Only Beck album I had heard before was Sea Change. That's a record I loved from the first listen. Not the case here. I like a lot of it, very interesting mix of styles and use of textures and loops, but unfortunately sometimes this happens at the expense of the song. That said, when it's good it's great (and when it's not great it makes me want to watch that episode of Futurama). Would give 3.5 stars if possible.
Favourite tunes: E-Pro, Girl, Earthquake Weather, Send a Message to Her.
I once read that Aretha was the only singer who was able to move between church and secular music while being accepted by both, - not just because her father was a Reverend but because she was so talented.This album proves it, and benefits from the two worlds. An incredible mix of gospel with blues and soul, great arrangements, incredible guitar playing. The voice isn't bad either.
Favourite tunes: Soul Serenade, Good Times, I Never Loved a Man, RESPEC...
A record on a higher plane. A double album of Hendrix being an absolute pioneer and a force of nature. Reaching cosmic heights while channeling the best energy of his time. Genuinely transformative guitar playing.
Favourite tunes: Crosstown Traffic, House Burning Down, Gypsy Eyes, ...Slight Return, All Along the Watchtower.
More like A Night At The Vaudeville. Okay, it's Queen... we expect campness but some of it veered a little to close to cheesy for my taste. Still, even this is incredibly well executed. As for the rest; a great record. Some burning guitars and Freddy magic. Also let's be fair, it has Bohemian Rhapsody.
Favourite tunes (aside from the obvious):
Death on Two Legs, '39, Sweet Lady.
Rush of blood to the head and nowhere else... this is flacid music. It's not even that bad, it's worse. It's fine. Its nothing. It's middle class wallpaper. Music for accounts. I thought it was their first album until I was finished. Where's the progression? They became like diet Radiohead as well as diet Oasis?
There's some okay guitar parts and In My Place is fun to play in a cover band but there's not much else.
I was a teenager in the early '00s and had spent my childhood listening to my dad's old punk albums (and the Undertones were particular favourites). No shock that this record is a seminal one for me. The same energy but by a band who were still young. Punk, but for mt generation. It really was one of the defining albums of my youth and it still hold ups. I still love those drums and the bass lines, and I still know all the words. A perfect adolescent album, made more impressive by the fact that he recorded all the vocals in little over a weekend in his early twenties.
Favourite tunes: Burn Out, She, When I Come Around, Welcome to Paradise
The '80s production got pretty tiresome but overall it's actually a very good pop album. Obviously the singles are classics and her voice is its own thing but quite a few other bangers on there too.
Favourite tunes: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Witness, Money Changes Everything
At first I thought it was as if Nine Inch Nails were a Britpop band (in a good way), but in the end it was just Bob Mould doing a commercial imitation of bands he influenced. Not terrible but not memorable, and certainly wouldn't be on this list if it wasn't for the great Hüsker Dü.
Half of the album is really cool, quite atmospheric and almost ambient with really interesting textures. The other half veers more into Incubus meets Radiohead territory, not bad but not so compelling. Enjoyable listen but won't be rushing back to it.
Already a huge favourite of mine, with one of the greatest opening tracks of all time. Excellent in the pocket proto-prog. Little bit far out at times, but it's reaching for something special and catches it for the most part.
There was some nice guitar tones and interesting note choices, and a few good tunes buried in there but really... I have so many questions about this record.
Why is it a double album? Why is it on this list? Why listen to people sing about Skynyrd when you could just listen to them? If you want the balls to the wall punk stuff, go for Social Distortion. If you want the alt country thing, go for Hank Williams 3. If you want to listen to this flabby, indulgent, generic labyrinth, go fuck yourself.
Incredible record. Some of the best Electronic music I've ever heard. Those beats and the production mixed with the vocals and guitar... it's an album I will return to for sure.
Very cool Latin rock mix. Little bit generic and verging on cheesy at times, but for the most part a really interesting and enjoyable listen. Super groovy and nice mix of languages - spoken and musical.
Always wondered what Ginger Baker did after Cream to justify that reputation and ego. Now I know. It's the world's greatest jam band and a blinding live record. Great banter from Fela between songs too. And that drum solo...
Very groovy album. Lifted my mood, transported my somewhere brighter. Great guitar parts. Not totally accessible because of my own ignorance but a very cool listen.
Was introduced to Can just a few months ago in a squat in Berlin. They've been on my list to check out again since so I was happy to see this album here, and at first I thought it was really worth the wait. Very strong start, thought it would be a 4 or even 5 star album. Cool tunes and vocals, and great guitar parts that clearly had a big influence over a lot if indie players since. Became very unfocused in the middle though, some interesting stuff but nothing cohesive. Okay again and the end, quite Dada-ist, but I felt some relief when it was all over.
I've always been a hard line disco sucks punk fan, and this album doesn't change that. It's full of cheese and the songs aren't always there, but the pocket is undeniable. Nile is a beast of course and the bass lines are huge. It hasn't converted me but I do have huge admiration and respect for the musicianship. More funk less gloss, then it'd be something special.
Tell me you have adhd without telling me.
It'd a shame because there are some great moments on this record, but it's equal parts great, goofy nonsense and absolute wank. If you cut out all the shite it could be a very good album, but the wacky stuff gets in the way, and this becomes increasingly annoying. Maybe that's the point, but makes it very hard to rate this highly as a cohesive work.
This issue with this app is that sometimes a day isn't enough to take in the albums. This is one such case. On first listen it's a strong three or four star record, but the more time you spend with it the more you get from it.
I love her early albums of course, but this is a masterpiece. Heavy, floating, ambiguous. Classic indefinable Jonie, on another level - it's an incredible mix of the greatest folk player with jazz giants. Nevermind Portrait of Tracy, this is Jaco's most sublime playing. Lary Carlton complimenting everything so perfectly too. A truly beautiful record.
Now that was a worthy record. Incredible. The album that elevated Nick Cave to the rare space occupied by Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. Almost like a haunting, heavy audio book - Bukowski meets Bret Easton Ellis, with perfect music/delivery and stunning vocals throughout. Great tongue in check ending, and an absolute treat to hear Shane McGowan take a line too.
Started off absolutely five stars and maybe dropped a little by the end, but full of good stuff. Great writing, great playing, amazing vocals.
Starts with Thunder Road. 6 stars!
Fun Fact: Bruce traced his Irish ancestry to a small village called Rathangan. It's where I went to school. During his last tour he visited the area, drank a Guinness in our local bar and sang a tune. What a man.
Been meaning to listen to this record for a long time because it's always listed as a seminal hip hop album. Can totally see it. Maybe not as impactful now as it was then, but still a great listen. Great flow and delivery, and absolutely killer beats behind it. Of course I already knew the classics, but that last tune is a genuine anthem.
Surprised not to be giving this 5 stars, but just because some of its great doesn't mean all of it is. Some incredible moments and world class tunes, but also some moments where it fell into middle of the road soft rock. Blinding guitar playing throughout though.
Very good. Like, very very very very good.
It's not usually my thing, but listening objectively this is a really good record. Found the over use of soul vocal runs a little tiring and didn't love all the lyrics, particularly uncomfortable with Bad Religion... but beyond that it's a great performance with excellent musicianship and incredible production. Listen to Pyramid with good headphones, it's an experience. Also, Andre 3000's guitar solo, fuck me!
Didn't blow my mind as much as expected, but really nice atmospheric album. Great production and some very cool textures.
I never got the Kendick buzz, and I still don't.
Can't believe Jamiraquai don't suck
Have never listened to any Depeche Mode beyond the singles before. A but dated, but I can see why they have endured so well. Very cool, dark textured production and strong vocals. Didn't blow my mind but really liked the last few tunes especially.
I prefer his earlier stuff.
Loses one star for wankery self indulgence but there's some genuinely inspired guitar playing and very cool song structures.
So far this is my favourite recommended album that I hadn't already heard. Okay, not every single line is amazing but overall this is a fucking great modern hip hop record. Intelligent, conscious hip hop on a very high level. Great tracks, cool flow. Real shit!
Was this an important album at the time? It's definitely empowering and full of pride, but it hasn't aged well and falls short both of what it influenced and it's contempories.
Was already torn by a white hipster sampling so much black music, especially a slave song... but it did introduce lot of people to those tunes and it works very well. However, it really only works for a few songs. After a while, no matter how meticulous the production or how nice the builds, the constant looping becomes tiring and an hour long album feels worn out and a little heartless. Not terrible at all, but won't be rushing back.
Somewhere between Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne, and that's fine by me! Not all classics but a plot of really great tunes and great playing. Title track is an absolute killer.
The fun bits are still absolutely stonking! But there's less than 30 mins music on this record and some of it is lame.
Favourites: Shout it Out Loud, Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder.
The rest of the album isn't as immediate as the singles, but it really is a genre defining classic. Killer vocals, huge bass, incredible cool modal guitar playing. Had been meaning to listen to this record in full for a long time and it was worth doing so.
I don't think he needs the talk box... Great playing without it, especially on the last song. Sold tines throughout, totally see why it's such a revered live album.
Incredible. Truly great artist with an amazing voice, and a top tier band playing at their best. Great tunes and killer arrangements, will be returning to this one!
I was given this one the day after Brian died, so thought it was going to feel very significant... maybe there's still too much punk in me but I've never gotten the hype around Brian Wilson. Surely I'm missing something, I know those arrangements on Pet Sounds are incredible well thought out and the harmonis are beautiful... but it never grabbed me. And this? It sounds every bit of the long battle it took to make the record, in a bad way. It's ambitious for sure, but it feels to me like someone very consciously trying to create their magnum opus, getting in their own way and ultimately failing to realise it. It's a mess. Unfocused, indulgent, goofy, the lyrics and use of old tunes are very cheesy and all in all the songs just aren't there. Very talented man with an extremely difficult upbringing, but remove the mystique and this is little more than giving free reign of the studio to someone who would have been a great choir master.
At its best: ethereal, dreamy and textured with great layers and production.
At its wost: like someone is listening to britpop next door and you can sort of hear it through the wall.
So happy to see this album on the lost. Already a long time favourite of mine. Incredible wild, raw punk rock energy.
It's well executed but it's soft cheesy dad rock ang I got sick of it after the first few songs.
Starts off absolutely shit kicking psychedelic folk, but the end isn't a deep as he aimed for.
I have no idea, but if feels like this could be a later or more mature Bee Gees album? It's still very soft for my taste, but there's some objectively good stuff. Of course, those voices - but also lush production and some genuinely good songs.
Absolutely beastly. The most perfect shred album. Killer riffing and neo classical lead playing, without neglecting the songs themselves. People who constantly listen to Megadeth in comparison to Metallica will miss the full spectrum of this record, it has it's own world.
He's a creepy fucker... but just taking the record on its own, it still holds up. High quality, higly considered indie music.
One of the best Stones albums, which means it's one of the best rock n roll albums. A true classic. Mick Taylor era was the greatest Stones era. Incredible to have Dead Flowers, Wild Horses, Sway and Brown Sugar on the same record.
Not my favourite Bruce record, but still really good.
You're always going to have a certain standard with such an iconic band. That voice and those guitars are so recognisable, but honestly I found this a slightly underwhelming record. All quite good, but nothing stand out tune wise. Maybe it's a slow burn and would grow on me more with related listens, but I'm not super moved to play it again.
Had never heard of this album before and was really pleasantly surprised. Starts off swaggering and full of bravado, and then becomes melancholic and vulnerable. One of the more interesting rock records I've found here, some beautiful string arrangements too.
I'm a big fan of 00's indie and was happy to see the first such album pop up here... but this isn't the one. Lead singer has a good scream and the single is okay, but ultimately this feels very digital and manufactured. Starts off sounding like a commercial attempt at cashing in on a genre that was exploding at the time, and ends feeling like songs from a fictional teen movie about an indie band.
Amazing. One of the most beautiful, transcendent albums ever recorded. Incredible soloing on all instruments obviously, but stunning comping all the way through as well. Santana says when he enters a new hotel room on tour he plays this album to cleanse the energy, I totally get it.
Sometimes brilliant, sometimes boring.
WHAT A VOICE.
So cool to hear her being so playful with the lyrics too.
The pivot between his great early stuff and the bullshit rest of his career. The moment where Clapton becomes boring.
Of course there's some great guitar moments and the tone is beautiful, but overall this is a very average blues record.
It's cool, but a full album is a little bit too much Talking Heads.
Great record!! That's a band I'd love to have seen live.
Never heard of this record or artist before but I love it. So nice to hear some different scales. Thought it would lose marks for Imagine, but ut was actually a very cool cover. It's maybe not the most congruent album, but it's a varied and enjoyable ride.
It's only rock n roll but I fucking love it
A classic of the genre, but not limited by grunge
The Who are a top tier band, so of course the standard of performance is going to be good. But seriously? What the fuck. This is the reference point for when people parody concept albums right? There's some good moments but a double album? It's incredibly indulgent, repetitive and just not as interesting or high art as Pete Townsend was aiming for.
They could've just recorded the intro and Pinball Wizard and saved us the rest.
In the world of Nick Cave, Randy Newman, Tom Waits... a space I really like, but doesn't quite hold up for a whole record. Cool instrumentation and vocals, especially like the strings later on. Each song stands well alone but as a collection it loses some interest.
Did I detect... was there... was there Gamelan on that?
Best post rock record on here so far. Fantastic album.
It's finely executed and more interesting than disco, but this feels like a pivitol record in the move to soulless EDM music.
Some of it's great but some of it is Andy's Chest. First time listening to this record in full and it actually mainly makes me appreciate the other members in the Velvet Underground more.
Great classic hip hop, amazing use of sampling that would not be possible today because of copyright.
Surprised by how good this album is. Great songs and killer guitar playing all the way through.
Definitely not as good as I remember. Some classics, but it's right at the line between good indie and landfill indie. The vocals and guitar playing feel canned at times, and the bluesy elements seem half hearted, yet it's somehow enjoyable overall if you don't listen to closely.
It was a five star album until the Bob Dylan parody, and fuck that pretentious silent night shit at the end. But otherwise it is a genuinely stunning record with the most incredible harmonies and beautiful songs.
2 star person, 5 star album.
What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? It's a true classic: production, songwriting, performance all top tier.
Very hard to be objective because this is one of the biggest albums from my teenage years. Honestly, aside from wanting to dock some points for Anthony being a creep and the fucking horrible cringe lyrics on Sir Pyscho Sexy, it still holds up. It's the album where John steps out of Hillel's shadow and finds his own voice as a guitarist/artist and for that alone it's worth five stars.
Surprised by how good this is. Always thought Naci Griffith was middle of the road safety music but this album touches the top tier space of Emmy Lou. Really great music.
An absolute classic. Totally innovative and massively influential guitar playing and great tunes all the way through.
Still hits as hard as when I was 12, with the exception of some of the lyrics. But a true classic of its time.
Fucking shit yeah. Top tier big band shit
Somewhere between a good record and a great collection of short stories. I like it a lot.
There's some undeniable great moments. Obviously Prince is an incredibly talented multi-instrymentalist and his screams are equal to Sly's. Same when he really goes for the funk feel, and theres some killer (if a bitnover the top) guitar playing, but still... so much of this record leaves me not just underwhelmed but somehow annoyed? It's feels soft, contrived and ego driven. Maybe at the time it was interesting to push so much on the nose sexuality but the canned moans and the lyrics at the end of the album feel so lame and cheesy listening now. Yet another failed attempt by me to get into Prince.
Wasn't expecting this to be such a banger!
Roadtrip music by a band that thinks it's too cool to make roadtrip music.
Producers and musicians working overtime to make Madonna relevant. Most dated compression and voice is still buried in the mix - that's very telling about the vocals. What the fuck is with the racist song?
I went in with an open mind musically but after one song it's clearly just generic, nothing, reactive music. Also in general Madonna is a shit person and fuck her for what she said about Sinead O Conor.
I will always love Paul McCartney's voice and bass playing, but what the fuck. If he wasn't a Beatle this would not have been released. There's one finished song on here, and it is a classic, but most of the rest are just sketches or half formed ideas. Fair enough wanting to move toward a more lofi production, but this sounds like a home made demo - which it is.
The ultimate example of a master releasing an important album in their late career. Provoking, relevant and absolutely engaging, not just an aged great crooning over background music. Dylan's Tempest and Lenard Cohen's You Want It Darker don't quite measure up to this.
Great voice, great band, very good album.
Mostly very good, sometimes very great
Okay, I get the hype around this one. Beautiful vocals, lovely guitar playing, great songs.
Fucking shit yeah, now that is a great record! Wayne is such a killer guitarist
If you were seeing Oasis live at this time, you were seeing the best band in the world - for the simple reason that they believed it.
Fuck the snobs, this is still a bangin album. Its not big or clever but it doesnt have to be. Every song is an anthem and I still know all the words.
If you were seeing Oasis live at this time, you were seeing the best band in the world - for the simple reason that they believed it.
Fuck the snobs, this is still a bangin album. Its not big or clever but it doesnt have to be. Every song is an anthem and I still know all the words.
Wow. Great vocals and arrangements, beautifully curated songs too.
Woah - I'd never heard anything about this album before but I'm quite blown away. Tiny bit Alanis Morissette towards the end, but overall the vocals are incredibly powerful and versatile. Instrumentation and textures are killer as well. A wild mix of heavy electronics and modern rock. Will return to this one for sure.
I've been hearing echos of this album my whole life, in an army of wedding band guitarists and a generation of indie bands. Forget it's influence though, this is a great record. Absolutely blinding guitar playing, killer arrangements and rock solid song writing. Hype = justified.
More proggy than I expected! I think it'd grow with more listens but on first impressions it's solid with some good tunes, if a bit unremarkable overall.
Some of the most substantial songwriting, performaning and arranging of all time.
A cool idea but a little overly referential and generic. Didn't blow my mind, didn't hurt my ears.
Bookended by one of the greatest songs of all time, can't go wrong. The rest isn't jazz is great folk moving toward out there jam rock. Big fan.
Despite being full of classics, I dont love this album. No shade to Quincys work, the arrangements and musicianship (including the vocals) are top tier, but the production is just too polished. I also can't believe MJ really does so much hehe and shmon stuff. Certainly unique and innovative at the time, but now it sounds gimmicky and disruptive. Maybe that's because of how much it's been parodied in popular culture... but either way it's difficult to listen to a vicious pedophile abuser sing a song like Man in the Mirror. Separating the artist from the art, there are an incredible amount of timeless pop anthems on here, I just don't give a fuck about them.
Best Eurodance I've ever heard. Surprisingly sophisticated, incredibly groovy. Absolutely will listen again.
Tracks are good as expected but the vocals.. what the fuck. Some of it's cool but some is incredibly lame. Who's the posh english rapper?
The first album is proof of concept and a move to hard rock and heavier vlues, but this is the first real pioneering metal album. That makes it one of the most important records of all time. Also, it fucking rocks.
A near perfect mix of songs and texture.
A classic is a classic is a classic.
These songs are so ubiquitous that it's hard to imagine someone actually wrote them and they were one released as an album, just like any other. But it's important to remember this, what an achievement.
I didn't know Tine Turner had a classic album full of bangers. Now I do.
Hearing this album is like being revisited by an old friend. An annoyingly talented, smart, quick witted friend. It's a record that explains why he won the Novel prize; he developed a new form of lyrical/poetic expression, but he did so while creating great tunes, that's the most important part.
Reluctant to give another album of this era such a high rating as I do it every time... but they are all so substantial. This case of course is no exception. Incredibly well crafted arrangements and lyrics, with one of the greatest voices of all time on top.
Okay, so there's the album that cements Randy Newman in the pantheon of the greatest song writers. Stunning stuff.
We always talk about Hendrix as a guitarist God and rightly so, but we often neglect his ability as a songwriter, interpretor and arranger. Put the absolute killer playing aside and this is still a great record of excellent songs and covers.
A strong contender for the coolest album of all time.
I expected and wanted to hate this album, but I really didn't.
I heard this album when ten years old and it made me want to learn the guitar. That was in the early 00's not the 70's - such is the endurance and power of these songs.
Okay, now I get the reverence for Elvis Costello. I was only really familiar with the big hits and some of his work as a producer, but wow. This is a great record. Easy 4 stars, could likely rise to 5 after a few more listens.
I'm begrudgingly learning that I don't hate Roxy Music. Pretty solid album with some real bangers.
I've been guilty of seeing Marianne Faithfull only as Mick Jaggers girlfriend. I heard her describe herself as an interpreter of songs, and this is the proof. It's the voice of a woman who has survived some shit, and it's a a record that stands on its on merits. Best cover of working class hero I've heard, and the last song... fucking great.
What a beauty. One of The Ones. One of the special albums. Stunning songs, great instrumentation and powerful vocals. Musical balm.
The perfect soundtrack to a dark, gritty video game.
People like to say certain punk albums were influential or groundbreaking or important. This one really was.
Loved it when I was14, loved it at 24, love it even more at 34.
Oh, you don't like jazz?
How about now?
Yeah, thought so.
Too pop for skae punk, too punk for pop punk.
The second half of this album is solid and they're the first major selling band in this world of music, but honestly aren't The Offspring like that one kid from school? Your friends friend on the edge of the social group. He'd be at the big parties and would occasionally say something funny, but you'd never invite him to a smaller gathering or hang out individually.
Second Beatles solo album, second disappointment.
Jealous Guy is very good, Crippled Inside is good, Imagine is very preachy from a man who beat his first wife, and the rest is bollocks saved only by his voice and the strong session players.
Come Together is the last great Beatles song John wrote, maybe it's the last great song he wrote all together...
More orchestration than expected and maybe necessary, but the voice and guitar playing are sublime.
A double album in one day can be hard work, but the absolute top tier musicianship helped a lot.
There's such reverence for ZZ Top so I was excited for thos album, but I'm underwhelmed. It's... fine. Full of guitar parts, and Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers is a banger, but it's all a bit... soft. Nothing bad in there but everything feels a little safe and sterilised.
I spent my childhood listening to classic punk albums from my dad's collection and I was 12 years old when this came out. You can imagine the impact it had.
Green Day bringing elements of a sub culture to the mainstream for a second time. It's a little cheesy now and the over compressed production is tiresome, but it's still absolutely chocked full of bangers. I teach American Idiot and Holiday to guitar and bass students all the time, and they love them. And that's the real marker.
Hate to say it, but this is a good record.
I spent yesterday assembling cheap IKEA furniture. This album was suitable background music.
Always thought Cream was Claptop before he got lame but fuck me, this is some middle class blues.
Okay, so Norah Jones isn't just radio fodder she's a genuine artist. This is a stunning record, her voice is very special and the band is beautiful.
Transformed my morning commute into something sunnier.
The last incredible achievement amongst the chaos. Phillip Chervon and the others stepping up and proving their talents alongside Shane's giant. Beauty right on the brink.
Not life changing, but certainly very cool.
A visit from an old party friend who is aging surprisingly well.
One of the most sublime recordings of youth culture.
Half brilliant, half bollocks.
A pleasant surprise and a great mix of styles, but why is it so long?
Joanne Newsom stands out as a highlight from this generation of folk musician. A worthy successor to Joan and Joni.
When I was 9 years old I found this CD in my dads collection. I wanted to listen to it because it said Sex on the front. Jokes on me, it changed my life and 25 years later I still know all the words.
A deep musical conversation. Sometimes they're talking about things beyond my comprehension, but I'm very glad to get to listen in.
Respect to Dolly Parton, her voice is iconic and her songwriting can be brave, but... when I tell people I like country music and they roll their eyes, this must be the kind of thing they think I'm talking about. It's not.
At first I thought "Okay, I'm not the target audience but she has a great voice and this is well crafted and well produced pop music ".
Three songs in though, and I couldn't wait for it to be finished. This is suffocated, systematic songwriting. Every second worked out and formulated so that it's reminiscent of itself and every other high charting pop star. Sure, it's through the packaging of a young woman singing (still fucking more) break up songs, but it's the same product as Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor etc etc. Literally. Record labels and radio stations have done high budget research into how to appeal to as many people as possible to guarantee hits. Its the result of market research, there's no interest in any real art or expression.
Two Nick Drake albums back to back. Pink Moon yesterday which I love, but today I was frustrated. Do we really need all three of his albums on this list, is what I was thinking. The answer is probably no, but if we were going to have two this is the other one that should be included.
I was so pleasantly surprised. None of the second records over production, instead the exact right kind of guitar virtuosity (that is to say, the kind that serves the song without becoming just technique for its own sake), mixed with a killer real band and echos of Townes esque outlaw country. Will be returning to.
I'm trying to be objective and take every album as it comes, but fuck sake another fucking Paul Simon album already!?
Guitar in the first track is great, but otherwise it's the same old stick.
Alien is very good, and the instrumentation is cool all throughout but otherwise "not quite smiling, not quite frowning" or whatever he says at some stage during, is a pretty solid description. Blues in Bonlb Minor, away t'fuck.
