This is my first impression of The Roots and my god was it a good one. I am not a hip hop/rap girl and most likely never will be but I really enjoyed this album. I personally find that most of the genre sounds the exact same with incoherent mumbling over a decent beat, but that absolutely does not apply to these guys.
These guys are amazing and there is no doubting that. Comparing this to other mainstream hip hop acts and albums of the early 2000s, The Roots sound very experimental, which instantly made them stand out in the crowd. Although they do take on some of the more 'typical' elements of the mainstream music, mainly being very conscious socially, it's their individual style that makes them so different. Every track sounds so experimental, and in a way they sound very unconventional. Some tracks stay true to the traditional sound of the genre, while others take on more of a rock, soulful sound, making them one of the diverse groups of the time.
These guys really push the boundary and the demonstrate what rap could be like if acts didn't stay true to the traditional conventions of the genre.
Although this is a classic album, there isn't really a lot to discuss about it. I love the Beastie Boys as a group and they have such a unique style of rock hip hop, but that's pretty much all they have going for them. After a while, all their songs start to mix into one, with the focus being more on the beats and the instrumental rather than what these guys are actually saying in their raps. Even though it is a very valid criticism of their music, I really enjoy their sound. I've mentioned before that I do not like rap music in the slightest and I have never fully been able to get into it, but I will always be able to vibe to the Beastie Boys, just because I find their music to be so uplifting and upbeat that I really don't care if the music isn't of the highest quality.
These guys just have unmatched chemistry, and that is so evident in their music. For me, that is the main aspect that creates their upbeat style and vibe. Although they all have such similar flows, they each bring something different to the tracks. Although their lyrics are probably the aspect of songwriting that is 'least important' in their music, they take on an almost careless aspect, which is just so fitting for these guys, with the lyrics being presented in such a raw way. In fact, I think everything has such a gritty sound to it, which just enhances how much the lyrics reflect the personalities of the boys.
I know this is a major criticism of the album, but their use of sampling I love. For the most part, it is so blatant and I think that it is such a significant creative aspect of the album. Even though they are the most random samples I have ever heard in my life, they fit the music so well. It is so impressive considering how restrictive the genre as a whole is, but these guys do such a good job of pushing the boundaries of rock-rap music.
(they do also get bonus brownie points for Ad-Rock marrying Kathleen Hanna, bc i just love her so so much)
I've never actually listened to a Bowie album in full, but Heroes is such a fire album. I was familiar with the title track, which is an all time favourite, so I went into this one with the expectation that the rest of the album would fit that vibe.
Although I am not familiar with Bowie's other albums, it's clear that this one is very experimental. So many different genres are explored throughout such as his unique art-rock style which is blended with more of an ambient sound at times, making the album really unpredictable.
We have to talk about David Bowie's vocals on the first half of the album, especially in Heroes. It is literally one of the best vocal performances I have ever heard in my life. There's such a rollercoaster of emotions in the track, starting off with a more controlled voice, which gradually builds throughout the song until we see this burst of emotion. It is so beautifully crafted, with him sounding like he's poured his heart and soul into the performance. It's just so raw and passionate, which is what makes it such an iconic song. It is so clear why this is one of his most beloved songs.
I did not realise Eminem's debut was this fire. I never usually listen to rap albums in full just because I never really enjoy them, but holy shit he killed this one.
For the most part, the album is pretty pointless but that is what makes it so much fun, although we do have to look past the more problematic songs that have not aged well at all. A lot of the album are skits, which instantly makes his unique personality clear which makes him so different from the hip hop crowd of the time. His songs are very concept driven, with a lot of his music discussing his childhood and his own personal experiences, which we didn't really see from other artists of the time period. Of course there were some artists who did discuss similar topics but he is able to do this while maintaining his slim shady persona through more comedic elements.
However, this album is very much a product of it's time and if this album was released now, there is no way it would slide. Most of his lyrics are very misogynistic and homophobic, and there are a few too many songs that point towards the narrative of slim killing his wife. It is pretty uncomfortable at times, but we have to remember that there is no way Eminem would even THINK about releasing an album revolving around these themes today, apart from if he is attempting to criticize someone else. However, even then these themes wouldn't be as blatant as they are in this album.
There isn't a lot to say that hasn't already been said before, but that doesn't keep this album from being one of the most influential albums of the time. It has ultimately led to the creation of a highly influential figure within the genre, which has ultimately led to the diversity that we see today. It's pretty clear that he really wanted to piss off as many people as possible in his career, which is made clear from the very start of his career, and my god did he do that well.
This is an album that I was looking forward to listening to but I will admit that I was pretty disappointed. I wouldn’t say that the album was bad but it is pretty mid, having a very mixed bag of songs.
The album starts off really strong with Safe From Harm, which I think is a beautiful song, which does also go for pretty much every other track on the album, with being the perfect mix of hip-hop with electronic influences. It is so clear why this album is considered to be so amazing, being pretty much the first trip-hop album, which is a sound that I absolutely love. I've said before that I am not the biggest fan of the hip-hop genre, but when this is mixed with electronic music, holy shit. It is a combination that should not work in theory but when it is executed properly, it makes such a fun listening experience.
I wish I could sit here and say that the rest of the album matches the expectations that I had after listening to the opening track but I unfortunately cannot. One Love was honestly the only track on here that I was severely disappointed with and it did honestly just ruin the whole album experience which is such a shame.They might have been able to get away with making a bad song if it wasn't five fucking minutes long. It was so repetitive and dragged on for so long that I was begging for the song to be over with. It really does suck because pretty much every song on here is so beautiful but in between all that we have the piece of shit song that is One Love and I’m just so upset.
However this is completely redeemed in Unfinished Symphony. This song alone deserves a 10/10, and I would argue that while being the best Massive Attack song, it is also such a strong contender for the best song of all time. I can’t describe how ethereal this song is, it’s one that you have to listen to in full to understand what I mean.
I think I am being way to harsh with One Love here, but it just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the album, and it stands out wayyy too much to ignore. Anyway, Trip hop is such a fun genre which I love so much and I have to thank Massive Attack for essentially leading the creation of the genre.
Treasure is one of the very few albums that I would use to describe as ethereal. When I tell you I have never in my whole life heard an album that sounds anything close to this one, it just sounds like it was made on a whole different planet.
I've never really been too interested into listening to Cocteau Twins but oh my god are these guys amazing. I'll be honest although there are a few songs that I like less than others, there is no denying that they have the most unique sound and there has never been anything like them since. Their work is pretty much flawless. I would greatly consider this to be one of the greatest dream pop albums ever, just from how abstract it sounds.
I absolutely love it when bands use the lead vocalist's voice as an instrument rather than having clear lyrics that match the vibe of the instrumental. Rather than focusing on lyrical meaning, they instead decide to go for a more abstract and emotional style, which for the most part is the wailing. Elizabeth Fraser's vocals go so incredibly hard throughout the entire album, and it gives the music a sort of uncanny and haunting sound, which just works so well with the pretty basic instrumental. The general focus is on the emotional impression rather than the narrative of the music, which works so well with the atmospheric instrumental.
The instrumentals on Treasure might seem pretty stripped-down, but that’s honestly what makes them so effective. They assist in creating the dreamy and weightless atmosphere while gives Fraser's vocals to do its thing. The guitar is so heavily manipulated by reverb and delay, shifting the focus on creating texture in the music rather than taking a heavy influence in the album. The drums and bass are kinda just pulsing in the background and are just super understated throughout. When combined, it creates that dream-like state that is lowkey just a vibe to listen to. Everything just works so well together to build this weirdly beautiful, otherworldly soundscape.
After listening to the live performance from San Quentin, this recording is slightly underwhelming, although it was an incredible performance. I don't really have a lot more to say about this one after reviewing At San Quentin but whatever.
What I personally love about Johnny Cash's live albums is the audience reactions to the songs, which we didn't really hear throughout this one. This audience was very chill compared to the rowdy audience in San Quentin, which makes the album have a lot less character than his later ones.
However, we have to give credit to the fact that this is the first live prison album that Cash made, which turned out to be the best money move of his career, causing his team to abuse the system to pump them out like it was nothing. So although I would not consider this to be the best one that he ever did, it was certainly the most influential.
I really don't know how to feel about this album. It's one of those where you either love it or cannot stand it, and I hate to say it but I am not the biggest fan of it.
This album just really isn't for me with it being a bit too experiemental and just straight up weird to the point where I don't really understand the point of the music. There isn't a lot to tie the albums together in terms of both style and theme, which does make it quite boring to listen to. It's not an interesting weird album and I just found it boring at times. That being said, it wasn't fully unlistenable, but it was a hard listen for me.
Although I would not consider it to be a good album, I do appreciate what he was trying to do with it. It's a very ambient album, however there is so much going on all the time and it is so distracting. I will never be able to appreciate chaotic ambient music no matter how hard I try, just because I feel like it defeats the entire purpose of exploring that style of music. It for sure does an amazing job at creating a kinda fun atmosphere, but it's an atmosphere that I do not wish to be in.
I can sit here and talk about how much I dislike this album all day, but we need some justice for those basslines. I never ever notice their presence in music (and I swear I'm trying to be more aware of its presence in music) but they stood out so much here and I loved it so much. Especially in Hollywood Symphony aka the best track on here, where they were so prominent and even though it was distracting for me, at least it distracted me from all the not so great stuff going on in the background.
However, I have seen a lot of people suggest that it is an album that grows on you, but as of right now I am not a fan of this one and most likely will not look at it again in the future (but who knows, I most likely will look at it again)
Nick Cave is one of the best songwriters we have ever had and this album is the perfect reflection of that. Every single track on this album is written like a piece of poetry, which makes it one of the best break-up albums of all time.
I have no prior experience with Nick Caves music but a quick look at his discography before this album was released he was deep in the post-punk genre, which instantly makes this album stand out. This guy sounds as if he was meant to perform this style of music with the slow-paced piano based songs to express his sorrow and grieve the death of his relationship.
Now I have never been able to appreciate poetry as a literary form no matter how hard I try, but when it is presented in the form of music, it's like something clicks. Every single song on this album could have easily been released as a poem on pen and paper, but it just sounds so much more devastating when we hear the words come directly from his mouth. We aren't going to talk about the instrumental for this one just because I don't think it matters at all. I am firm believer that artists can either focus on either the lyrics/vocals OR the instrumental and treating them equally almost never works, and this album just supports that point. If we stripped all the music from the background, the lyrics would be just as impactful, and most likely even more devastating.
I think the piano ballads were the right move for this album and it just wouldn't have made sense for them to use any other style. Anyway, thank you to PJ Harvey for breaking up with Nick Cave because we wouldn't have had this masterpiece otherwise.
1001 albums really suggests a lot of rap for me to listen to, but I don't think anything I have ranked so far in the genre even comes close to what Nas Achieved with Illmatic.
I am absolutely awful at rating rap/hip-hop albums just because it is a genre that I have never really been too interested in (so this review is likely to be completely dogshit) but when it is done well I absolutely love it. I've always been aware who Nas was but I can say with 100% confidence that I have never heard one of his songs before but Nas' songwriting is completely unforgettable and is so revolutionary in the scene.
The album openly explores Nas' own personal experience growing up in Queensbridge and aims to provide a raw and authentic portrayal of life there with a specific focus on the challenges that younger people faced while growing up in a harsh environment. It is a highly personal album to Nas, but we have seen so many other rappers explore similar themes, so what exactly does make him different?
Well, that's exactly what makes him so revolutionary within the scene. It is easy to forget how old this album is just because it is so timeless, and so many of the themes that he explores throughout the album are relevant today. Even the style and the flow of his storytelling is so catchy and memorable, it is clear to see why so many other artists took inspiration from this. For me personally, I can see the clear links between Nas and artists such as Eminem (literally the only rapper I listened to growing up) in terms of the vulnerability that is presented in the music. So sure, there are so many other artists who accomplish a similar tone in their music, but who was the first to do it in 1994?
There is no denying how impactful this album has been on shaping the genre that it is today, and we can only contribute that to rappers such as Nas, who were willing to lead that development.
I will never forgive everyone for not making Robbie Williams a major US pop icon, because he sure as hell was in the UK. I remember when I was telling my friends that I got tickets to go see Robbie Williams, they were all completely clueless, and that was when I first understood that he was only really a British popstar. And then his movie dropped and for some reason he was a monkey so whatever I guess.
I will eventually get round to listening to his entire discography as part of Every Album of Every Artist I Have Ever Seen Live, so please take everything I am about to say with a grain of salt. I greatly consider this to be the best Robbie Williams album, with his hit singles Angels and Let Me Entertain You but first lets get into the history of the monkey man.
Robbie Williams was one of the members of the hit band Take That which I'm sure people are a lot more familiar with worldwide, but he was soon dismissed from the band due to his growing substance abuse and constant fights with Gary Barlow who was essentially the leader of the band. In response to being kicked out he then began his solo career, where he became greater than what Take That was ever capable of. Life Thru A Lens was his debut album that he released in 1997 and I consider it to be his best piece of work.
There is heavy Britpop influence in this album, which was very unlike his previous work with Take That and for that reason I have to give him the credit because it is very impressive. I think this is most evident in his song Angels, which is a masterpiece of a song and I hate that the rest of the world wasn't exposed to Robbie Williams as much as we did. Angels is a beautiful song both sonically and lyrically which was written about the idea that loved ones come back to protect you after they have passed. It is one of the best songs I think I have ever heard, and was beautiful when I saw it live as well.
Life Thru A Lens has the perfect combination of both uplifting/upbeat songs with the depressing melancholic ones, and it really showcases his range as an artist. Sure, there are a lot of weaker songs here, but we have to appreciate that he did a complete turnaround with his musical style and genre as a big fuck you to Take That and I do have to give him credit where it's due.
Anyway, I love the silly monkey man and you guys should have been well familiar with his music before that movie came out because he has literally been a pop icon for like 25 years.
This album was so much fun to listen to but I literally cannot rank it high just because it is so basic. I'm not saying that basic is a bad thing, but it is just a typical southwestern country-rock-blues album. Like all the lyrics and the instrumental come together to form the most stereotypical country-rock sound, which does make the entire thing quite forgettable.
It's not bad but once you've heard one track you've pretty much just heard them all, although it would be quite interesting to look into other albums that Joe Ely has made.
