make it feel like a conversation. Fitting title. Great. 4.5/5 Tin Tin Deo Not sure what's going on but I like it. It's like two complimentary songs are being played in parallel with each other. Sounds well thought out and put together. Don't know the terms to describe why I like it. Good. 4/5 Minor Rama I'm not sure what to say. Sounds good I guess. Jazz is happening in my ears. The band is really tight. Decent. 3.5/5 Tururato Sounds like it's playing peekaboo with me at the start. The sax seems to be moving a lot. It's played soulfully with a lot of feeling and percision. Mood lifter. 3.5/5 Wow I feel really exposed by this. I'm not sure if I have the musical palatte to even appreciate what is going on here for the most part. I understand that what I'm listening to is good, and that the people playing the music are really talented, but regarding how it is in relation to other works of the era I'm clueless. It was defintely a challenging listen for my rock-wired brain. I was never bored by it, the performances put me in a good mood and the rhythm entranced me somewhat. I'm just happy I finally got a jazz album, and especially an early one as it's something I definitely wouldn't seek out on my own. Decent record I suppose, pleasantly suprised. Sits somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me. Would love to revisit in the future once I'm more in tune with the genre. Fave song. Holiday Least fave song. Oyeme

This will be a breeze to listen to. Marvin Gaye consistently creates pleasant tunes to lay back and just enjoy. Feels like he rarely puts a foot wrong. I have listened to a fair amount of his music before so I know what I'm getting into. Let's Get It On The sex song. Memed to death for its smoothness and cheesy blatant sexuality. Remains memorable in spite of the memes and mockery. And I do think the song is used as a joke simply because it's so good at what it's trying to do. Absolutely iconic from start to finish. A fine performance which enhances what is fairly basic writing. Marvin Gaye's voice just enhances the song so much. Sexy, sensual with the dated production and instrumentation adding charm to the track. One of the great horny songs of all time. 5/5 Please Don't Stay (Once You Go Away) The desperate pleading is honestly pretty charming. The background vocals are great. I think the band does a great job creating that unique Marvin Gaye RNB sound. A solid song which puts me in a good move. Love the instrumentation. Enthralling performance. Greatm 4.5/5 If I Should Die Tonight Opens very abruptly after the first track. The transition is not smooth at all. I like the mix. The keys and violin sit just right in the background. Great bass, decent sax. Lush and powerful. Great song structure, keeps me intrigued throughout. Passionate delivery on the chorus. Good. 4/5 Keep Gettin' it On The sex song 2: electric boogaloo. Infectious charisma, can't help but smile at the cheesiness. The control he has of his voice is just unlimited as to how impressive it is. It's so cheesy, but I'm having a great time. 4.5/5 Come Get To This Love the way the song opens. The background harmonies create a delicious atmosphere. A completely different rhythm and tempo. Don't really like the loud sharpness of the drums, might be a fault of the mix. The background sax absolutely shreds. Not his best track, but the quality's still there. 3.5/5 Distant Lover The chimes are fabulous. Meanders a bit, the verse is slightly messy. Not crazy about the background vocals. The strings and brass instruments create a moment of magic in the instrumental. Great singing as always. The song sounds large and grand. Lovely ending. Good. 4/5 You Sure Love To Ball Fantastic bass work. Not a fan of how the vocal melody evolves. The way he resolves the main vocal line is a bit flat and uninteresting. When they play with the vocal layering with the repetitive chorus playing is really good. Decent. 3.5/5 Just Keep You Satisfied. Some of the lyrics are a bit terrible. The performance oozes soul and desire. He sounds like he knows he was born to do this, the confidence in his own ability is admirable. Background harmonies sound fantastic. The sparseness of the instrumental is a bit of a let down, but it does highlight some great bass tones, and is an effective closer. Feels sentimental and sufficiently powerful. Decent. 3.5/5 While never reaching quite the heights of "What's Going On" or "I Want You" I still think this album deserves its plaudits even if it's only based on performances alone. Feels warm and makes me happy in the same ways other projects of his do. I just love how in tune Marvin Gaye is with his band, and how much they do to enhance the sound of his marvelous performances. Sounds blissful. Not something I'd ever need much persuading to listen to again. Great album, would reccommend. Fave track. Let's Get It On Least fave track. Come Get To This

A massively famous album by your friend's dad's favourite band. I've heard two songs from this album before (the two you might expect) as they get a lot of play on rock stations in my area. I'm fairly confident that I know what I'm getting into. Hopefully a fun kick-ass hard rock fiesta. I do find this specific subgenre of rock to often be a bit limited, but Deep Purple is considered one of the best bands to ever do it so I'm not worried. Highway Star Classic. Good energy. Has a bit edge to it. Never paid attention to the vocals. Think they work very well. The guitar work is of course stellar, the obvious highlight here. Would also like to shout out the drums, really sets the foundation of the track. Fun. 4/5 Maybe I'm a Leo Truck commercial riff. Really like the vocals on the first verse, the way the melody is sung creates a cool effect. I love how the mix treats the bass. Great mellow energy, takes its time without being boring. Good track. 4/5 Pictures of Home The drumming in the intro kicks the song off well. Don't dig the how the vocals are mix. Mediocre chorus. Seems a bit by the numbers, doesn't really do anything special or interesting. The solos are doing a lot of heavy lifting on top of what is a fairly uninteresting track. They do however manage to show off their instrumental talent salvaging it somewhat. Fine. 3/5 Never Before Groovy little rhythm. The drums are stellar on this one. I love how the guitar is written, works as a great support piece for the vocals. Doesn't seem to shy away when it is its turn to be in the spotlight either. The song lacks a bit of a kick, doesn't resolve some of its vocal in a satisfying manner, leaving it sounding a bit flat. Ends a bit abruptly. Decent. 3.5/5 Smoke on the Water The riff banned from every guitar shop. Probably the instrumental sequence that has been butchered the most times in history by amateurs learning their first instrument. What an iconic track. Based on an unbelievable true story, great piece of music history. A song which is hard to imagine was ever new, feels like it's just always been around like some sort of pillar of reality. The "Happy Birthday" of rock. For how iconic the guitar riff is it's the moment the bass comes in which is the highlight for me. Also when paying attention to the song as a whole the keys stick out as underrated, they really add texture to the mix. The story is told in such a direct way, the lyrics are really easy to follow. It really is an inspired song, deserves the hype. Quintessential. 5/5 Lazy Really out of nowhere intro. Spacious and psychedelic. Crazy work on the keys. Was not expecting an instrumental jam like this. Find myself nodding along. Great chemistry. The lyrics are fun. Love me some some of that harmonica, breaks through the denseness of the rhythm section. Was not expecting this to be this good. Fantastic. 5/5 Space Truckin' Holy 1970s those lyrics could not be from any other decade. "Everynaut" alone should put you on a list. The chorus isn't too great. Fairly generic if not for the lyrics and the extremely overbearing guitar riff. The dramatic falsetto over the words "Space Truckin'" will never not be funny to me. Terrible song, had fun. 1.5/5 When a Blind Man Cries The drama... The tension... Sleepy bluesy guitar sounds good. Works well for what it's trying to deliver. The main star here is the guitar and it plays its part to perfection. A bit limited, not much else going on so ends up falling a bit short as a song. Decent. 3.5/5 Good album, nothing too crazy or unexpected. Just solid throughout. Ritchie Blackmoore's guitar playing is definitely deserving of the praise it gets, and understandably the main highlight of the album. If I were to nominate an unsung hero I would definitely single out Jon Lord on the keys who consistently adds great texture and dimension to many lf the tracks coming in at just the right time to add a little flourish to the track. I would also like to shoutout the writing on the lyrics, as they were fantasticly easy to follow without becoming too predictable and just generally solid apart from on "Space Truckin'" where they frankly came across as riduculous. All in all good performances and songs in general. Only really drops points because of personal preferances. 4/5 stars. Fave track. Lazy (tied with Smoke on the Water) Least fave track. Space Truckin'

R.E.M is just fine, never my favourite band, but never anything I've actively disliked. I probably prefer their 80's work over what followed in later decades. My favourite hit of theirs resides on this album, otherwise I don't really have any expectations. I've listened through the album once before but didn't really pay attention. Viewing this as a fresh listen. Finest Worksong Classic alternative rock guitars. Michael Stipe's vocals could be recognized anywhere. Very serious, not very charming. Ends well. Not much to say about the production, the track sounds fine. Isn't spectacular but does nothing wrong. Decent. 3.5/5 Welcome to the Occupation I'm not quite in the mood for this type of writing at the moment of listening. It sounds good, the instrumentation is quite well put together, especially appreciate the drumming. The lyrics are decent I guess, has a good message. Again, very serious to the point of approaching preachiness. I quite like the vocals. Short, which helps as the song is quite slow. Fine. 3/5 Exhuming McCarthy Don't love the mixing. The guitars are a bit loud. It's a bit heavy handed, feels like I'm being lectured to. Critical commentary has it's place in music, but it's a bit exhausting to listen to in this format. Like the background vocals. Fine. 3/5 Disturbance at the Heron House I have no idea as to what the lyrics are referring to. I like the drumming, has a decent energy to it. The guitars are really boring. The bass is boring. The vocal performance is fine. Might be better if I took more time to analyze and pick apart the lyrics, but I'm not doing that on a blind first listen. Average. 2.5/5 Strange A different energy to the song, quicker tempo. Awful chorus. The tambourine is really annoying and loud. A bit pointless. Average. 2.5/5 It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Very fun to attempt to sing along with. Iconic chorus, hopelessly relatable at times. There's a mashup where they play this song alongside Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire which is really funny. This song is honestly a bit carthartic after feeling a bit on edge about world affairs. The interplay between the main and the background vocals is magnetic. It feels like a very serious song, but I do think the lyrics have some fun bounce to them where the clever writing does something extra to keep me invested. The song has shrunk a bit on me in recent years after covid ended, and at the current moment of listening (12th of March, 2025) I don''t exactly feel "fine" about what feels like yet another "end of the world as we know it". That being said I still think it's pretty great. 4.5/5 The One I Love The other hit on this album. Great guitar riff, decent bassline. A bit repetitive. A bir moody. Decently dramatic. I like it. 4/5 Fireplace The bassline and the ominous background guitar makes for a quite dark atmosphere. Decent rhythm. The saxophone adds a much needed break in instrumental composition for the album. The chorus is a bit abrupt and lacks a kick, feels slightly monotone. A bit of a sonic shift. Decent. 3.5/5 Lightnin' Hopkins Another new sonic direction. The funky bassline and the guitar feeling a bit separate from the rest of the track works surprisingly well. Good drumming again. Too bad the vocals don't work, they're a bit nasally for my taste. The chanting "ooooh"s don't really work either. Inconsistent. 3/5 King of Birds Eastern motifs are unexpected. Dulcimer adds some psychedelia to the track. Really slow, meanders a lot on the verses. Does to much to be calming and hypnotic, but too little to be engaging. Honestly leaves it being quite a boring track. Really goes nowhere. Average. 2.5/5 Oddfellows Local 151 Had to look up the meaning of the song. Comes across as smug and pretentious. The only thing instrumentally that sticks out is the bassline, it adds moodiness to the track which I can appreciate. Fairly standard vocal performance, a few eccentricites at the end sort of sets it apart. All in all pretty laborous and uninteresting. Boring 2/5 It's the end of the album as we know it (And I feel whelmed). There's a lot of quality here, but the album really isn't that engaging to me. Most of it falls into the category "artistically solid yet uninteresting" Instrumentally, vocally, lyrically, in any aspect the album does not make me feel anything that makes me engage with it. The few songs that actually do break the mold do so by either being simple or by having clever writing performed at a high tempo. Current mood might have affected my enthusiasm for the album somewhat, so I'll probably revisit it at some point. It got a bit exhausting by the end, hopefully it grows on me. Low 3/5 Fave track. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Least fave track. Oddfellows Local 151

I can't say I've ever wanted to listen to Adele, and rolling this album on here hasn't changed much. I'm not a particular fan of piano ballads nor melodramatic overblown choruses. Yes the girl can sing and is probably one of the best at what she does, but what it is puts me to sleep. I'm not too excited to get into this, but might be surprised. Hello Was overplayed when it came out. I think the subtle echo effect on her voice is really cheap. Powerful voice on the chorus. The chorus is overblown, don't like the lyrics. The production is fine, might be a bit much at times. The chorus is the entire song, everything else is just a setup for it. It's a competent enough song, I just don't like it. 2/5 Send My Love (To Your New Lover) The echo effect is back. I appreciate the instrumentation. The first part of the verse is a bit awkward, the rest of it is really good. Stellar production on the chorus, really emphasises the vocal performance, really catchy. Lyrics are pretty standard for this type of love/breakup song. The recording quality is amazing. Quality. 4/5 I Miss You Interesting intro. Empty chorus. The verses have a slight atmosphere to them. I don't have much to say about this song, it just kind of exists. Feels like it's meant to appeal to as many people as possible which to its credit is the point of commercial pop music like this. Does its job competently, Adele sings with a lot of fire and passion and it's produced well on top of her performance. However can't say I care much for it, just not my cup of tea. Fine. 3/5 When We Were Young Another immensly popular piano ballad. She pours a lot of soul into this performance. Really well written chorus. Subtle, but powerful. As far as piano ballads go, probably close to as good as it gets. The powerful final chorus and the emotion in her voice really shines her. Can't say i find anything in particular that I don't like. Good. 4/5 Remedy A fairly standard love song. I like the piano, written and played well. As with all these tracks her voice and her vocal performance is the main point of interest. Would be a really boring track if not for a stellar performance. Fine. 3/5 Water Under the Bridge Livelier and airier (is that a word?) production is breath of fresh air. Well placed in the track listing. Feels a bit empowering. Really large, a powerful chorus which brings a much needed lift of energy after a series of somber, slow, low energy sad or reflective songs. Feels like the production on the final chorus added a bit more colour to what has so far been a very sepia shaded tracklist. Decent. 3.5/5 River Lea Immediately sticks out because the synths in the background in the intro. I think the vocals sit a bit awkwardly in the mix. The lyrics feel personal, they feel fairly authentic. A bit of a nothing chorus. Appreciate it for being something a bit different, even if it doesn't keep my interest for long. Fine. 3/5 Love in the Dark It's another one of the big piano baølsds from this album. I like the hint of strings in the background. Something something poweful voice, something something vocal performance. I think the buildup to the chorus is fantastic. I also really like how great control she has over her performance here. While she has the capacity to belt the entire thing out she chooses a more varied approach which portrays much more complicated emotions. It feels really genuine, I love how she ends the song in a very direct and unceremonial note. Magnificent. 4.5/5 Million Years Ago The guitar adds a bit of down to earthness to the song, has slight classic mediterrarian vibes. Reflective. Doesn't really capture my attention. After a series of somber reflective tracks this one sadly becomes just another one in the pile for me. I however appreciate the difference in musical style. Potentially a grower. Fine. 3/5 All I Ask There's only so much I can say without repeating myself. Yep, that's an Adele song. Average. 2.5/5 Sweetest Devotion I don't care for the verse. The bass on the chorus is really overblown. Passionate, the positive energy coming from this track is a great tone to end the album on. Wraps it up decently. I like the idea of the track more than the track itself. Fine. 3/5 I might've been a bit too harsh in my thoughts prior to listening to the album. This is definitely the most popular album I've reacted to so far in terms of streams, several tracks reaching into or close to the billions. I genuinely see why people like this, it is fantastically well made. An album like this, where everything about it is so thought out and meticulously well crafted has me questioning the way I rate things. The reason why is I honestly don't think a rating scheme of just 1 to 5 stars really comes close to summarizing my thoughts on something like this. Through the course of listening to it I had emotions ranging from intrigued, to bored out of my mind to absolutely amazed. But even in moments of immense boredom I recognized generational talent. The mastery over her voice, and the choices she makes with it is close to perfection, but I just can't find myself wanting to listen to it again. And it's not the production's fault either, as I feel like they're doing a great job, doing exactly what they should, never really overstepping or taking away from the performances. I just don't think this is my type of music. The piano ballads are, well piano ballads which I feel appeals to a specific category of music listener that I'm just not a part of, even if my favourite song from this album ended up being one. The non piano ballads are solid pop songs in their own right, but they're just too smooth, too polished and too serious for my taste. I'm giving this 3 stars, and it probably deserves higher, but I'm basing my ratings on completely subjective metrics. It doesn't feel right, but 3 stars it is. Fave track. Love in the Dark Least fave track. Hello

What is this? Sounds like something I'd never discover on my own. The Wikipedia snippet really paints a picture of something really eclectic and strange. I'm genuinely excited to hear whatever this is. Hopefully the execution holds up to the expectations created by what I read about the recording process. Traveller Pseudo-ambient world electronic music. I like the almost aquatic atmosphere. The almost DnB like drums do a lot of lifting, adding some sharper sounds to a watery soundscape. The vocals don't add much. I like the meditative effect of the flute and sitar(?) together, sounds rustic and traditional while adding a trippy psychedelic moment to the track. Sounds like something that would play in the background of a resort. Scary string instrument jumpscare. Definitely interesting, I have no idea who this was made for, but can't say I wasn't entertained by it. Overall a confusing vision, an artistic piece with a bunch of ideas mixed into a strange epic. Challenging. 3/5 Butterfly I was not prepared to comment on something like this. Electronic music isn't something I'm overly familiar with it. Feels like I'm being thrown of the deep end. Mixing IDM with traditional Indian instruments is certainly an inspired choice. Can't say I've ever heard something like this before. Impressively niche. Baffled. 4/5 Sutrix Ominous. Feels like I'm approaching som technocatic overpopulated sci-fi planet in my dinky rust heap of a spaceship. I appreciate how atmospheric this is, really unique. Evolves into something really weird. Laughter at the end makes me uncomfortable. Strange. 3.5/5 Mombasstic What is going on? Strangely jazzy. The effects are interesting. Sounds like something that would play in the creator mode of a sandbox game. Definitely creative. Calming. Amazed that this came out when it came out. Feels fresh. The audip quality is great. I really liked that, strange as it is. 4/5 Decca Ok thanks for the lecture, scary Indian man. The following series of sounds goes quite hard. I'm more confused now. Interlude/5 Eclipse The microtonality of whatever that instrument is called is cool. The chant like vocals are strange. It's a cool idea, I'm open to it. Temple techno. Goes hard af. 4/5 OK Rhythm is great. Really creative blend of ideas. Ambitious sound. I think the female vocals work really well. Evolves into something really dense and bold. Impressed. 4/5 Light Yeah this one is kinda losing me. Meandering, slow, empty. Doesn't go anywhere. The flute playing is admitably pretty good, but the track is just kind of bland. Overstays its welcome by quite a bit. Background music. 2/5. Disser/Point.Mento.B The buzzing sound of the melody contrasts too harshly against the watery ambiance of the background instrumentation. It's irritating and ruins what could be a decent ambient track. The hypnotic effect ambient music usually has is lost, and by the end trickles out without finding any footing, leaving it at a sad middle ground. Kinda bad. 1.5/5 Soni Ominous, makes me quite uncomfortable actually. Gives me horror vibes. The vocals are earpiercing. The instrumentation barely exists giving the listener no relief against the sonic assault on the ears sent by the horribly repetitive chant. Genuinely want to skip this. The spoken word at the end does nothing to save the track. Unlistenable. 1/5 Vikram the Vampire Amazing song title, better not disappoint. The vocal effect isn't great. Wish the DnB beat evolved a bit more. What happened to the strange eclectic ideas present early i the album, this is just the most standard DnB track with some cryptic robotic mumbling on top of it. It takes four minutes before it actually goes anywhere at all, the track it ends up turning into is engaging enough, but not worth the extremely unsatisfying buildup. Huge disappointment. 1.5/5 I'm not sure what happened. I started out really invested and impressed, thought the first few tracks after the opener were really interesting, then suddenly after the title track its like my interest in the music just went completely off a cliff. I had so much fun with the strange fusion of the indian traditional music with the electronic music and the atmosphere it created. Thought a lot of the stranger tracks were eclectic and fun, but after a while the ideas seemed to dry up and the album really ran out of steam. I found the last few tracks to be horrible. Slow, boring or just plain sounding bad. I don't want that to take away from how inspired some of the tracks on here are. I think the ideas presented are really creative, and I can't say I've heard anything like it before. The creativity kept me somewhat engaged, even if some tracks were a bit on the long side. Overall feeling pretty mixed on this one, might revisit. 3/5 Fave track. Eclipse Least fave track. Soni

This is one of those albums I knew would be on the list prior to starting it. Universally lauded as one of the greatest albums of all time, at least in online music circles. I'm extremely familiar with this album, I've heard it many times through and I can heartidly say I agree with the praise. This is the second Nick Drake album on this list I've reacted to so far (36 total) so I know my score will probably reflect that a bit. I like this one a lot, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't give it a detailed listen with notes like every other album. Pink Moon Classic singer-songwriter song. People have been trying to emulate the magic of this song for decades most failing along the way. The odd inflections, the intimate delivery and the mystical lyrics over a calming acoustic guitar builds a radiant atmosphere. The piano is beautiful too, and comes in at the exact right time. I really like how short it is, honestly the briefness enhances the track for me. One of the greatest of its genre. 5/5 Place to Be There's a beautiful calmness to the tracks on the album. The mellow tranquility especially comes across on this track. The groundedness in his voice alongside the rustic guitar melody creates an earthiness that creates a sense of safety within the music. Melancholic lyrics without being too dramatic. Beautiful. 5/5 Road Melodic and atmospheric. I love how you can hear every stroke and pinch of the guitar. Small imperfections that add a lot of soul and personality to the track. The lyrics add up to something strangely poetic. Mantra-like. Great. 4.5/5 Which Will Reflective sounding guitar. His delivery is so unique it's impossible to imitate with such earnestness and charm. A cozy and warm sound. Sounds like the final night before the end of summer. Fantastic. 5/5 Horn The opening guitar almost has a classical sound to it. A cute little melody which ends up being a pleasant listen. 4/5 Things Behind the Sun I feel a lot of modern singer-songwriters base their entire sound on the guitar in this track. The ultimate transitional song. It's like the feeling of waiting to arrive somewhere, being between two places. Autumn vibes. Great. 4.5/5 Know Repetition adds a cleansing element to the track. Doesn't really go anywhere. Still pleasant. 3.5/5 Parasite Sad and emotive lyrics play out a vivid story. Extremely depressing, feels personal and real. It present a devastating self image, and feels like it takes inspiration from real issues faced by the author. Devastating. 5/5 Free Ride There's a little bit of a shift in energy from the previous song. Feels lighter and less loaded while still having undertones of sadness underneath. Really like the progression in the chorus. Great. 4.5/5 Harvest Breed There's a sense og melancholy in the guitar. The lyrics feel like a part of a poem. Wish it stayed on a little longer, has the potential to evolve, but the short length of the song prevents that. Still good. 4/5 From the Morning My favourite from the album. Feels accepting and uplifting. I really enjoy the more positive outlook after a very downturned and sad album. A really refreshing, earnest little track that leaves an impact everytime I hear it. Has a nostalgic and reflective feel to it which is carried on top of the beautiful little guitar melody. Sells the idea that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and that one has to appreciate beauty and wonder even during bad times. That this was one of his last recorded songs before tragically passing also adds to the feel of the song. Hope he found beauty and peace in his final moments. Fantastic. 5/5 I always forget how enigmatic and cryptic a lot of the lyrics are on this thing. Even if it's difficult to understand at times I think the songs really get their intent across through atmosphere, delivery and feel. It's both uplifiting and depressing, and also extremely calming and warm even when you feel how moody and weighted certain elements feel. Does all it should and more. A magnificent series of songs, and an absolute tragedy that we never got to hear another project from him again, and that he never saw the success he deserved. 4.5/5 Fave track. From the Morning Last fave track. Know

An album I've neglected listening to for too long. Never really been a fan of the grunge era so it'll be intetesting to see what I think after giving it a focused chance. I'm expecting good things from what I've heard about this. Them Bones I love the heaviness and the melodic guitar. Dense and loud. I feel ambivalent about the vocals, they feel very of this era of 90s rock music. Great songwriting as to cram this much musical content into such a brief and condesed song without it feeling messy. Good. 4/5 Dam That River Kick-ass guitar riff. Well constructed lyrics, easy to follow along with. I've turned around on the vocals, the performance fits well on top of the metal inspired tunings. Good. 4/5 Rain When I Die Awesome disturbing guitar squeals in the intro. The bass and the drums together create an ominous atmosphere for the guitar to play in. The doomy guitar prior to the verse is also really cool. Yeah that guitar riff slaps. Raw and powerful vocals on the chorus. Interesting way to end the track. Great 4.5/5 Down in a Hole Really slow, really dense. Has a lot of buildup to what ends up being a fine if not unspectacular chorus. Ends up being a loud wall of distortion with some dark and unsettling lyrics. The effect on the chorus adds to the cramped feeling of the song. Fine. 3/5 Sickman Has some progressive changes in tempo that I find pretty cool. Love the drumming on this. I don't like the vocals here, they range from flat, to whiny to nasaly never really landing anywhere pleasant. The lyrics are sort of messed up, there's a lot of despair and loathing in there. Fine. 3/5 Rooster It's strange hearing a Vietnam war song from an early 90s band. I do quite like it, reading about its meaning really helps as with the added context the song has an additional emotional layer to it. The complicated relationship with his estranged father channeled into a into a frankly harrowing song about the horrors he went through. I also like how the chorus at times almost sounds triumphant in a way, the more open instrumentation really highlights it and contributes to it sticking around even after the song concludes. Understandable how this is one of the more popular tracks from the album. Great. 4.5/5 Junkhead Musically a continuation of their sound from the previous tracks on the album. Doesn't feel quite as felshed out as other songs so far. Doesn't really have much about it that sticks out as noteworthy other than that little guitar passage with the strange effect on it. They do this sound really well however. Fine. 3/5 Dirt Classic heavy metal esque guitar riff. Angsty, edgy, raw lyrics about what seems to be pretty serious mental health issues. Kinda slow, the chous does a lot of lifting. Decent. 3.5/5 God Smack As strange as the vocals are in periods, I really like it as a creative decision. Adds variety without deviating too much from the established sound of the album. I like the added guitar effect on the chorus, and the edge in the singing. Interesting inclusion. 4/5 Untitled Experimental little interlude over a strange sample. Creates a feeling of unease heading into the final stretch of the album. Interlude/5 Hate to Feel Downturned. Has a lot of negative energy. Really angsty. I like the drumming on this track a lot. The chorus is sort of catchy. Has a lot of emotion behind it, but to me it got a bit too much, a bit to vitriolic and a bit to direct. Draining. 2.5/5 Angry Chair The rhythm section builds a nice groove. The lyrics feel personal, though they so sort of go over my head a little as I struggle to understand their meaning, is it about addiction? Decent chorus. Decent. 3.5/5 Would? Sweet Jesus what a glorious bassline. The chorus is close to as good as it gets for this type of music. Cathartic and catchy, musically kicks a lot of ass during its brief time in the spotlight. Amazing vocal melody. Great tribute. Iconic song of the era which has stood the test of time. 4.5/5 Despite not really being my thing I really appreciated what this album did, and how consistent it was. With such a limited sound it risks running out of ideas, yet I feel it really never did. All songs feel unique and purposeful while all touching on similar heavy subject matter. Can't call it a fun listen though, as I found it quite emotionally draining due to how dark and heavy it was. There really wasnt any light in there what so ever. While they did do a lot with the sonic pallatte they presented it did however run its course, where I feel like 57 minutes sort of got a bit too long. With those minor complaints out of the way I would say that I don't really mind feeling drained at the end. Music should cover all range of emotions and should remain relevant to all aspects of the human experience. Alice in Chains did a great job at portraying the more negative sides of life, while feeling real and genuine while doing so. 4/5 Fave track. Rooster Least fave track. Hate to Feel

No idea what to expect. I know that they're a fairly popular band and are consisered influencial. Other than that I don't know if I've even heard any of their songs even if I know the name. I would consider myself a fan of Brian Eno's ambient work, though from the description I expect this to be anything but that. Feels like I've neglected a bit of music history by ignoring this band for so long. Re-Make/Re-Model Thick bass. The vocals sit strangely in the mix making them sound a bit muddled, especially noticable on the background vocals from the band. I really appreciate the ambitious experimental instrumentation. The squealing guitars and the erratic saxophone sounds really compelling. I love how diverse it is instrumentally and how much the track changes over the course of its five minute runtime. Great. 4.5/5 Ladytron That's definitely Brian Eno. Love how the bass is mixed. The vocals are strange and full of character. What an interesting way to take the track. Absolute insanity unfolding inside my headset. I don't know what to call this but I quite enjoy how full of ideas this is. Great. 4.5/5 Is There Something Don't like the vocal melody. The bass is a bit too loud. Great piano and guitar work. There's some crazy instrumental choices here, is that a woodwind? Extremely strange vocal delivery, can't say I dislike it, but it's strange none the less. Kind of loses focus in the middle. The final vocal passage is full of character. Really like how this song ends. Great. 4.5/5 Virginia Plain Structurally simpler than their earlier songs. The varied instrumentation really keeps me entertained. The excentric vocals really fit the bouncy rhythm. No complaints. 4.5/5 2HB The ambient intro could be its own song. The chilled out vibe is appreciated after the chaos that just unfolded. The mellow instrumental passage is just pure bliss. Cozy and relaxing. danny-devito-i-get-it.gif. 5/5 The Bob (Medley) Ominous, spooky, harrowing, other words for unsettling. Was not expecting this to turn into a glam rock track at this point. Extremely dramatic. Experimental. Absolute chaos. Satisfying bass/guitar combination. Spoken word? Need some time to digest it, but I think it might be amazing? 5/5 Chance Meeting Giving musical theatre. Now giving old horror movie. The lyrics sound disturbing with the unsettling noise in the background. Great. 4.5/5 Would You Believe? The vocals are a bit too quirky on this one. Love the energy and the classic rhythm tied with the diversity of the instrumentation. The changeup in tempo at the end comes at the right time to keep the song interesting. Probably the wakest track so far. Still good. 4/5 Sea Breezes Love me an ocean themed song. One of my favourite micro-categories. Love how the crashing waves are implemented. Theatrical, dramatic vocal performance. Really like the calmer sound. Has a sort of gothic energy to it. The instrumentation is absolutely fantastic yet again, love how strange it is. Satisfying ending with the reprise of the first verse. Challenging. 4.5/5 Bitters End Quirky and odd. Satisfying lyrics. Love the sax going crazy in the background. The background vocals are a fun addition. Like the short but sweet nature of the song. Great closer. 4.5/5 I'm amazed at this. Really strange and experimental, with tonnes of great creative choices and eclectic and inspired instrumentation. Charismatic vocals full of personality. And the theatrical performances really added some mystique and uniqueness to the sound. Great drama aswell. Can't say apart from a few patches of rough mixing that there is anything to complain about. Really want to return to this one and attempt to make more sense of the craziness. Might be influenced by my run of getting recommended really depressive and/or serious music from this app, but this was a breath of fresh air. Had so much fun with this. Right up my alley. 4.5/5 stars leaning closer to 5. Fave track. 2HB Least fave track. N/A

The Beastie Boys is a group I find fun in small dozes. Fear this might be a bit of an exhausting listen, as I feel their energy can add up to be too much over an album's length of time. I expect to hear some clever wordplay, and some great energetic performances with a lot of synergy between the members. Will give it an honest shot. To All The Girls A smooth instrumental sample. The content of the song is presented in a manner that comes across as a bit silly. A worship of all different types of women. A bit cheesy. Intro/5 Shake Your Rump Really like the beat on this. Interesting sample work. Can take it or leave it with the DJ Scratches. The lyrical content serves as a reintroduction to the Beastie Boys and the people they're working with on the album. As juvenile and dumb some of the bars are, the wordplay is at times pretty clever. I find the over the top performances to be mostly charming though they're walking a fine line where they risk falling into obnoxious territory. Decent. 3.5/5 Johhny Ryall Again the sample work is really impressive. Really like the guitar sample. Really goes with the content of the lyrics. Tells a pretty concise story. The performances are a little more eccentric here. The energy here is really engaging, found myself bopping along to the beat of the track. Decent. 3.5/5 Egg Man Cheeky and mischiveous lyrics. A song about throwing eggs at people, can't say I've ever heard anything like it. Many of the literary references seem a bit obvious, but they do their job decently. Can't say I'm too crazy about this one, the beat is fine, and the lyrical content is fun, but it grows stale throughout the course of the song. The "egg man" sample also gets a bit ridiculous. Fine. 3/5 High Plains Drifter Sounds a bit messy, the sample in the background is pretty horrible. The lyrics are pretty clever at times, but the concept is pretty uninteresting. I hate the flows, they're really annoying. Some of the vocal inflections are really obnoxious. Don't find it charming at all. Slightly irritating. 2/5 The Sound of Science Really strange choice of beat, the bass sample isn't exactly what I'd expect from a Beastie Boys song. I like the nerdy lyrics, fun parody. The beat switch really hits. Love the subversion after the first part of the track. Good setup, great punchline. Good. 4/5 3-Minute Rule A lot of the references and the language used on the track goes completely over my head. The beat is pretty good. The second verse is definitely weaker than the first, there's just not much of interest there, feels a bit filler. The final verse has a lot of references I actually get, which is a breath of fresh air. Sounds like they're having fun on the beat creating a decent vibe, though the track itself isn't spectacular. Fine. 3/5 Hey Ladies Love the funk instrumental. I find their synergy on top of the beat pretty immaculate. The lyrics are pretty juvenile and dumb, but they're presented in a pretty fun and entertaining way. The obnoxious hook is pretty good. Interesting sampling. Fun song. 4/5 5-Piece Chicken Dinner Yep that exists. Interlude/5 Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun The hard rock instrumental is fantastic. Their punk roots really show in their performances here. Really like the hook. A track like this shows that they have range outside of just writing witty bars about girls and parties. Has a lot more edge to it, not just instrumentally but also lyrically. I enjoy the aggression present in both the performance and lyrics, even though it's pretty simple conceptually. Great. 4.5/5 Car Thief Excuisite choice of sample. The flows seem a bit more varied on this track. Has some of that same punk energy to it from the previous track. Rebellious fuck the system kind of attitude. Does a good job of staying varied and spaced out while still remaining concise and on theme. Good. 4/5 What Comes Around Pretty obnoxious performances. The sample is again stellar. Don't really like the hook. I get what they're going for but for me it doesn't really work that well. Slightly irritating track. Wouldn't really put it on outside the album. Did not like. 2/5 Shadrach Love the vocal sample on top of the funky bass instrumental. The biblical references are represented in a fun way. Love the vocal sample on the hook. Immaculate vibe. I find the lyrics fairly clever and charming. Really fun song. Great. 4.5/5 Ask For Janice. It's an interlude. Interlude/5 B-Boy Boullabaisse A series of experimental short tracks that forever reason didn't turn into full tracks of their own. Seems a bit of a scattered collection. Don't really have much to add, most of them are fine, but not exceptional. They show a lot of creativity and fun spirit. Really appreciate the inclusion as it shows a lot of decent ideas that would otherwise be left in the writer's room. Feels like they're messing around and having fun. I would like to shout out the final track as a pretty fun closer giving appreciation to the people they've worked with on the album. Decent. 3.5/5 Really really like the production on this. The sample work is just fantastic, and I really like the mix of funk, rock and soul music for the instrumentation resulting in some really creative and eclectic beats for the Beastie Boys to rap over. They bring a lot of energy to the tracks which is at times really infectious and leaves you with a smile on your face. Other times you can really see their punk rock roots, reflecting in some heavier tracks where their attitudes shift from playful to more hard and rebellious. I think lyrically the album is in a bit of a strange place for me. It seems that they write lyrics they themselves have fun with, but they're not always saying anything interesting. A lot of the references go over my head, as their relevance might have faded over time, and a lot of the language used requires knowledge of the slang of the NYC area during the time, which I simply don't have. In the end I found some tracks to be draining, and others to be a great time. Wouldn't say the album is inconsistent though as I do feel the intention is always there, though I cannot say I'm always in love with how it's being executed. A decent listen though not entirely for me. 3.5/5 leaning closer to a 3.

I only really know M.I.A from Paper Planes, which seems to have dropped a few years later in her career. She seems to have become a bit controversal over the past few years, though her music, at least her early work is still getting praise online. Hope it lives up to the hype. Banana - Skit Definitely a start to the album. Seems to have some decent production. Just not what I was expected. NA/5 Pull Up The People Crunchy electronics. Mixed really loudly. Not in love with that hook. I like the experimental beat. Starts a bit rough but improves throughout the track. Okay performance. Average. 2.5/5 Bucky Done Gun Kinda goofy. Terrible trumpet sample. Abdolutely hate the hook. Obnoxious. Her performance on the verse is so low energy, I think she sounds uninterested in her own song. Rhythm at least saves the track slightly. Kinda hate it. 1.5/5 Sunshowers I really can't stand this production. I find her flow quite irritating. I don't like the hook. By the numbers performance. Disappointing. 1.5/5 Fire, Fire The beat is fine. Has a bit better energy to it. Like how rhytmic it is. The electronic "crashes" sort of overpower everything else. Repetitive, annoying. Doesn't really go anywhere. Did not like. 2/5 Dash the Curry - Skit Okay, that exists. NA/5 Amazon Again the production sucks. Terribly balanced, the mix just does not sound good. It's a shame because I think the vocal performance is pretty good. She shows a decent amount of songwriting ability. Fairly impressed with the verses. Okay hook, decently catchy. Could be a decent song but the production ruins it. 2.5/5 Bingo Steel drums suck. No this isn't good, I need to try really hard to find anything to enjoy here. Maybe there are some parts that are cleverly written, but I just can't vibe with the production and I find her sort of unlikable. Turn it off. 1/5 Hombre Sounds large. Appreciate the creative instumentation. Otherwise I kinda dislike everything else I'm hearing. The post chorus instrumental part kinda works. Not for me. 1.5/5 One for the Head Nokia ringtone type beat. NA/5 10 Dollar Promising start. For once I like the production. I don't mind her performance here. She has some charisma and sounds like she's having fun. The lyrics are questionable. Feels problematic. Don't like. 2/5 U.R.A.Q.T I feel like I've given up at this point. This is clearly not for me. This song just comes across as annoying, can't find anything positive to say. Turn it off. 1/5 Galang More of the same. Repetive. Obnoxious production. Not my thing. She is at least having fun. Like how it ends, sort of melodic. Do not like. 2/5 M.I.A Politcal song. It feels slightly confused never really landing anywhere. Has some decent bars, but repeats messaging we've heard time and time again, often executed better. The oppressed rise up, well maybe someday. Ourside of that pretty standard. Average. 2.5/5 Kinda hated that to be honest. Really don't see the appeal. Horrible production, unlikeable performances, and annoying hooks. At least most songs only had one of those at a time. Obviously I'm not the target audience for this, and I'm guessing people from similar backgrounds to M.I.A herself would find things in there that I'd completely overlook. I don't have much positive to say. Honestly had high expectations so I might've let my disappointment colour my reaction. Really didn't have a good time listening. 1.5/5 leaning towards a 1, though subject to rise upon relisten.

I asked my dad if he knew what this was, he did. I then asked him if it was good, he said it wasn't. Genuinely haven't heard anything from this group. I would say me and my dad differ slightly when it comes to taste in music, so I have no idea what to expect really. Looks offensively 90's. Hoping the music is better than the album art. Connected By far their most popular song, also the song my parents claimed to have clubbed to in the early 90's. Can't say I'm too excited by the prospect of my parents at the club tbh. Has some groove to it. The vocal sample loop creates some decent atmosphere. Is a bit flat, though the keys and sax add some depth. The female vocals do add some variety to the track. All in all overstays its welcome a bit, but seems a solid start to the album. Not suprised it's a hit to be honest. Decent. 3.5/5 Ground Level Strange jazzy instrumentation, still remains dancable. The vocals are kinda unispired, lacks character and depth. Pretty catchy despite the low-key performance. Surprisingly well composed. Pleasantly surprised. 4/5 Everything Decent energy. Family Stone references or a coincidence? The hook is pretty unispiring, and the rapping is a bit dated, though I find it kinda charming. Really like the groovy bassline. The brass instruments are also a pretty cool choice. The song kinda grew on me over the course of its runtime. Fun track. 4/5 Sketch Sort of mellow. Having fun with the instrumentation. Can't forget to highlight the fantastic accent of the singer, honestly think it adds some uniqueness to the music on display. Decent concept for a song, honestly sort of a fresh take on the idea. The rapping still isn't great per se, but can't say it ruins the song in any way, kinda charming actually. The chilled out energy is a vibe. Feels vibrant and colourful. Fun. 4/5 Fade Away Starting of pretty corny. The disco like female vocals is not something you'd hear today. The instrumentation carries the track. Don't really like the hook at all. The verses don't really connect either. Has good parts, has bad parts. 2.5/5 All Night Long Funky start to the track. Has good rhythm. Like the attention given to the bass. Really repetitive. The restart definitely came at a much needed time, honestly wished the track changed more after the restart. Goes nowhere, feels like it ran out of ideas really early. Fine. 3/5 Step it Up Good bassline. Moving into a more traditional dance track was a good move after the instrumental track. Has a bitvof a groove, could definitely see people dancing to this. Vocals seem a bit bored and unenthusiastic. Fairly decent chorus. Nothing spectacular, still pretty decent. 3.5/5 Playing With Fire This album keeps suprising me. Immaculate vibes. For this type of music the instrumentation is really solid. The vocals are extremely basic, but it works somehow. Transcends the critical thinking center of my brain. Just fun, can't explain why. Good. 4/5 Pressure Love the bassline, sort of infectious. Bouncy song that really moves along with some decent flair. Doesn't do anything special, but again has immaculate vibes. Decent. 3.5/5 Chicken Shake Whoever picks these instrumentals deserves a lot of credit. Decent loop, but wish it varied a bit more. I like the keyboard at the end. Sort of kept building on itself into a solid instrumental track. Could use a few more points of engagement. Decent. 3.5/5 Creation The bad thunder effects are kinda charming. Fub drum beat, and some decent bass playing on top of it. The keyboard sequence goes on for a bit too long. The lyrics on the hook are pretty bad. Really cheesy. Does have sequences where it sounds a bit empty. Was not expecting the drum breakdown at the end. Fine. 3/5 The End Decent bassline. The rapping style doesn't fit the energy of the instrumental. A bit too sparse, feels like it's lacking something. Nothing chorus. Doesn't go anywhere. Carole King motif in the sax at the end is a fun touch. Disappointing closer. 2/5 Honestly thought this was going to be horrible, but turned out pretty alright. Found myself having fun with plenty of the tracks. Really enjoyed the energy, and found the dated rapping style and the bombastic female vocals to be quite charming. Love how they've chosen to implement a series of very good samples, really liked many of the imported basslines. Found the production solid overall, never having any complaints about the mixing or the quality. Didn't pay too close attention to the lyrics, but they seemed pretty forgetable, will definitely pay more attention on a relisten. The rapping is a bit basic and in some songs the style gets a bit boring, or have a tendency to not work. Vocals in general lack a bit of variation. Still the album managed to exceed my expectations, and I found myself having loads of fun with it. 3.5/ leaning closer to a 3/5. Fave track. Sketch Least fave track. The End

EDM isn't usually my thing so I don't really know what separates the really good stuff from the good stuff. I hear that this album has been put up there with some of the greatest albums in the genre, and that it's pretty accessible, so I'll probably get some enjoyment out of it, even if it's just on a base level. Gonna keep an open mind heading into it. Otherwise my expectations are kinda somewhat mixed, though do enjoy a bit of Daft Punk and these guys are also French so maybe there will be some crossover there. Genesis Quite an imposing and menacing intro, reminds me of an early sci-fi film. Really electronic, loops quite a bit. Kinda glitchy. Doesn't leave a lot of space in the mix, there's a lot going on at once. Fine. 3/5 Let There Be Light Really impressive transition. The snare sample is quite good. Sounds like a malfunctioning piece of electronic equipment. The bassline is quite good. It's interesting, though not sure if I like it. Compositionally I think the song layers itself well, builds upon a consistent sound and stays engaging over its entire runtime. The quieter outro is quite nice. Has its ups and downs. I see the appeal. 3.5/5 D.A.N.C.E Their most streamed song by quite some margin. I recognize it but have never given it much thought. Gets straight into the action. Has some funkiness to it, the bassline is notable. Don't really like the string samples. I find it sort of annoying. Don't really like the vocals either, mixed weirdly and has an irritating cadance and pitch to them. Gets kinda repetitve. Might not be a popular opinion, but I don't like it. 2/5 Newjack Choppy. Crunchy. It's a lot of electronic noise, though I respect the experimentation I can't really find a satisfying hook in there for me to catch onto. The vocal sample sort of grew on me. I'm wildly out of my comfort zone here, someone with a larger understanding of electronic music would probably find this more enjoyable than I did. Obviously competent, but don't really get it. Confused. 2/5 Phantom Robot beep boop. Well produced, good sound quality. Catchy. Sort of gets stale after a while. The limited sonic elements sort of blend into each other, kind of overstays its welcome. Lost interest about 2/3 in. Fine. 3/5 Phantom Pt. II Builds upon the previous tracks. Like the added violin(?) sample. Sort of freshens up the track. Bringing the bassline more into focus certainly helps too. Repetive. Fine. 3/5 Valentine Like the radical change of sound from the previous track. Sounds kinda flat. Has a bored energy to it that I really don't care for. I like the concept of the two high pitched synths playing off each other, feels like a bit of a dance. Fine. 3/5 The Party Kinda obnoxious. Dollar store Kesha. The sparse instrumental does not help. Nice synth. Kinda sucks, but has its moments. 2.5/5 DVNO Don't like the mixing, muddles the vocals. Messy and chaotic in an annoying noisy way. The vocal performance has some charisma to it. The solo at the end is kinda funky. Got really bored if it, didn't keep my interest. 2/5 Stress This is unpleasant. Stressful, suits the title. All emotions are valid when making music, though stressed is the opposite of what I wanna feel after hearing a song. Executes its concept perfectly, but I absolutely hate it. Can't wait for it to end. Evil song made by evil people. I will never put this on again. Whoever added the jumpscare and the alarms can fuck right off. Straight to jail. 1/5. Waters of Nazareth Keeps up the stressful energy from the last track. Really loud, really repetitive. Whatever enjoyment I could get out of this album was killed by the previous track. Sounds like a really annoying level in a fast paced platforming video game where I keep dying to some stupid obstacle over and over. The synths at around the 3 minute mark sort of helped relieve som of the tension. Stressful. 1.5/5 One Minute to Midnight Bouncy and fun. Trudges along at a nice pace. Some of the electronics are really harsh sounding. A nice vibe once you get into it. Ends abruptly. Decent. 3.5/5 Honestly knowing I wouldn't be into it I'm quite happy I listen to it. Has a lot of interesting elements to it, which sounds bad to me now, but may sound good once I explore the genre a bit more. Was confused through most of the album, annoyed at other parts, and bored at some parts. The parts I liked felt really engaging, and had lots of decent rhythm and great composision. I recognize there's a lot of talent involved in making this especially when you consider how well they managed to capture the feeling of stress in the song "Stress". When you consider how perfectly executed that concept was (me hating the song non withstanding) it's only a matter of personal taste standing in the way of my enjoyment of this. If this sort of electronic music ever clicks for me I will definitely revisit. Not bad, just not for me. 2.5/5 leaning towards a 3. Fave track. Let There Be Light Least fave track. Stress

60s pop with solid harmonies usually does the trick for something that is at least pleasant sounding. From what I know about this band, that is exactly what I'm expecting from this album, especially since it has "California Dreaming" on it. Looks like it will be squeaky clean. Safe and edgeless music for the whole family. Predicting that it will be fine, but nothing special. Monday, Monday The production on this song definitely hasn't aged well. Extremely 60s. The harmonies are pretty good. As for songs about not liking Mondays this one is pretty okay. Has some decent lyrics. Decent. 3.5/5 Straight Shooter Does a bit more with the band, the guitar is alright, though the percussion is just annoying. Has some country vibes. The alternating vocals and the harmonies they create sound pretty nice. Decent. 3.5/5 Got A Feelin' Creepy sounding. The instrumental has some unsettling energy, especially the ticking clock. The voices are pretty nice. It was a good decision to keep the track short, any longer and the ticking would've been annoying. The layering of the two different vocals is the highlight here, paired alongside the strange instrumental it works out into a decently executed song. Not mindblowing by any means, but I swe what they're going for. Decent. 3.5/5 I Call Your Name Really standard 60s pop song. Extremely uncool, has less edge than a circle. The harmonies are good, but the song is really uninspiring, does very little for me. Average. 2.5/5 Do You Wanna Dance I didn't know I could grow even whiter by listening to a song, but I think I'm starting to become translucent. This is a song where the stereo really does a number on me. Sounds terrible in my headset. Makes me nauseous. The song isn't terrible, but the production has aged so badly that it's nearly unlistenable on my setup. A victim of time. 1.5/5 Go Where You Wanna Go I don't like the vocals. Earpiercing. The recording quality does not help. Annoying chorus. Terrible sounding strings. Not good. 1.5/5 California Dreamin' Quintessential 60s song. It's cultural impact is still felt to this day. Used in plenty of media to indicate the time period. Covered many times by different artists and has plagued many an accapella troupe. Really catchy and fun to sing along to. The dark undertones in the lyrics and the haunting echoing backing vocals create a sinister feeling which keeps going throughout the track. A track where the dated production does it some favours by upholding the eerie atmosphere. Classic that has stood the test of time. A bit overplayed, but still pretty fantastic. 5/5 Spanish Harlem Corny. Both in terms of lyrics, composition and lyrics. Just extremely dated and lame. Ick successfully acquired. A relic of its time best forgotten. 1/5 Somebody Groovy The datedness has somehow come full circle and transformed into charm. Doesn't sound all that great. "Groovy" used to describe a person is a slang term which I'm really glad didn't stick around. Average. 2.5/5 Hey Girl Sounds really empty instrumentally, genuinely has demo vibes. Production hasn't aged well in the slightest. Forgettable lyrics. Did not like. 2/5 You Baby Kinds sweet. Sounds awful, especially the backing vocals, awful recording quality, sounds really muddled and unclear. Aged poorly, though there's an okay song buried in there. 2/5 The "In" Crowd Quite a decent concept. Still sounds horrible, the mix has a lot of problems, though mainly with the vocals. The organ is snappy and fun, the band performance in general is pretty good. Ruined by the mix. 2/5 This has aged extremely poorly, it sounds absolutely terrible on my setup for the most part. Some songs were almost entirely ruined by it. Much of the writing is extremely basic and forgettable, and to modern ears a lot of it also comes off as corny. Some of the tracks have a bit of charm, even some of the charm coming from how dated it sounds, though most of it is just bland. The harmonies, the singing ability and the synergy between the performers remains at a high level throughout, though doesn't quite do enough to carry the album. Apart from a few hits (mainly California Dreamin') there's not much on here worth caring too much about. There's plenty of other music from this era I'd rather be listening to. Dated. 2/5 Fave track. California Dreamin' Least fave track. Spanish Harlem

I thought this band was a one hit wonder. Only really heard the one song from them, and it seems to at least be the one song that survived the test of time, according to streaming numbers. I don't particularly like their biggest hit so I'm coming at this with low expectations. Hope the rest of the album delivers something interesting. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of Starting off with a clunky title. Extremely 80's. The synths sound kinda cheesy, especially the bass. Robotic and monotone vocal performance. Awkward chorus. The high pitched synths on the chorus don't sound particularly good. Matching the clunkiness of its title. Did not like. 2/5 Open Your Heart The vocal melody is honestly just unpleasant. Hate the whistly synths. Pretty empty sounding even with the synths playing disharmonicaly in the background. Messy mix. Awkward composition. The chorus doesn't go anywhere. Unpleasant. 1.5/5 The Sound Of The Crowd Immediately annoying as soon as it starts. Background instrumental sounds like a rejected YMO b-side made in a drunken stupor. The vocals have a bit of that 80's charm to the them. Another nothing chorus, lacks any punch whatsoever. Holds very little value. 1.5/5 Darkness With how cliché this song sounds I'm not suprised that I'd think this was a parody if I didn't know any better. Empty sounding instrumental. Messy composision and a cheesy chorus. The insturmental break sounds sort of decent. Did not like. 2/5 Do or Die I don't wanna hear a 5 minute track from this thing. This has to be experienced to be believed. The instrumental is strange... The bassline is sort of passable. The verses are kinda unhinged, and the chorus sort of sucks. The extended instrumental passage has some groove to it, when the chorus comes back at the end it almost sounds good. Confusing. 2.5/5 Get Carter That high pitched synth at the is earpiercingly loud. For the first time in 44 albums I had to turn my volume down. Should come with a warning. 1/5 I Am The Law The synths create an atmospheric landscape. Some of the effects are a bit cheesy. Reminds me of a shitty rejected Japan track. Singer sounds somewhat like a budget David Sylvian minus rverything that makes him great. Failed experiment, ends up being quite a slog to get through. Turn it off. 1.5/5 Seconds Decent transition. Stock sounding instrumental. Same boring monotone delivery. Hopelessly boring, repetitive and overly long. Absolutely pointless. 1/5 Love Action (I Believe in Love) Sounds like a parody. Headache inducing. The vocals make me wanna bash my head against the wall, bores me to tears. I think I've been Stockholm syndrome'd into liking the main synth riff. Brainwashing music. Get me out. 1/5. Don't You Want Me One of the most overplayed songs on every 80's pop station. A more annoying song than this is hard to come by. I hate the lyrics, I hate the annoying background synth that keeps going for the entire song. I can't stand the chorus. The female vocal part is somehow worse than the male one. Don't You Want To Turn It Off. If I could give it a 0 I would. Turbo shit. 1/5 I can't stand this. This is honestly baffling. I have to look really hard to find anything enjoyable in here. The inclusion of "Don't You Want Me" almost automatically qualifies it for 1/5 stars. Dated beyond belief. Terrible sounding synth effects. Extremely basic songs, those who aren't completely fail, coming off as either disjointed messes or boring slogs. I usually really like synth pop, but this just does not do it for me. Genuinely one of the worst experiences I've had with an album listening to it front to back. Glad it's over. 1/5 Fave track. N/A Least fave track. Don't You Want Me

Hell yeah. Time for some high energy aggressive dance music. Not heard the deep cuts, but the hits are all bangers. Would call myself an enjoyer of what I've heard from this group. Looking forward to listening. Smack My Bitch Up Starts off with a bit of a strange buildup. Instantly gains a lot of energy once the bass comes in. The repetition makes for a really intense track. The calmer part leading to the switchup adds depth to the track. Having the female vocal part keeps the song interesting before the final repetition of the main electronic part. Great way to kick things off. 4/5 Breathe Absolute classic intro melody. Maintains the energy from the previous song. Amazing effects. Extremely catchy vocals. Simple and easy to follow. The aggessive delivery really adds intensity to the track. The entire song is a highlight. Landmark song in electronic music. Has aged really well. 5/5 Diesel Power Feels darker and almost industrial compared to the previous tracks. The rapping is pretty typical of this type of music from this era. The instrumental improves what's honestly a slightly dated lyrical performance. Still has some swagger to it, remains quite catchy. Decent. 3.5/5 Funky Shit Charming opening synth. Great use of the sample. Quite a trippy track. Builds well upon a simple premise. Could imagine this going hard live. Fantastic groove, almost hypnotic at times. Good. 4/5 Serial Thrilla Was not expecting the rock influence to be so heavy on this track. Vocals almost give me punk rock vibes. Keeps the same high energy throughout the track. Well composed, they manage to keep the track interesting throughout. Good. 4/5 Mindfields Quite a contrasting intro heading into it from the previous track. Strange, dark instrumental. The slower energy is almost welcome at this point. Has an experimental vibe that I didn't expect, but do appreciate. Really crunchy electronics in certain parts. Immaculate vibes, tickles the brain in a satisfying way, while not being overwhelming. Great. 4.5/5 Narayan The opening strays a bit into too familiar territory, it sounds good, but isn't anything special. A bit flat instrumentally. The difference in vocals adds a unique edge to the track setting it apart from the other tracks on the album. The instrumental is growing on me as it evolves. Love the drum beat. Did not expect the chanting, trippy, love the synth and distorted vocals in the background. Goes through many different loops and hurdles, constantly changing the track. An interesting journey. 4/5 Firestarter Fantastic synth riff. Fun drum beat. Great energy yet again. Love how full of attitude the vocals are, the accent adds an extra edge. Instantly recognizable, dancable, fun track that kicks an immense amount of ass. Goes hard. 5/5 Climbatize Did not expect the lighter airier synths. Like how it distorts and twists. Quite strange, like the use of the bass. Honestly builds upon itself into quite an infectious groove. Creates a lot of interesting imagery with its field of sounds. Has some psychedelic elements I really enjoy. Amazingly composed. Fantastic, unexpected favourite. 5/5 Fuel My Fire Really fast paced. Has punk rock vibes. Original take. Really dense and high energy. Love the subtle background synth. Fun to hear a song that's so drastically different from the rest of the album. Decent little cover. Works well as a closer. 4/5 I had a lot of fun with this. Just can't beat the energy. Somehow manages to stay sonically varied while maintaining that consistent blood pumping energy which remains infectious throughout. Even in today's saturated musical landscape I think something like this holds value, and has aged quite well. Nothing quite sounds like the Prodigy. The aggression and the crunchiness alongside the extremely catchy hooks and electronic melodies gives it a unique sound that puts the listener right in the mood to get lost at the nearest rave. The album is pretty consistent quality wise having no real duds, and the moment something is about to get stale the tracklist is set up to change the sound. The only thing keeping this from a full score is that some of the track just lack that little extra something that would pull them over the edge. Final score. 4.5/5, leaning towards a 4/5. Fave track. Climbatize Least fave track. Diesel Power

A Neil Young album I've never heard of. Not really an artist I've bothered checking out, can't say the songs I've heard from him have been too inspiring. Obviously he's a very influential songwriter so I'm hoping to discover some "hidden gems" in the deeper cuts of his discography. Judging by the album cover I'm hoping for sunny, summery tunes and a chilled out vibe. Walk On Definitely a relaxed start. The instrumental has a lot more depth to it than you'd might expect from a track like this. Slight country vibes from the chorus and the steel guitar. The background vocals are subtle, but used to great effect. The lyrics are fairly simple, but has some nice wisdom in them. Decent start. 3.5/5 See The Sky About to Rain Slower tempo, seems to be building to something. It's pleasant enough, but doesn't really go anywhere. The instrumental bridge is kinda cute. Don't really like the repetitiveness of the melody. Never ever seems to want to end. Bordering on being boring. 3/5 Revolution Blues Sounds fairly standard musically for a blues rock track of this type. Apparently this song is about Charles Manson, and from his perspective too, which honestly is interesting enough to bump it up all on its own. With that out of the way, the instrumental really grew on me, really digging the bass work, the guitar is also really groovy. Clever little song, the vocals have some really cool imperfections that make them stand out. Love the sinister ending. Fascinating. 4.5/5 For the Turnstiles I like how the banjo is mixed. Not sure about the vocals on this one. Can't exacly relate to the stuggle in the lyrics, however it does feel like a peek behind the curtain, which I can appreciate. The simple instrumentation and the untraditional vocal delivery makes it feel like a somber campfire song. Not usually my thing, but I get the picture. Decent. 3.5/5 Vampire Blues Honestly a bit heavy handed with the oil industry critique. They need to be called out though, so appreciate the effort. Don't really care for the mellow blues sound of this. Has very little momentum, and feels really sluggish. The lyrics aren't interesting enough to cover for the slowness of the track. The playing is fine, but generally not a huge fan of this style. Average. 2.5/5 On the Beach Very dramatic. Feels personal. Vocals are performed with a lot of emotion. Pretty guitar solo. Would've hoped for some more interesting composition for a track this long. Definitely an important track for the artist, but doesn't really translate to a very engaging track. Perhaps I'd appreciate it more if I was more familiar with the artist. Could see it being powerful for some, for me it ended up being a bit boring by the end. Fine. 3/5 Motion Pictures (For Carrie) This guy sure hated being famous at the time of writing this album. Quite sad and hopeless. Emotionally written and delivered. The instrumental feels down to earth and folksy, liking the harmonica. Held my attention throughout despite being really slow and sparse. Really good piece of songwriting. Even though the subject matter only relates to a select few he manages to bring it down a level where the feelings of burnout and disillusionment suddenly seem more human and relatable. Good. 4/5 Ambulance Blues Really nice guitar line. Confusing lyrics, had to look it up, and wow that's a lot of lore to unpack. Feels almost rambly. Really enjoy the way the other instruments come in. Calming and relaxing. Feels reflective. While they feels sort of disjointed the lyrics have some ear-catching lines that are either interestingly written or feel thoughtful. Decent. 3.5/5 Liked it about as much as I expected to. Can't really say I was blown away at any point, but still feel like it added something to my day. What I did not expect was how somber, sad and reflective this album was and how much time was allocated to what I feel were very personal tracks. Could really feel how impactful some of the songs were to the artist himself. He's a really good lyrical writer, spawning several moments of poetic phrasing and punchy conclusions. Can't say I have any complaints other than some if the slower songs had me lose interest at a few points. Would also like to comment on that it feels like this album would probably be enjoyed more if you're already a fan of Neil Young to begin with, as much of it seems to reference his experiences and feelings. I could see this being a hardcore Neil Young fan's favourite album of his, simply from how personal and at times poetic it feels. Decent enough experience, has moments I'd return to. 3.5/5 leaning more towards 3/5 Fave song. Revolution Blues Least fave song. Vampire Blues

If I'm being honest I feel a bit intimidated by this. I know the Yardbirds as one of the big 1960's bands though I don't know too much else about them. I however have some passing familiarity with Jeff Beck who appears on here. The tracklist on Spotify is a mess, so I'm only gonna listen to the songs on the original UK release, ignoring any additional tracks. Will be listening to the stereo versions of the tracks, as mono really does not sound good on my setup. Edit: The stereo version was quite rough so I ended up swapping to the mono version about half way through (Rack My Mind) Leaving the original reactions to the songs up as to keep my authentic prosess in there, though will relisten in the mono version and add additional edits at the end of each segment and with changed ratings should it occur. Lost Women I like the bass playing. The song has a dark bluesy feel to it. Veers closely to some psychedelic elements that I wasn't expecting. The guitar and harmonica synergize well. Has aged decently well, though sounds distinctly 60's at the same time. Decent. 3.5/5 (Edit: The mono version actually has a bit more grit due to the limits of the format, but comes with the trade-off of losing some depth in the psychedelic part of the song. Doesn't change my enjoyment much. 3.5/5) Over Under Sideways Down The difference in volume from the previous track is really jarring. The guitar sounds way too sharp, and way too loud in relation to the rest of the track. Can barely hear the vocals at times. Has a nice boogie to it, and feels fun to listen to if it wasn't for the guitar. Ruined by a singular element, there's a decent song in there, but won't return to it due to the mix. 2/5 (Edit: The guitar sounds far less overbearing in the mono version. The vocals are still muddled, but it's definitely an improvement. 3/5) The Nazz Are Blue A bluesy boogie track. There's a million other songs that sound like this. The guitar is really the only thing that differentiates it for me. Average. 2.5/5 (Edit: The mix wasn't the problem here, the track is just simply outperformed by later tracks that do the formula better.) I Can Make Your Way This sounds horrible. The tracks are separated oddly. The background guitar makes it sounds like the left ear of my headphone speaker have blown out. Pretty melodic and large at times. Decent except for its technical limitations. 3/5. (Edit: the mono version fixes the guitar but adds a separate issue with the drums. The larger parts sound a lot flatter and less evocative too. It's a sidegrade at best. 3/5) Rack My Mind Had to swap to the mono version at this point as the stereo version is almost unlistenable, as vocals are mixed in a manner which makes them very distracting. A decent rock and roll track with some kick ass guitar playing and a solid vocal performance. Brought some good energy and a decent atmosphere. Fun. 3.5/5 Farewell Melody gives me cheap live action public TV kid's show vibes. The piano is decent I suppose, and the singing quite nice. I like the way it ends. Fine. 3/5 Hot House Of Oumargararshid Strangely experimental sounding intro. I like the rhythm. The vocals get kinda annoying as the song goes on. Weird inclusion. Fine. 3/5 Jeff's Boogie Bluesy boogie track with a lot of dancability and swing to it. Cool in a timeless retro kind of way. I'm having fun with the tempo and the quality of the guitar playing. Let down by the recording quality and the audio format, though still has value despite the technical limitations. Decent. 3.5/5 He's always here Compositionally has some cool elements going on. Like how the chorus is set up, though the lyrics are kinda off putting. I like the guitar riff. Really like the ending. Decent. 3.5/5 Turn Into Earth Fairly psychedelic, though in a slow meandering way that has a tendency to turn into musical soup. Like the buildup provided by the drums. Feels a bit unfocused and messy. Don't really think the vocals add much of value here and rather distract from the atmosphere created by the instrumental. Average. 2.5/5 What Do You Want Faster tempo track that brings some needed energy after the previous track. Feels extremely of the era, and is fine for what it is, but I can't hear much other than a fairly solid rock and roll track. I like the bass. Fine. 3/5 Ever Since The World Began Edgy for the time. Can't get over that it sounds like crap at the start, once it livens up it feels much more listenable. Decent concept, just can't see myself returning to it. Average. 2.5/5 This in all honestly sounds more like a time capsule than something that actually sonically holds up today. It feels more like an antiquated piece of history than something I'd listen to, and while I appreciate it for what it is I cannot see myself returning to it anytime soon. Neither mono or stereo version sound particularly good, the stereo version lathered with jank and clunkiness, as well as inconsistent volume and strange mixing. The mono version is better, though still mono, which just sounds so flat and dimensionless that you'd find demos today with more life to them. And I get it, I can't compare the technology of then to today, but it gets to a point where it sadly doesn't hold up anymore, despite probably sounding good for its time. The songwriting is however very competent, and I managed to pick out moments where I sort of got why this is considered influential. The psychedelic elements and the way tracks were composed really do sound ahead of its time in places. I'd also like to add that the darker tones and slight grit shown in some of the performances seem to create an image which was later perfected by other bands. Jeff Beck is obviously the star of the show here though I'd also like to shout out Paul Samwell-Smith on the bass as another standout. Most of the tracks were pretty alright though nothing stood out in particular as something I'd carry with me. Definitely dated, but has value as a historical piece. 3/5 Fave track. Jeff's Boogie Least fave track. The Nazz Are Blue

Not something I'd check out in my own time, though definitely not something I'm suprised to find on here. I've never really sat down and listened to any post Beatles Paul McCartney project so this is at least something new. Was interesting to read about the recording process of this album, seems like the remaining three band members were left with a lot to do. Band On The Run Interesting structure. Classic keyboard line. Love how much the song evolves and changes throughout. The chorus will definitely be stuck in my head tomorrow. Solid track, liked it more this time around than previous times hearing it. Good. 4/5 Jet Nice density, the saxophone at the start adds some texture to the sound. Sounds a bit compressed, doesn't have the best audio quality either. I think the song is pretty well structured around the chorus. The guitar work is pretty great at times. I feel the backing vocals are a bit much at times. Decent high energy track. Has a bit of spectacle to it. 3.5/5 Bluebird Not crazy about the backing instrumental. It's a pleasant enough song with an interesting composition. Has a really cheesy sax solo. Fine. 3/5 Mrs. Vandebilt Fairly annoying first verse. Really don't like how the sax is used. The "ho hey ho"s get stale, same with the chorus in general. Has a few parts that I like, but honestly felt pretty obnoxious and hard to get through. Did not like. 2/5 Let Me Roll It A competent blues track with some decent progression. The echo effect isn't too great. Heartfelt lyrics, though the wheel comparisson is kinda cheesy. Really slow and repetitive. Sluggish to get through. Average. 2.5/5 Mamunia Some pretty guitar playing, and a decent bassline. Preachy lyrics. Edgeless and lame. Band teacher music. The chorus has a nice vibe with the percussion and the overlaying guitars. Sounds great when the electric guitar comes in. Could do without the verses, still fine. 3/5 No Words Has some nice harmonies and a fairly dense and powerful instrumental. Honestly quite impressive. Good. 4/5 Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) I think the story of how he wrote this track is really funny and adds another element to the track. Really like the evolution the song goes through and the interpolations of the other songs on the album. Instrumentally the track has a lot going for it, especially the bass and strings. Also think the sample is pretty interesting. The song's strange structure makes it a challenging listen and while it walks a thin line I do think it succeeds at being interesting structurally without sounding messy. Good. 4/5 Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five I like the atmosphere set by the instrumental. Has a great groove, and the vocal performance feels loose which adds a lot of character to the track. The quiet sections are really nice additions as well. The track has some grit to it which really helps set it apart from some of the others on here. Fantastic ending, feels really large, caps off the album well. Great. 4.5/5. Honestly feared this would be boring, but can't really say it was. Has a decent amount of depth and the songs feel distinct. Some song have some really distinct composition which I feel helps add a lot of variety. The tracklist is fairly solid with no real inculsions I thought could've been cut, though I definitely felt the second half was stronger than the first. Wasn't expecting it to be so instrumentally varied either. Lyrically I didn't find anything that stuck out to me personally, rather some I felt were a bit cheesy and some that felt very of the time. Would also like to point out that the audio quality isn't always the best. Not wowed by this by any means, but was definitely a good listen and a worthy inclusion. Will probably return to it at some point. 3.5/5 leaning towards a 3/5 Fave track. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five Least fave track. Mrs. Vandebilt

One of my all time favourites. Full of character and spirit, containing a unique mix of rock songs that don't sound like anything else released before or after it. All the pieces just seem to fall in place for this album, where every member of the band delivers an interesting performance to every track. The title track might just be one of the best songs ever written, and tracks like "Venus", "See No Evil" and "Torn Curtain" also hold a special place in my rotation. A consistently artistic piece which remains impressive even to this day.

Some of the songs on here are hugely nostalgic for me, other than that I don't know what to expect other than the other album I've heard from them (Little Dark Age) is pretty good, so I'm hoping this one is too. Finally before I listen I have to say I'm surprised this is on here, though I probably shouldn't be, just feels like something that would be overlooked. Time to Pretend An indie classic that channels a very specfic time period that feels so long ago. That synth line is extremely catchy. The dreamy slightly reverby production is pretty nice on the ears. The lyrics play on nostalgia a lot, which adds to the sentimental feeling the song is giving. Feels like it's aged really well and you can hear its influence clearly to this day. Great. 4.5/5 Weekend Wars A strange follow up to the heavy synth focus of the previous track. A pretty consistent utilization of both physical instruments and electronics, it creates a pretty unique sounding indie rock track which still sounds fresh. The singing is quite erratic and strange though I think it really fits with the instrumental. Lyrically it's also solid feels like they're pretty well thought out and seem a bit obtuse in their meaning which could be interesting to look into. Good. 4/5 The Youth Starts really suddenly. Great instrumental. Unsure what to think about the vocal melody. I feel this exact musical aesthetic can be found everywhere in the modern streaming era of music, can definitely see its influence. It's a pretty repetitive track, though it does sound pleasant, has great production and is fairly catchy so it honestly doesn't feel that way. Its lush and gorgeous production also helps, along with that the track is pretty short. Good. 4/5 Electric Feel Absolute classic. Bouncy and fun bassline with some extremely pleasant synths. One of the goofiest choruses I've ever heard lyrically, but somehow it just works. A pretty dumb and brainless song, but damn if it isn't catchy. Love how it is produced. I also think its hilarious that they made this as basically a joke and it turned out better than most electopop songs. A staple of the era, extremely nostalgic. 5/5 Kids Another one of the songs that just feel like genre staples at this point. The synth line has become sort of iconic at this point. The lyrics are strangly dark, and I feel the fairly emotionless and rigid vocal performance add some unsettling vibes to what on the surface seems a pretty light high energy track. Gonna be stuck in my head the entiretly of next week. Fantastic. 5/5 4th Dimensional Transition Strange and moody. Unorthodox composition. The instrumental is really interesting. Can't say I'm able to follow what's going on with the lyrics, the effects on the vocals are really heavy so it's hard to understand what he's saying. Defintitely not as accessible as the previous songs on the album though I'm feeling intrigued by this one. Feels like there's a solid artistic vision there. Unique. 4/5 Pieces of What The vocals are a bit rough, the effects and mixing don't do them any favours. When the only thing else of prominence in the mix is a basic guitar and an okay bassline the vocals really don't work for me. The more instrumentally dense part towards the end is probably the song's highlight where the pieces sort of fall in place for a satisfying ending. The lyrics are pretty evocative and easy to follow which is a plus when the song is so sparse. The individual parts of the song come together into something that is just fine. 3/5 Of Moons, Birds & Monsters Feels more rock inspired than the previous few tracks. The vocals sound a bit unclear, sort of seem overshadowed by the instrumental. I like how they are structured though, feels dramatic with a slight theatrical edge. Strange lyrics, hard to follow. Love the spacy instrumental passage which closes the track, has a psychedelic vibe to it. Great. 4.5/5 The Handshake Interestingly produced. The trippy effects makes it feel a bit all over the place at times. Evolves a lot throughout. Can't say every experiment on this tracks works, though nothing feels too egregious. Has some catchy moments, but overall a bit inconsistent. Decent 3.5/5 Future Reflections Very electronic opening, really enjoyed how unique those effects were. The synth mirroring the vocals sounds pretty nice. Like the juxtaposition between the darkness of the background noise and the light high pitched synth. Fantastic instrumental throughout, keeps surprising with new ideas. While I haven't been impressed with the vocals at most points on this album I feel like they really work here, he seems to put on a great performance which stands out over this very demanding instrumental. Great. 4.5/5 This felt more like two albums than one complete piece. Where you had the more accessible pop/electronic part in the first half, the second half dove into some very experimental pieces covering a varied selection of genres and influences. At first it came as a bit of a shock as I was enjoying the bouncy, catchy listener-friendly songs of the first half, even appreciating the depth they went through to keep their songs subversive and unique. Though listening through the second half I came to appreciate the change in direction, and while every experiment didn't work I still give them plenty of kudos for sticking with it and daring to create something different. All in all I had a lot of fun with this one, not only did the hits from this provide me with plenty of nostalgia, I feel like I have grown a new found a more appreciative view on MGMT as someone who creates more than catchy indie pop tunes. I could critisize elements of the album, such as the singing being rough in patches, but even with that I found something to enjoy at every corner here. Not one of my all time favourites, but an album I'll probably come back to many times in the future. 4.5/5, leaning closer to 4. Fave track. Electric Feel Least fave track. Pieces of What

Original notes got deleted. Clearly an important album which spoke to young people a few generations ago. Can't really get behind the Stones hype myself though am trying to acclimate myself to their sound a bit more. This album is defintely more pallateable to my ears than much of their other work. Feels a lot more sonically consistent and has a lot of great instrumental moments, especially when they just let the band do their thing and create an infectious jam. I can't say everything on here has aged well, especially lyrically. A few of the tracks drag a bit, and some of the vocal performances are a bit strange, especially those where he puts on an accent or a particular inflection. The pure rock tracks here have many moments of greatness, while the country inspired tracks don't really feel like they go anywhere interesting. Will not call myself a Stones fan, but had a decent time with this one. Can't deny it deserves to be on here. 3.5/5 Leaning more towards a 3. Fave track. Can't You Hear Me Knocking Least Fave track. You Gotta Move

Knew this album would be on this list. Have avoided it in the past for unknown reasons, by all accounts it should be something I'd enjoy, though I just haven't bothered. I know this band on a surface level, and am aware of their influence. Aniticipating a challenging sound, though of high quality. Mr. Self Destruct I'm not sure what that sample is, but it's scary. There's a lot going on here, feels really ominous and angsty. The juxtaposition between the loud and quiet parts creates an interesting emphasis on the final chorus. Haunting atmosphere. Good. 4/5 Piggy Enjoy how the tempo and energy has completely changed from the previous track. Love the background effects. Beautifully produced. The drumming and percussion is pretty fascinating to follow along with. Great. 4.5/5 Heresy Unexpected electronics. The lyrics have a lot of edge, though is delivered in such a way that they don't veer into cringe territory. Really like how the vocals twist throughout the track. A varied range of styles. Amazing instrumental towards the end. Fantastic. 5/5 March of the Pigs Another banger drum beat. Fantastic energy. This song fucks. Everything seems to fall into place for a fatastic song. Especially amazed at the depth within the layered production. Fantastic. 5/5 Closer Absolute classic, the rawness and dark primality is just fun to listen to, combined with the surprisingly funky, infectious instrumental creates one of the iconic songs of the era. Fantastic. 5/5 Ruiner Flawless transition Really like the synth at the start of the track. When the track really kicks of it becomes a challenging listen, really strange composition though I enjoy how complicated it is. Again the production on this is nearly flawless, love how haunting and off-putting they make the guitar sound. The whole track just sounds dirty and cold. Love the vocals as well, especially the mixing on them. The sudden ending is very unexpected, though I see the vision. Fantastic. 5/5 The Becoming The bouncy instrumental over the sampled screams makes me uncomfortable, definitely feels like something is wrong. Listening to this in the dark is genuinely scary. Like how the track sort of strips down with the acoustic guitar then completely swaps its tone with the crazy electronics and the off-kilter vocals. Great. 4.5 I Do Not Want This Great transition. Like the loudness of the chorus and how the verse builds up to it, comes really sudden enhancing its effect. A simpler track, but instrumentally, just as intricate, loud and impactful as the more out there tracks. Love how it ends. Fantastic. 5/5 Big Man With A Gun Fun energy. Kinda gross, but I still enjoy it. Provocative and extremely sexual. Feels like it's made for shock value. Doesn't need to be any longer than it is. Good. 4/5 A Warm Place This is a beautiful piece of instrumental rock. Feels more like post-rock than industrial. Fantastic ambience, harrowing yet hopeful. Has a great calmness to it, though I sense some sorrow as well. Beautiful, a great moment of clarity after the raw harshness that's followed since the start of the album. Fantastic 5/5 Eraser Great transition. Really uncomfortable sounding introduction. The percussion sounds deep and grand, has a great echo to it. Lovely companion piece to the previous track. This feels more claustrophobic and mechanical. The sense of clarity is gone and we have reentered the dirty world present earlier in the album. Has an almost hypnotic rhythm. Great vocal performance, love the distortion. Carthartic and powerful. Great. 4.5/5 Reptile Feels a bit slow. There are some cool passages in the instrumental, and the vocals show a decent amount of range. I like the guitars on the chorus a lot. Grew a bit for me as it went along. Good. 4/5 The Downward Spiral Genuinely sounds like a downward spiral instrumentally, great sound design. The muted background instrumental behind the spoken word is a great touch. Hauntingly dark lyrics. Great. 4.5/5 Hurt Did not know this closed the album. Love the atmosphere. Love the more stripped back vocal focused track with less of the industrial noise as an ending to the album. No matter if it's this version or the Cash cover, the song is written so well that it really doesn't matter. The impact remains the same, especially in the context of the album its featured on. The haunting, regretful introspection present in this track makes this a legendary closer to an album which really needs it. 5/5 This album completely blew me away. Instumentally and production wise it's on a whole other level. Vocally Trent Reznor delivers a perfect performance for the style of music presented. Each track feels thought out and feels justified in their conclusion. Over all couldn't be happier. 5/5 Fave track. A Warm Place Least fave track. N/A

A classic rock group I have very little experience with, Though what little I've heard from them hasn't enthralled me I'm hoping to be convinced. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes The harmonies are nice. The bass sound is lovely. Can't say this is something I'm awfully entertained by. Feels sanitised and washed out. Average. 2.5/5 Marrakesh Express I've got nothing to say. Gray wallpaper. Did not like. 2/5 Guinnevere The guitar harmonies are cute. Perfect music to fall asleep to. Fine. 3/5 You Don't Have to Cry The instrumental is fine. Bland lyrics, good harmonies. Feels preachy. Snoozefest. Did not like. 2/5 Pre-Road Downs The instrumental breaks are kinda interesting, is it playing backwards? Boring verses. Fine. 3/5 Wooden Ships The bluesy vibes sort of is a nice change. Decent bass sound. The panning on the vocals is obnoxious and unneeded, comes across as really corny. Instrumentally this song checks a lot of boxes for me. Has a decent groove, the keys add a lot of texture and the guitar is a great centerpiece. Good. 4/5 Lady of the Island Has some pretty vocal work, honestly works pretty well. Can't say there's much else interesting here, but it's enough to keep my attention. Decent. 3.5/5 Helplessly Hoping Pretty guitar. I like alliteration in the lyrics. The harmonies are on point. Decent folk song. 3.5/5 Long Time Gone A bit more of a rock oriented track. Appreciate the difference in sound from the other tracks on the album, though it stilll feels sanitised and edgeless. The change in vocal style is also very welcome. I think the chorus is decently crafted. Also would like to highlight the organ as I think it adds an additional layer to the song. Decent. 3.5/5 49 Bye-Byes Corny title. Cliche premise. Goes on too long. I'm not entertaines by this at all. Exceedingly average to the point of it almost being impressive. Did not like. 2/5 An album which went in one ear and out the other. I heard some pretty sounds here and there, and caught some nice pieces of lyricism, but all in all I can't say I found it especially memorable. Throughout the album the thing that stood out was probably how on point the harmonies were, topped with some fairly decent guitar playing you have what can only be described as a pleasant, inoffensive listen. And that's what you get. If that's what you're into then perfect, but for me personally I ended up being bored or unimpressed at several points no matter how well put together it is. I'm tempted to score it a 2, but I feel that's harsh the individual songs are of much higher quality craftmanship than that, so it bumps it up to a 3. Fave track. Wooden Ships Least fave track. Marrakesh Express

The second Temptations album I've had on this list. Found the previous one (Cloud Nine) surprisingly mediocre apart from the vocals. Hoping this album has aged better and that their sound has evolved significantly since the last album I heard from them. The one song I know from this album (Papa Was a Rollin' Stone) sure slaps so I'm feeling positive going into this one. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On The instrumental feels a bit muted when played in my headset, though I can hear the great groove. Fantastic bassline. Great vocal performances for everyone involved. Really positive and fun track, makes me wanna move along to it. Good. 4/5 Run Charlie Run That's some unexpected bravery and edge. Really gets the point across providing some great commentary. Anti-racism anthem. Great performances all around and a decent instrumental to go on top of it. Good. 4/5. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone Glorious instrumental buildup, the strings, the guitar and the brass just does so well at setting the tone. Adding a fantastic, but simple bassline to it is just the icing on the cake. Wonderfully psychedellic while containing a great groove. The lyrics are extremely catchy and fun to sing along to the instrumental stays great throughout. I also think each singer brings his A-game to the track, singing with passion, confidence and charisma. Probably the greatest song ever written about having a deadbeat dad. 5/5 Love Woke Me Up This Morning Feels joyful, really like the sound of this. Blissful and positive track. Generally fantastic vibes. Cheesy, but in a fun way. Great. 4.5/5 I Ain't Got Nothing Smooth. Has a pretty good instrumental. Doesn't really have the greatest energy, feels a bit sleepy. It's very pleasant, just perhaps not as interesting as the other tracks on here. Decent. 3.5/5 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Another slow ballad. Has less going for ir instrumentally than the previous track, thougg I think the lyrics are a bit more compelling. The vocals are definitely subtle, though performed with decent emotion. Comes across as a bit boring. Fine. 3/5 Mother Nature I enjoy the piano and the backing vocals a lot. Passionate main vocals. Great bassline. Fairly unique and inspired soul song. Good. 4/5 Do Your Thing Starts off extremely funky. Has a great groove to it. Great chorus, marvelously produced, really catchy. Oozes swagger, just a smooth enjoyable experience all around. Great. 4.5/5 What an improvement from the last album I've heard from them. Most things here just click immediately and just dound thought out and well constructed. There's a lot more variation when it comes to styles and themes, and the improved production helps immensely. I feel the song writing here is great especially how they're able to implement all members decently well through parts that fit their respective voices and styles. The instrumental really shines in the funkier tracks on the album, but it also really does a great job adding grandness snd texture to songs like "Love Woke Me Up This Morning" and "'Mother Nature". The album is short, concise and gets its point across and every track feels like a worthy inclusion. Genuine surprise. 4/5

Rockin' Around (With You) Decent audio quality. Don'r really like the vocals. Unispiring track, though I think it's really well produced. Doesn't really go anywhere. Average. 2.5/5 Breakdown Lovely instrumental, sounds great. Decent chorus. For a pretty standard classic rock song the musicianship is pretty impressive. Has a nice chilled out vibe. Decent. 3.5/5 Hometown Blues Not sure about this one, generally falls into a style I don't particularly care for. It's executed decently, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Goes by without being unpleasant or boring which says a lot considering I'm not all that into it. Fine. 3/5 The Wild One, Forever This doesn't make me feel anything, honestly the very repetive instrumental is the only thing that makes any impression on me, and that because it's getting annoying. The vocal performance is unique. Did not like. 2/5 Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll I'm too young for this... Comes of as really corny. Music for classic rock purists and the "back in my day they made real music" type of oldheads. Pass. 2/5 Strangered In The Night There's some interesting guitar playing and effects here at least. Formulaic. Did not like. 2/5 Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) The strange vocal inflections are close to sounding like parody. That high pitched keyboard note in the background is awful. There are some decent ideas in the instrumental. The bass stands out. Average. 2.5/5 Mystery Man I can't pretend I'm finding much enjoyment in tgis track. Honestly bores me to sleep. The country influence at least makes it sound different from the previous few tracks, but it still remains fairly generic. Bored. 2/5 Luna I don't get it. Feels specifically designed to bore me to tears. Forgettable. 2/5 American Girl Impressive buildup. Decent bassline. Has some guitar parts that are pretty cool. If it was just the instrumental I'd like it more. Obnoxious lyrics and unintersting vocals. Fine. 3/5 Forgettable classic rock album from an artist I don't see the appeal of. Feels like a had to be there kind of situation. Genuinely didn't find anything here I'd want to return to. It's competent enough, has decent production and I'm sure it's well performed, but I can't find it in me to care about this. A rare case where nothing clicks and I'm left feeling like I've wasted my time. Maybe I'm not American enough to find this relateable. Decisive 2/5 Fave track. Breakdown Least fave track. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll

I have tried with this band before, and I didn't get it then. Perhaps I'll get it this time around. Feeling a bit apprehensive about the runtime of this, especially as I'm really skeptical of this band. Hope to be surprised. The Suburbs The piano riff is good. Decently vivid production. I enjoy the lyrics, has a great vibe. The chorus is fine, I like how the vocals are performed on it. The song plays itself out well. Decent. 3.5/5 Ready to Start Great transition. Love how the high pitched note from the previous song carries into this track. Great bassline. The guitar almost has a drone-like quality to it at certain points in the track which is largely unexpected for this type of music. Good. 4/5 Modern Man The guitar is pretty good, there are some decent melodies in there. The vocals feel a bit off. Impressed with how good it sounds, the clear and transparent mixing makes for a balanced instrumental. Decentm 3.5/5 Rococo The lyrics come off as a bit pretentious. Don't care much for that chorus. Annoying loud synths. Repetitive instrumental. The distortion is at least a bit interesting. Average. 2.5/5 Empty Room That's an awesome instrumental. Love the loud guitars and the distorted wailing in the background. Has a shoegazy vibe. Excellent energy. Love the change of vocals. Fantastic. 5/5 City With No Children Boring verse structure. Again, great overall sound. Don't care much for the chorus, off-putting effect. Did not like. 2/5 Half Light I Buildup sounds nice. The strings in the background add a lot of depth and contrasts well with the repetitve guitar riff. Pretty lyrics. Crescendoes into a great ending. Great. 4.5/5 Half Light II (No Celebration) Elements from the previous instrumental carry over into this one, makes for a decent continuation. Suffers a bit from a very obvious 2010s progression. Love the guitar sound. The vocals are just fine, I find the structure and the way the verses build up a bit stagnant. The delivery seems to create the desired effect, even if his voice isn't my favourite part of the album so far. Good. 4/5 Suburban War Another banging instrumental. The vocals are a bit unclear. Sentimental lyrics. Interesting reprise of the title track in the middle there. The instrumental switchup really was a great idea, adds another dimension to the track and really enhances its impact. Magnificently composed. Fantastic. 5/5 Month of May Don't know if I think this sound fits the rest of the albums vibe. Has some ok energy, but is a bit uninteresting. Doesn't have the same instrumental depth of previous tracks. Vocals don't do enough to save it. Has some decent writing in the lyrics. Average. 2.5/5 Wasted Hours Not much to say here, sounds pleasant. Cute sentimental little indie song that doesn't really do anything wrong, just doesn't do anything special either. Fine. 3/5 Deep Blue See previous song reaction. Perhaps has a little bit more going for it instrumentally and lyrically. I really like the harsh contrasting electric guitars that come in occasionally. Is a bit too long. Decent. 3.5/5 We Used To Wait The verses really don't feel like they conclude on anything. Builds up into a really unsatisfying climax. Feels like it would be better if they went even harder on the chorus, feels a bit too flat, lacking character and impact as a result. The "Wait for it" part genuinely doesn't work for because of this. I get the idea, but the execution feels a bit middling. Has its moments, but falls flat in the end. Average. 2.5/5 Sprawl I (Flatland) Haunting. Well written, feels personal and evocative. Understated and vocal focused so the instrumental takes an understandable backseat, though I do think it does its job as a supporting vehicle for the vocals to really deliver. While his voice isn't star tier, I do think he does a lot in his performance here to create a vivid picture and really convey the the story presented in the lyrics. Good. 4/5 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) A really different vibe from the rest of the album, unexpected electronics. Catchy chorus. The synthy instrumental is really evocative. Definitely the most "pop" song on the album, but that shouldn't be a cause to dismiss its content. The lyrics are pretty great, and I find the inclusion of such a radically different song from the rest of the album to be a great creative choice and a breath of fresh air. Really effective track to put near the end of the album. Her voice is also pretty great for this type of song. Fantastic. 5/5 The Suburbs (Continued) Closes off the album well, wrapping up its themes and bringing the listener back to the start. A nice bookend. NA/5 Very varied sonically, but a bit inconsistent. Feels a bit half-baked at times, and has areas where it lacks a bit of punch. Instrumentally it's pretty creative when it allows itself to be, really liking how much every single member of the band gets to shine on different tracks. Love the strings and the many different ways the guitar is being used, throw in some lovely keys and a plucky bassline here and there and I'm sold. There's even some great work on the synth which genuinely was a pleasant surprise when it showed up most of the time. Lyrics and themes do stay consistent throughout, with many nostalgic, reflective and sentimental tracks about being young in a place which has changed and will never return, though they are presented differently throughout the tracklist. I'm sure there's more here to unpack on consequent listens. Not in love with the lead singers voice I'll have to admit, though he does have some performances which stand out here and there. Would finally like to shoutout the production as I feel its pretty much flawless and sounds great throughout. Overall would like to give it a higher score, but there are just too many tracks here that fizzle out or are just a bit too unengaging for me. Will probably return to. 3.5/5 leaning more towards 3/5 Fave track. Empty Room/Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Least fave track. City With No Children

This one is hard for me to rate as I've heard songs from this album played over my parents speakers for most of my early life. Jeff's voice, and the general sound of this album has always had a special place in my heart. I'll try to do individual song ratings, but I can't promise I'll always be able to provide suitable commentary. Mojo Pin Angelic. Brilliant piece of songwriting on all fronts. Doesn't get much more emotionally evocative as this. Powerful and beautiful. One of the greatest ever. 5/5 Grace Transcendant and large. Instrumentally deep with an amazing vocal performance on top of it. Love how powerful the drums sound and how crisp the guitar is. Gets stuck in my head really easilly. Fantastic. 5/5 Last Goodbye That bass is a pretty great foundation for the instrumental. The sound of this track is lighter and less condensed than the previous two songs which makes for a pretty nice palatte cleanser. The song closes itself out tremendously well, the final minute really elevating the song. Great. 4.5/5 Lilac Wine A pretty little song that really makes a highlight of his voice. Delivered beautifully. Great cover. Good. 4/5 So Real A great piece of alternative rock with a soild instrumental which gets surprisingly heavy at times. Has a great, simple chorus, performed to perfection. Great. 4.5/5 Hallelujah The definite cover version of this song for me. Does plenty of justice to the original while being unique and in an entirely different style. Doesn't replace it, but exists in a different space where it can be enjoyed for what it is. Beautifully composed and performed. Fantastic. 5/5 Lover You Should've Come Over One of the best love songs ever. Yes it's a bit cheesy, but come on. 5/5 Corpus Christi Carol Beautiful rendition. His falsetto is haunting and ethereal. Simple and effective, especially following the explosive finale to the previous song. Great. 4.5/5 Eternal Life Following up the previous song with the a decently heavy electric guitar riff. It's an alright alternative rock track, but it really doesn't have the same songwriting quality as previous tracks. The instrumental meanders a bit and the vocals are lacking in interesting melodies to really make it stand out. Is a bit too long for its own good. The performances are still stellar however. Weakest track on the album for me. Decent. 3.5/5 Dream Brother Has some psychedellic elements in the instrumental, creating a cloudy, dreamy atmosphere. Adds to the diversity of the album while being an interesting experience of its own. The lyrics have some feel mystical and strange at times, and he does a lot with his performance to enhance their effect. Great 4.5/5 Forget Her The vocal melody on the chorus is really good. Has some bluesy elements, feels really cold and broken. A really bitter sounding performance. Love the drums and the keyboard, adds nice texture. Also really like the bass. Amazing closer. 5/5 This is a fantastic record through and through. Everything falls into place for a varied and quality-wise consistent piece with fantastic vocal performances and an instrumental which really knows what its doing. Powerful and emotional, really pushing the limits of what this type of music can be. 5/5 Fave track. Mojo Pin Least Fave Track. Eternal Life

Unavailable on Spotify in my country so had to go through Youtube which only had about half the album uploaded with varying audio quality and ads between each song. What I heard was pretty good, but as I haven't heard the entire thing in a real format I have to mark this one down as unreviewable. Gonna try to keep my eye on it in the future in case something changes. NA/5

I know of one song from this artist (Intro) and nothing else. I generally tend to overlook electronic music of this era, scoring it lower than perhaps it deserves. Hoping this is the 2010s electronic project that finally clicks, if not I hope that there's at least something unique about it. Dangerous Interesting bassline. The vocal layering is pretty cool, the male/female vocals combination with the swapping between lead and backing vocals is a pretty neat idea for this track. Suffers from generic writing. Instrumentally a bit uninspired, the horns are kinda rough. Fine. 3/5 Say Something Loving Opening buildup sounds pretty nice. Slow. Boring writing, by the numbers vocal performances. An absolute snoozefest of a duet. Feels manufactured and forced, evoking zero emotion. Did not like. 2/5 Lips The claps are awful and sound dated. Hate the backing vocals. Same boring writing, different instrumental. The chorus at least has a bit of a kick to it, but otherwise this bores me to sleep. Did not like. 2/5 Violent Noise Has one instrumental part perhaps worth caring about, the rest of the song is slow, repetitive and formulaic. Bland, low energy instrumental with vocals that do nothing for me. Did not like. 2/5 Performance More of the same bland, uninspiring drivel which does absolutely nothing for me. Another piece of disappointingly unintetesting songwriting, and another track which goes absolutely nowhere. Get me out. 2/5 Replica Some long awaited variety in tempo and instrumentation. Has some pretty parts in the post chrous instrumental. Chorus has a decent melody, and is produced really well. The lyrics aren't great. Fine. 3/5 Brave For You At this point I'll be more entertained listening to static or whale noises. Stop it. 1.5/5 On Hold The sample is interesting? Structurally it does something different from the previous few tracks. The bassline is decent. Fine. 3/5 I Dare You It's pleasant enough, goes in one ear and out the other without leaving an impression. Feeling sleepy all of a sudden, cannot for the life figure out why... Average. 2.5/5 Test Me The part in there that has quasi-ambient qualities, where it's pretty calming and nice sounding, more of that please. Genuinely the first and only time throughout this entire record where the track actually resonated with me. Has a bit of repetitiveness and tranquilty as well as a nice little melody to let your brain follow with that synth line. Decent. 3.5/5 I don't want to talk about this further. Forgettable and generic, with boring songwriting, safe and by the numbers instrumentals and vocals that don't produce a single memorable moment. It's pleasant to listen to, and for sure competently produced, but lacks any personality or edge. Goes in one ear and out the other and leaves you with nothing. The only positive thing I can say about this album, is that its acceptable background music if you're feeling tense. Really brings down your energy levels and makes you sleepy. Will not return to. 2.5/5 leaning more towards a 2/5. Fave track. Test Me Least fave track. Brave of You

Would love the album cover, if not for that dated and frankly quite offensive charicatures featured in some of the panels, yikes. Janis has a powerful voice which she lent to several classic songs throughout the years. Looking forward to hearing this album, though can't say I've heard it discussed much which leaves me a bit worried. Combination of the Two Kicks off with an effects heavy guitar and sampled crowd noises, sets the atmosphere. Sounds a bit busy. Great guitar solo. Ends up bulding a sound that I'd describe as large and dense, has many elements that work together to create layered experience. Doesn't really build much upon that however, and ends up being a bit formless. For what it is it still manages to be an interesting pseudo-psychedelic track and an alright experience. Decent. 3.5/5 I Need a Man to Love Bluesy bassline and squealing guitar with an atmospheric delay. Janis has a lot of soul and grit in her voice which seems to be the highlight of this song. Pairs really well with the clean instrumental. The backing vocals add texture to the song. The instrumental passage has a great psychedelic feel, hazy, smooth and mysterious. Really wish the ending was a bit more integrated into the song, the fade out comes suddenly and is not a satisfying way to close it off. Good. 4/5 Summertime That opening instrumental is amazingly written, sets a slow, warm tone for the rest of the trick. Unique, while remaining evocative of the late 1960's. The squealing guitars and the moody bassline work really well in contrast with eachother. Janis's vocal performance pierces through and really adds an element of unpredictability to the track. Great. 4.5/5 Piece of My Heart A classic piece of 60's blues rock which really encapsulates the era. The chorus really is the highlight here, elevating what would be a decent, but not spectacular blues rock track into a legendary piece. The vocal performance is extremely good, and had this track been performed by anyone else it wouldn't be as remarkable. Any other version of the song doesn't even hold a candle to this one The instrumental does it's job supporting the main event, remaining consistent, yet never taking away from the stellar vocals. Timeless. 5/5 Turtle Blues The lyrics are delivered in a believable and charismatic way. Instrumentally the track sounds quite empty and sparse. In this case I feel like it's to its detriment, as while the vocals are pretty great it doesn't really do much to support them. Lacks a bit of secondary points of interest as the generic blues piano, and the flat bassline have very little to do, where in the end the final product lacks any punch or unique feel. The vocals completely carry this track. Decent. 3.5/5 Oh, Sweet Mary Unique bassline and guitar. The drums provide some pretty cool rhythm. Has quite the interesting composition, though the unusual structure makes it a bit aimless towards the middle. Really dig the western feel. Quite psychedelic. Decent. 3.5/5 Ball and Chain Surprisingly heavy guitar playing during the intro. Great buildup. The background guitar is crunchy and has a nice distortion effect, adds great texture. Soulful and powerful vocal performance. Every note feels thought out and full of passion and care. A sprawling epic of a song which keeps delivering great moments. Great. 4.5/5 That was quite the exhilarating listen. Great vocals, the band is quite tight and it sounds really good considering its age. Has plenty of memorable moments, though Janis Joplin carries most of the tracks with her uniquely powerful and unmistakingly charismatic performances is responsible for most of them. Never really gets boring, which for how much blues influence this album has is a bit of an achievement as I feel that genre veers into similar territories much of the time. I'll also give some kudos to the guitar playing on here, has some great solos, and adds a lot of texture to the tracks with high pitched screeches and interesting effects. Does not do enough to get full score, due to some tracks feeling a bit aimless and others sounding a bit empty, but still has plenty of things to like even in its lowest moments. Enjoyable listen. 4/5 Fave track. Piece of My Heart Least fave track. Turtle Blues

As I've grown older and out of the hip-hop phase of my life I've felt more and more intimidated by monumental rap albums such as this. I, as a white european thousands and thousands of kilometers separated from the culture which birthed this musical movement of 1990's gansta rap, feel sort of unqualified to judge it. I have enjoyed plenty of west coast rap previously though I've never really connected with the lyrics and themes, and have generally just judged my enjoyment on surface level vibes, instrumentals and performances. I feel for my own sake these will be the main parameters I'm basing my review on as that's where I feel comfortable. Now even before listening I know this is a no-brainer inclusion for this list, and I think it 100% deserves to be here. Today's music would not have many of it's biggest stars without it. The Chronic (Intro) An introduction to both Dr. Dre as a solo artist, Snoop Dogg as a frequent collaborator and the album itself. Also functions as an introduction to the then recently established Death Row records, and the sort of production quality which you can expect from there. Overall sets the mood for the experience that's about to unfold. Gets the hype going. 4/5 Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') Production wise feels really classic. A pioneer in a sound which would be synonymous with the genre. Fantastic synths. Dre sounds really confident and hard, already with a trademark sound. Snoop brings his classic swagger and playfulness and has great synergy with Dre. The sample work is also solid, and Jewell adds a great melodic core to the track. The very overt disses towards Eazy-E and his associates come across as a statement of intent. A bold way to kick off the album. Good. 4/5 Let Me Ride The synths are excellent. Works great as a contrast to Dre's voice. Fantastic bassline, really funky and smooth. His flow is pretty structured which fits well over a beat that has as many elements as this one does. Contrasts with the melodic features, which includes Snoop's adlibs. Great. 4.5/5 The Day The N****z Took Over Really chaotic sounding. The instrumental is kinda wild. Love the samples from the LA riots. Has sort of a jazzy vibe when the hook goes off. Don't really care much for the Daz feature, don't really feel his delivery fits on the beat. Good. 4/5 Nuthin' But A "G" Thang Classic west coast hip hop track which remains essential to this day. Really an example of the times. The intro is one of the most recognizable intros to a rap song that's ever been written. That synth libe will never not be iconic. Snoop delivers one of his best verses ever. Amazingly fun ans stylish track which really highlights the synergy between Dre and Snoop marking them as one of the great duos of their time. The bassline is also fantastic. Iconic. 5/5 Deeez Nuuuts The greatest song title of all time. Another solid G-Funk track. Great instrumental. The performances here are top notch, and I think every feature just works. Each of the collaborators bring their own style which shows a lot of diversity. Great job from a production point of view to manage to create a beat which is universal enough to incorporate the differening styles while still sounding unique. Good. 4/5 Lil' Ghetto Boy Fantastic beat. The sample work on this is absolutely infectious. Love the little flute in the background, as well as the vocal sample in the hook. Dre is really charismatic on this track, he shows a bit of a different character and seems to have changed up his flow a bit. Snoop is as fun as he's shown to be previously, and really shines on this beat. Fantastic. 5/5 A N***a Witta Gun The samples are pretty good, though I don't really like the drums much. The verses are fine, and the delivery has a decent amount of power to it. Shows off his talent to just go hard on a beat. Lacks that little something extra many of the previous tracks have. Decent. 3.5/5 Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat Really like the intro. The dark and ominous beat really fits with the premise of the track. The bassline contributes a lot to the atmosphere. Lacks a bit of depth, the verses are pretty similar to each other. Decent. 3.5/5 The $20 Sack Pyramid A pretty annoying skit. Feels like a pointless and unfunny inclusion which only derails the listening experience. Never a fan of mid album skits in general and this one was especially dumb. NA/5 Lyrical Gangbang The beat is a bit weak in my opinion. Feels repetitive and shallow. The first verse is pretty refresing, she has a pretty unique voice for this album. Moving onto the second verse there's a lot to unpack there, his delivery is really erratic and strange. The third verse has a very classic feel, that might feel dated now, but has a lot of energy and charactwer to it. Has some melodic inflections that are pretty fun. Good. 4/5 High Powered Drags a bit. Feels like a strange inclusion at this point in the album. Has some fun production moments, like the explosion effect. A bit disjointed. Fine. 3/5 The Doctor's Office Kinda what you'd expect. Another skit. NA/5 Stranded On Death Row Great intro. Plays decently with the concept. There's some fun wordplay and some decent rhymes here. Snoop's verse is the highlight. His melodic G-funk passage is really fun. Decent. 3.5/5 The Roach (The Chronic Outro) The presentation at the start is really charismatic. Lovely little hook. Triumphant and funky instrumental, really is a welcome sight after a long series of rougher, harder tracks. The heavy handed weed themes are a bit obnoxious as the track goes on. Doesn't really say anything of value. Decent. 3.5/5 Bitches Ain't Shit Dumb hook, but has it's charms if you don't take it too seriously. Continues to be pretty dumb throughout, is a bit suspect in all honesty. The beat is pretty smooth. Jewell's outro is pretty fun. Decent track if you just turn your brain off and don't consider any of the conotations that come with a track like this. Decent. 3.5/5 Well that was the Chronic, a landmark album when it comes to hip-hop production and a great launch pad to start a solo career from. Rightly deserving of its status as one of the greatest of all time. It has a plethora of interesting tricks up its sleeve, with solid features from everyone listed, great sampling and beautifully constructed beats that at times feel ahead of their time. For me the greatest moments show their head whenever Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg feature together on a track. The dynamic duo has so much chemistry and really play well off each other, with Dre as the hard man and Snoop as the fun uncle who shows up to deliver catchy melodic passages while still spitting some decent bars here and there. I do have some minor critisms, as I feel the album has a slight drop off in quality towards the second half, where the features get marginally weaker, the beats less fun and the samples less interesting causing it to drag a bit. There's also the matter of the skits, which I feel are pretty poor attempts at humour, adding very little to the experience. Finally I do think there are some tracks where I'm missing Dr. Dre, and while he's producing the tracks in the background, I still think it's a shame we don't get more of his at times pretty awesome delivery on some of the beats as I think he'd do an amazing job over them. There's also the matter of some suspect, outdated, problematic views in the lyrics, as well as plenty of dumb, juvenile and generally baffling passages that really come off poorly. Generally I view most of it as fairly standard machismo bravado prevalent in the genre. It is used to posture this gangster image, which while it does add to the "tough hard guy" fantasy, could've been delivered more tastefully. I can still find enjoyment in it if I take it for what it is and turn my brain off, but I can definitely see how the misogyny and homophobia could ruin the experience for some. Overall I feel it was a solid album for the despite my gripes and a great inclusion, even if we've moved away from this era of rap. A must listen, if not only for the historical importance. 4/5 Fave track. Lil' Ghetto Boy Least fave track. High Powered

I've heard this album exactly once, and never returned to it. Not because it's bad, but because it's genuinely one of the most depressing things I've ever heard. Joy Division isn't exactly a joyful project in the first place and with the added context of Ian Curtis's suicide this album becomes a tough listen. I'll give it another listen now, but I'm expecting to be quite affected by it. Atrocity Exhibition Great title, really captures the mood the album is trying to set. The instrumental feels really mechanical and radiates a sort of disturbing energy. Great work on the bassline. The distorted guitars add a layer of dissonance to the track adding depth to the darkness. The lyrics paint a picture or horror and tragedy. The noisy is gorgeous, and the drumming is really unique. Fantastic. 5/5 Isolation Great bassline yet again. The synths are pretty decent, ans I love how sharp the drums are. The lyrics are haunting and depressing. "Mother please believe me, I'm doing the best that I can" Sticks out. Curtis's flat and hollow delivery somehow makes it hit harder. Ends perfectly. Fantastic. 5/5 Passover That instrumental is just so cool. The distant distorted guitar is such a good addition. The vocal's sound tired and jaded. Depressing as all hell. Great. 4.5/5 Colony Love the drum pattern on this one. Has a great bassline as well. Animated vocal performance, really shows a different type of delivery from other songs from the album. His unique voice really shines here. Has a dystopian vibe to it. Extremely well crafted lyrics, puts you right in this horrible word he has created. Fantastic. 5/5 A Means to an End The instrumental feels almost confrontational. Love the guitar riff. Really infectious all around, as "post-punk" as it gets. Curtis really sounds lost on this track. Can hear the struggle. Great. 4.5/5 Heart and Soul Really moody and atmospheric. Great drum pattern once again. Has a more familiar structure which makes it feel a bit less chaotic than many of the previous songs. The reverb on the vocals are a great addition. Love the subtle synths. The instrumental passage which closes out the track is beautiful. Great. 4.5/5 Twenty Four Hours Great tempo and energy in the instrumental. Really effective bassline. The depressing themes in the lyrics are laid out in a pretty straight forward manner, and delivered very directly. Feels really blunt and decoded in comparisson to other tracks on the album. It's just so miserable and soul destroying, genuinely some of the saddest songs I've heard. The ending of the lyrics are really haunting in the context of his suicide. Harrowing. 5/5 The Eternal Another great instrumental. Really vivid. This track is really hard to handle. It's great, but I'm struggling to put into words as to why. I think my favourite parts might be the background piano as well as the slow tempo of the track. The lyrics are tough. 5/5 Decades Starts a bit rough, but evolves into a great atmospheric track with a bunch of intrestingly put together instrumental parts. Composed really well. Great keys especially. The ending to the track is excellent. Feels really large and is perfect for an album closer. The chorus does a lot to ground the track. Asking the simple question of "Where have they been?" over the epic instrumental makes the buildup feel more down to earth. Great. 4.5/5 Warning: Do not open - Existential crisis material inside. Extremely hard to get through, but great all the same. Just a masterclass in songwriting. Has some of the most impactful lyrics I've ever heard backed by some of the greatest basslines ever performed. Just be warned, this is 44 minutes of purely condensed misery. There's not a single second of any hope or joy in this album. It's unrelenting in it's bleakness and leaves you drained by the end of it. I think this one is going back on the shelf for a while, and will only be taken down again on the rainiest of days. Perfect if you want to feel like shit for a few hours. 5/5 Fave track. Twenty Four Hours Least fave track. N/A

Never heard of this. Listened to a few of thei most streamed tracks not on this album as preparation and I cannot say I'm too impressed. My expectations lay somewhere in the middle for this one, hope to be pleasantly surprised. In It For The Money Not sure about the production. Sounds kinda compressed. The guitars at the start are pretty cool, has a decent atmosphere. Evolves in a bit of a negative direction for me. Has this very stereotypical Britpop writing style in the chorus, which really comes across as stale and overdone. Average. 2.5/5 Richard III The bass tone is pretty good. The production style really isn't my cup of tea. Has some decent energy in the vocals. Can't say there's much to care about here. Decent outro. Average. 2.5/5 Tonight This sounds horrible. Hate the vocals at times. The horns are awkwardly implemented and sound toneless and overly sharp. Not great. 2/5 Late in the Day Why are the vocals so quiet? Bland guitar. The keys are so much louder than anything else. Boring vocals, lacking any character or depth. Bad. 1.5/5 G-Song Uninspired, boring, bland, uninteresting, monotone, soulless. Skip to 3.27 for the best part. Did not like. 2/5 Sun Hits The Sky Has a sliver of energy of some sort. Draaaaaags. Has the most unecessary instrumental break in history. The synth sounds goofy as all hell over this overblown, overpowering production. Hate how there's not any space anywhere in the mix. Pointless. 1.5/5 Going Out What a garbage vocal effect. That's the only notable thing about this song. The unlikable and whiny vocals somehow got more unlikable and whiny. Formulaic and repetitive. Like being blasted right in the ear with an airhorn. Annoying. 1/5 It's Not Me Actually has some interesting instrumentarion. The guitars ar pretty alright. I'll be generous to the vocals here. Think they work well with the lyrics. Average. 2.5/5 Cheapskate Has an actual groove to it. Simple but effective. The chorus isn't too bad either, has some power to it and feels fairly impactful. Decent. 3.5/5 You Can See Me Another alright instrumental. Has some depth to it with the switchup for the chorus. The instrumental post the second chorus is really fun, shows some great synergy within the band. Fine. 3/5 Hollow Little Reign Lacks some dynamism, feels like it's just repeating itself without really going anywhere. The solos don't cut it for me, they just don't have much impact as they feel sluggish and generic. Average. 2.5/5 Sometimes I Just Make You Sad Those grunts sound awful. Broken carnival ride type instrumental, doesn't help that it overpowers the vocals. Latin guitar is a cool inclusion I guess. Don't like the vocals yet again. Did not like. 2/5 Can't say I liked that very much. Absolutely hate their production style, and I don't care for their songwriting very much. Ends up being a boring, messy piece which generally just melds together into this uniform blob of blandness which rarely manages to either excite or impress. Britpop will never be my cup of tea, genuinely I cannot understand the appeal. Like most of their genre contemporaries they suffer from these aggressively nasally, whiny vocals that somehow are both too loud and too quiet at the same time. I will give them credit for their use of different instruments, their bass generally sounds pretty nice, and their use of horns and keys produce moments where they build upon their sound into something that's almost interesting. But those guitars, they just are so damn overpowering, and so obnoxiously loud at times that the other instruments don't really get a chance to shine. Pair that with many tracks leaving no space in the mix, and the aformentioned issues I had with the vocals you're left with a headache inducing 43 minutes. It's not the worst thing in the world. Generally being inoffensive, with specks of charm scattered throughout it, but in the end its issues become too much for me. 2/5 Fave Track. Cheapskate Least fave track. Going Out

Good old Maiden is here to bring some much needed energy to my day. I've liked many of their songs throughout the years At times when I'm doing some boring chore or am just in need of a kick I put on one of their songs and time flies by. I'm expecting a hell of a good time with this album, and I'm stoked to be finally listening to some metal music. Oh also this album cover slaps. Invaders I immediately notice how audible the bass is on this track, many metal tracks of the era sort of let it fall into a very supporting role. Awesome drum track. Love the energy in the guitar solos, it's just really fun. Not their catchiest chorus, but it's fine for what it is. Good. 4/5 Children of the Damned Vivid song title. Great guitar tone, has a lot of power to it. The vocals on the chorus kick ass, love how his voice contrasts the heavy distorted guitars and the crashing snares of the drums. A slower tempo structure like this puts a lot of pressure on the solos to deliver, which I think they really do. Great ending. Great. 4.5/5 The Prisoner Interesting sample. Solid instrumentation, has a pretty cool bassline, though the main guitar riff is kinda standard. Has good energy. Weak chorus. Conceptually the idea is pretty fine, but doesn't really produce that unique of a track, feels a bit formulaic. The guitar solo seems intricate and layered. Decent. 3.5/5 22 Acacia Avenue The vocals have some fun camp to them. A bit of an odd concept. Tells a story of a sex-worker, told in quite a disturbing way. Has some preachy elements to it. Instrumentally it has this rock opera-vibe going on. Interstingly composed, goes through many different phases with multiple instrumental breaks. Explores their sound pretty well. Interesting song, though the lyrical content is a bit questionable. Good. 4/5 The Number of the Beast The intro is absolutely iconic, it's just such a mood setter. Ridiculously camp in the best way. Great guitar riff. Tells this ridiculous story of devils and the fires of hell, it's strangely charming. Iconic solo. Banger. 5/5 Run to the Hills Legendary guitar riff. The opening verse absolutely slaps. The buildup to the chorus has such an infectious energy to it. Then the chorus comes in being absurdly catchy. The lyrics themeing themselves around the horrors of colonization is such a choice, really elevates the track by adding some meaning to it. Fantastic drum performance. Iconic solo. Banger. 5/5 Gangland Keeps up with the energy from the previous tracks. The verses feel a bit aimless, and the chorus lacks some punch. Instrumentally the track does it's job pretty well, the bassline is really bouncy and the main guitar riff sets a good foundation. Lyrically it's fine, just wish it did a bit more with the gang violence concept. Still got me moving, though it's hard to be the track that has to follow up the previous two. Good. 4/5 Hallowed Be Thy Name Another stunning intro. Great groove. The vocal performance here really knocks your socks off. Adding that to the superb guitar playing and you have a great foundation for an amazing track. The lyrics are such a clear inspiration to later bands, highlighting the religious themes and the questioning. Add in the themes of death and you've got some iconic lyrics. Amazing ending, the vocals coming back after the kick ass instrumental really seals off the song and the album tremendously. Banger. 5/5 It might not be the most sophisticated thing in the world, and you're not gonna get introspective, reflective or deeply personal experiences from it. What you are gonna get is a great classic heavy metal album which in its accessiblity and infectious energy delivers 40 minutes of pure condensed fun. And part of that success comes from how they write kick ass songs about things they genuinely find interesting. Invasions and genocide, sci-fi concepts, themes of religion and death as well as more current socital issues such as violence against women and gang violence. The topics are generally quite heavy, though presented in such a way which never comes across as unserious, and doesn't drag down the energy of the album. Some of the ways they present these topics are genuinely quite bold for the time. They draw from these themes well and implement them into their explosive sound adding some real edge and power to it. The vocals are amazing throughout, delivering lines with passion for the craft and a little bit of delicious 80's metal camp. Pair that with the gripping guitars, powerful, sharp drumming and basslines that have you nodding along, and you get an album which keeps the listener entertained all the way to the end. This is a timeless piece of music which still sounds great to this day. 5/5 Fave track. Run to the Hills Least fave track. N/A

From previous experiences with this band I have the impression that Soundgarden can be a little boring. I know that Chris Cornell gets praised a lot for his vocal ability, so I'm at least expecting to be impressed by him. Otherwise I'm just hoping the runtime won't cause any issues, as any album that's longer than an hour really has to justify it. Let Me Down I don't care much for that guitar tone, feels a bit washed. The mixing in general is kinda weak, particularly on the quieter vocal parts. Has a decent buildup towqrds the chorus. The vocals are pretty impressive. Didn't make me feel much. Fine. 3/5 My Wave The structure of this track isn't really what I'm looking for. Feels a bit flat, lacks some energy. Has an alright switchup. Some of thr guitar parts sound really good. When the bass comes into the forefront of the mix it really breaks through, giving much needed respite from the repetitive guitars. Great ending. 3.5/5 Fell On Black Days The vocals are great, there are a few nice melodies there. His voice has a lot of range, changing seemlessly between sounds. When the instrumental lets itself pick up a bit, taking more space the track gets a sudden surge of energy. Pleasant. 3.5/5 Mailman Stoner metal adjacent guitar riff. Sounds a bit loud, overpowering the other elements of the track. Boring songwriting, extremely typical of the genre. Sluggish tempo, repetitive instrumental. Lyrically doesn't really stand out either. Average. 2.5/5 Superunknown Doesn't really inspire. Has some alright riffs, and decent energy, but I can't help but feel this is something I've heard many times before. Great vocals again. The guitar solo is a interesting, like how it builds upon the backing track to form a decent ending. Decent. 3.5/5 Head Down Feels a bit more classic rock inspired. Has some western sounding motifs in the intro. Has very different production on the vocals than previous tracks. The drums sound really muted. Doesn't really evolve or change. Ends up being really boring. Focuses too much time on a very average, low energy chorus. Average. 2.5/5 Black Hole Sun The big enduring hit off this album. Gets plenty of play on classic rock radio stations to this day. The first verse is pretty evocative and gives it a decent start, though I don't really like the chorus. I just don't find it too interesting. The delivery is deadpan and flat which doesn't really change throughout the million times it's repeated. Instrumentally it's also pretty boring, never really switching it up from the same repeated guitar riff. Overrated. 2.5/5 Spoonman Good vocal delivery. The drums are pretty fun, they build upon an interesting rhythm which keeps up throughout the track. In general every rhythmic element works pretty well, even the added pieces of percussion. The song's title is delivered in a pretty charismatic way. Good. 4/5 Limo Wreck Pretty great instrumental, has a decent level of depth to it, overall has good sound. The guitar and bass has great synergy. Great chorus, delivered spectacularly. Uninteresting verses. Really overstays its welcome after a while, does not need to be nearly 6 minutes long. The ending is really good, but comes too late, I'm already bored of the song when it arrives. Decent. 3.5/5 The Day I Tried To Live Great guitar playing to start the song off, terrific intro. The post chorus is pretty captivating, though I find the chorus itself pretty lacking. Has a similar issue as some of the previous tracks where the drums sound really hollow and muted. Decent. 3.5/5 Kickstand Decent energy. Has some stoner metal vibes to the guitar riff. Doesn't really have the runtime to be judged fairly. Fine. 3/5 Fresh Tendrils Has an okay rhythm to it, like that the bass is a little bit more pronounced here. Some of the vocal parts are pretty catchy. Great vocals in general. I like the structure of the song. Good. 4/5 4th of July Crunchy, heavy distortion. The lyrics are pretty interesting. Feels really dystopian. Fits well with the slower, sludgier production. A subtler, slower song which has a lot of atmosphere. Good. 4/5 Half A really welcome break from the sonic pallatte of the album. Feels a bit psychedelic. The distant off putting vocals add a lot of atmosphere. Keeps up with the apocalyptic feeling of the previous track. Good. 4/5 Like Suicide Takes a really long time to get going. Has some great sludgy guitar moments, but is otherwise pretty sluggish and uninteresting. Chris Cornell continues to impress with great vocals, but it's not enough to keep the song interesting. Has a great guitar solo and the drumming is impressive at times, but at this point the sound is getting kinda old. Fine. 3/5 While not indefensible this album suffers a lot from a lack of sonic diversity. Many of the songs sound really similar and never really evolve beyond their initial premise. Most of the tracks are plagued with unjustifiably long runtimes, several overstaying their own welcome by more than a minute. This adds to an already bloated tracklist and makes the album drag. With some additional sonic ideas, perhaps it wouldn't feel so long. The overbearing production, especially on the guitars doesn't help either. That being said there is plenty to like about this. Chris Cornell sounds absolutely stunning, delivering perfect line after perfect line. His voice and presence is infectious and really feels real and genuine, especially when he's left to just belt one out. There are some layers of interesting lyrical writing, and you feel immersed once they grip you. Some of the songs that do go out of their way to sound different show really interesting concepts and really highlight the band's ability to adapt. I also would like to shout out the guitars. While they are a bit overbearing at times, they do really produce some great riffs and solos every now and so often that really tingle the right areas of the brain. In the end I found it a bit unspectacular, honestly got really bored of it around half way through. I do recognize the talent that went into it, but can't see myself returning to it any time soon. 3/5 Fave track. 4th of July Least fave track. Head Down

Don't know what to expect. Their band name sounds pretty forgettable. Liking the red in the album cover. Hoping to be entertained. The Stars of Track & Field Clunky title. Barely audible guitar. Obnoxious writing style. Strange voice. Questionable chorus. Don't mind the trumpet, sounds pretty good when repeating the vocal melody. I don't get it. 2/5 Seeing Other People I can't stand the writing style. The really uninteresting instrumentation doesn't help. I get the concept, but I just don't like it very much. Doesn't work for me at all. 1.5/5 Me and the Major The instrumentation is at least pretty interesting. I like the tempo and I liked the way the harmonica is implemented at first, though it gets really obnoxious at the end. The vocal melody is alright, though I still hate the way the lyrics are laid out. Not my thing. 2/5 Like Dylan in the Movies Some decent melodies in there, don't mind the chorus. His voice isn't my cup of tea, but it works better in this track than the previous songs. I'm not in love with the instrumentation, though I see what they're going for. Doesn't sound bad, it's just not what I'm looking for. Fine. 3/5 The Fox in the Snow Wish I got this, sounds like something I'd enjoy, but I just don't for some reason. Just has an off-putting aura to it. Reminds me of Phil Elverum, who I'm generally a huge fan of, so there's no reason for me to dislike it, I just do. Did not like. 2/5 Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying Genuinely hate everything about this song. Just does not work at all for me. Hope someone else can find enjoyment in it, but to me that was awful. No thank you. 1/5 If You're Feeling Sinister The children in the background are pretty distracting. Vocal melody is pretty nice. The instrumental captures a calming tranquility, sounds great. Don't mind the lyrics that much, some lines are a bit cringe, but it's fine for what it is. Decent. 3.5/5 Mayfly Decent instrumental, feels nostalgic for some reason. This song is kinda pretty, I think the lyrics although a bit strange work pretty well. The additional vocals add a nice texture to the song. I like the guitar a lot here. The mayfly concept paints a pretty relatable image, I see the vision here. Good. 4/5 The Boy Done Wrong Again No that's just cheesy, the alternating vocals at the start is not a great choice. Such a vocal focused track doesn't work when the listener hates the vocals, can't fault the artist here, but I don't like his voice at all. There are some moments of instrumental beauty here, the strings have some really resonant composition to them. The lyrics are fine. Average. 2.5/5 Judy and the Dream of Horses Every critisism I have for this track has already been said about different tracks. Feels like an amalgation of all the things I've disliked about this album. The main emotion this makes me feel is annoyance. Obnoxious. 1.5/5 Really not my cup of tea. I know it comes down to personal preferance, but from the moment I heard the first song I knew I'd have some major problems with this project. Firstly, his voice is so grating to my ears, everything from the inflections to the pitch, even the energy just does not work for me at all. Secondly, the writing style doesn't land. There are many attempts at storytelling, but I'm just not a fan of how it's laid out. Which elements are emphasised, which lines are repeated and sometimes the general structure, the way these are set up doesn't feel captivating or poetic to me at all. It's just off-putting and messy. Finally there's a lack of variety. There isn't much change in energy from song to song, and a fair few of them is condensed mostly into vocals and guitar. While that in itself isn't necessarily a problem, the real issues start when it's combined with other parts I don't like. There really isn't one big elephant in the room for me to pick apart at, there are just these smaller annoyances which stack on top of each other which really ruins the experience. I do however see how some people could relate more to this than I do. I definitely won't call it generic as I think his voice and narration style sets it apart from similar indie projects of the time. For me this exact style was a detriment, but for others I think it might be the selling point of the album. In the songs that really worked I genuinely felt that I was transported into the scenes that were described. There is definitely some potential in there for vivid imagery. I'm also gonna add that I thought the production was pretty stellar throughout. Each instrument felt crisp and alive, and the mixing really put the right emphasis on which element was the most important at all times. The orchestral moments were definitely a highlight, the classical sounds contrast well against his shrill and personable voice. Not bad, don't really like it though. I see how people could enjoy this so would recommend listening to it if I knew the person was into this era of indie music. Won't personally be returning to it. 2/5 Fave Track. Mayfly Least fave track. Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying

My worries when it comes to music this old is usually that to my modern ears it may sound rudimentary, especially when it comes to production. It's generally hard to not judge it by modern standards, especially in this day and age where music is so easily available. I know of this artist, his name being tossed around as an early influence on the rock and blues bands that would show up in the mid to late 60s and early 70s. My initial fear going into this is that it will be more influential in a historic sense where as the music itself hasn't aged well. I'm hoping the music this has inspired hasn't completely surpassed it, and that there's still some value left there. Heading into this with an open mind. I Got My Brand On You As I expected it doesn't sound great, the recording quality hasn't aged well. This sounds like fairly standard blues to me. It's pleasant, but doesn't exactly inspire. His voice is pretty good, though it's not like I'm completely stunned by it. The band does a great job with the instrumental, they work well with the vocals to create the atmosphere expected of a track like this. Generally a solid performance from all parties. Fine. 3/5 I'm Your Hoochie Cootchie Man This is a classic. Immediately recognizeable. Old school cool. Has some great energy to it. Feels like something that would be great to feature in the background at a gathering of some kind. Good. 4/5 Baby Please Don't Go Charismatic performance from Muddy Waters. He sounds tight and professional. It's a simple song which works for what it is. (There's a minor disturbance somewhere in the recording which through my headseat sounds like my roof is falling down, scared the shit out of me.) Fine. 3/5 Soon Forgotten Another fairly standard blues track. I like the piano a lot here. I'm struggling to find anything to set it apart from similar songs of the era. I guess I could point to the instrumental sections as offering a very well knit arrangement. They really sound like they've been working together for quite some time. The song feels spacious, much credit to each individual performer for knowing which notes to play and where to leave space for others. This of course stretches to Waters himself as well, where ge makes sure the spotlight isn't always on him. Decent. 3.5/5 Tiger In Your Tank It's fun to hear a bit of a bit more dancy, faster pace tempo. I appreciate how he adapts his voice to this style. Shows of some soulful vocal chops that wouldn't be too out of place in a later era. The song has very repetitive lyrics which kind of works to its detriment. I really enjoy the energy of the track, it's a lovely mood lifter after a series of slower bluesier tracks. I wouldn't mind if it was a bit shorter. Decent. 3.5/5 I Feel So Good Don't have much to say that haven't already been said about previous tracks. More of the same really. It's a pleasant listen, just not particularly notable. Fine. 3/5 I've Got My Mojo Working Has some grit and intensity to it. Charismatic vocal perfomance. Can tell not Waters and the band is really giving their all here. Really like how much work the drummer is doing on the track. Really energetic and fun little track. Great. 4.5/5 Got My Mojo Working Pt. 2 A continuation of the previous track. Honestly just feels like a repeat. Felt the previous one ended just fine, this is unecessary. I guess the culture was different back then, and that this is obviously for the crowd, but to me with my modern expectations it's just strange. Fine. 3/5 Goodbye Newport Blues It's a nice little blues song to end off the setlist with. Can't really say I find it exceptional, but it works for what it is. Portrays the feeling of leaving somewhere pretty well, which seems to be the intention of the track. Fine. 3/5 My apprehension towards this album prior to listening to it was mostly unfounded, which came as a great relief. In truth I was pretty scared I wouldn't enjoy this, and while it didn't exactly blow me away I'd say it was a pretty good time. My individual track ratings may not reflect my true feelings about the album as a whole, as this is one of those cases where the album is more than the sum of its parts. Considering this is taken from a live show with no production tricks or gimmicks you'll quickly see the magic is rooted in the performance itself. Muddy Waters and his band were great showmen, and managed to entertain through only their talent alone. This is built purely upon music, enthusiasm for the craft and charisma. It never needs to rely on complicated instrumental passages, or intricate lyricism. It just delivers simple, solid songs in a way which resonates with people through the magic of the blues. Muddy Waters sounds passionate and professional throughout, really going out of his way to create a good show. The quality on display is what I presume inspired the greats that took influences from Waters's work, as they could see the pride and passion he has for performing these songs. In the end this is an important piece of music history. While everything here hasn't necessarily aged all that well I still think its most important elements remain intact. If you're gonna listen to it, listen to it as a whole. It's a solid tracklist which really shines when played in its entirety. 4/5 Fave track. I've Got My Mojo Working Least fave track. I Feel So Good

Looks promising from the Wikipedia article. Never heard of this band though I'm usually a fan of this genre of music so I'd be surprised if I hate it. Ha Ha I'm Drowning Has some interesting synths. Great bassline. The vocals are pretty intense. Don't really care much for the horns, they come across a bit crass. The song is catchy enough and has a really intersting instrumental passage, which sounds pretty powerful. Love when the vocals come back to finish of the song. Good. 4/5 Sleeping Gas The fade in is a strange choice, really intersting. The guitar riff is pretty diffuse and watery. The organ is definitely unique for this era. Don't love the vocals here, really repetitive. Decent. 3.5/5 Treason Feels like a much more conventional post punk song. Has a very prominent bassline, dreamy guitars and yearning vocals which I all feel are very typical for the genre. Really like the chorus. The instrumental has a lot of texture. Could do without the backing vocals. Great. 4.5/5 Second Head Really moody and deep bassline. Has a lot of atmosphere to it. I tgink the scarce instrumentation really works with the vocal style on this track. Love when it lets itself get a bit more psychedelic. The lyrics seem pretty well thought out, adds to the paranoid almost horror like feeling that comes with the bassline. Great. 4.5/5 Poppies In The Field Starts off as a continuation of the sound of the previous track, though when the strange effects come in the vibe shifts. Love the guitar played in reverse. Adds a sense of uneasiness. The drums also add to this effect with the heavy use of cymbals. The track does a lot with the post punk sound, innovating with a lot of effects without going to hard on the synths. Great. 4.5/5 Went Crazy I maintain my opinion that the horns don't sound good on this album. The more upbeat tempo is refreshing. The vocals are really intense and agressive, almost uncomfortably so. Don't really care for the lyrical writing of this one, it's a bit dull. Fine. 3/5 Brave Boys Keep Their Promises Don't like the guitar at all. Sounds terrible. The vocals are also quite irritating. I don't think anything about this track works. At least the lyrics are somewhat interesting. Bad. 1.5/5 Bouncing Baby An agressively British man screaming "I WAS A BOUNCING BABY" at the top of his lungs following by some spooky synths is not something I expected to hear today. The track has a pretty alright atmosphere, but it's incredibly chaotic. It's interesting, but not pleasant in any way. The vocals and the synth are both really intense, battling for your attention. Decent. 3.5/5 Books Doesn't sound great. Can really feel a lack of production quality here. Sounds really flat and compressed. The bassline is pretty cool. Instrumentally it's an interesting scattering of instruments that all feel underimplemented, to the point where you only really remember the blazing horns and the underlying bassline. Vocally he delivers a charismatic performance in line with the rest of the album. Fine. 3/5 Thief of Baghdad Interesting opening. Great instrumental, really builds upon the strange and psychedelic vibe promised by the intro. Lovely use of synths. The chorus is memorable and distinct. Good. 4/5 When I Dream I like the electronic feel. The chorus is extremely dumb, though I do find it quite charming as well. Really like the instrumental passages, they feel simple yet contain plenty of texture. They add an additional layer to a fairly simple song. The ending segment takes way to long to change and evolve, makes it really repetitive and annoying to start off with. Never really gets much more interesting than that, as all you get is this meandering synth playing over the same backing instrumental. It's fairly atmospheric, but not enough to keep it engaging. Feels uneccessarily long. Decent. 3.5/5 It's an alright album with some interesting ideas scattered throughout. In a post punk landscape full of instrumentally similar bands I really like their attempts to mix in horns and organs as additional pieces to their sound, even if the ideas are sometimes better than the final result. I also enjoy the psychedelic elements employed in some tracks, which is a really interesting innovation for the genre, where the blend of the different musical styles worked strangely well together. Add the really intense vocal performance and you get a unique but often inconsistent experience. I'd say the main culprit for this inconsistency is the lack of production quality, making many of the songs sound muddy and cramped as a result. There's also some inconsistency in the songwriting here, resulting in several songs that either sound a bit directionless or just generic and bland. Finally I feel it lacks any real highlight moment, any one track that really makes you want to return to it. While individually several tracks scored highly, none really made me jump out of my seat. In the end I found this album quite middle of the road, plenty that worked, and plenty that just didn't leave much of an impression. 3.5/5 leaning more towards 3/5. Fave track. Second Head Least fave track. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises

The third Rolling Stones album so far. From my experience with the other two, I'm not really expecting much. Some decent but kind of basic to today's standard rock and roll tracks, played and performed very well, but not leaving much of a lasting impression. Going to guess there's some content on here that hasn't aged well. Gonna say I reacted quite negatively to the runtime, will probably drag a bit. Wish I was a bigger fan of this band than I am. I see people glazing them all the time, but I just don't see what others see in them. Hoping to be convincedt this time around. Rocks Off Definitely recognizeable as a Stone's song. The piano is pretty alright. The production makes the song sound a bit unclear. The horns is something I could do without. Would say that the chorus remains my favourite part of the song, it's probably it's most memorable asset in my eyes. Doesn't exaclty strike me as very memorable, but fine for what it is. Fine. 3/5 Rip This Joint Fast paced rock and roll track with a saxophone solo. The vocal performance is pretty fun, though the track itself isn't that interesting. Each element has a lot of polish to it, but the track lacks memorable moments. Fine. 3/5 Shake Your Hips Bluesy. Hollow, boring, lacking in any sort of payoff. Energy drain. Bland. 2/5 Casino Boogie Stereotypical white blues rock. Lacking any sort of personality or soul. Goes on and on without ever building to anything. Tired, sluggish tempo. Uninspiring sax solo. Not bad, just very very boring. Was probably cool for the time, but not to my taste. Did not like. 2/5 Tumbling Dice Chorus has some personality to it. The backing vocals has some playful energy as well. Smooth guitar sound. Also enjoy the bassline quite a bit. Definitely the catchiest track so far. Decent. 3.5/5 Sweet Virginia Opens pretty well. Awful vocal effect. The vocals are straight up terrible, regardless of the effect. Sounds drunk and half asleep. The sax has a pretty nice tone. The backing vocals carry this song out of disaster territory. Average. 2.5/5 Torn and Frayed Agressively average rock song. Just gives me absolutely nothing. It's pleasant to listen to, but goes in one ear and out the other. Zzzzz. Average. 2.5/5 Sweet Black Angel Yikes. Yikes. Yikes. Who listens to this shit? Beyond dogshit. Not even worth discussing. 1/5 Loving Cup The instrumental builds pretty well upon itself. Grows larger and more intense as the song goes in. There are some interesting instrumental fills here and there. Fine. 3/5 Happy Filler. Does not need to exist. 2/5 Turd on the Run One of the songs of all time. Out of all songs ever written this is definitely one that exists. Has a single harmonica part worth mentioning. Boring. 2/5 Ventilator Blues That guitar riff drains every ounce of energy from my body. Annoying. 2/5 I Just Want To See His Face You can't seriously expect me to believe that this couldn't have been cut to reduce the already bloated runtime. Tries to build atmosphere, but ends up just sounding muddled and unintelligable. Waste of time. 1.5/5 Let it Loose I find the instrumental mostly pleasant. Has a slight dreamy vibe to it due to the reverby keyboard. The piano grounds the track adding some impact to the floatiness of the keyboard. The horns kinda ruin the vibe, really crass and loud. Hate the vocals, really whiny and all over the place. The backing vocals clutter the track, making it even more disjointed than it already was. Did not like. 2/5 All Down The Line Has some good energy, the tempo and the uncaring attitude enhance the party like feel. Decent guitar solo. The chorus works well as a sort of anthemic rock and roll dance sing along. Decent. 3.5/5 Stop Breaking Down Predictable but charismatic blues rock track, with a swinging attitude and a good amount of swagger. Has some sprawling guitar moments that add some complexity to the track. Nothing spectacular, but does the job with a lot of quality. Good. 4/5 Shine a Light Really greatful that it picked up after that extremely melancholic intro. Won't say it's great. The backing vocals are really cheese. Instrumentally it's very much of its time, though I can't say I dislike it fully. The guitar solo is pretty great. And the generally dated gospel homage has its charms. I find the mix of piano and organ to create a decent amount of depth to the track. Grew on me. 3.5/5 Soul Survivor Rambly and aimless. Keeps up the same sound as the rest of the album which is really tired at this point. Does not feel like a closer. Average. 2.5/5 A bloated slog of an album which ended up feeling even longer than it did thanks to many similar sounding songs with no real space to process anything. Again I have failed in my quest to understand the hype behind this band, again feeling underwhelmed and extremely drained by the end of one of their albums. To me it just sounds extremely average, delivering a classic rock sound which today has been played out so much it becomes cliche. Sure it might've been innovative at the time, but to my ears other subgenres of rock music are infintely more interesting than this. I would say the quality on display here is impressive, both technically and in their performances, remaining consistent throughout, but it doesn't help when I'm not entertained by it. The length doesn't help. Could probably cut four or five tracks from the tracklist with no issue. Over all the Stones continue to disappoint. 2.5/5 leaning more towards 3/5. Fave track. Stop Breaking Down Least fave track. Sweet Black Angel

Never really been much of a "The Police" fan, as I've always found them a bit tacky. The white boy reggae stuff seems a bit toothless to me, and the soft rock stuff never caught my interest either. While Sting remains an icon, I cannot help but find him and his projects a bit bland. With that being said I've never heard a full album by them, generally only been exposed to their hits. Gonna take this as an opportunity to reevaluate my view on this band, and perhaps after a full listen I'll come out the other end with a changed opinion. Message in a Bottle One of the hits, been through a phase where I really liked this song and another where I hated it. Has an alright tempo to it. The vocal melody is quite well written, contrasts well against the instrumental. The accent is a bit goofy. Runs out of steam a bit, could do with a slightly shorter runtime. Don't find it quite as annoying as I used to. Decent. 3.5/5 Regatta De Blanc Really rhythmic, keeps building ontop of itself adding various different elements to enhance the rhythm and tempo. Great foundational bassline. The hollering vocals also do a lot to keep the song from going stale, the simple addition has the effect of building some counterpoints to balance out the mix. Good. 4/5 It's Alright For You Has a grittier, slight garageier sound. The chorus sounds kinda uninspired though the post chorus instrumental really makes up for it. A fast paced rock track that doesn't do anything spectacular, but works for what it is. Decent. 3.5/5 Bring On The Night Has some pretty cool riffage in the intro. The arpeggios sound pleasant. I find the vocals quite jarring. Really don't like how they're produced. They sit really far back in the mix, and fall at a strange volume level which is sort of distracting. There's a good melody there though. Instrumentally it remains interesting throughout, even sporting some bleak dissonant moments that shatter the otherwise pleasant vibe. Can see it growing on me if I can get over the vocals. Good. 4/5 Deathwish The instrumental is plucky and fun, though its at the risk of being repetitive. The drums are quite loud in the mix. Wish the vocals had more of a punch to them, they contrast a bit too much with the instrumental with their distant style. Wish the song had more variety to it, doesn't really have any moment where the tension is released leading it to sound sort of anticlimatic. Fine. 3/5 Walking on the Moon Another one of the hits. Can't say I have much of a relationship with this one, though I've definitely heard it before. The opening bass and loud reverby guitar definitely leaves an impression. Its continued use veers towards melodramatic. The lyrics are extremely cheesy. Has a pretty weak chorus in contrast with the really dramatic production. Feels almost at odds with the atmosphere created by the instrumentation. A bit messy, but pulls itself together somewhat. Fine. 3/5 On Any Other Day The lyrics sound like they belong to a rejected Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd B-side. Sounds quirky in all the wrong ways. The extremely average rock instrumental doesn't help, even if the base riff is kinda decent. Did not like. 2/5 The Bed's Too Big Without You Cheesy song title. Judging by it I was expecting a really tacky power ballad for some reason. Suprised by the groovy infectious rhythm. Even the faux reggae style vocals add something here, a decent counter measure against the very uniform instrumental. They add a surprising amount of unpredictability and fluidity to the track. Love every rhythmic element involved in this song, really comes together for something special. Fantastic. 5/5 Contact There's an interesting composition in here, structurally the track is really interesting. The focus on the bass as the main instrument, and the strange picky guitars make the song quite unique. The vocals are really strange, though they work with the instrumental they never really grip me. Good. 4/5 Does Everyone Stare Don't love the piano sound, it's kinda overpowering, making the vocals sound really quiet. Interesting implementation of a sample. Weird concept, gives me stalker vibes. Has an overall jarring feel mainly because of the annoying piano. That's not a great chorus. Did not like. 2/5 No Time This Time Fast! Terrible vocal effect for this song. The production sounds kinda hollow and toothless. Jarring chorus. Kind of a boring track and disappoimting finish. Has a pretty alright guitar riff, but that's kinda it. Average. 2.5/5 Went by much faster than I had anticipated. While not every track fell to my taste, I remained entertained throughout never really zoning out or losing attention. Can't say this is the best thing I've ever heard, but it's pretty charming at times, shows plenty of personality and offers a series of varied and diverse tracks. The instrumentation goes through several alterations throughout, focusing on various assets within the band giving each member a time in the spotlight. While the vocals are a bit corny at times, they're performed by someone giving their all and committing to their part which keeps it consistent at least. There are several great guitar moments, even some solos that get pretty entertaining. The album really shines when it allows itself to get a groove going, creating dancable rhythms at several occasions. Not anything mindblowing, but better than expected. 3/5 Fave track. The Bed's Too Big Without You Least fave track. Does Everyone Stare

YES! I'm so happy I finally got a jazz/funk/fusion album on this list. This one is such a legendary record. Infinitely cool, exploding with charisma and style. Really looking forward to a revisit of an all time classic. Genuinely excited. PS. This cover goes so incredibly hard. Chameleon This groove is illegal, doesn't get much more head-boppingly infectious than this. There's so much rhythm in the drumming alone, and with that great rhythm guitar on top of it it's just magical. Never gonna get sick of that bass tone either. Sounds both retro and futuristic at the same time, the keyboard sounding almost alien. A technicolour musical wonderland of magical surprises and imaginative ideas. 5/5 Watermelon Man Iconic intro with the strange bottle blowing techique which sounds so incredibly unique. The composition of this track is so smooth, each instrument playing a crucial part in the creation of a rhythmic complexity that makes it such a fun listen. The bassline is like butter, just melting inside your ears trickling into the canals and tickling the brain. Such a deliciously funky track which really has you paying attention all throughout. Amazing. 5/5 Sly The moodier, more picturesque sound of this track has a very modern, slick aesthetic to it. Feels very grand and ellaborate. Has a freer form to it which creates some spontaneous sounding moments which adds a layer of unpredictability to the track. Love the tempo of the drums, and how much they dictate not only the pace of the track, but the entire structure of the instrumental solos. An impressive journey, which really makes you live the music as it is happening. 5/5 Vein Melter Starts off extremely calm and relaxing. Has a fantastically pleasant vibe with genuine moments of beauty. A magical journey which takes you through mystical landscapes meeting many of the quirky and interesting creatures who reside there. While taking its time, the track never ceases to be interesting as long as the listener allows the instruments to lead them through it. Fantastic. 5/5 This was never getting anything less than 5 stars from me. It's just so infectiously fun and innovative, while still allowing someone like me who knows very little of the genre to get lost in each and every moment. Even writing the notes for each track became difficult as I was entranced in the music the whole way through. Just a masterpiece in composition and rhythm, taking you on four distinctly different journeys that all let your imagination run loose. I love the drums, the bass, the guitars, the sax, the keys, and every other untold instruments, some with names I've never heard in my life. I feel like an idiot even attempting to review this album, ss the level of knowledge and craftsmanship that goes into this is just a level beyond my comprehension. This is just absolute perfection to my ears, and an album I intend on revisiting many more times. 5/5 Fave track. N/A Least fave track. N/A

Can't say I was too excited when I woke up to this as today's album. 1960's radio friendly pop has its charms, but it's rarely something I seek out. For me The Monkees fall into a category of music where there are just so many more interesting alternatives to listen to, that they end up a bit forgotten. Obviously big in the day, but I feel like we've moved past them. Heading into this with low expectations, though I'm hoping to be surprised. You Told Me Doesn't sound great. The guitar is kinda awful. Don't like where the vocals sit in the mix. Very simple structurally, doesn't evolve or pull any interesting tricks. Sluggish and boring. There are some vocal moments which produce some pretty harmonies. Did not like. 2/5 I'll Spend My Life With You It's pleasant enough. The steel guitar adds some uniqueness. The vocalist has a decent voice. Sounds extremely sanitized, and safe. Isn't a very challenging or stimulating listen, but works fine for what it is. The premise is pretty sweet, though extremely cliche for the time. Fine. 3/5 Forget That Girl Oddly unsettling. I feel like I'm being threathened. The backing vocals are incredibly strange. Uncanny. 2/5 Band 6 That was a bit pointless. Doesn't qualify as a song. NA/5 You Just May Be The One I don't like that voice. Extremely dated. Dorky and cheesy. Average instrumentally, lot's of tambourine. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Shades of Gray Pleasant vocal melody. Has some nice harmonies. Refreshing lyrics. Bringing in some strings for the instrumental was a decent choice, adds some life. Decent. 3.5/5 I Can't Get Her Of My Mind Cliche and uninspired. Sounds manifactured and sanitized. The use of "little girl" is quite concerning, feels very uncomfortable listening to it. Nightmare fuel. 1/5 Oh For Pete's Sake Lazy and cliche songwriting. Sounds like someone listing off '60s buzzwords. Overdone and pandering. Get me out. 1/5 Mr. Webster Cute and quirky little story, presented in a fun way. A nice distraction from the sea of boring love songs. Still not incredibly interesting, but I'll take it. Fine. 3/5 Sunny Girlfriend A cute and positive song. Just someone singing about how much he loves his girlfriend. Unspectacular, but charming in a dorky way. Average. 2.5/5 Zilch The band goofing around. Shows some personality. NA/5 No Time A fairly decent rock 'n' roll track that shows a lot of personality from the band. Genuinely sounds like they're having fun here. Has a bit of a spontaneous vibe to it, and shows a bit of attitude severely lacking on this album so far. Decent. 3.5/5 Early Morning Blues And Greens Peaceful and calm until that horrible organ comes in. A bit of a boribg track that really does nothing for me. Did not like. 2/5 Randy Scouse Git Fun and bouncy tempo. The vocal melody is also quite fun. Ther are some great discriptions in the lyrics. Great chorus. Finally a song with some variety, even the scatting is alright. Has a lot if explosivity to it. Ends really well. Good. 4/5 It's hard to discuss this without drawing Beatles comparisons - this sounds like a mediocre pastiche of early Beatles. With that out the way there's not much more to say. Middle of the road manufactured, formulaic love songs that neither excite nor impress. Sure some of them have charming moments, and some are even a bit quirky, but there is very little here of any value. There are just so many tiny variations of the same concept that it gets really tired after a while. It's not all love songs though, but even then these songs only stick out on a first listen as they are about a different topic. Even then they cannot escape the undramatic and flat songwriting style which haunts the album. The performances are fine, though mostly extremely sanitized and safe. There are a couple of tracks where they let themselves loose a little bit, where they're allowed to show some personality and attitude. Those are the songs that work best in my opinion, and offer the most interesting experience. Apart a from a few notable exceptions every song on here sounds virtually the same, leaving you with a very bland and uninspiring album which never really finds its footing. It is what it is. 2/5 Fave track. Randy Scouse Git Least fave track. I Can't Get Her Off My Mind

Oh... This looks like a bit of a daunting task. A solo piano jazz record was not something I was expecting. I fear this might become monotonous amd boring due to a lack of musical variety. Can't say I'm too excited to head into this. Will be a success if I manage to stay awake as I'm listening to it quite late at night. Hoping it's not too boring. Gonna exclude the individual track notes and ratings from this review. Leaving my final thoughts below. The playing is great, the improvisation is amazing and the ability to sit down and just perform so earnestly with so much passion is beyond admirable. I have so much respect for this, yet I can't find myself truly loving any of it. Maybe I'm too impatient. Maybe I'm too coloured by my musical biases. Or maybe today just wasn't the day. Regardless, I found myself distracted and bored by this. Admitting this feels a bit sad, as I recognize that this is a great piece of art. The premise of a performance that is so uncomplicated in its approach as to include only a man and his piano is fascinating in theory. It feels like it's purely about the music, boiled down to its simplest components. I'm again more interested in the idea of the album than I am the actual music on it. Didn't entirely click, hoping it will on subsequent listens. 3/5

Talking Heads! Was expecting to see them show up on this list sooner rather than later, though this wasn't the album which first came to mind. Love their music, though I'd say I'm much more familiar with their stuff post "Fear or Music". I've heard this album once or twice before, so I know what I'm getting into. Looking forward to a revisit. Thank You for Sending Me an Angel Has a really nice rhythm that seems to chug along nicely in the background. The rhythm guitar really moves the instrumental forward, while the percussion grounds it. David Byrne delivers a classic David Byrne performance, full of chaotic charm and distinct personality. Has a great tempo starting the album of with a bang. Great. 4.5/5 With Our Love The groove hits instantly with a strange and quirky tempo. Great bass playing. Love the instrumental break. Has me bobbing along. The vocals are really interesting, going from eclectic and weird to having harmonious and resonant moments that play well with the musical backdrop. Good. 4/5 The Good Thing Some classic warmth building up within the instrumental. A beautiful combination between melody and groove. Don't love the backing vocals on the chorus. I really like the more laid back, understated approach the vocals take on the verses. Really like how the lyrics are portrayed. The strange thought process that's presented is quite fascinating. Good. 4/5 Warning Sign Great opening bassline. I like that it takes its time to get started, slowly introducing the elements of the song. The vocals sound both confused and confrontational at the same time, there's even a hint of panic there. Love the guitar. Great. 4.5/5 The Girl Wants to be with the Girls The instrumental is once again very smooth and precise, statying very fresh with its ideas and putting in interesting parts where they need to. Love how much the keys get go shine here. The vocals are fine, though don't really add much. Decent. 3.5/5 Found a Job Great groove. Strange premise for a song, the story is however easy to follow. It's very matter of fact about it's ideas. Great dancable instrumental section, really closes out the song with a bang. Decent. 3.5/5 Artists Only A moodier vibe for the intro of this song. Again, lovely bassline, and excellent drumming. Carries the song. The quirky and outright wacky vocals contrasts to the almost mysterious nature of the instrumental. Feels cold and dark, love the tiny effects in the background. Whoever this painter is, the music paints a deranged picture of him. Great. 4.5/5 I'm Not in Love Explosive and intense. Really fun. The vocals build up quite well into the very groovy and dancable instrumental. The narrator struggling with his lack of romantic feelings is an interesting perspective. It never feels callous or cold, just different. The final instrumental break is a masterclass in rhythm and feel, absolutely infectious. Fantastic. 5/5 Stay Hungry Sounds great. The production on this track is really crisp. The constant repetition is kinda stressful. Love the funky guitar and bass on this track, they have great synergy. When the final vocals come in with that ethereal synth all the tension is released, sealing the song off on a beautiful note. Good. 4/5 Take Me to the River Really funky with that combination of bass and keys. Has that slightly awkward trademark Talking Heads attitude which adds a lot of charm to the track. It sounds like they're having a lot of fun injecting their own sound into the source material. Great. 4.5/5 The Bit Country Floaty and nostalgic sounding. Love how our expectations are subverted after the sugary first verse. Instrumentally a bit different from the rest of the album, the country influences are certainly unique for the rest of it. Lyrically it's an interesting view into the mind of David Byrne. His detatchment from the rest of society, yet recognizition of its workings is fascinating to hear put into words. Great. 4.5/5 An album with plenty of great concepts that they blend together uniquely through an unmistakingly imaginative style. Has this infectious awkward charm to it, and a strong artistic vision blooming with weirdness and percision. Love the grooves and rhythms, and the freedom which they play with. The eclectic vocals, and fascinating lyrics add both unpredictability and emotion to each track. Is just lacking that little subtle special something to put it into perfection territory, as I know that they're capable of evolving this sound and adding new influnces and styles to it. While this is great in its own right, their later works expand so much upon their talent adding new dimensions to their music that is hard to overlook. Feels like they limited themselves a bit on this album, though it shows early signs of the greatness that soon would follow. 4.5/5 leaning more towards 4/5. Fave track. I'm Not In Love Least fave track. Found a Job

Sade has been on my radar for quite some time. Definitely one of those bands I've been procrastinating on listening to for far too long. Looking forward to this listen. Smooth Operator I've definitely heard this one before. Great sound quality. Love the bossa nova esque vibe. Great sax. Banger chorus and post chorus. Her voice is very smooth. Did not remember this song being this good. Cool and classy. Fantastic. 5/5 Your Love Is King I'm obsessed. This is magical. Soulful and smooth and a little bit camp with that extremely 80s saxophone. Great production and an amazing, intriguing voice. Such a fun track. Fantastic. 5/5 Hang Onto Your Love Great bassline, has some good funk to it combined with those guitars. Really catchy. Love the verses. That instrumental break is just amazing. Fantastic. 5/5 Frankie's First Affair Doesn't have the same kick to it as the previous songs, though remains really smooth and soulful. Has some great vocal moments. The production makes it sound large and sprawling while keeping a slightly intimate feel to it. The final third of the track turns on the magic with some beautiful vocal layering. Fantastic. 5/5 When Am I Going to Make a Living Feels uplifting. Love the energy. Another great bassline. Anthemic, empowering chorus. Extremely fun track with some great 80s cheese mixed with songwriting and performances of the highest quality. Amazing. 5/5 Cherry Pie Great soulful instrumental. Catchy bassline and airy, liquid production. Love the keys. Great chorus. A fun slightly funky, slightly jazzy pop track with great energy and a fine charismatic vocal performance. Love how it ends. Fantastic. 5/5 Sally Starts of kinda slow. The sax comes in at the perfect time. Soulful. Has a decent sense of scale, gives great payoff for all the buildup. Great. 4.5/5 I Will Be Your Friend Fun rhythm. The sentiment is pretty sweet. Feels innocent and cute. Sure it's a bit cheesy, but I can't dock it points for that. Puts me in a good mood. Love the plucky instrumental. Fantastic. 5/5 Why Can't We Live Together Moody. Has a layer of darkness over it which contrasts it to the previous tracks. The echoey percussion and the bleak keys add an eerie effect. Lyrics are a bit cliche, but I find it kinda charming. Has a great groove. Solid closer. Great. 4.5/5 This blew me away for some reason. Sometimes it really isn't that deep. An album can just click. It's just so much fun, so stylish and self-contained, creating a sound that just tickles the enjoyment center of the brain in just the right way. It's jazzy, it's smooth, it's consistent. The ideas feel fresh and the performances genuine. And it sure helps that I love her voice as well. Was sat here with a goofy smile on my face the whole time, yet I struggle to put into words why this is so great. I guess I'm just spellbound, charmed and fully bought into the vibe they're trying to sell. Was waiting the entire time for the album to drop off, but I kept being surprised by how sweet and genuine it felt. The production has that sweet 80's cheese with the hammiest sax you'll ever hear. It's to the point where you'll either love it or hate it I guess, but I can't help but feel charmed by it. This has every reason not to work, but it someone hits all the correct notes. 5/5 Fave track. N/A Least fave track. N/A

Love me some women with powerful voices. Not surprised to see Nina Simone on here, considering her catalogue. Feel like I pretty much know what I'm getting into here, even though this album in particular wasn't known to me before today. Expecting to hear a great vocal performance. Love how I've already reviewed covers of two of the tracks on here (Wild Is The Wind, David Bowie) , (Lilac Wine, Jeff Buckley) both of those are on albums I scored 5 stars, hoping for more amazing tracks like that. I Love Your Lovin' Ways It's a very uplifting song, enjoy how positive and sweet it is. The vocals are sung with a lot of confidence and naturality. Really like how the backing vocals contrast with Nina Simone's voice. The instrumental feels pretty typical for the era, doesn't take a lot of space and focus away from the main performer while adding a decent amount of texture to the track. Good. 4/5 Four Women Feminist sentiment is strong in this one. Relates with and celebrates women of colour while bringing attention to the stories of these women. There's a lot of tragedy in this tale where the common theme is the discrimination and dehumanization that women in minority groups have been facing all across the world. The final verse details someone who's world view has been particularly soured because of generational trauma caused by these injustices. As the piano darkens and tenses up, you feel her anger and bitterness, before the final line in the song releases the tension with an explosion of sound. Insightful. 5/5 What More Can I Say? Has a really classy vibe to it, while still showing a longing emotional core with a hint of frustration in there too. Love the grandiosity of the track. Has a lot of payoff to the buildup. Remains soulful throughout. While it relies heavily on the large and powerful instrumentation, it works great in tandem with the vocals to create some really powerful emotional moments. Great. 4.5/5 Lilac Wine A great piece of storytelling, love the metaphor. Has a really interesting structure. The piano is very emotive. The vocal performance is really balanced, never too subtle, never too bombastic. Remains understated enough to feel genuine. The ending is really sweet. Great. 4.5/5 That's All I Ask A great piece of soul with a jazzy little instumental. Has some decent sounding horns and a lot of subtle but impactful percussion. Feels like parts of the instrumental gets a bit in the way of the vocal performance. At times they compete for the same real estate causing it to sound a bit messy. The vocals are great, but never really doing anything out of the ordinary to differentiate it from similar songs of the era. Don't like how it fades out, it's too quick, too sudden, leaving the song with no real ending. Ends up sounding a bit unfinished. Fine. 3/5 Break Down And Let It All Out Empowering with a splash of colour. Love the slight bitterness and confrontational nature present in the vocal performance. The main hook is kinda cathartic. Still not loving the fade out. Decent. 3.5/5 Why Keep Breaking My Heart A nice change of pace instrumentally, with some more folky energy. Pleasant enough, but not particularly inspiring. The backing vocals feel a bit weak, and the main vocal performance is fairly standard. The chorus has a decent melody. Fine. 3/5 Wild Is The Wind Stunning. The background piano really gives the song some high stakes beauty. Buttery smooth and passionate vocal performance, with a hint of somber contemptation. Has this epic almost cinematic buildup that just keeps adding tension to the track, building layers on top of layers. One of the greats. Romantic powerhouse. 5/5 Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair Sweet and sentimental. Has a very good vocal performance, and is written very passionately and beliveably. Decent. 3.5/5 If I Should Lose You That piano intro is just so incredibly beautiful, wow. Sleepy and calming vibe. Love the interplay between voice and piano, it really reflects the emotion in her voice. Really like how it cascades and escalates through the track, played with a lot of depth. Never takes away the focus from the vocals, which work excellently in their own right. It's gotten to that point where her brilliance has become par for the course, as she's so incredibly consistent. Great. 4.5/5 Either Way I Lose You Kinda don't like the "dum dum dum"s. Feels a bit distracting. The horns are also kinda unneccesary. Soulful and mournful, has that quiet acceptance which makes it that much richer and more flavourful. Decent. 3.5/5 That was some upper shelf quality stuff. Oozes with class and skill, unburdened with the cliches that are often found in other 60's soul albums. She's such an amazing vocalist, showing so much control while also delivering in the areas where restraint is needed. Giving the performances just the right amount of push the song requires. Powerful, unique, and also incredibly sweet at times. Genuine sounding love songs, showing gratitude, longing, despair and even bitterness. Even has an amazing concious piece with the stunning "Four Women" written with incredibly thoughtfulness and awareness. Instrumentally the part that impressed me the most was the incredibly smooth and able piano playing which had some great technical moments, while always being an amazing supporting companion to the vocals. Would also shout out the percussion at times. A really consistent album where the weaker tracks are only hurt by production choices I don't agree with, or just lacking a bit of extra polish. A great listen with plenty to love. 4/5. Fave track. Four Women Least fave track. Why Keep Breaking My Heart

Can't say I'm looking forward to another Neil Young album so soon after the last one. He's my favourite artist on this list, but some of his stuff is pretty decent. Luckily this is a completely different era of Neil Young, so it will at least be interesting to hear how his sound has evolved since the mid 1970's. Curious to hear what Crazy Horse brings to the table. Country Home Great audio quality! The lyrics paint some pretty imagery. Evokes a peaceful, content feeling. A few times throughout the track the guitar comes in with some really nice distortion. The instrumental isn't interesting enough to warrant so much individual time. Drags a bit, doesn't justify being seven minutes long. Decent. 3.5/5 White Line Very Western coded guitar riff, sounds straight out of a 1960's cowboy movie. Definitely a driving song, both lyrically and tempo wise. The harmonies add a lot to the nostalgic Americana feel of the track. Good. 4/5 Fuckin' Up Crunchy distortion. There's not exactly anything wrong with the track other than it sounds kinda generic, even if it's a bit of a cop out as a descriptor. Pleasant and competent, just not particularly exciting. Neil Young's unique voice, along with the quality production is probably the difference maker between this and any other rock track. Fine. 3/5 Over and Over Nice guitar opening, feels very emotive and evocative of the overall sonic imagery of the album so far. The chorus is pretty sweet. Takes its time, genuinely beautiful at times. Has several great guitar riffs in a similar vein to the intro. Could've been condensed into a 6-7 minute track, feels like it doesn't know when to stop adding material leaving it sounding a bit unfocused. Decent. 3.5/5 Love to Burn Feels like a bit of an echo of the previous track. Has a very similar opening structure. Don't really like the chorus that much. Has a clunky composition, and the vocal melody is a bit strange. The band sounds really locked in, giving really solid performances and building well on top of each other. Sounds like they enjoy playing together. Has a noodly guitar section which while impressive feels completely unecessary. There's really nothing else going on while it's happening, and it goes on for too long. Has great energy. A bit monotonous. Mixed. 3/5 Farmer John Some interesting distortion with the guitars in a bit of a disjointed. Has a slight punk feel to it. Strange concept. Really like how offputting the character presented in the lyrics is. Seems a bit of a sleaze. Has a drunk energy to it, which sets it apart from the rest of the album. Decent. 3.5/5 Mansion on the Hill Electric energy. Has that attitude which feels very intrinsic to the country rock genre. The feeling of looking back, and that reflectiveness you need to pull it off convincingly. Like how they finally show some restraint. Warm and colourful. Good. 4/5 Days That Used to Be Feels pretty sad. Has a lot or that reflective emotion several of the previous tracks also have, though this one seems a lot more on the nose. Really like the simple guitar riff in the background. Decent. 3.5 Love and Only Love The harmonies are very pleasant. While not earthshattering I find the chorus to be quite charming. Has some really nice buildup to it. Suffers a bit from that aimlessness a lot of the longer tracks on this albums seem to have. Settles on some very generic guitar noodling and stays there far too long. That bassline becomes a bit annoying after a while. A bit of a chore to get through. Way too long, could be cut to 4 minutes without losing anything of value. Average. 2.5/5 Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) I Like the sentiment, but the hymn like composition and the electric guitar in the background makes me feel like I'm about to be indoctrinated into some weird American cult society. The environment is very important, but I don't like this presentation at all. Sounds awful to me. The cheering does not help. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 First of all this sounds very good. Clean and crisp production which presents the pristine musicianship on this record very flatteringly. The band is tight, and Neil Young's vocals are very clear and pronounced. His very distinct voice and delivery lends itself well to this sound. Each track is a self contained piece of Americana, lending from roots, western motifs, country music and much more to create some lovely imagery and great audatory landscapes. There's a lot of harkoning back to the good ol' days with a nostalgic reflective attitude which rubs off on the listener. Very early on you can feel how resonant this album can be, much thanks to Neil Young's long praised songwriting ability. "Ragged Glory" really shines where it shines, and where it doesn't you're met with what feels like a lack of restraint. Many of the tracks simply don't have the variation or enough interesting moments to justify their runtimes. There seems to be a pattern of just throwing in an overly long, meandering piece of guitar playing that just never seems to end. It gets to a point where it feels like a formula, where they just pan out the runtime to create a sense of grandiosity to the track, which simply doesn't always work leaving me finished with the song way before the track actually ends. Add in a few tracks that simply don't feel that unique and the album's rating quickly starts to drop. The album isn't entirely boring, as my previous factors of praise make up for some of its flaws, but it's never enough to completely save it. The final product comes across as a bit unfocused and bloated, too large for it's own good. It ends up being a flawed experience with still plenty to love scattered throughout its runtime. 3/5 Fave track. Mansion on the Hill Least fave track. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)

The first of what I'm expecting to be a myriad of Beatles albums on this list. Can't say this was the one I was expecting to hear first. Never been in love with The Beatles, but it's hard to deny their influence, so it'll be fun to hear some of their early work. Never heard this one in full, though I do recognize a few tracks. I don't expect to have my mind blown, but I'm hoping for a pleasant and easy listen. A Hard Day's Night Decently catchy little tune. Has some good melodies and a solid vocal performance. Does a lot right, feels like a textbook example of a mid '60s rock track. Decent. 3.5/5 I Should Have Known Better Don't really like this one. The individual elements (guitars, vocals, harmonica) sound very disconnected from each other. Don't like the vocal effect. Through modern eyes the writing sounds a bit basic, though this is the Beatles who sort of invented what "basic" is. Ends up being a bit boring. Did not like. 2/5 If I Fell Lovely vocal melody. Has some great harmonies. A pretty cute love song that doesn't take up too much space. Is content with being what it is. Fine. 3/5 I'm Happy Just To Dance With You I enjoy the sparse instrumental. The premise works well. The vocal melody feels like its dancing on top of the instrumental. Unremarkable, but fine for what it is. 3/5 And I Love Her Fsntastic guitar. A sweet little love song, with an instrumental that has a sentimental effect even without the lyrics there to spell it out. Decent. 3.5/5 Tell Me Why Has a fun energy to it. The chorus is pretty catchy. Decent. 3.5/5 Can't Buy Me Love Feels timeless in a way. Like it has always existed. The chorus has a very bouncy and infectious energy to it. I like the peppy bassline. Decent. 3.5/5 Any Time At All Has a bit of a kick to it. Great performance on the chorus. I like the guitar line that comes immediately after it. Has some cool rock n roll swagger to it. Good. 4/5 I'll Cry Instead Don't have much to say about this one. It's really well performed and does everything it's set out to do. Fine. 3/5 Things We Said Today Has some decent drama to it. Like the moodiness present in the vocal/guitar melody. Kinda hate the tambourine here. The vocal interplay adds a lot of atmosphere. Decent. 3.5/5 When I Get Home Comes in swinging with everything it's got. An extremely competent rock track with some grit and personality to it. The perspective in the lyrics is written effectively. Decent. 3.5/5 You Can't Do That The lyrics are kinda cringe and pushy. Instrumentally it's pretty cool, the cowbell is a nice touch and I really like some of the riffs here. Good vocal performance. Fine. 3/5 I'll Be Back Again Pleasant. Stays in its lane while never really dropping off. It's good for what it is, but feels a bit predictable. Kinda fades into the background towards the end. Average. 2.5/5 Didn't really do much for me. Shows a lot of promise for days to come for The Beatles, showcases their potential aptly. Just falls into "ham sandwich" territory, where it's a pretty good sandwich made with high quality ingredients, but at the end of the day it's a ham sandwich, not the most exciting meal. It's not boring, it's not uninteresting, it's not unimpressive. It just causes me to barely react, having very little to say about each track. Great as an historical piece, but overshadowed by even The Beatles' own later discography. 3/5 Fave track. Any Time At All Least fave track. I Should Have Known Better

Classic album, super accessible and extremely fun. Mark Knopfler provides some of the catchiest and most infectios guoat performances of all time. The album is filled with satire and commentary while also having some heartfelt moments throughout. I'm very familiar with this, but I don't mind another listen. So Far Away Deep and layered sound, the guitars take some interesting twists and turns. Expressive vocal performance while remaining solemn and calm. Great chorus. Sounds very warm and inviting, makes for a lovely atmosphere. Great. 4.5/5 Money For Nothing Timeless track, even as it contains plenty of references that are pretty of the time. This still gets played at house parties to this day. One of the very few 8 minute plus tracks that doesn't get your AUX privilages permanentely revoked. I don't think anyone can deny that the intro to this track with that fantastic crunchy distorted guitar is absolutely iconic. Probably one of the most recognizable riffs of all time. There's some dated language there, but comes across as satire. Extremely catchy chorus. Great jam section towards the final quarter of the track. Classic. 5/5 Walk Of Life Another straight banger. Iconic intro, with some of the most recognizable keyboard riffs of all. The rhythm to this track is extremely light hearted and danceable. Has one of the top 5 "woohoo"s of all time. Instant mood lifter. Fun to sing along to. Classic. 5/5 Your Latest Trick Very pleasant intro, very nice interplay between the brass and electric guitar. Great sax sound. Tranquil and floaty atmosphere. Very evocative lyrics, they create their very own world which is really easy to get lost in. Great. 4.5/5 Why Worry Beautiful calming guitar riff. Has a very reassuring energy to it. Love those pretty keys and the subtle bass. Interesting composition, especially in the extended instrumental bits. The vocals have a sort of lullaby quality to them. Takes its time while introducing new elements, keeping it fresh despite its long runtime. Great. 4.5/5 Ride Across The River Love this instrumental, the bass, the keys the haunting guitar in the background and the distant trumpet all add together for a fantastic atmospheric piece which just feels so resinant. There's a great combination of sound which keeps building upon itself as the track goes. The crisp guitar in contrast with the deep and moody bass just feels like it has so much depth and emotion behind it. The vocal melody is very effective, working with the instrumentation to make it feel so alive. Love the tropical insect sounds in the background. The themes of war go well with the moodier and sadder feeling of the track, really fits the "Brothers in Arms" theme. Fantastic. 5/5 The Man's Too Strong Love the more acoustic stripped back production. Reflective political storytelling. Great drama with the loud guitars. Feels mournful and contemplative. Good. 4/5 One World Immediately love the bass, the guitar is also extremely good of course. I enjoy the groovier more tempo focused track at this point in the album. Has a very fun vocal structure in the chorus. The lyrics work well in contrast with the bounciness of the track, they almost feel deliberatly hidden avoiding cliches. Great. 4.5/5 Brothers In Arms About as effective an anti-war song as you'll ever get. Implies the horror, while never distracting from the bonds that are built in extreme survivorship situations. Contrasts the human connections we make with the meaninglesness of war. Timeless guitar solo. A beautiful track which encapsulates the themes of the album perfectly. One of the greatest. 5/5 This one is quite special for all the right reasons. Throughout my life I've heard songs from it on long trips in the car, in the background at family events, and at parties with friends. It's been there all my life and each time I hear it in full I discover something new about it. Sure nostalgia drives my love for this quite substantially, but the moments in which the music is played are often as important as the music itself. A masterclass in creating resonant music that capture a specific feeling so perfectly. And I don't think it's controversial to say that the musicianship and the songwriting on here is fantastic either. I feel the reason why it has stuck around for so long is because it's really good. It's beautifully paced, has a good balance between fun accessible tracks, artistic undertakings and emotionally grounded tracks which keeps it applicable for many different moods, while also keeping it interesting during a full listen. No matter the style the instrumentals stay of the highest quality, composed cleverly and performed with emotion and style. This leads to a very consistent project containing not only the often praised guitars that have become almost synonymous with Dire Straits, but also moments featuring trumpet, bass, keyboard, drums and more. All which provide fantastic moments of their own or in tandem with each other, creating a varied sonic pallatte which can surprise at any turn. Even the vocals, while never grandiose or spectacular provide a lot of relatability as well as providing passionate and emotive performances that enhance the often political or commentary laden lyrics. This album works in all the ways it should, and it's to me at least very obvious why it deserves to be on this list. 5/5 Fave track. Ride Across The River

Suddenly I was hit with the urge to hunt down that local outlaw and make him yee his last haw. A rootin', tootin', gunshootin' piece of western romanticism. Does exactly what it says on the can. A perfect soundtrack for when you wanna dust of that ol' cowboy hat and spurs while ridin' down the lonesome prairie into the setting sun. Big Iron Behind every song that eventually became a meme is a good song, that's at least the case with this one. A really catchy and captivating piece of storytelling with an easy to follow narrative which paces itself elegantly. Great voice, great backing vocals and bouncy and fun composition with a cute little bassline and picky guitar. Fantastic. 5/5 A Hundred And Sixty Acres Paints a romantic and idealized version of rural living. A positive and appreciative depiction of a man who's spending his time caring for his homestead. A cute fantasy. Good. 4/5 They're Hanging Me Tonight A very charismatic and believable vocal performance. Full with drama with a hint of theatrics that really sells the depressed/doomed cowboy trope. Very cliche, but charming. Decent. 3.5/5 Cool Water Don't be thirsty, stay hydrated! Dramatic storytelling. Builds a lot on a simple concept, hits a lot of the desert tropes while sounding fairly unique. Decent. 3.5/5 Billy The Kid Cowboys, famous outlaws, sheriffs, exactly what you expect to hear from a an album called Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. He has a mournfulness in his voice that really sells the story, and while its content is quite predictable, there's a lot of charm to something so simple. Decent. 3.5/5 Utah Carol Typical story song, even has that token vocal melody style which has later been parodied many times. The story itself is pretty easy to follow and remains interesting througout. Musically it lacks anything remarkable outside the fact that his voice is pretty pleasant. Would definitely be monotous if it went on for any longer. Fine. 3/5 The Strawberry Roan Seems really easy to find a job in those times. Kinda funny that a random guy just approached him, judging him by his look and then just giving him a job. What is this eldritcht being he's describing? Sounds sketchy to me. It's a bit weaker than other tracks on the album, the narrative jumps around a bit and the pacing is odd. Feels a bit difficult to follow along with. Average. 2.5/5 The Master's Call I like the progression a lot. Each sentence ends in a very memorable way. God is a scary vengeful being in this song, very striking imagery. Feels like a campfire story. It's a fun and engaging story though the moral lesson isn't believeable enough to have much value. Still powerful and passionate. Pretty spectacular and grandiose at times. Fantastic. 5/5 Running Gun Fun tempo with a plucky and crisp guitar in the background. Simple but effective. Cliche and tropey song, but works for what it is. Decent. 3.5/5 El Paso Evocative and vivid, really love how descriptive each line is. Written charismatically showing an extreme appreciation of the genre. Has a very infectious vocal melody which is fun to song along to. A classic fantasy when you endulge in the narrator's delusion. Tropey, a bit cheesy and very charming. The great delivery and the smooth archetypical cowboy country voice really seals the deal. Fantastic. 5/5 In The Valley A brief but sweet mournful love song, which while never doing anything too special delivers well on its premise. Great vocals once again. Decent. 3.5/5 The Little Green Valley A standard piece on this album, probably straying towards being one of the more forgetable songs on here. Pleasant enough, just doesn't really do anything exciting. Average. 2.5/5 The Hanging Tree Spaghetti trumpet. Feels like the hanging tree in question has a double meaning, which really becomes apparent throughout the song. Decent storytelling with a unique concept for a country western love song. Decent. 3.5/5 Saddle Tramp Again, a very solid piece of romanticism. Pays homage to the idealized image of the lonesome drifter without a care in the world. A cute little piece of music. Good 4/5 El Paso (Repeat) Mono version with a few minor tweaks from the previous one. NA/5 A very fun album which satisfies the craving for some tropey cowboy action and simple to follow along with stories on a western backdrop. Stays in its lane, delivering exactly what is promised on the packaging. Never strays off theme even when taking on different topics, and while some might be repeats the presentation usually makes up for it. Marty Robbins has the perfect voice for this, believable as a traveling narrator figure who goes from one dusty town to another performing his stories. Love, death, drama and even some god fearing horror, all performed with charisma and grace in a classic country style. Really feels easy to listen to, and while it has some songs that feel a bit average they never really derail the pacing enough to ruin the experience. The stellar highlights more than make up for the fairly significant lows. Definitely something I'll throw on occasionally when I'm feeling like drifting into a western fantasy land. Great recommendation. 4/5 Fave track. The Master's Call Least fave track. The Strawberry Roan

Time for a pleasant listen of a few happy songs about rainbows and butterflies. No anger or dissatisfaction here, and absolutely nothing political. Just chill vibes :) Jokes aside this album absolutely slaps. One of the greatest debuts of all time, with a legendary album cover. Contains banger after banger. The rage, the attitude and the showmanship, featuring heavy guitars with interesting effects, blasting drums and eclectic basslines - together they just work. Contains concious racial politics and vitriolic commentary, calling out the sham elites who bring suffering upon the weak. Edgy, risky, and vivid. With explosive personality and carthartic energy. Play as loudly as possible. Bombtrack That opening bassline sets the stage for what's to come. The fusion of the rapping and the loud guitars is extremely effective. Goes straight on the attack as soon as the vocals come in. So much fun rage. Perfect opener. 5/5 Killing In the Name Absolutely iconic. Indescribable. Kicks ass to the moon and back. Don't think I need to justify why this slaps. Fuck the police. 5/5 Take the Power Back Magnificiently funky. Those riffs though... Anyone else up for a little riot sometime? Tom Morello deserves all the praise in the world. A perfect summertime bop to hate the current fucked up state of the world to, hasn't aged a day. 5/5 Settle For Nothing It's so ominous and dark. Love the pain and passion. Zach de la Rocha's performance on this track is something else. Love the guitars in the background. Amazing buildup into an even better release. Fantastic. 5/5 Bullet In the Head Yeah at this point what is there even left to say about this album. Every track is pretty much perfect. I'll give this track a lot of credit for how catchy it manages to be, while still providing some commentary about the media which seems to be just as relevant today as it was then, perhaps even more so. Love how the track ends. 5/5 Know Your Enemy Love how direct this track is. Just everything feels like it's being thrown straight at you, the guitars, the lyrical content and the tempo, are all so forward and clear. Love the Maynard feature in the bridge, adds some diversity to the sound. Fantastic. 5/5 Wake Up Ominous and apocalyptic. Great performance. I think it raises a lot of interesting ideas. The final section is extemely well constructed, love the scream vocal. Fantastic. 5/5 Fistful of Steel Has a great bassline, and I love a lot of the distinct guitar sounds throughout. Just isn't quite as strong as other tracks on here. Lacks a distinguishing feature to make it stand out. Has a lot of energy, just not quite on the same level as previous tracks. Good. 4/5 Township Rebellion Awesome riff. Love the strange sounds in the background, gives it a semi-industrial vibe at times. Great rap flow at times too. Great chorus, gets the point across really well. Great. 4.5/5 Freedom Pretty much sums up the spirit of the album. The instrumentation feels fsirly progressive, has an interesting rhythm to it. Love how the release of anger is depicted in the instrumental. Has yet another fantastic performance by Zach de la Rocha. Passionate and full of resentment. Great closer. Fantastic. 5/5 There might be some personal bias here, but this album will always remain one of my favourite for how effective it is. No track here is a skip, and each performance is noteworthy in some way. Love the rebellious energy and the rage. 5/5 Fave track. Take the Power Back

I have no idea what this is or where it came from. It's from a scene of music I know very little about and seems generally pretty niche. Hoping to learn a thing or two underway, but have no idea what to expect. Rendez-Vu This is very strange. I have no idea what this is for. The electronic beat is pretty repetitive, never seeming to change up the energy much. Don't really like the vocal effects. The acoustic guitar sample is a decent addition. When the beat drops the track is kinda dancable, but not as infectious as it might want to be. Fine. 3/5 Yo Yo The awful vocal effect is back. Clubby, dancy beat. Nice distortion. The noisy background effects are pretty cool. Decent. 3.5/5 Jump 'N Shout Definitely a dance track. The rapping goes very well over the beat. Groovy and fun. Works for what it is. Decent. 3.5/5 U Can't Stop Me That vocal is very dated, doesn't sound very good over the beat. Love the deeper bass sound. I like the contrasting harsher vocals in the background. The main vocal grew on me a bit throughout the track, just needed some time to adjust. Found it pretty interesting actually. Complete 180. Great. 4.5/5 Jaxxalude Rhythmic interlude. Feels like a belated introduction. Red Alert Clever intro. Very bouncy beat, lovely bass. Catchy dancable tune, feels very retro but in a fun throwback way. Really fun vocal. The track paces itself excellently, switching itself up and drives the beat through. Banger. 5/5 Jazzalude Mirrors the previous interlude quite well. Always Be There Deeper, more liquid production. Has a dark moody vibe to it. I really like how layered and effect-laden it is. Really interesting arrangement. Love the synthy outro. Enjoyed that quite a lot. 5/5 Sneakalude Yep Same Old Show Has a nice groove, but repeats itself for a bit too long. A bit boring, has some interesting vocal samples, and definitely picks up towards the end, but didn't exactly click for me. Was kinda annoyed by it in the end. Average. 2.5/5 Bingo Bango Am I wrong for immediately thinking FIFA World Cup vibes? Good groove. I like the jazzy piano and the blasting horns. Not the most thought provoking thing in the world, but could definitely see myself returning to this. Fun, charismatic, dancable. Great. 4.5/5 Gemilude Another one. I like the vocal. Has plenty of charisma for the short snippet we got. Stop 4 Love Feels really slick. Love the seriousness of the production. Really mellow. Has some pretty beautiful passages throughout. Good. 4/5 Don't Give Up Abrasive sound. Not sure if I like it or I hate it. Noise heavy, lacking in any real rhythm or groove. I appreciate the experimental nature of the track. Feels alluring and dark. The vocals add a lot to the ominous atmosphere. Stunning production. Great. 4.5/5 Being With U Love the contrast between sweet vocals and the heavy dark synths. The snaps work surprisingly well. Very pleasant. Works as a closer. Decent. 3.5/5 Never been one for dance music, especially not the clubby house kind where the main intention behind it is to get you to wave around drunkly on a dancefloor. For some reason I found myself having a surprisingly good time with this. Sometimes you need something that isn't all that deep, something where you can put your critical mindset on the shelf and just have a good time. I feel this achieved that for me pretty successfully. Is it corny, a bit vapid and perhaps a bit dated at times? Perhaps it is, but all in all it provides a perfectly acceptable piece of escapism with dancable electronic beats, fun hooks and a lot of personality. If you're in for a deep analytical listen this is not the album for you. For diversity's sake the list needs a few albums like this that showcases different scenes with music for different purposes. Of course there are days where I'd rather have an album I can pick apart each nuance from and really dive deep into each minor detail, but sometimes simple is also good. I had a lot of fun with this one, seems an accessible introduction to late '90s dance music. 3.5/5, leaning towards 4/5 Fave track. Red Alert Least fave track. Same Old Show

A band I expected to see sooner or later on this list. Not a personal favourite of mine, but at least I know I'll be in for an easy listen. Don't really have any expectations, maybe some cool riffs. The worst case scenario would be that it sounds truck commercial music. Maybe it'll have a bit of that vibe, but I don't think it's gonna be that bad. Gimme All Your Lovin' Oh it's this song. Haven't thought about it much, gets a lot of play on 80's stations for some reason. It's alright I suppose. The guitar riffs chug along nicely and the chorus I could see being a bit of an earworm. The verses are duds though, there really isn't much memorable about them. The final third of the track kinda goes nowhere, sort of loses track of itself. Fine. 3/5 Got Me Under Pressure The lyrics are pretty raunchy. Has a decent amount of pace to it. Decent guitars. A pretty consistent track, while nothing out of this world, does a lot right and it ends up sounding pretty good. Decent. 3.5/5 Sharp Dressed Man Classic guitar riff. Sleazy lyrics. Plenty of that rock and roll attitude. A chorus that is close to being synonymous with the southern rock genre. One of the genre defining songs of the southern rock scene. Not my favourite kind of music, but I respect it. Decent. 3.5/5 I Need You Tonight This bluesy minimalistic mostly guitar driven rock music is kinda tired at this point. The performances are pretty good, and the production sounds great, but it just lacks some pinache and personality to really drive it home. Very well constructed, with some great guitar parts, and a vocal performance that sounds very professional and fitting for the style. Just in the end doesn't do much for me. Fine. 3/5 I Got the Six One dimensional. A really predictable track. Never really does anything too different. Has decent energy I suppose. Average. 2.5/5 Legs Kinda sleazy and cringe. Horny old person drunk uncle about to get a speeding ticket core. Boring and unimaginative. The riffs are alright I suppose, just feels a bit basic. Did not like. 2/5 Thug This sounds a bit different at least. I like the bas quite a bit, has a real funky quality to it. Too bad the rest of the song sort just blends together. Sort of goes nowhere. Average. 2.5/5 TV Dinners Hmmm. Did they run out of ideas? What is the closest thing in the room I can make a song about? Oh I know! My dinner from yesterday! Eureka! At least it shows they don't take themselves too seriously, even if the final result is a very uninspired piece of oversaturated mediocrity that's only notable due to the strange concept. Ends up being repetitive and boring. Did not like. 2/5 Dirty Dog Are you sure this song wasn't on earlier? Feels like it at least. A tempo that trucks along with some guitars that are heavy on the gas. Really burns some rubber. Goes full throttle. A bootload of guitars to cruise down the dirt road to. Truck music. 2/5 If I Could Only Flag Her Down I definitely heard this song. Sound came out of my headset and into my ear then registered somewhere in my brian. Then the song kept going before finally ending. After it ended there was a brief moment of silence. In that moment I realized it was over and went to listen to the next song. I thought "That was definitely a song that exists" then never thought about it again. Forgetable. 1.5/5 Bad Girl It's fast and energetic. Really dumb. That's about all I got to say. Did not like. 2/5 Starts off okay then the sound gets tired, and it gets tired quickly. It's in your face, juvenile and horny. It's sleazy and objectifying and at times very shallow. Has some great guitar work, but it all just blends into a malformed homogenous sonic mass which struggles to distinguish itself from its own blob-like form. It's just so stuck in its own ideas that even when you think it starts to evolve some sense of variety it quickly reverts back into its own oversaturated sound. Even the songs that work have huge portions that are just simply forgetable, only really saved by a few seconds of brilliance from a clever chorus or an infectious riff. I can't fault them for their energy or skills as performers though. While I hold the opinion that the songwriting here is pretty weak, they at least sound like they're trying to make an entertaining product. There's real skill in the guitar playing, and they've obviously put effort into sounding like the best versions of themselves. It genuinely sounds like they want to be there, and that they're enjoying themselves making entertainment. It's then a shame all that effort is put into something so pointlessly uninteresting. There are some good parts here and there, but ultimately this is just average. In an ocean of classic rock albums this is just another bubble. 2.5/5 Leaning closer towards a 2/5 Fave track. Got Me Under Pressure Least fave track. If I Could Only Flag Her Down

This is entirely new to me. As I mostly associate the New York rap scene with gangsta rap and later on concious hip hop this isn't something I'd expect to ever come across on my own. Looks fairly fresh and interesting, seems a nice break from all of the classic rock I've been getting lately. The Fun Lovin' Criminal The instrumental has a lot going for it, really like the horn sample. Has a pretty cool bassline as well, and the harmonica adds some depth. The lyrics are just fine with some fun rhymes, with the vocals adding a fairly effective performance which works for the song, but never really blows me away. Decent. 3.5/5 Passive/Aggressive Smooth, chilled out guitar sample. Combined with the slow bass and laid back drums gives a really mellow atmosphere. The sound of that chorus really contrasts with the rest of the track's energy. Nice distortion. While being a moment of musical whiplash I feel like the decision to put the listener in juxtaposition between two very different vibes keeps them interested in the track, preventing it from melding into the background. I found the lyrics a bit too referential at times. Decent. 3.5/5 The Grave and the Constant Surprised by the sonic variety when it comes to the sampling. Great instrumental around the chorus. While the lyrics there don't really do much the horns and guitar makes it more than worth repeating. The verses don't exactly captivate, but I guess the performance adds to an enjoyable atmosphere. Good. 4/5 Scooby Snacks Pretty cool bass sound. Interesting Pulp Fiction sample. Paints a pretty fun fantasy with the storytelling. The slight abrasiveness of the vocals on the chorus makes the song seem lighter and less serious. Combined with the ridiculous euphemism for weed the track seems pretty fun and likable. Has some personality to it. Decent. 3.5/5 Smoke 'Em I'm unsure about this instrumental, feels too cinematic with that lingering horn. Doesn't fit that well with the lyrical content. The chorus isn't great either, goes on too long providing little of substance. The performance on the verses is fine, I like the raspiness in his voice. Average. 2.5/5 Bombin' The L Was not expecting that Smoke on the Water distorted guitar riff. Free Bird sample is weird. Can't really get behind the premise, at least it's not boring though I find it quite messy. Average. 2.5/5 I Can't Get With That Love the instrumental. Really smooth. The political commentary comes across in a simple and clear way. The guitar solo adds some weight to the track, and sits really well on top of the mellow beat. Effective track. Decent. 3.5/5 King of New York Funky disco beat. The flow feels really old school. Charismatic and fun. Feels sort of effortless. Love the chaotic instrumental towards the end. Decent. 3.5/5 We Have All The Time In The World Pleasant. His voice is kinda weak for this type of song. The breathines contrasts a bit too much against the warm instrumental. Having this here definitely adds to the album by providing some warmth and melody. Surprisingly well executed despite its limitations. Decent. 3.5/5 Bear Hug Was expecting something like this after the slower previous track. Fun energy. Simple but works. I like the harmonica sample. Feels a bit dumb, but it's not bad. Fine. 3/5 Come Find Yourself Takes a bit too long to get going. I don't like the whispering at all. Slow and boring. The flow is really predictable on the verses. Really repetitive. Dislike. 2/5 Crime And Punishment God-awful beat. Sounds like an alarm. Way too loud and mechanical. Improves, but loses all sense of individuality. Has some alright commentary, though the strokes seem a bit too broad for it to actually be saying anything. Dislike. 2/5 Methadonia Smooth. I like the instrumental a lot. The vibe is immaculate. Kinda confused by the lyrics, not sure if pro or anti drugs. I like the energy of the track, the performance goes very well with the instrumental. Decent. 3.5/5 Not sure what I'm gonna call this. Strange and confused is the first thing that comes to mind. I'm genuinely not sure what to think. There's a lot of instrumental moments that sound nice, though I'm not even sure if it's original work or a sample I'm hearing half the time. But even if I find it quite pleasant at times I'm never really hearing anything I find too exceptional. Most tracks are just average to decent, never really doing anything too special with their sound. The flows are boring and predictable and while the performances do feel pretty thought out they never really stick in my mind afterwards. While varied they never really seem to land on a style which they excel at leaving each track feeling a bit undercooked. Lyrically is where they lose me the most, there are very few memorable lines, it's fairly repetitive and the commentary is often too broad to have any real meaning. When it isn't it's difficult to separate satire from their real feelings. There are also so many referential comparissons which makes the tracks sort of predictable. I do however find enjoyment in how little they take themselves seriously endearing, and I find the way they embrace their flaws also to be charming. And while not every single strange sample or experiment works I appreciate them for trying to sound different. It leaves for a more fulfilling experience when the band doesn't feel like they have to safe everything. I'm gonna be a bit harsher with my score and give it a 2.5/5 leaning closer to a 3/5. Even if it doesn't reflect the individual track ratings. I think individually many tracks are stronger than the final rating, but as an album it's just so messy that I can't help but deduct points from it. Fave track. The Grave and the Constant Least fave track. Crime and Punishment

It's really late as I'm listening to this so I'm honestly not expecting much. Gonna try to be as objective as possible despite the non ideal hour. Supertramp is a band I know of from their "Breakfast in America" album which came out a few years after this. Expecting something very 1970's. Hoping for some catchy tunes and an accessible experience. School Cinematic opening. Promises something dramatic. Seems to be building up to something in the first verse. Kinda proggy. A dynamic track with some complexity to it, has a lot of really distinct parts and passages that are characterized by entirely different compositions. None of the verses repeat a single melody and the tempo changes a lot throughout the track. Love the extended piano passage. Interesting track, though perhaps a bit too ambitious, feels a bit unfocused. Decent. 3.5/5 Bloody Well Right Jazzy opening. The keys create a groove all on their own. Has some edge to it with the heavy distortion on the guitars. The at times yachty vocals don't really do much for me. Theres a certain underlying blues feeling to the track, it seems to hide under layers of instrumentation. Feels like it's missing something, though I can't quite place what it is. Fine. 3/5 Hide In Your Shell Sleepy vibe from the keys. I don't love the vocals, they a bit underdeveloped. The instrumental is a bit too loud, especially the bass. Extremely 1970's. Comes across as cheesy and dated, and not in a charming way. A bit lame. Does not have enough going for it to justify being almost seven minutes long. The climax of the song just comes of as wailing and desperate with unconvincing backing vocals to go with it. Did not like. 2/5 Asylum The first verse reminds me of a melodramatic B-list musical. Terrible mixing. Very jarring drop in volume. The sound is very empty and hollow, the variations in volume does not help with this, genuinely just makes the song distracting. I don't like the vocals at all, feels like a raving madman on an especially bad bender trying to start a fight with the instrumental. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Dreamer Wow that's annoying. Sounds like a children's song at times. The keys in the background add nothing positive to the track. I can't see the intention behind this song, is it supposed to be inspiring? I feel like I'm being mocked by some irritating toddler. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Rudy The piano intro is pleasant. It's not entirely terrible. There are some pretty cool guitar riffs, and at points the vocals come through a few memorable melodic lines. The bassline is also pretty consistently good. Though the first half of the song meanders a lot, dragging you along through a boring journey. It starts picking up later on bringing a pretty dynamic conclusion to the whole ordeal with a more energetic climax before wrapping up with a decent enough conclusion. Suffers from the first half being stretched too thin. Average. 2.5/5 If Everyone Was Listening Fairly dramatic with a hint of theatricality in the performance. Suits the lyrics well. Love the flute. The violin also adds a nice dramatic effect. Decent. 3.5/5 Crime of the Century I don't buy it. Attempys to be dramatic, but it feels a bit manifactured. The guitar solo however is quite good. I enjoy the atmosphere set up by the dueling piano notes and the bass. Has the potential to grow on me. Is a pretty okay closer. Decent. 3.5/5 That was a bit mediocre if I'm being honest. Some songs sorta worked, but there was also plenty of unflattering melodramatic slop, which while not being directly out of ideas came off as goofy and lame. Some songs were overly long, slow and grating. Possessing unpleasant vocals and strange production choices that made them difficult to listen to. It's not entirely hopeless however, as many of the ideas present in the instrumentation were well executed. There's some good guitars, well paced piano passages and strongly implemented moments of flute and violin. The drums were also mostly fine, providing power and intensity to some tracks, but I feel like they sometimes were victims of some not great mixing where they sounded a bit hollow. The proggier more experimental tracks were probably the highlight on here, with a dynamic sound and some fresh ideas. Otherwise a lot of this album strays into yacht rock territory where the slow, calculated songs offer little of value. 2/5 Fave track. School Least fave track. Dreamer

Listing off all the advertisements your album's songs have been featured on in the Wikipedia article is not something that gives me much hope for this thing. Never heard of the band before today. The description in the article worries me. Gonna give it an honest shot, though my expectations are low going into it. Punchbag Laid back indie vibes. Don't love the watery piano riff in the background. Interesting vocal layering. A bit predictable, but doesn't really do anything wrong per se. Nothing special, but pleasant enough. Fine. 3/5 Angryman Cute bassline. Cool percussion. Hate the vocals. The instrumental saves the track, it's rhythmic and varied. Dub-adjacent with the bass, jazzy keys and sax. Decent. 3.5/5 No Trophy Cloudy and drowned out production style. Feels oddly cold and distant. A bit of a nothing-burger of a song. Doesn't really excel at anything. Average. 2.5/5 Binnel Bay The musical box style intro is a bit too drawn out. I like the idea of the vocals, but I don't like the instrumental, would've preferred something harsher and noisier to go with the lyrics. The contrast between the dour vocals and the chirpy instrumental doesn't work, leaving the track lacking any sort of effect. Feels misaligned. Average. 2.5/5 Sunshine Cute effects. Creates an almost underwater atmosphere. There's definitely some depth to the sound of this track, borrowing heavily from psychedelia. Love the delays, the reverby drums and the general haziness of the track. Almost a bit jazzy at times. A full and broad sounding song with a lot of colour. Great. 4.5/5 A Minha Menina Stereotypical indie guitars. Appriciate the harsher sound. Not a fan of the vocals. Has some catchiness to it. Fine. 3/5 This Town Pleasant misanthropic indie tune with some cool effects going on. A bit generic, but the lyrics are just relatable enough, and the instrumental has just enough interesting elements to it that it ends up being pretty alright. Unique for the tracklist at least. Decent. 3.5/5 Sweet Like A Champion Feels a bit ominous with the close and personal feeling layered vocals, the jangly guitar and the spooky organ. Has a creepy factor to it with the perspective of lyrics being in second person for the majority of the track's runtime. Good. 4/5 Lying in the Snow I like the delayed reverby sound and the floaty style of the track. Though the slow tempo sort of drags there is some beauty to be found in the instrumental. Just wish it built up to something a bit more climatic and satisfying. Leaves you with feeling like it's a snippet of something much bigger picture, like there should be something more to it. Fine. 3/5 Zia Pleasants, but starts off sounding like an interlude. Can't help but finding this definitely competent, but sort of directionless and noodly piano playing over a stale beat to be a bit boring. The playing is good, but not so exceptionally groundbreaking that it needed an entire track. Average. 2.5/5 Sky Holds the Sun Sleepy late night vibe. Has a slight jazzy edge. Feels intimate and warm. I found the mellow vibe to be quite a safe and effective closer for an album which went through such stylistic diversity. Decent. 3.5/5 Not anything outstanding, but has its moments. It's definitely varied with a dynamic tracklist that has its surprises allowing different genres and styles to come through. This constant shifting of styles do however cause the album to lack some consistency, where as it feels as if their focus is mainly on filling it out with as many quirky and different ideas as possible at the detriment of the individual tracks' quality. Generally not a fan of the vocals, and the production is honestly pretty rough at times. I also feel like it lacks a standout moment which really showcases their style. Too many of the songs are just pleasant, or in other words just fine leaving you with very few memorable pieces to look back upon. It's an okay piece of indie music, but I can't for the life of me figure out how it landed on this list. Can't say it has enough going for it to justify it's conclusion, though I can say it ended up being a decent listen regardless. 3/5 Fave track. Sunshine Least fave track. Binnel Bay

First impression: it's long. A double album, basically containing two entire separate albums, both being more than an hour each. It seems quite the undertaking. I like Outkast, especially their early work so I'm definitely aware of what I should expect from it, but still. There's a reason I've been avoiding this one. Love the hits on this thing, I've heard a few of the other songs too, but I fear this might end up being too much Outkast for one day. For the sake of the format I gotta treat this as one single album, and rate it based on the full package. Intro Speakerboxxx allows Big Boi to show the audience that he's not just the sidekick of the group. Taking charge of his own record lets him distance himself from "the other guy in Outkast" expectation which I've always felt is reductive for a guy with as much talent as Big Boi. Excited to see what this one brings to the table. As an intro it does what it's supposed to, but not much more. GhettoMusick Oh jeez, this sounds extremely dated. The production just screams early 2000's. Really picks up after the excellent sample. Pretty dynamic, love the chorus. Great energy. Good. 4/5 Unhappy Love the smooth funkiness here. Fantastic vocal melody. Really catchy. Good. 4/5 Bowtie I like the RNB inclusions. The first rap verse is really bouncy and fun, the second one is also very charismatic. Don't love the chorus. Has some dated production choices, like the cartoonish voices in the background. The horns are a bit obnoxious. Fine. 3/5 The Way You Move Has some old school feel to the flow on top of the beat. Classic sounding chorus. The soulful rnb verse is a great inclusion. A classy fun dancy track with tons of charisma. Good. 4/5 The Rooster The intro is kinda corny. Has great energy, but lacks that patented Outkast catchiness which makes their hits work so well. The beat gets a bit much after a while. Fine. 3/5 Bust Very interesting beat. Love the rock influences with the electric guitar. Rhythmic first verse. I love Killer Mike's delivery, really agressive and hard, not sure about his verse's quality (it's fine), but his voice and energy really fits on the beat. Decent. 3.5/5 War Very interesting switchup, was gonna write this up as a fairly standard Outkast track prior to that. I guess a song literally called 'War' has to be political, decent commentary. Decent. 3.5/5 Church Not a fan of the beat. It's kinda irritating. Don't care muxh for the religious messaging. Feels preachy. Delivery is pretty good, and I like the female vocals. Average. 2.5/5 Bamboo Cute, but kinda pointless Tomb of the Boom The features offer a bit of a different attitude which freshens up the sound a bit. It hits pretty well, has some rhyhtmic qualities that feel worthwile, though the beat seems a bit dated. It's harsh to call it an average track, but it's not too far of. If it wasn't for the variation within the individual performances the track wouldn't feel that special. Fine. 3/5 E-Mac Interlude time. It's thematic I guess. Knowing Interesting beat. The distorted vocals work really well against the strange effects of the instrumental. Love the vocal mix, no matter who's performing it sounds crisp and clear. The verses are quite interesting, cool rhyme schemes and a lot of charisma. Feel like the hook lacks a bit of punch, feels a bit matter of fact. Decent. 3.5/5 Flip Flop Rock Did not expect to heat Jay-Z of all people on this album. Love the implementation of the guitar sample. Explosive first verse, feels really intricate and difficult to perform. I'm quite the RTJ fan so I'm generally happy to hear Killer Mike on a track, pleasant inclusion. Jay-Z rarely dissapoints, delivering another solid feature. Great hook. Good. 4/5 Interlude Eeeeeh. Can't say this feels essential to the album experience. Gives me nothing. Reset Smooth, I think the female vocals really add to the sweet RnB feel of the vocals. Love the intricate production, feels really detailed. The Cee-Lo feature does mothibg for me, feels a bit flat. The hook is pretty great. Good. 4/5 D-Boi It exists. Last Call Lil Jon is one of my guilty pleasures, he's just so ridiculously over the top that I can't help smiling whenever he shows up on a track. The first verse is sadly pretty weak. The hook is peak, love the adlibs. Overall the track lacks a bit of punch, feels extremely dated as well. Fine. 3/5 Bowtie (Postlude) What is there even to say about this The Low Below (Intro) Andre 3000, the maestro. Definitely one of the finest creative minds of his generation, finally gets to show what he can do outside the hip-hop sphere. Always been the more charismatic half of the dynamic duo that is Outkast, Andre has always tried to push the boundaries of what their sound could be. Here he gets his chance, perhaps proving what everyone already knows, that he's a man of many talents. Theatrical, musical inspired intro which really feels like the start of an entirely different experience from what we just heard on Speakerboxxx. Distances itself far away from the sound of the first half, conciously making the decision to sound completely different. Love Hater Very jazzy, moments of noise and abrasiveness which contrasts to the smooth vocals. Definitely not as accesible as previous works. Love the bass. The lyrics are quite quirky with a hint of shock factor to them. Fun piano. Good. 4/5 God It's silly, it's dumb, it's tongue in cheek. Sets up some expectations for what's coming up. Happy Valentine's Day Doesn't work for me. Has a lot of humour, but it just isn't my style. It's decently cool and charismatic, but feels like the attitude clashes with the concept. There's a conflict of interest between the serious and the unserious which causes it to feel a bit confused. Did not like. 2/5 Spread Indulgent. Feels a bit uncomfortable. The horniness is neither sexy or humorous, just comes across as awkward. Too graphic and weird. Did not like. 2/5 Where Are My Panties Awkward, I didn't need to hear that. Prototype The funkiness is well appreciated. The vocals have a bit of soul to them. Prince pastiche? Cool guitar solo. Floaty and rich but a bit repetitive. Decent. 3.5/5 She Lives In My Lap Really dynamic instrumental. The background effects have great interplay with the guitars. Stylish chorus. Great choices when it comes to the melodies, the different vocal passages have great synergy with each other. Great. 4.5/5 Hey Ya It's a difficult song to talk about. Timeless in a way. Ubiquitous with the era, and an absolute earworm. Has gotten plenty of praise as a dance song, which while being extremely catchy also contains a self awareness that is rarely seen in songs of its ilk. The lyrical content is actually meaningful while not being necessary for one to enjoy the song. "Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just want to dance" is unironically some of the greatest single lines of song lyrics ever. The charisma and confidence it takes to pull of a track like this is genuinely admirable. Yes it's a bit overplayed, but come on. It's Hey Ya. Iconic in every single way. An absolute generational banger. Ice cold. 5/5 Roses Who the hell is Caroline and why is she catching strays? Also that piano riff rocks. Such a catchy track. There's just so many moments that are a blast to sing along to. Oddly specific at times, which is really funny. It's a bit dumb and derogative, but just tongue in cheek enough to work. Fantastic. 5/5 Good Day, Good Sir Not funny at all. Doesn't work Behold A Lady Don't have much to say. Dissapointingly average. I can't say there's much I like about this track. Especially dislike the dated instrumental. Did not like. 2/5 Pink And Blue Nothing special. There are some vocal moments that are worth listening to, but the lyrics feel kinda cringe worthy at times. Instrumentally it's a bit boring, though the violins add a bit of dynamism to the otherwise stale composition. Fine. 3/5 Love In War Dated electronics. Cliche. Feels a bit empty. There's a lot of unfilled space in the track where the instrumental gets too much focus. Would be fine if the instrumental had any sort of depth to it, sadly it doesn't. Only saved by Andre's infectious likability as a performer. Average. 2.5/5 She's Alive Boring as all hell. Decent sentiment, but there's absolutely no reason to make it this painful a listen. Waste of time. 1/5 Dracula's Wedding I miss you Big Boi. Please come back. Indulgent, pretentious, boring. A song with such a kick ass title has no right to be this bland. Did not like. 2/5 The Letter Uuuuuuuuuugh My Favorite Things I think the instrumental has a lot going for it. Interesting use of the sample. Love the electronics combined with the jazzy piano and bass. Relly weird and abrasive. Decent. 3.5/5. Take Off Your Cool Did not expect an acoustic jam after the craziness that was the previous song. Nora Jones has a great voice. Love Andre's contribution to this more stripped back track despite how brief it is. Shows a bit if a different side of him as an artist. Decent. 3.5/5 Vibrate I don't have much to say. The instrumental has a pretty cool experimental vibe to it, but it's a bit of an energy sink. Makes me feel exhausted. Average. 2.5/5 A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre Fitter, Happier, More Productive type intro. The lyrics feel very thoughtful, tells a great story. The beat is kinda disturbing, I enjoy the atmosphere it creates. Fine. 3/5 That was quite the doozy. Honestly gotta say I'm a bit disappointed by that. After the quality expressed by these two as a duo, I thought we'd at least get something a bit more cohesive from them as individuals. Even if it's technically two albums in one, each side feels very bloated, barely containing enough quality material for half the runtime. Dated, weak songwriting and overindulgent pretentiousness litter this album making it feel not only disjointed, but also incredibly boring. Outkast need each other to bring the best out of one another. Big Boi needs Andre's dynamism and charisma, and Andre needs Big Bois consistency and groundedness. It ends up with Big Boi having to fill the void with features and Andre spiralling into unchecked, unfocused experimental efforts that just end up lacking in any form of accessibility or entertainment factor. Yes the tracklist does contain some bangers, but those are the exception rather than the norm. The norm being a constant barrage of just average to fine tracks that are forgotten the same day. There are some great performances in here, both Big Boi and Andre are super talented and it does come through, even as producers they create memorable moments, but it isn't enough sadly. Oh and the skits suck, like skits usually do. Was honestly expecting this to be at least a 4, based on my enjoyment of their previous work, but it ends up being a generous 3. It's a bit of an inconsistent mess. I think I'll just stick to the hits on this one. Fave track. Hey Ya (predictably) Least fave track. She's Alive

No. I don't want to. I'm not a Springsteen fan. I assosiate him with the sort of people who hate all music post 1992. The "they don't make real music anymore" types. Hopefully I can shake those assosiations when giving it my full attention, but I fear the damage might be done. Definitely won't argue against this being influential, yet I'm allowed to feel apprehensive about it just the same. Going in with extremely low expectations. Thunder Road I'm trying to find something that grips me here, but I'm left with nothing. The piano is very loud. A bit cliche. I like the outro, feels like a dramatic start for the album. Not a fan of this writing style. Not unpleasant, but generally not my thing. Average. 2.5/5 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out Raspy and over the top. Bluesy. I don't like the instrumental much, feels a bit obnoxious and busy. Did not like. 2/5 Night It's so exaggarated and over the top, but lacking any compelling theatrics or drama. A wall of noise. A musicial mush which melds together into background noise. The vocals are really love 'em or hate 'em. I recognize that he's being very purposeful with his style and performance and I could definitely see qualities in there that people could like, but I myself struggle to find anything about them I enjoy. Did not like. 2/5 Backstreets I don't see it. I guess the chorus has some anthemic qualities, and the piano riff is kinda memorable. I just don't like this style. Feels exhausting. An overly dense drain on one's energy. Average. 2.5/5 Born To Run I guess it's iconic in a way, evokes a very specific time and place. Sadly not a time I was a part of. I hate the production, it's too much. Makes me feel like a really cynical person for not liking it. It's polished and thought out, but loses me quickly. Did not like. 2/5 She's the One Unpleasant, boring, cliche. Horrible production, sounds muddled and unclear with one of the worst guitar tones I've ever heard. Runs out of ideas half way through. Difficult to get through. 1/5 Meeting Across the River Meh, failed to keep my attention. I guess the instrumental is alright, and he gives a convincing performance. Don't get much out of the lyrics. Boring. 2/5 Jungleland I'm not American enough for this... At least there's some energy to the track. Decent solo. Get on with it... That sax solo sucked the last bit of hope from my soul. Exhausting. 9 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 I put my hands up in the air, and I apologize. Bruce is to many considered a legend, and this album is undoubtably an absolute classic. I hear words such as "cinematic" "ambitious" and "inspired" used to describe it, many reviewers going into flattering detail about how magical they find this album experience to be. And here I am on the sidelines envying them for their enjoyment of it. Makes me feel like a cynical bastard for not finding any enjoyment anywhere on this album. I don't like his singing. His writing style comes of as cliche and uninteresting. The production makes everything sound uniform and crusty. I dislike the energy. The instrumentation lacks variety and sounds oh so dated and lame. And I have no reason to feel this way. There's definitely quality here, but I just don't like it and I can only put it in broad terms as to why which feels a bit reductive. I was left exhausted and bored by this, and am frankly dreading the next Springsteen project I have to hear on this list. To those who enjoyed this album: I'm glad you're mesmerized and immersed, it sounds much more fun than what I just felt. Will try to return to this one day, hopefully it clicks then. For now it's a 2/5 for me.

I recognize his name and I've seen the album cover before, but I've never paid his music much mind. I'm excited to hear this though. The Wikipedia article makes it sound interesting and I'm quite curious to hear what Danger Mouse brings to the table. I love soul music and I'm really looking forward to hearing something that is less than 10 years old for a change. You Ain't The Problem Magnificently produced. Deep and layered instrumentation with a quality bassline, rhythmic percussion and melodic horns. Great energy. Was expecting more vocally. Really appreciate how stylisticly distinct it is, can't really confuse it with anything else. Good. 4/5 Rolling The psychedelic almost western sounding guitars sound great. Love this instrumental, sounds really fresh. Appreciate the mellow feel to the verses, juxtaposed with the explosivity and colourfulness of the chorus. Very rock influenced. Great. 4.5/5 I've Been Dazed Spotless transition. Psychedelic guitar. Tranquil, reflective and thoughtful vocal performance. Hypnotic. Love the spirituality contrasted with the psych, feels classic and fresh at the sane time. Lovely synths. Large and broad in its sound. Fantastic. 5/5 Piano Joint (This Kind of Love) - Intro Beautifully constructed. Jazzy and pleasant. The gunfire in the background is a great contrast to the calming mantra like atmosphere. Lovely vocals. If this is just the intro I cannot wait to hear the rest of the track. Fantastic 5/5 Piano Joint (This Kind of Love) Pretty piano. Moving and personal vocal performance. Great vocal melody. Fantastic choice in bass tone. Pleasant and sweet. Great. 4.5/5 Another Human Being Atmospheric and tense. Spacy and ambient at times. Interesting sample. Living in Denial Flawless transition. Sounds positive and bright. Lovely guitars in the background. Quality vocals, sounds really smooth and soulful. Cute bridge. Ends solidly. Good. 4/5 Hero - Intro Stripped back and naked. Interesting vocal effect. Feels dark and bleak. Love the almost cosmic sounding effects in the last few seconds of the track. Hero Great psychedelic rock riff, especially when the distant sounding background guitar is present. A bit funky as well. Love the effect on the drums for this track. The vocals ground the track, enhancing the instrumentation by being slightly low key in comparisson. Catchy and cool. Oh that noisy guitar solo is just awesome. Great fuzzyness and distortion. Amazingly produced. That was sick. 5/5 Hard To Say Goodbye Really moody. The bass sound is really strong. Love the lushness of the background choir in the buildup. The lyrics are a bit cliche. Romantic and sweet. The guitars add some disonnance and harshness to anotherwise smooth track, some very needed contrast. Calming and pleasant. My only real criticism is that it lacks a satisfying climax, makes it drift out slightly leaving it feeling a bit repetitive. Good. 4/5 Final Days Interesting change in instrumentation. I kinda dig the sort of apocalyptic assosiations I get from the strange distorted vocals in the background. Could listen to that intro for a long time. Lovely strings. Love the melodic switchup. While the vocals are a bit uninteresting for most of the track the magnificent instrumental makes up for it. Good. 4/5 Interlude Thoughtful choice in sample. Sounds lush and beautiful. Great piece of atmospheric psychedelia. Euphoric and large. Solid Ground Solid vocal performance helped along with the sparse production. Really like how it builds up into a grandiose and cinematic climax. A bit boring though. Decent. 3.5/5 Light The backing vocals make it very distinct to previous tracks on the album. Empowering and sweet. Great instrumental section, lush and beautiful. Love the guitar. Solid closer. Good. 4/5 That was absolutely outstanding. Fluid, fresh, genre-ambigious, consistent and unique. Just an absolutely beautiful blend of soul, rock and psychedelia which never stops producing interesting and crisp tracks. It genuinely has it all: A great vocalist with solid songwriting chops, amazing production, a never ending ensamble of fitting and well implemented instrumental ideas and a tracklist that leaves some room to breathe. It has stunning transitions and even the interludes are worthwhile tracks of their own. The strings are lush, the guitars just go off and the rhythms are infectious. Even the piano sounds unique. It has moving, soulful moments, funky riffs that make you bop your head, and hypnotic melodic patterns that make you forget the existence of time. Genuinely one of the most fun and exciting albums I've had the pleasure of discovering through this list experience so far. And while the individual track ratings might not suggest it, I think it deserves five stars as when they're heard in order they create such a compelling concept that it transcends beyond just single songs. 5/5 Fave track. I've Been Dazed

I need to be further educated on jazz at some point. Of course I know of the greats like Mingus, Davies, Coltrane and Sanders, but I've never really dove into their discographies, having only heard single records from them. Thelonious Monk is one of these great Jazz men I've completely ignored, sticking to my safe and accessible fusion records instead. And while that's all and good, it turns out that when you're reviewing a jazz record it's pretty handy to know a thing or two about the thing you're reviewing. With the disclaimer that I'm completely uneducated when it comes to the genre I'm still hoping to provide something of value with my first time reaction to this. Going into this with no expectations what so ever, and hoping it provides me with some memorable moments that make me want to explore this genre further. Brilliant Corners It sounds complicated as all hell. The bass and piano feel very in line with each other, while the sax is almost standing in opposition to them. The piano feels very deliberate and melodic. I enjoyed that, sounds spacey. The composition respects each individual musician giving them plenty of spotlight both solo and as a unit. Good. 4/5 Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are I can see why people say the "Cruella de Vil" song is similar to this. The opening melody bears a lot of resemblance to it. Has a sophisticated aura about it, I think it has a lot to do with how the piano notes are parsed out throughout the sax part. Love how the opening motif subtly comes through occasionally with the piano part. Feels like I'd have a better time with this if I understood the technical and theoretical aspects of this better. I can tell a lot is going on that I'm not equipped to understand. The bass solo is pretty cool. Difficult to comment on, on one hand I really liked the main motif, and I found the sections where the musicians worked in unison to be pretty entertaining. On the other hand the solos were a big question mark for me, because I don't understand the intricasies of what was going on I sadly ended up being pretty bored by them. It is in no means actually boring I'm sure, I simply don't get it. Fine. 3/5 Pannonica Sounds like a messed up music box to start. Sleepy tempo. Love the little musical "cuts" for a lack of better term. Love how cute and pleasant the celesta sounds. TIL that is an instrument that exists. That felt pretty accesible and sweet. I really like the main tenor sax melody here, feels really classic. Decent. 3.5/5 I Surrender Dear Has a sadness to it, feels moody and deep. Really enjoy the sparseness of the track. Feels quite dense, despite only featuring Monk and his piano. Decent. 3.5/5 Bemsha Swing I like the shift in tempo and energy from the previous two tracks. The percussion here is really fun. Kinda melds into the background after a bit. I fail to find anything to notable about it. Fine. 3/5 A worthwile listen for sure, but I don't feel like I got as much out of it as I hoped I would. In all fairness I think the musicianship on this thing is absolutely stellar, even an untrained ear can hear the complexity of the compositions and the insane technicality of the performances. However I know next to nothing about jazz, so while I can appreciate the talent I have no idea what is going on. While the stereotype says you must "feel the jazz" that only works on a surface level. A singular groove or a motif might stay in your head for a while, the intricacies however can easily be lost. Sadly I felt lost a lot, and when I'm lost the music sort of melds into the background, becoming mere noise. I'm however extremely happy this was the album I rolled to day, as it's challenging nature made me feel stimulated trying to pierce it together. I'd love to revisit this someday with more educated ears to see wether my tastes have changed. Based completely on a surface level first reaction I'm giving this 3.5 stars out of 5, though for the site's limited rating system's sake it's closer to a 3 than it is to a 4. Fave track. Brilliant Corners

In my last review I noted that the jazz album I was assigned was very complicated, and I didn't quite get it. I think the generator heard me and as a prank assigned me Bon-fucking-Jovi, AKA the dumbest, most surface level testosterone filled cock-rock in existence. And while I appreciate the irony I'd be hard pressed to say I don't prefer to listen to something a little less dated. I'm fully aware of the hits on this thing, being a plague upon any sort of karaoke or sing-along. I cannot imagine the quality of the non-hits. Going into this with very low expectations, and I only hope that there is something here warranting my time. Let it Rock From the generic song title I'm expecting a generic song. It's loud, compressed and the keys sound really low quality, while the composition of the intro is kinda interesting it ends up sounding pretty bad on the recording. The energy is pretty okay. Sound kinda hollow. Hate the group vocals. Bon Jovi himself is at least a competent performer, though his voice is kinda rough to listen to. He has a lot of prescense in the recording and I feel he has full control over the track's energy. Omega dated. Did not like. 2/5 You Give Love A Bad Name I feel like it would be reductive to not at least acknowledge that while this track is dumb as all hell, it is still iconic to some degree. Ubiquitous with 80's hair metal, this track is extremely catchy with a well constructed refrain and subsequent guitar hook. It's obnoxious and loud, has some awful lyrics, but it's at the same time so cheesy that it comes out the other end as stupidly charming. It's awful, it shouldn't work at all, but it's also really fun outside of the perspective of it being a tad overplayed. I want to be pretentious and say I hate this, but it's genuinely impossible to. Decent. 3.5/5 Livin' On A Prayer Oh boy, another one... Many of the points in my review of the previous track still technically stand when it comes to this one as well. This one however I have a much less charitable relationship to. When it comes to music that's extremely popular it's often hard to shake your associations with the track when listening to it through a critical lens. When I hear this song I hear drunk people at 3am outside my terribly insulated student appartment badly belting out the chorus on their balcony while I'm trying catch a few hours of sleep before my shitty weekend job the next morning. Is it that bad? Perhaps, no? Have I been one of those drunk people badly belting out the chorus at one point? Perhaps, yes? It's iconic I guess, but for being a plague upon society I'll give myself a freebie and allow myself one single slip up. And while accepting that it's a bit hypocritical as it contains basically all the same qualities as the previous track, I can't shake my biases. I bestow the honour - With all the compliments in the world the title of: God Awful. 1/5. Social Disease Wtf is that intro. Uncomfortable. And this is what you get when a Bon Jovi track lacks any of the aforementioned iconic assosiations that the previous tracks had. The lyrics are extremely unflattering and vapid. Awfully dated production, an annoying chorus and terrible sounding vocals. Sounds almost predatory. Bad. 1/5 Wanted Dead or Alive. Luckily the last one of these megahits and perhaps the least notable one at that. It's cheesy and dumb and extremely unbelievable. Perhaps the single most dated sounded song in the history of mankind. It's like it's approaching the stage of fossilization. I'll give it this, it remains catchy, but those background effects and production techniques do not make the cut. I'd like to picture Bon Jovi as a little kid playing make believe with himself, trying to visuallly imagine himself as this bad ass outlaw in his sandbox. It has that juvenile energy which makes it impossible to take seriously. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Raise Your Hands More slop. The main guitar riff is almost okay I guess. Probably works better in the stadium than on the record. Here it only comes across as obnoxious. "From New Jersey to Tokyo", yep those two places have plenty in common, makes perfect sense... The musical equivalent to a lobotomy. Awful. 1/5 Without Love If aliens were to try to replicate human music the lyrics would sound something like this. Beyond ridiculous. Okay this might be the most dated sounded track in the history of mankind. Those synths could genuinely not be replicated today. Baffling, almost so bad it's good. It's at least very entertaining if nothing else. Bad in the best way. 1/5 I'd Die For You The Mayor of Cheesetown himself has outcheesed himself once again. Those synths, those guitars, the vocal delivery... I'm impressed, it cannot get more 1986 than this. Probably the single worst song I've heard from this generator so far, but I can't help but find it fascinating. It's repetitive, it's dumb, it drains me of brain cells, but it's entertaining as all hell with it's cheesiness and over the top camp. I'm broken. 2/5 Never Say Goodbye I'm at a loss for words... No redeemable qualities. Never seems to end. Feels like an infinite loop of the same unbarable chorus. Awful. 1/5 Wild In The Streets I like the energy of the track. As far as this album goes this is one of the more barable choruses, though the vocal delivery is pretty rough. Suffers from the same repetitiveness as many other tracks on here. Contains nothing of substance. A wall of sound with the occasional belting of a madman peaking through it. While some of the other tracks were at least entertaining in their ridiculousness, this one only comes across as annoying. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 An experience to say the least. Life changing, really. Made me appreciate the smaller things in life, like silence and peace. All the while providing plenty of time for me to contemplate my life choices leading up to me reviewing this interesting piece of media at 1am on a work night. I'm honestly quite impressed by how something that sucks this much can be this entertaining. It's like the audible version of a trainwreck. A sonic puzzle where you're tasked with trying to piece out any sort of substance or meaning out of the corniest lines ever delivered in a set of lyrics. It's incessant in its bombardment of cheese of the lowest quality, enough to make the lactose intolerant amongst us toilet bound for at least the duration of the album's runtime. Has more cliches than a soap opera and contains songs that have been scientifically engineered to be as annoying as possible. With repetitive choruses, mindnumbing guitar hooks and synths that are so obnoxious they could piss off a deaf person, this album is a perfect storm of slop. It's not all bad, as if you're in the right mood this abhorrent datedness can come across as pretty funny - In a "help me!" sort of way. Comes with the worst associations possible, containing songs that have been a plague upon society, forever resistant to any sort attempt to remove them from the public conciousness. In that sense it deserves some respect, as while overplayed and annoying, the hits from this thing has at least managed to establish themselves as iconic songs in the rock 'n' roll canon. And while personally this is an era I can't stand, it remains important especially to the format of live stadium shows. I could definitely see this being innovative as to bringing heavier music into the public sphere. I could also imagine that the techniques used to set up and produce these songs live on stage would be important even today. However as fun as this might be live in Bon Jovi's prime, it doesn't translate well to an album format, especially through modern ears. Bon Jovi's skills as a performer, being a fairly entertaining front man still shines through however, though that alone cannot save how obnoxious I find the songs on here to be, especially as his grating voice adds to my dislike of it. I recognize this is a low hanging fruit for ridicule as this era isn't exactly fondly looked back on from a critical perspective, but I can't help but agree with the sentiment that this is just awful. 1/5 Fave track. You Give Love A Bad Name Least fave track. Never Say Goodbye

Bob Dylan we meet again... This time in studio form! After having an okay time with the Royal Albert Hall live recording a few months back I'm pleased to say I don't actually mind another Dylan record at this time. I can't recall having listened to this one previously, but I recognize a few of the songs on here so I sort of know what to expect. My general expectations are telling me to that I'll be served something interesting, especially lyrically, though I'm probably not gonna "get" a lot of it. I'd call myself a casual Dylan enjoyer, having periods where I can maybe have a couple of songs of his in my rotation. Perhaps this album will kick off another such period. Blowin' In The Wind As much of a classic this song is I've never really paid it much mind. It's become so universal at this point that it feels like it's almost always existed. One of the first songs you'd think of when hearing the moniker "protest song". A melancholic and wise sounding track with very heavy anti-war/anti greed/anti injustice messaging which sadly still remains relevant to this day. Monumental. 5/5 Girl From The North Country Had to do a quick detour to listen to the song this was apparently inspired by (Scarborough Fair) really curious to hear what the two have in common. First of all I love how pleasant the guitar is. Really contrasts nicely with Bob Dylan's characteristic voice. I can definitely see structural similarities between this and the previously mentioned inspiriation for it. Really inspired implementation. The lyrics are sweet and idealistic, love how vivid they are despite the briefness of the descriptions. Fantastic. 5/5 Masters of War I never knew Dylan "borrowed" *cough* stole *cough* the melody for this song, so I had to look up the original, and wow that was haunting. Genuinely a spooky sounding mysterious folk song. Now for Masters of War. Again, classic protest song with some very direct lyrics calling out the cowards who perpetrate such atrocities. I can see why he chose to use this melody for this topic, it's extremely ominous in its buildup. Brutal. Fantastic. 5/5 Down the Highway Very classic sounding blues track. Sounds genuinely sad. After being provided with context, the song feels a lot more layered. The mournful performance captures some astute loneliness. Great. 4.5/5 Bob Dylan's Blues A perfectly acceptable blues track with some great harmonica playing. Bob Dylan is very charismatic with the delivery here. Feels very animated and hands free. Not exactly the highlight of the album, but a good show none the less. Good. 4/5 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Another one where I felt I had to look up the inspiration for the song before listening to it. Lord Randall which its chorus is apparently based on was again a pretty interesting piece of literature, which tied itself neatly together with the final verse. Gonna keep this in mind as I'm listening. Even if it's listed as another inspiration I'm not however going to look into symbolist poetry for the sake of this review, as that seems too deep of a rabbit hole for one night. Actual review time. Those lyrics are really evocative, love how Lord Randall is incorporated, feels like sort of a modernization of its structure. Very bleak and apocalyptic in its messaging. Dead ponies, black dogs and burning bodies. Though there seems to be some slight moments of hope underneath all the darkness. Really interesting, deserves repeat listens. Fantastic. 5/5 Don't Think Twice It's Alright Another one where he's borrowed some features of another older song. Made sure to give that one a listen as well, though I could only find Paul Claytons interpolation (Who's Gonna Buy You Ribbons), which I found sweet, reflective and pleasant to listen to. Gonna keep this in mind while listening. This is a very pretty song, and while a lot of elements are lifted from the cited inspiration I find this a lot more compelling. Love his delivery and use of the melody to convey emotion. Feels really genuine. Fantastic. 5/5 Bob Dylan's Dream I quite liked the song this was based on (Lady Franklin's Lament). Can really see how one can be inspired by that, as its melody felt really emotional and mournful, with a slight hint of bargaining coming from its lyrics. Dylan's lyrics are very relatable in their reflectiveness. The sentimentality and sadness that comes with looking back at old days of camraderie really sticks with me after listening to the lyrics. An effective piece of storytelling. Fantastic. 5/5 Oxford Town Harrowing piece of civil rights music, a stark reminder that it wasn't that long ago that injustices like this were commonplace. The song itself is a bit brief and simple, and without looking it up I wouldn't have been able to piece together which events it was refering to. Good. 4/5 Talkin' World War III Blues I'm not really a fan of the rambling style of delivery. While the lyrics have some clever bits of humour to them, they don't really make up for the fact I find it a bit boring. The satire still seems relevant to this day. I enjoy how flawed the narrator figure is, being a bit of a ridiculous character himself. Decent. 3.5/5 Corrina, Corrina This song seems to have a long and complicated history, one which seems to stretch back at least a few decades before this recording. I went ahead and listened to the original recording of this song, as well as the Robert Johnson the melody of this version is apparently lifted from. I think it'll be very interesting to hear these two starkly different songs combined. Dylan's version comes of as very pleasant though lacking some edge. I do quite enjoy his guitar playing on this track. A tasteful rendition which implements parts of both the two songs its based on pretty well. I do however feel something is a bit lost when they've been combined in this way. Great. 4.5/5 Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance The original has a haunting enigmatic quality to it, partially due to the charming roughness of the ancient recording, alongside the very unique sounding vocal delivery. I really like Dylan's choice of changing up the tempo. I enjoy the modernized lyrics quite a bit, though it's probably not a straight upgrade from the original. Good. 4/5 I Shall Be Free It's alright. It's a bit of a more comedic track. Lifts heavily from the original track (We Shall Be Free) when it comes to the melody. I can't help finding it kinda bland. I don't get most of the pop culture references. Succeeds in showing a less serious side of Bob Dylan. Decent. 3.5/5 This turned out to be quite the undertaking. I'm not complaining though. I feel like I got an entire history lesson after reading the Wikipedia article for each song. I also had a blast listening to the traditional folk and blues songs these tracks were based on. It was almost like getting two albums for the price of one! Despite lending a lot from these traditional tunes I feel like Dylan always finds a way of transcending the source material, creating something entirely his own. It never feels egregious, even at times it feels like having these historical melodies backing the track adds an aura of additional atmosphere. Some tracks, especially the protest songs become much more harrowing with the already ominous sounding folk melodies behind them. And I also really like his songwriting on here, using very effective language when describing both beauty and horror. His performances are very emotional and genuine, and his voice adds a lot of down to earth character to many of the tracks. I love how steeped in tradition this thing is, and how through his reworkings, combinations and additions to the material he has somehow modernized the folk sound. A lot of these traditional songs live on through the tracks on this album, as well as versions of these songs covered by various artists throughout the years. A great album experience, even if it's second half is a bit weaker than its first. Would return to. 5/5 Fave track. Don't Think Twice It's Alright

This is a band I've never really found too entertaining to listen to. The slacker rock aesthetic has never really been my style, but I'm hoping that through a full album experience I can discover something I've not been able to find listening only to the occasional song. I'm looking forward to hearing how the DIY indie sound comes through on this record. While I love production heavy, polished stuff a lot, more lo-fi amateurish production also has its charms. Going into this with mixed expectations. Summer Babe - Winter Version I like the crusty guitars a lot. Feels surprisingly layered. Great vocal delivery, love the carthartic "Tokyooooooooo". Good. 4/5 Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At:17 Feels very of the era. Strangely decent guitar mix. Love the spacious dynamism provided by the backing vocals. Interesting outro. Decent. 3.5/5 No Life Singed Her Effective energy. The lo-fi guitars and the peaking vocals have a garagey quality to them. The track feels really crusty and raw. The noise provides an additional emotianal layer to the song. Decent. 3.5/5 In The Mouth Of A Desert The drums are very prominent, feels almost too loud. Feels especially amateurish production wise, though it does lend it some authenticity it's a bit of a difficult listen. Has a few great vocal hooks. Fine. 3/5 Conduit For Sale! Very strange tempo. Feels experimental. I like how different it is from the previous tracks. Especially with the spoken word vocals. Fine. 3/5 Zürich Is Stained Pleasant although the vocals are very quiet. A bit too short, I would've liked to see where the vocal melody could go if it went on for a bit longer. Anticlimatic. Fine. 3/5 Chesley's Little Wrists A sonic experiment rather than a song. Feels very unstructured. Very strange vocal noises. Unrated/5 Loretta's Scars It's okay. The instrumental is a bit overbearing, but the main guitar riff is quite good. Love the sublte guitar flourishes in the background. Fine. 3/5 Here The instrumental is pretty cute, feels really pleasant to listen to while still maintaining that DIY edge. I have no idea what is going on in the lyrics, though the performance sounds pretty unique. Decent. 3.5/5 Two States Kinda don't like the instrumental, feels a bit annoying. Don't really like the vocals either. Feels punk I guess. Did not like. 2/5 Perfume-V I like the shoegazy qualities of the guitars on the chorus. Has some melodic moments in the vocals that I enjoy. There's also a bit of interesting vocal layering which makes the song feel a bit more alive. Good. 4/5 Fame Throwa Extremely grainy and distorted. Has a cool structure. Love the glitchyness present in the production around the chorus. Strange vocal delivery. Weird skip. Interesting guitar solo. Love the atmospheric drums. Good. 4/5 Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era Feels like the guitars are buzzing in my ears. Very strange. Noisy. I don't get the inclusion of the delayed guitar. Feels a bit aimless. Fine. 3/5 Our Singer Lacks any sort of energy. Mostly just a drum beat with some simple guitar notes stretched thinly over it. The vocals add very little to the song. Did not like. 2/5 It's noisy and experminental with some really rough edges. While the unrefined production might be a turn off for some, I believe it adds character and additional layers to the sound. The guitars are distorted and effect heavy and the drums raw and heavy sounding. This adds a shoegazy feel to the songs which occasionally gives a feeling of untamed emotion. There's also a sort of vulnerability to the vocal delivery, each line being sung with a raw and unique sounding voice which at times even have some juvenile qualities. Lyrically it's very hard to follow, sometimes I'm not sure if it's nonesense or some deeply constructed metaphor I'm hearing. Add this to the tracklist being a bit messy, with a few unfocused songs that feel unfinished or overly experimental and it can get a bit frustrating. While I've praised the DIY production of this album there are also moments where it doesn't work, especially when the mix gets really inconsistent. It feels almost arbitrary at times what part of the composition gets the focus, leading to times where either the vocals or sometimes the drums are really hard to hear. I'd also like to point out that I can't really find a standout moment on the record, it feels pretty much consistently the same, and while what's at display is for the most part decent, there's not much here that's too memorable. 3/5 Fave track. Summer Babe - Winter Version Least fave track. Two States

I've always wanted to check these guys out, but whenever I did I was generally not too impressed. I always found their more popular stuff a bit unremarkable. Hoping to have my mind changed by this, really liking the album name at least. I'm a bit worried though as to the length of it, especially if I'm gonna be bored. Though an hour isn't actually that long, it can take a while if you're pausing a lot to take notes. Hoping to be surprised, going in with mixed expectations. Metronomic Underground Those are some strange electronics. Love the sound of that bassline. The way it builds up while taking its time is pretty cool. It's interesting if not a bit repetitive. The slight instrumental changeup comes at an opportune time. Great distortion, gibes the track some dynamism. The ending is very satisfying. Good. 4/5 Cybele's Reverie Pretty cool violin intro. Sounds pretty sweet, love the lushness of the instrumental. Has a nice vocal melody on the chorus. Very pleasant and catchy. Love the vocal layering. Great climax. Great. 4.5/5 Percolator Fantastic synth sound, really fun bassline. Strange instrumental. The horns(?) are pretty bad, don't like. It's a bit of a strange track that starts out feeling like it doesn't go anywhere. When it finally does I don't really like the direction it takes. I think the base concept of the song is good enough to warrant praise, but it repeats itself a bit too much. The ending is chaotic and messy to my ears. Average. 2.5/5 Les-Yper Sound Fun groove, feels like it moves very freely. I like the synths a lot. The vocals have a care free nature to them which works pretty well with this sound. Kinda fun, but not exactly life changing. Fine. 3/5 Spark Plug Feels a bit more straight forward than previous tracks. Really like the funkiness of the instrumental. Has a great synergy between main and backing vocals. Works for what it is, but doesn't exactly stand out. Wish there was a bit more of a kick to it. Fine. 3/5 Olv 26 I like how it's almost mechanical in its composition. There's some nice crunchiness to the instrumental that I quite enjoy. I don't really get anything out of the vocals. The instrumental bride at the end is very nice. Has a bit of psychedelic energy to it with the subtle panning and the bubbly background effects. Decent. 3.5/5 The Noise Of Carpet Wasn't expecting to hear such a garagey instrumental. I find how awkwardly the vocals fit kinda charming. Great solo. Has some cool layering. Decent. 3.5/5 Tomorrow Is Already Here Don't really like the intro that much, feels a bit jagged. I think the song greatly improves as soon as the vocals come in, drastically smoothens the track's rough edges. The vibraphone is really pleasant, adds a lot to the rhythmic elements of the track. Decent. 3.5/5 Emperor Tomato Ketchup Bouncy, sharp and fun. Kinda more of the same really. Has it's charms with a decently fun instrumental and a melodic and free sounding vocal performance. It's however nothing too remarkable. Fine. 3/5 Monstre Sacre I like the total change in atmosphere. Feels a bit darker with a hint of mystery. I don't care much for the lyrics as they feel a bit underdeveloped. The vocal melody is too repetitive, lacks any sort of dynamism or variety. A bit boring. Average. 2.5/5 Motoroller Scalatron Really like how colourful this is. Feels really positive and sweet. Don't have much else to say. Kinda like it. Decent. 3.5/5 Slow Fast Hazel Don't like how loud the vocals are here. I quite enjoyed the wobbly guitar. The bassline sorta grew on me, started out finding it kinda unremarkable, but ended up really enjoying how well it works with the rest of the track. The faster part of the track is honestly quite cool. Fantastic long organ notes. The higher vocals are however a bit rough. Decent. 3.5/5 Anonymous Collective It's moody and slow, and also kinda hypnotic. Love the instrumental, has some really subtle depth to it. Perfectly acceptable closer. Decent. 3.5/5 A very consistent album, but never really mindblowing in anyway. Each song felt decently creative, was generally pleasant to listen to, never straying outside of a well established comfort zone. The instrumentals, while not awe inspiring kept bringing out some fresh ideas. These ideas paired well up with some sweet and warm sounding vocals to create moments of cute and understated musicality which was generally easy to listen to. Love the diverse array of sounds and decent instrumental variety. But that's about it, there's just not a lot to talk about here. It's generally inoffensive and kinda edgeless, feeling a bit too smooth at times. My only real critisism of the album is that it has a lot of tracks that feel a bit too repetitive, where the base idea is pretty good, but it never really goes anywhere from there. It's generally just a pretty good album, though nothing that's too outstanding in the grand scheme of things. The most 7/10 thing I've heard in a while. 3.5/5, leaning more towards a 3/5 Fave track. Cybele's Reverie Least fave track. Percolator

Probably one of the coolest hip hop groups out there, Tribe always brings a smooth and infectious energy inlaid with moments of pure distilled swagger. Looking forward to some buttery beats and creative lyricism. Looking forward to this one. Push It Along Scary sounding intro. Funky and smooth instrumental, love the repeating lick. Q-Tip has such a great voice for hip hop. There are some really well constructed rhyme schemes in here. Love how the sax solo comes in as a palatte cleanser. Love how the introduction interlude is included at the end, feels more dynamic than just tacking it onto the start of the album. Great. 4.5/5 Luck of Lucien Great transition. Fantastic first verse, really keeps you engaged throughout it. Creative verse composition, a fun piece of storytelling. The "spoken word" passages for the lack of better term, that bridge the verses add some more chaotic energy to the otherwise measured and structured track. Good. 4/5 After Hours Love the sample. Extremely relaxing beat. Really like how the instrumental changes throughout the first verse, feels like it works in tandem with the vocal delivery. Awesome instrumental break. The lyrics are at times pretty funny. The frog noises... Strange choice. Entertaining track. Good. 4/5 Footprints The Sir Duke brass sample goes hard no matter where it shows up. Like hoe they've made it kinda ominous. Great flow on the beat. Chaotic sampling. Clever well thought out lyrics yet again. The militaristic marching at the end is yet again quite ominous. I'm very intrigued with the lyrics of this track. Has a really distinct writing style that's extremely clever and fun to follow along with. Had to immediately replay. Fantastic. 5/5 I Left My Wallet in El Segundo The latin guitar is pretty fun. Great sample. Love the bassline. I find the story here a bit dumb. Doesn't feel as clever as previous tracks. The delivery is still pretty good. Fine. 3/5 Pubic Enemy That's a great beat. Stylized and unique. Okay that's kinda funny. Yep it's about crabs... Love the heavy use of record "scratches". Good. 4/5 Bonita Applebum Classic sample, I can swear I've heard it somewhere else. Love the jazzy keys in the background and the smooth guitar. It's a bit repetitive and dumb, but it's performed charismatically so it's hard to take it too seriously. Catchy chorus. Decent. 3.5/5 Can I Kick It? The Lou Reed sample has got to be one of the most recognizable samples in hip hop. It's extremely clever that they somehow discovered that this worked this well for a hip hop track. Very dynamic and varied instrumentally, especially when it comes to the strange bridges between verses. The hook remains iconic to this day. Really catchy while remaining eclectic and weird. Timeless classic, deserving of its legacy. 5/5 Youthful Expression Amazing sampling, really bouncy, funky and dancable. Love the chilled out rapping on top the smooth keys and the thick bass. Some corny lines in there, but I can't deny they're pretty fun. The beat alone sells it. Good. 4/5 Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts) Definitely rhythmic. The hook works pretty well, though I'm struggling a bit to remain invested in the verses. The beat grew on me quite a lot throughout the track, decently catchy. Decent. 3.5/5 Mr. Muhammad Was not expecting the disco adjacent vocal sample. Interesting sampling and effects. Feels a bit dated and lacks some direction, does give some plundephonics vibes. Fine. 3/5 Ham 'N' Eggs That's a stupid hook, though it's kinda charming. Bring back rapping about random food items. It's a fun gimmick. Can't help but smiling at this. I guess these guys just proved that they can literally rap about something as boring as breakfast and I'll still be intetested. Really fun. 4.5/5 Go Ahead In the Rain Awesome bass/guitar sample. Love the change up in flow. Feels a bit more melodic. Has dancy qualities to it. Uncomplicated but works. Decent. 3.5/5 Description of a Fool A continuation of the funky smoothness of the rest of the album. Love the storytelling, takes up a serious subject without being overwhelming. I like how they let the sample play itself out. Feels like a "To Be Continued". Decent. 3.5/5 Yeah that was really fun. It's refreshing to hear a when a hip hop group, despite having some serious songwriting chops don't take themselves too seriously. Embracing many decades of music before them, they take the great rhythms and grooves of the past and make them their own with impeccable flows and amazing pieces of delivery. There's storytelling, there's themes of identity and there's a lot of silly dancable tunes that keep you moving. Tribe delivers something for everyone, staying ahead of the curve with their unique jazzy, funky sound. You'll be hard pressed to find a group as charming and charismatic as them. A great debut which really paves the way for their later catalouge which would build upon the ideas of this album further. 4.5/5, closer to a 4. Fave Track. Footprints

Hell yeah, Jimi! Everyone knows this album is awesome. Gonna be a breeze to listen to. Purple Haze Stone cold classic. Everything there is to say about this song has already been said. One of the most recognizable guitar riffs of all time. Iconic. 5/5 Manic Depression A really solid guitar track. Has some great bluesy progression. Love the more psychedelic elements of the track. Gives a controlled chaos sort of feeling. Good. 4/5 Hey Joe A defining song of the era. Jimi delivers the lyrics which such gusto and charm it's hard to recognize how dark their contents really are. Love the psychedelic density of the track. Classic. 5/5 Love Or Confusion Don't love how distant the vocals feel. Awesome guitar playing. I feel the bassline does a great job being a grounding constant for the otherwise chaotic instrumentation. Despite me not enjoying how the vocals are mixed I recognize they have a sort of narrator esque quality to them which sort of fits with the lyrical content. Good. 4/5 May This Be Love I'm enjoying the change up in tone from the previous tracks. Has a bit of a more structured nature to it which is honestly quite appreciated at this point in the album. Love the drums. And of course with every Jimi Hendrix song the guitar is masterfully performed. Great. 4.5/5 I Don't Live Today Has the same bluesy qualities as many of the previous tracks. Impresses with its deep and dense sound. Love the hard hitting chorus. The outro goes crazy. Great. 4.5/5 The Wind Cries Mary Really pleasant and cool. Really like the colourful lyrics. Instrumentally it's a bit slower than many of the previous tracks, though I find little issue with the guitar tone actually shines a lot at this tempo. Good. 4/5 Fire Classic 60s rock swagger. Love the deep bass. Not a standout track by any means, but does a good job at what it tries to do. Decent. 3.5/5 Third Stone From The Sun A psychedelic rock experience. The spoken word, the deep effects, the slowed down vocals and the strange background effects. All add up to a truly unique session of audible strangeness. Love the experimentation. Fantastic. 5/5 Foxey Lady Classic guitar riff. The lyrics are kinda basic, but the performance is definitely pretty great. Oozes confidence and slickness. Good. 4/5 Are You Experienced? I like the parallell piano and guitar a lot. The backwards sounding effects add some interesting colour. A strange almost improvisational sounding track. Love the chaos. Great. 4.5/5 Stone Free It's fun to hear some different percussion. Really soulful vocal delivery. The simplicity of the song's structure is kinda refreshing to hear. Great solo. Good. 4/5 51st Anniversary A really synergistic instrumental, I feel like all the elements work extremely well together. Love how melodic the vocals are at times. Great. 4.5/5 Highway Chile I don't love the intro. The recording sounds a bit rough on this one. Feels kinda simple instrumentally outside the solo which remains pretty great. Decent. 3.5/5 Can You See Me That single bendy opening guitar note is pretty fantastic, love that it repeats throughout the track. The instrumental has a lot of drive to it. Good. 4/5 Remember Sounds colourful. Love the imagery in the lyrics. The mournful vocal delivery is pretty slick. Great groove. Good. 4/5 Red House It's a fairly standard blues rock track, though the guitar sets it apart. Not particularly exciting, but fine for what it is. Completely carried by the stellar guitar playing. Decent. 3.5/5 It's Hendrix okay... Hard to beat when it comes to influence. Not many people get to completely change the approach when it comes to an entire instrument. Complete and utter mastery of every intricacy of the electric guitar. His absolute prescense can carry even a just okay song over the finish line into something special. Sure there's more exciting stuff out there, but if you take into account when this was released its hard to find something as experimental and virtuosic while reaching such a wide audience. It's just so impossibly cool and effortless while also having some edge and rawness to it that only comes from someone who crafts with vision and feeling. And while the guitar may be the main selling point the other elements of the band is a great supporting force, which through its dependability allows for the intense experimentation to flourish. The vocal delivery is nothing to scuff at either. Hendrix has an ability to find just the right cadance and temperature to go with both intense and laid back tunes, showing a great understanding of showmanship and spacing. Fantastic album, would strongly recommend. 5/5 Fave Track Third Stone From The Sun

I'm mildly familiar with this band, as in I know the name and vaguely the style of music they create. Can't say I know if I've ever heard a song from them though. Hoping to hear something with a bit of energy to it. Looking forward to seeing what this is about. Going in with no real expectations. Supervixen Didn't expect it to sound so noisy. Great fuzz and distortion. Love the prominent bass. The instrumental pauses make it stick out from the crowd. I like the almost call and response dynamic between the guitars at points. Solid start. Good. 4/5 Queer Sounds pretty slick. I quite like the vocal delivery on the chorus. The subtle background guitar on the bridge is a great piece of texture adding an uneasiness to the moment. Catchy and fun. Great. 4.5/5 Only Happy When It Rains Crunchy and cool. The lyrics are unapologetically edgy, I struggle to take them seriously, but the ridiculousness kinda works. Love the backing vocals. Fun track. Good. 4/5 As Heaven Is Wide Was not expecting something quite so electronic. Sounds really moody. Has some slight industrial qualities to it. The vocals are a bit hard to hear on the verses. Really like the atmosphere of this track. Sounds alluring, dark and dangerous. Great. 4.5/5 Not My Idea I like the instrumental on the verses. The chorus sounds a bit abrasive, not too sure if I like it or not. Love the electric guitar in the background. Possesses some industrial elements vaguely similar to the previous track. Love the contrast between the serene melodic moments and the harshness of the chorus. Creative track. Good. 4/5 A Stroke of Luck There's a really spacey sort of atmosphere to the instrumental. Love the subtle distorted effects in the background as well as the sparse synth. The chorus feels too large, kinda kills the interesting spaciousness of the track. Wish there was a bit more subtlety to it. It's a well constructed chorus, though I'm not quite sure it fits. Fine. 3/5 Vow The panning effect is a bit obnoxious. Really like how dense and loud it is. Has a great drive to it. The vocals have some great attitude behind them. The guitar tuning the instrumental bridge us really satisfying to listen to. Infectious energy, great chorus, really catchy. All the worries I had about this track disappeared after the first minute passed. Fantastic. 5/5 Stupid Girl Has a bit of a groove to it, especially with that bassline. Love the production on the pre chorus. Catchy and fun. Doesn't need to do much else to succeed at what it's trying to do. Great. 4.5/5 Dog New Tricks Crunchy with a good groove and some decent drive. Really like the melodic moments here, especially how they contrast with the thick instrumental. Another great chorus. A good continuation of the sound from the previous track. Good. 4/5 My Lover's Box Most of the reasons this song works for me have already been laid out in my reactions to previous tracks. It just sounds really crisp, love the chrous and the synergy between instrumental and vocals here. Simple reasons to like a song, but sometimes it just works that way. Fantastic. 5/5 Fix Me Now Layered sound. Love the production on the vocals. Simple but effective solo. It's another great chorus over a pretty cool instrumental. I guess I'm repeating myself at this point. Good. 4/5 Milk I like that it's a bit more slowed down and calm aftert the pretty loud and bombastic last few tracks. Almost has a trip hop vibe to it. Sounds spacious and flows well. Not the most spectacular track, but gets the job done. Decent. 3.5/5 Honestly going into this with no expectations at all turned out to be quite the blessing. I was pleasantly surprised at every turn by this. I really appriciate how broad the scope of their sound is, leaning into a solid variety of genres ranging from industrial to trip hop to straight up raging alternative rock. It's an interesting blend of diverse songwriting and consistent performances which in turn allows the listener an unpredictable and stimulating journey. Loud crunchy guitars, groovy basslines, spacious drumbeats and slick and alluring vocals combine to create memorable rock tunes with infectious choruses and unique instrumentals. Add in some electronics and some distorted effects and you get something that feels really thought out and creative. And while my experience with this was extremely positive, there is still a few minor gripes that make it miss out on top marks for me. Namely the lyrics being kinda ridiculous at times, especially with some of the cynisism found in them feeling a bit put on. One track (A Stroke of Luck) is also notably weaker than the rest, where I end up feeling a bit let down by a few creative choices made with that song in particular. Apart from these minor things it is otherwise a great time. A memorable tracklist with plenty of things to return to. 4/5 With room to grow on subsequent listens. Fave track. Vow

Wu-Tang Clan will forever be one of the greatest dynasties in hip hop. 36 Chambers is one of my favourite hip hop albums ever, and I still get an itch to play the occasional track of off Wu-Tang Forever. However despite my enjoyment of their group efforts outside of GZA's Liquid Swords and an early Ghostface Killah album I haven't really given their solo work much of a shot. Raekwon has always been a bit of a standout for me, but clearly not enough for me to check his stuff out. As the trend seems to be with the hip hop albums I've generated so far, this album seems to be a bit on the longer side. Expecting quality, though am a bit apprehensive as to the length. I won't be shocked if I get bored of it towards the end. Striving For Perfection It's a bit of an atmospheric intro to the album. Has some cinematic qualities, feels like the start of a play or a movie. Unrated/5 Knuckleheads Classic RZA production. Love the density of the bass. It's a bit of a theme setter for the rest of the album I feel, expecting to hear more of the hardships of hustle and drug culture throughout the album. Feels animated with a hint of theatre, though also sounds very serious. Great flows and deliveries. Decent. 3.5/5 Knowledge God The sample at the very start of the track sounds like an old movie score. I also like the way the piano sample transforms the beat into something a lot more ominous. Definitely sounds like NYC. Really getting the mafia vibe they're going for here. The verses are mostly good, though I feel like there are parts of the second one that feel a bit stagnant, might be the lyrics losing some steam. Decent. 3.5/5 Crimonology The first verse has a very hard and raw delivery. Feels like they're trying to rile you up. Definitely has great performances, aggressive and memorable, they really own the beat. A very character driven track, pushing these hard, unflinching, dangerous gangster personas that really play into the fantasy of the style of hip hop they're trying to achieve. Decent. 3.5/5 Incarcarated Scarfaces The intro sample promises something really narrative driven. Two Trump references, feels weird to hear his name in this context in 2025. It's a gangster rap song with gangster rap lyrics. The flow is really good though, really enjoy the hook. Again RZA's production is astounding, love how atmospheric it sounds. Decent. 3.5/5 Rainy Dayz Really appreciate the softness and melodic qualities of the intro. The production on this is crazy. Feels really off, has some almost horror like qualities to it. Love the female vocals against the beat. Has some pretty creative rhymes. Good. 4/5 Guillotine (Swords) Vintage Wu-Tang sound. Really lyrically dense, hard to follow. Struggling a bit to keep up, but I'm really liking the way they end their verses. The samples from old martial arts films never get old. Each performer brings a distinct energy, and it's fun to hear them approach this simple all be it effective beat. Decent. 3.5/5 Can It Be All So Simple (Remix) Hmmm this is familiar... Yeah the sample is still great. but I'm not sure how needed this is. Feels a bit like they're repeating themselves. Probably novel at the time. It's transformative, but I feel like the original iteration has a bit more of a kick to it. Fine. 3/5 Shark N***** (Biters) It's a bit of a rant. I respect that he's passionate about his own image and art. Unrated/5 Ice Water The beat is pretty stellar. There's a lot of good rhymes in here, especially on the final verse. Fine. 3/5 Glaciers of Ice Has an entirely different energy from the rest of the tracks on the album due to the sample on the beat. Love the vocal sample. Carried by the production. Love the ending. Decent. 3.5/5 Verbal Intercourse Was not expecting a Nas feature on a Wu-Tang project. The beat kinda overshadows the vocals. Cringe lyrics at times. Average. 2.5/5 Wisdom Body Kinda weird. I guess it's a bit refreshing to have another topic to listen to. Stellar production yet again. Fine. 3/5 Spot Rusherz Decent storytelling. Has interesting flows here and there, and is easy to follow along to. I like the buildup. Decent. 3.5/5 Ice Cream Sounds a bit chaotic. I appreciate that there's a hook in here, though it isn't great. Pretty fun track. I like the features, breaks the monotomy a bit. Fine. 3/5 Wu-Gambinos Has a great Ghostface peformance. It's a very lyrically dense track. Lacks some dynamism, becomes a bit monotone. Fine. 3/5 Heaven or Hell Love the samples. Has a great hook. I like how the track kinda has a reflective nature to it, feels a bit more genuine than some of the other tracks on here. Has an ere of finality to it, works great at the end of the album. Good. 4/5 North Star (Jewels) Feels like a bit of an extended outro. Feel the one verse on here was a lot more thoughtful than I might've expected. Has some really soulful production, which helps it close out the album as well as it does. Fine. 3.5/5 After a long and exhausting listen I'm left with mixed feelings about this album. First of all, it's long. Not specifically the runtime, as one hour and thirteen minutes should be managable, but it just feels long. I guess it's the density of the lyrics, the aggression and the lack of melodic breaks that makes it feel longer than it actually is. Despite this I must recognize that these are some of the qualities that also make it great. If it wasn't for the lyrical density it wouldn't have the great rhymes and the almost liquid flows. If it wasn't for the aggression it wouldn't hit nearly as hard. And if it wasn't for the lack of breaks it wouldn't be as stylistically consistent. I'm fine with it being the way it is, but it does make me feel very drained by the end of it. Two factors carry this album: Raekwon and Ghostface's amazing chemistry with their performances, and RZA's sleek and creative production. I find it disappointing from a songwriting and narrative perspective as the gangster/mafioso themeing gets monotonous and unbelievable. I feel it overpromises on its cinematic aspects, only for them to be slightly jumbled up by lyrical content that feels too predictable at times. Luckily it's performed to near perfection, where the technicality and adaptability of the rapping sort of makes up for the underlying issues of the album. Pair that with RZA's iconic production style and you still get something of quality. The quality stays pretty consistent throughout the album, making it feel like a cohesive and worthwile listen even with its flaws. If you want an example on how an artist can elevate a sound using only their performace this would fit the bill perfectly. 3/5 Fave Track. Rainy Dayz

I'll be honest and say that despite knowing of its existence for close to my entire life I still haven't listened to this record. Lauded as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever made, it's honestly baffling that I haven't given it a shot. Of course I've heard many of the songs off here, but it will be interesting to hear them in the way they were intended. Hoping it lives up to the hype. Straight Outta Compton Absolutely iconic song. One of the most recognizable rap songs of all time. Each verse is among the greatest ever. An almost perfect album opener. Hard to beat when it comes to West Coast hip hop. Classic. 5/5 Fuck Tha Police Another one that's hard to beat. The opening line goes beyond hard. Sadly still relevant to this day. Love the beat. It's provocotive, but still fun. Charismatic gangsta rap track. Classic. 5/5 Gangsta Gangsta Three for three for classics so far. The beat is the real star here, feels really dynamic. Amazing sampling. Ice Cube's lyrics are ridiculous to be honest, I find it kinda funny. The foot in yo ass line is a great example of this. Entertaining track. Eazy really shows how charismatic he can be. Fantastic. 5/5 If It Ain't Ruff Love the funky sample. The first verse has a very dancy old school delivery. Fun to move to. Many of the lines are kinda corny, but it works with the delivery so it barely matters. Great. 4.5/5 Parental Discretion Iz Adviced Great bass sample. Dre shows his potential on his verse, it's cleverly written and really solidly performed. Ren is kinda underappreciated, he provides an entirely different energy than the rest of the group making for some nice variety. Good. 4/5 8 Ball - Remix The beat is kinda chaotic. The first verse is really funny, has some great imagery. Very tongue in cheek and entertaining. That Eazy-E is a very charismatic fella, eh? Great. 4.5/5 Something Like That It's not overly serious which I really appreciate. Easy to follow and fun to listen to. Wouldn't call it especially impressive, but remains a good time none the less. Ren And Dre have great synergy and work really well on the beat. Good. 4/5 Express Yourself Another classic track, that still gets some airtime today. Amazing vocal sample, changes its meaning when put into this context. It's still oddly positive. Some of the bars are a bit dumb. Great concept. 4.5/5 Compton's N The House Doesn't hit as hard as the previous tracks. The diss kinda sucks. I feel the performances are a bit flat and the beat is a bit boring. Fine. 3/5 I Ain't Tha 1 Yeah this is kinda fun. The beat really fits with Ice Cube's delivery. A concept as old as time. It's dumb as hell, but it's kinda humorous as well. "Milk Ice Cube like cereal" is a really corny bar yet it still somehow works. Its contents do stray onto the mysogonistic side, but it feels really exaggarated. Feels like it's meant to be entertaining, not actual commentary. 4.5/5 Dopeman Was not expecting this. A fun twist on an anti drug anthem, more specifically anti crack. It's actually kinda cool to hear from these guys. It's maybe a bit obnxious, but I audibly laughed at the ridiculousness of some of the bars on this. It's a fun track, all be it a bit dated. The storytelling remains kinda iffy at times. Good. 4/5 Quiet On Tha Set Love the energy of the beat. Feels really funky. Great sampling. Ren's rapping style remains fun and bouncy while never losing the credibility of his persona. Not spectacular, but still pretty good. Decent. 3.5/5 Something 2 Dance 2 Definitely something to dance to. Incredibly bouncy and fun. Love that they don't always take themselves too seriously. It's a great way to end the album, shows a lot of personality. Good. 4/5 Some of this has aged well, some of it has aged a bit too well and some of it hasn't aged well at all. I'll be the first to admit that my outside perspective on American socio-political issues doesn't really hold much relevancy as a white European. Though from what I can understand the racial tensions in the large cities in America made it so that young black people needed an outlet to make their perspective heard. This album I feel, becomes one of those outlets, taking serious topics such as police violence, profiling, the allure of drugs and self expression and putting it into a radical and prococative context. The messaging is delivered entertainingly with a lot of character and flair and while its lyrics are sometimes a bit problematic they sure as hell are effective. Yes as with most gangsta rap there's misogyny, there's homophobia and it's also aggressive and violent which I totally get is offensive. And while I'm sure they probably held some of those outdated views, I have a feeling a lot of it is made exaggerated for shock factor and to be perceived as edgy. Despite this it suceeds in being really entertaining. It has fun deliveries, that even though they may sound corny as hell today kinda shows a charming side to hip hop that is almost extinct in today's game. It's produced really well, with awesome sampling and well timed chops. I'm also very impressed with the characters they portray throughout, all of them charming in some way. I can picture them having a lot of fun in the studio coming up with their personalities and quips. Speaking of quips, the members have great chemistry with one another, making the group's eventual downfall feel a bit sad in context. Lyrically they work well together, filling in with fresh energy for when it's needed. I would say it does get a bit repetitive listening to guns, cars, money and women a lot of the time, and there are definitely bars that make me cringe here and there. But overall I'd say it's a good time, though I do get how some of the flaws could be hard to get over for some. 4/5 Fave track. Fuck Tha Police

I don't have the faintest clue what this is. Doesn't exactly read as inspiring, but I don't have any good reasons to be negative about it. Could always be a hidden gem. Jackie I don't know what I expected, but it was not this. The instrumental sounds kinda flat. It's different at least. Kinda dislike the lyrics. The vocal style feels kinda manufactured. Average. 2.5/5 Best Of Both Worlds Intensly boring. He's a fairly talented singer, but lacks any personality or charm. Generic 60s crooing with an overbearing instrumental. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Black Sheep Boy I appreciate the guitar. I don't understand why they felt the need to insert strings here, feels completely hamfisted and unecessesary. Lacks subtelty. Still hate the vocals. Did not like. 2/5 The Amorous Humphrey Plugg Clunky. Hard to get invested in. Tells of an idealized lifestyle that's difficult to relate to. Instrumentally it feels pretty much thr same as the first few tracks, really samey. Did not like. 2/5 Next The theatrical nature of the track is kinda compelling. The more spoken word style is pretty cool at times. Awful lyrics at points. Has some haunting qualities to it. Fine. 3/5 The Girls From The Streets Approaching self parody territory with the vocals. There's some pretty alright writing here. The lyrics have some effective imagery here and there and the instrumental has a bit of variety to it which is a huge improvement from the last few tracks. Generally kinda boring though. Average. 2.5/5 Plastic Palace People Inoffensive. Still dislike the vocal style. The lyrics are somewhat interesting, though I am confused to what is actually happening. The effect on the vocals don't give the intended vibe, just makes him sound creepy. Instrumentally it gets chaotic at times, but never really strays away from the album's formula. Average. 2.5/5 Wait Until Dark Forgettable. Can't say there's anything here that stands out. Did not like. 2/5 The Girls And The Dogs Annoying rhyme scheme. Annoying lyrics. Annoying concept. Torture chamber circus music. Awful. 1/5 Windows Of The World I guess it's pleasant at least. Insanely cliche. Bores me to sleep. Did not like. 2/5 The Bridge It's too much. Feels like a repeat. Lacks any personality or differentiating factor. Did not like. 2/5 Come Next Spring An absolutely nothing song to end off an absolutely nothing album. Got nothing to say. Did not like. 2/5 A slog to get through. Don't understand the appeal at all. Incredibly boring to the point where I'm struggling to find anything to talk about. I guess there's something to be said about his voice which is objectively pretty alright, though I still don't like the vocal style so it doesn't really help. There's very little here that's outright bad though, it rarely strays into unpleasant territory musically, though the lyrics can have a tendency to worsen the experience with dated language and strange expressions. Don't have much more to say. Would rather just forget this exists. 2/5