Not a blues guy personally but this was easy listening

Love this one. A fantastic send off for Bowie. He recorded this as he was dying of cancer of the liver. The whole vibe reflects it, but he still manages to keep his sound interesting and experimental despite the pall over the whole affair. I prefer his previous album before this one, The Next Day since it has a few more radio friendly tunes, but Blackstar is still really special. Highlight for me was Lazarus.

Bring it on Home to Me, what a fucking tune. Covered by the Animals and Jimmy Barnes, but I’ve never heard Cooke’s live version before. It sounds amazing (not withstanding the long as shit call and response lead in). You can hear from the hysterical crowd how completely he commands that room. As a relic of that era’s soul scene this is clearly an important listen. It’s not enough to make me a full fledged soul convert, but I’d gladly ‘twist’ to Feel It (Don’t Fight It) at the next sock hop; segregation be damned.

As a wise man once said: “Live albums are always a good time”. I couldn’t agree more. Though I’ve never totally bought into Nirvana, their pull is undeniable. At this album’s best, you get some of the most emotionally raw music ever recorded (All Apologies into Where Did You Sleep Last Night - holy shit what a closing combo). But at their worst, you get Kurt Cobain singing so far beyond his vocal range it physically hurts to hear. Deeply unpleasant at times. Listening to this Unplugged album I was surprised at how few of the band’s mega hits are present (Obviously Come as You Are is amazing). But, it’s a great opportunity to hear the band’s classic sound stripped of its distortion and wailing vocals. You get way more of a sense of Cobain as a songwriter from his warm growling vocals. There is a lot to love about this live album. As a snapshot of one of the most iconic bands at the height of their power, it’s a remarkable record. For my money perhaps one of the greatest covers of all time in Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World. I’d put Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt a notch above it though. A high 4 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was not an easy listen. The rock n’roll counter culture of the 60’s has never made so much sense when forced to sit through this. For me it just doesn’t resonate. I think the biggest obstacle is that I don’t understand what the music is trying to make me feel. Each number is indistinguishable from the other in terms of quality. This just ain’t it.

Enjoyable 2000’s indie Brit rock with some echoes of the Smiths. I much prefer their contemporaries like the Arctic Monkeys, but here the sound is a bit more raw and immediate. Highlight for me was the opener, Can’t Stand Me Now. This one will definitely get a few repeat listens from me, but I didn’t quite click with the rest of the album. A low three for me ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Wow, what an absolute joy this album was to listen to. Double LPs are always bloated and self-indulgent - and the same does apply in Stevie’s case. But the pacing here is so strong, and the bangers so well placed that they mostly stave off the exhaustion. Yes, the tunes are just that strong. On first listen it’s genuinely difficult to pick a favourite side let alone song. Side 1 and 2 feel more concise and focused, whereas Stevie kind of just loosens up and takes the listener on a long groovy journey towards the end. If like me you’ve given yourself over to the groove by side 4, you’re going you have a hell of time. A high 4 for me on first listen but would not be surprised to graduate that to a 5 if I find myself returning to this one. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

As a huge fan of Springsteen’s Nebraska it was very cool getting to listen to the blueprint Nelson laid down in the Red Headed Stranger. For me, this is country at its best. Melancholy lyrics sung with enough reverb to make you think old Nelson was the last man on Earth. Nelson’s songs evoke vivid images of empty abodes and bustling old west saloons. While not my favourite genre, there’s certainly a lot to appreciate here in Nelson as a singer and songwriter. Three stars ✨

Punk music seemingly about the tedium of everyday life. Some fun grooves, and a bit of experimentation with sound, but not much here to excite. I’d take the Clash any day. Two stars for me ⭐️ ⭐️

God what a fun album. Full of excitement, soaring synths, and just plain cool songs. The spirit of the 80’s is on full display here and the highs are just so damn high. Duran Duran caught a bit of flack from their contemporaries for being a pop consumerist band (looking at you Robert Smith). But I don’t think that’s entirely fair. The song writing isn’t particularly deep, but I think that misses the point of a band like Duran Duran. Music should be fun, and make you want to sing and dance along. This isn’t fine art, but it’s damn good music. Surprise favourite for me is Save a Prayer. Something slightly haunting about the chorus in this one that resonates I love me some melancholy pop music. With decent pacing throughout Rio I feel good about low 4 stars for the album. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m not a pop guy so this was a bit of a labour to listen to for me. Xtina is undeniably a talent with that voice, and I can’t help but feel that talent is wasted in the pop genre when listening to rock infused tracks like Fighter. In any case, the hits hit hard, but as with many pop artists of this era the rest of the album feels less intentional and more like a vehicle to sell those hits. A very ‘Dirty’ two stars for Xtina. ⭐️⭐️

One has to wonder how an album like this would play today. Michael’s allusions to fathers, teachers, and preachers as stand ins for sexual partners are clearly intentional, which makes the whole affair a bit ‘iffy’. The production has held up nicely, and there’s clearly a bit of fun to be had here and there; however, the whole thing starts to get a bit weary by the time Michael’s simulated sex sounds arrive in the overlong I Want Your Sex. Michael clearly did a good job here at relating his own personal coming of age struggles with sexuality and God, and for his effectiveness in an often shallow genre I give Faith a soft 3 ✨

Nothing on this album really stuck out to me on first listen, but I can’t say the experience was entirely unremarkable. The songs just aren’t overly catchy or impressionable, but the social commentary at least feels important. To those that came of age in a world already thoroughly ‘Americanised’ it’s easy to forget about the cultural rebellions in our own backyards. So there’s a British sense of humour through each track that takes aim at those changing times. Which is all well and good, and necessary even. But I do struggle a bit to find the joy in the listening experience. There are no bad songs by any means (The closest I got to connecting with the music was Colin Zeal), but the sarcasm on display here just makes it all feel a little bit like being on the outside of an ‘in joke’. All that said, there may be more than meets the eye here on repeated listens as the arrangements are interesting and the guitar work is impressive. A light three stars ✨

I admire the musicians in this band for their technical prowess at each of their respective instruments. The hallmarks of a competent prog rock album are all here in Fragile, but accessibility to the listener remains an issue. An album like this requires patience from its audience. After the frenetic energy of Roundabout to open, there’s a good 30 minutes of slow moving soundscapes that are beautiful, but don’t really go anywhere. That is until the stellar conclusion in Heart of the Sunrise. So I can’t in good conscience give Fragile anything higher than 2 stars no matter how much I admire the skill and musicianship on display. ⭐️⭐️

Holy hell, what an absolute barn burner of a record. Having never heard of ‘Big Black’, I came into the listening experience with a fair bit of trepidation. But boy what a blast. From the opening guitar scratch of ‘Jordan, Minnesota’ you just know you’re in for something violent - and once you key into the lyrics, the real horror show begins. This is an album that never lets up, and leaves nothing unsaid about life’s deepest miseries. This is a hateful and dark record; but you never get the sense that the songs have an agenda or something to rail against. They’re just screaming into the abyss. A rough as guts listen, but compelling as hell. A very easy Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There are all kinds of sounds in this world, but maybe it’s not a good idea to throw them all together at once in the pursuit of something interesting to try dance to. This was fucking diabolical. Not my jam at all. Completely untethered from anything approaching enjoyable listening. A disjointed, obnoxious mess of noise ⭐️

I liked this album a whole lot when I first heard it over a decade ago, but admittedly it hasn’t had much play time for me over the years. Dummy is equal parts haunting, mysterious, spooky, and disquieting. The music is effective, and retains a distinct identity in the trip-hop genre 30 years after release. However, Portishead offers little breathing room for the listener over Dummy’s runtime. The band’s sound can leave the listener searching for diversity amid the onslaught of record scratches and blips. Thankfully, Glory Box is there to blow the lid off the building tension on the album’s close. (And what a finale it is). Dummy’s themes have always gone a bit over my head, but I feel the album does such an efficient job of marrying Beth Gibbons’ vocals with the cold and oppressive soundscapes that you kind of get the idea anyway. By no means a genre I’m comfortable with, but Dummy scratches by with 4/5

First off, check out that album art would ya. Isn’t it heinous? None of them look happy to be stuffed into that tiny helicopter. Come on guys, it’s only 1976! And you’ve just released an album with some of your biggest hits ever - far worse times are ahead for each of you, believe me. Also isn’t it weird to name a record ‘Arrival’ when you’ve already released a steady stream of chart toppers like Waterloo, SOS, and Mamma Mia? I’m pretty sure ABBA ‘arrived’ sometime around their Eurovision win in 1974. “But is the music any good?” I hear you say? Irrelevant. This is ABBA. The drunken gen Zers belting out Dancing Queen in the streets as you make your way home from a big night out renders that conversation meaningless. Money, Money, Money, Fernando - the songs on this album will endure long after we’re gone for the simple fact that they are brilliant, joyous pop music. However, if I’m ever choosing to put on an ABBA record, it’s certainly not one that opens with a playful dalliance between a teacher and smitten student. Arrival definitely shows its age here and there. And, also, what the hell was that Hawaii tribute as the closing track?? The listing of these songs sometimes felt entirely random. But hey, this is ABBA we’re talking. They’re getting decent marks. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adore this album. Is it overrated? Oh yes, most definitely. But you can’t deny its impact on the punk, indie, metal, and art-rock scenes that came after. Even putting to one side this record’s place in rock history, you’re still left with some phenomenal music. I truly love how the songs capture the imagery of the 60’s, from the naive adolescence of All Tomorrow’s Parties, to the mass proliferation of recreational drug use in tracks like Heroin and Waiting for my Man. At it’s best this record is straight up transporting to listen to. On the negative side, I never had much time for the album’s closing tracks, but I’ve actually found it hits differently years later. The VU were experimenters, and there’s something sweet about listening to a band just let loose and jam out for a bit like they do on European Son. Of course, it borders on being overindulgent (figures like Lou Reed are after all synonymous with pretension), but on this album you can’t deny the authenticity of the music. Perhaps that is what keeps records like this relevant today. 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is a really nice album. I don’t really have a bad word to say about it; however, it doesn’t really meet the heights of their self-titled debut. To an extent I think some of the disappointment I feel with these songs is that the XX don’t seem to have demonstrated any notable growth or evolution in their sound since 2010. I See You is no doubt super easy listening, and tracks like ‘On Hold’ are stunners of course, but for me it falls short of the kind of excellence I’m searching for to really fall for a band like this. Three stars ✨

All style little substance. An incredibly talented bunch to be sure. Breaking new ground in guitar wizardry and stadium rock production. But this whole album didn’t really resonate for me. I appreciate the lean runtime, but even at that, the high octane energy of those guitars and Lee-Roth’s yelping ‘aww yeyahhhs’ feels totally overwhelming by the end. Two stars ⭐️⭐️

At first I was struck by the gentleness of the music, but then the vibrato. That godawful vibrato. Some people dig it. I do not. Which is a real shame because musically I find myself enjoying a lot of peaceful sounds Anohni explores on this record. I especially enjoyed the contrasting of the lead vocals against Lou Reed’s grizzled tones. But that’s about all of interest here - I don’t feel compelled to come back for more. Two stars for me ⭐️⭐️

It took me a long time to come around on Nirvana. Outside of the catchy singles like Teen Spirit and Come as you are, I thought it was all just noise and angst. But I was wrong. Coming back to Nevermind after so many years there’s just so much to admire in the composition of these songs. Even tracks like Territorial Pissings have really grown on me. As a package this album is utterly excellent. Maybe a track or two shy of being faultless. But this album will forever have a permanent place in my rotation. Five grungy stars for Nevermind 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

This a busy album, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t put a smile on my face. There’s a lot going on in the production, and it can be overwhelming at times, but the tracks are bright and infectious. Personal favourite for me was Wild West Hero. If anything it’s nice to delve just a bit deeper into ELO’s catalogue and be pleasantly rewarded, rather than listen to the same four or five of their overplayed radio staples that kind of do my head in a bit. ✨

It’s difficult to pass judgment on an album like this after only having listened to it a handful of times. Dylan has laid out a soundtrack to the disintegration of a long standing relationship that is so rich with personal experience that it demands patience to fully appreciate, and to perhaps come to relate to what he’s going through. There’s so much to unpack, but the themes of regret throughout the record are most prominent on my personal favourite ‘Simple Twist of Fate’. It’s a slow and contemplative album, but Dylan’s talent for storytelling is as strong as it ever has been here on tracks like ‘Jack of Hearts’ and ‘Tangled up in Blue’. I’d be happy to revisit this album to see if it hits differently after spending some time with it. For now I give it a high three stars ✨

Excuse I, while jam out to this very chill album! I’ve never considered myself a reggae fan, but the vibe here is simply undeniable. These songs hit so hard - I especially admire the way each track flows seamlessly into the next, making the whole affair feel like one big punky reggae party. And to finish with the ‘one two’ punch of Three Little Birds and One Love? Just gorgeous. This whole record satisfies a very niche itch I never knew I had. I know I’ll be back.