There's absolutely nothing wrong with bare bones punk rock. It's always interesting to go back and listen to these kinds of albums that went on to influence a generation of music and beyond. I like the grunge licks and simple lyrics (e.g. "I wanna sniff some glue").
Synthy and dancey. HLAW is a certified banger for me and always will be. The album artwork is also sick as hell -- would kinda make a cool tattoo.
Classic hair metal album. There was so much of the same music coming out at the time of this album so it was definitely difficult to design any record with heavy metal riffs, catchy phrase lyrics AND be unique at the same time. VH set themselves apart with their vocal sound and, of course, the face melting guitar solos. This album crushes it for me all day. Whether I'm on my way to work or slicing another Titleist from the tee box, I'm belting RWTD.
such a sick album. I had no clue that the main riff for YYZ is actually Morse code for "YYZ" -- the airport code for their native Canada airport.
After 3 listens all the way through: not really my jam.
It has some cool sound bytes spread throughout that are funky and might fit well in an indie flick. However, the concept hasn't really landed on me in a meaningful enough way to have appreciation for the work. Maybe it's just supposed to be super drugged up and jagged-edged and perhaps I'm just missing the point (wouldn't be the first time). For now, it's a 'no' from me.
I've read a lot of negative reviews for this album being simply too Elton John-y. I'm not a regular listener of Elton's work either but I think the wrap this album gets doesn't lend much of any credit that it's due. While I don't think it necessarily deserves high critical acclaim for lyricism or concept, I do think it's a pretty killer track list. What I'd say it has going for it is belt-ability. If you don't sing the chorus of Tiny Dancer at top volume any time it's on, I'm thinking one of two things, you're either completely tone deaf or you're a clinical psychopath. Maybe that's just me but that tune absolutely slaps. To be fair, most critics of this album ultimately give credit to the one hit single.
Credit is also due for Levon.
I like what she’s trying to do with this but I find Xtina a bit tired. I think it’s just her singing style is both powerful and unique in certain ways that it’s incredibly hard to apply it to different genres of music which is clearly the intention with this album. 2.5 stars for me.
Oddly, I actually like this. It started out as very 90s punk/almost jam-bandy at times which I don't always have taste for. But this is different in some way that I can't quite put my finger on. It's like a meld of R.E.M. and Soundgarden.
Despite some negative reviews, I like this one.
It's not on Spotify and I only bothered to listen to a few songs on YouTube so I honestly didn't get much from this. The songs I did listen to were interesting but not all that "good". I put quotations here because there are obviously two categories of what "good" is -- subjective and objective.
This album I found was not subjectively good to me. Again, I didn't listen to much of it so I don't like to pass it off as all the way "bad".
I'll have to return to it at some point to really give it a good listen.
I LOVE this album. Each song has this slow buildup before an absolutely rocking chorus that makes me feel like I'm driving with the windows down on a summer night. Everything from the vocals (lead and backup), lyrics, comp, instruments, EVERYthing just works on this album for me. They remind me a tiny bit of The Killers (who I also love).
Rarely do I add an entire album to a playlist but this one belongs on my "Kicking ass at life" list because that's just how it makes me feel.
I found this one interesting especially as I'd never heard of the band or their work before. My first listen was early in the morning and I didn't find it enjoyable mainly because the vocals were a bit too chaotic. I tried again from the top later on with an open mind and... again the vocals were throwing me off. The ~music~ was actually good from the composition and lyrics to hooks and melodies, etc. However, the lead vocal sound is super whipped and forced and not tailored well around the lead's vocal strengths. Maybe that's the point?
This album stomps. After listening through once it started to dawn on me just how influential this album has been on music as a whole and, by inheritance, my taste and moving experience.
I'm not a very learned critic so I'm not at all eloquent when it comes to articulating what it is that makes music "good" or "bad". But, what I can say for sure is that it's this kind of music that serves and has served the masses beyond the here and now.
I had a glowing review written up that I guess I didn’t save… great fucking album. I think that sums it up.
Such a sick album. It does two distinctly difficult things very well. The first is construct a story and illustrate multiple themes through MUSIC. Lots of artists attempt this, very few do it well. The second is age. For me, someone who did not grow up in Queens, NY or share hardly any of the experiences that Nas talks about on the album, I find that I learn something new about his life, culture, influence, etc. with each listen. This being his debut album goes to show how much passion and thought he has with his music which makes this such a banger for me.
Very melancholic. I liked it but it’s for very specific listening environments.
Hard not to groove. I think what's great about this album is that it's simple. There's no complex scheme or composition, there's no lyrics to analyze, there's no crazy history involved (that I know of). It's just pop, rock and blues instrumentals to jam and vibe to.
Good. I find her a bit annoying to be honest. I can appreciate the significance of her music.
I like it. It reminds me of Bread (the band, not the food) which I got into during Covid to help with my anxiety. It's literally so chill and mellow it pairs perfectly with a glass of wine and your two best friends -- that is only if super chill nights with your friends is something you enjoy.
I might have heard of the band in passing before but I'd never been formerly introduced to any of their music. During the first listen, I found the sound and composition interesting. I enjoyed the somewhat punchy bass and percussion lines accompanied by the melodic cast of instruments throughout the album.
I found the vocals to be much pickier but only on certain songs. Squares and Al Sharp start the album off with a vibrant range of notes but others like Gone, Dragon and Broke seemed to stagnate on the same baritone plane. That's not to say they're not good songs in their own ways but each song seemed to be filled out in different ways.
I really enjoyed this album. Bonny rocks
