It was not my first listen, but I wasn't that familiar with it either. The vibes alone were enough to coast on, but from a songwriting perspective, there is also a lot to appreciate. I enjoy the sometimes diverse arrangements, whilst it also sits very firmly in its own style and genre.
This was not an enjoyable listen. It was at least interesting to hear a version of "In The Pines" with all of the pathos sucked out of it. I only made it through half of the album but it seemed to consist of very limited chord patterns (don't think they managed any chords other than I, IV, V). I can't fathom how this wasn't derivative even for its time unless they invented the D chord or something. I struggle to pay attention to lyrics but it seems to be a series of - well - tragic tales. It basically amounts to True Crime in a musical format.
You can tell from the album cover that they do not go with the flow!
I had an OK time listening to this album. I have never liked this genre much as I'm more of a melody/harmony enjoyer than an energy/evocation appreciator.
Vocals are good and they are impressively consistent. The few melodic vocal parts help pace it out and offer some respite from the shoutin'. There's something to be said about how honest and genuine the lyrics are, even if I wasn't sold on how it was articulated.
In "Think Again" it was interesting how the bass guitar came in and out of the mix and was an interesting way to vary the dynamics.
Again, I haven't listened to much punk, but I struggle to see how this would have pushed the envelope in any way.
I am already very familiar with this album and I love it to bits.
River Man was my introduction to Nick Drake whilst studying odd time signatures and I am still amazed at how smooth the song feels despite that. Also there are simply no string parts like in River Man.
I can see the album lacking variety for some people but to me it's perfect.
I particularly love Man in a Shed for its vibe and especially those little bent notes that jump up.
I really vibed and a-grooved with the first four or five songs but the rest was quite forgettable for me. That being said, I still think it's a decent album, just not my thing. Weirdly, out of all the catchy, advert-friendly, corona-selling tunes that Black Keys have under their belts it's always Next Girl that gets stuck in my head for some reason. I really like that song for its tempo and plodding riff (or what my partner describes as "bluesy big-dick energy").
Leonard Cohen possessed the ultimate amount of gravitas. His voice is the opposite of a dog whistle. The album was extremely consistent throughout with its gospel and American folk influences. The two genres almost clash in the way that some songs alternate between gospel harmonies and 12-bar blues chord progressions. This helped to outline the clear religious turmoil prevalent throughout the album. Not something I, with my staunch religious views, can understand or relate to. The only song I had heard before was You Want It Darker which kicks off the effective use of unsettling minor chords which resolve into uplifting/biblical cadences.
The incredibly short album made me feel like I had just spent a month on my deathbed. Cohen had a vibe and a message that he wanted to convey with this album and I don't think he could have done it any better so it gets five bags of popcorn from me.
This album gives great examples of Steely Dan's pure and effortless mastery of music and their instruments. This was great to jam along to on guitar as well. It's not as interesting as the other Steely Dan albums I have listened to. Apparently, they were going for a slightly more pop-friendly track listing.
A mostly forgettable album for me but I can't deny the masterful songwriting techniques, plus the production feels so massive its like a blockbuster movie of an album. I zoned out for the most part but I would sometimes get pulled back in by some really cool string sections or chord progressions. The obvious highlight is Son of a Preacher Man, but I couldn't help but feel that Dusty just isn't the right person to sing it. (I later learned that it was originally written for Aretha Franklin whose version you can listen to but the arrangement is unfortunately lacking in comparison)
Something as raw and repetitive as this really can't hold my attention. I appreciate how raw and vulnerable the album is and there are a lot of cool ideas, especially rhythmically. I think I would resonate with PJ's other work so I'll be sure to check out perhaps her first and latest.
This comes at the tail end of a very prolific era for Radiohead as this is the third album in four years. In a way it can feel like the last few drips squeezed out of a sponge, or rather it's the least crowd-pleasing of the bunch (still managed to reach number 1 on the UK Albums Chart). Consistingly almost entirely of their slower synthy sad style of songs. I'd say it's just as good as anything that they come out with but it requires a certain mood and lacks diversity of sound and feel.
I can't not give this 5 stars as this is one of THEE formative albums of teenage years and all of the Frusciante-era Chili Peppers music still inspires (or rather dictates) my songwriting and playing today. It's long (apologies to any RHCP haters, but at least it's not Stadium Arcadium), but every song has its place and rates between great and perfect. Sir Psycho Sexy becomes tiresome until the great instrumental that takes up a huge chunk of it, but that barely makes a dent in the overall quality of this album. You could also criticise Keidis' lyrics, but the songs have clear personal meaning before he goes full-on "binga bong bangifornia" in the later years. The musicianship is impeccable throughout, I'm not sure that the sheer musical chemistry that this outfit had throughout this era up until Stadium Arcadium has ever been beaten.
I don't even need to listen to this one as it is one of my favourites of all time. The highlights are of such high quality, especially Do You Realise which is one of the few songs I can really emotionally connect to. Fight Test stands on its own as a great song, even if Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) is making 75% of the royalties due to its similarity to Father and Son. And of course the titular song is always on my mind as i used to perform it often and still teach it in guitar lessons. Everything else carries an immaculate vibe that shows the power of when the musical chemistry and inspiration hit just right. Looking forward to seeing this performed live in full this coming May.
I followed the requirements set forth by the title but I don't think it made any difference.
A mixed bag both musically and production-wise where punchier mixes could elevate certain sections but it could also all get lost in the muddiness. I'm usually not a stickler for vocal types but I don't take to Skin (OBE)'s style very much, even though she is clearly a very talented singer.
The heavier songs left me thinking I would have loved this as a teen and then lamented my bygone youth while I sat there stony faced and partially grey-haired listening to all the energy that Skunk Anansie had to spare. There is such a bizarre air of late 90s britpop prevalent that it made me nostalgic but in a bad way. The songs really start to melt into each other, especially the slower ones that begin to resemble Smooth fm ballads. This could have been much shorter and nothing would have been lost.
Classic brilliant ground-breaking stuff. Great to listen to but this TYPE of prog never really resonates with me in any deeper way than just enjoyable listening.
My rating of In The Court Of The Crimson King basically applies to this album as well. I think I prefer this one though, Rush have a really great way of doing upbeat sounding prog and it just sticks in the mind more. The album as a whole has more memorable riffs and is more consistent.
Loved the intro to this which overpromised slightly on the rest of the album. The songs are good and have great arrangements. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold my attention and began to melt together.
Not the sort of thing I would actively seek to listen to but, I was absent mindedly headbanging to a stupid level of intensity to this entire album.
This is musically quite brilliant. The live takes, along with the tape sounds and effects make it feel very organic. Unfortunately a lot of the singing sounded very out of tune, I can see why Moon in June was the last song they ever wrote with lyrics.The album as a whole isn't very coherent, probably due to the fact that it was recorded over a period where the members changed around. It really feels more like a compilation of some recordings and ideas that they had either edited together or turned into medleys. There were sections which I felt were downright unpleasant to listen to whilst others were a blast.
I loved Beetlebum and Song 2 is a primary school CLASSIC but, none of the rest of the album ever got its hooks into me. I'll always pick them over Oasis in the Great Debate and I really appreciate their style and creativity.
I have never heard of/noticed this band before but I really enjoyed this album. It is very of its time, which is to its merit and its detriment. They have the deft use of harmonic composition of The Beatles, the progressive inclinations of Focus, and the vocal effects and melodies of Led Zeppelin amongst others. But a lot of it just sounds like 70s "stuff" and its hard to separate it from a lot of the mainstream stuff of the era.
This rates about 8/10 on the absent-mindedly headbopping scale. Jump is such a boppy, feel-good song and an excellent opening track. The guitar riffs are great, and very creative, considering some of the tunings that Van Halen uses here. The album can feel a bit too guitar-heavy (I know, it's Van Halen) in terms of arrangement and the mix, overshadowing everything by a lot. Having said that, when there's no guitar, its no good. The stuff after Hot For Teacher is weak and forgettable but that takes quite a while to happen.
This feels like a continuation of the second Raconteurs album, which I love, but it doesn't hit quite the same way. I think it's the usual Jack White stuff but minus some other components that make me love his projects.
This had a pleasant and primising opening. I can never emotionally connect with the storytelling style of lyrics that are this heavily "folky". The dynamics were notable in the arrangements where the lulls led to satisfying crescendos and then back down to a chill vocal-heavy section. I have heard other versions of some of these songs before but these might be my favourite. Tam Lin is such a meandering tale, my god. D.N.F. last song
Flawless groovy musical shit
