As far as hard rock goes its aggressively by the numbers. Overall harmless, albeit some shallow poorly aged lyrics. California sun is alright
Not a single dull moment. Amazing production, infections grooves, beautiful strings/horns and Marvin Gayes energy make it more of a crowd pleaser than his spiritual explorations on 'What's Going On’. All tracks are great. Highlights are the title track, please stay, If I should die tonight, Distant Lover
Completely inoffensive pop music. Nothing really special but I appreciate its low-key tone, even if it’s just a more generic version of a Carole King or Fiona Apple. No denying she has a great voice though. Songs kind of blend into each other by the end of it. Best tracks: Don't know why, Seven Years, I've Got to See You Again
The Pixies Surfer Rosa ignores the overproduced synthy sounds of the 80s in favor of Steve Albini's raw, cold, unpolished production and it makes an abrasive statement on the cultural shift moving into the 90s. With songs covered by the likes of David Bowie, included in seminal 90s film Fight Club and its great influence on grunge music, its manic pessimism is still felt to this day. Like Sonic Youth the female and male vocals sold this album to me instantly when I first heard it, Frank Black and Kim deals vocals just coalesce into something far greater than the sum of their parts. Just take the backing vocals on Where Is My Mind, which are so harrowingly beautiful and mystifying that I can't help but be completely absorbed by it. Kim Deal gets her own track on the album, Gigantic, led by her powerful yet soothing vocals, definitely in the conversation of best Pixies songs. The way Kim sings the first verse is completely entrancing evoking a sense of teenage love, carefree and youthful as though she's completely entranced by this 'big big love'. Another one of my favourite tracks is Something Against You which starts sounding like an episode of spongebob with its opening guitar riff until exploding into sea of razor-blade guitars which swamp the vocals which sound like they're shouted through a broken megaphone. Also the lyrical content on this album is so raw and unfiltered, clearly making way for the grunge scene in the 90s. Lines like "I'm the horny loser... I'm the ugly lover" or "He bought me a soda and tried to molest me in the parking lot" or "The day before that I was wed, she went upstairs and shot her head." Just scream nirvana-isms, that they would employ on songs like 'rape me' and 'Polly'. The entire first half of the album up until cactus is fucking fantastic which is a bummer when you look at the last five songs which show the band slowly running out of steam. Theres lots of gringo Spanish and a song about a superhero named Tony on the back end, which are funny but certainly tonal whiplash from the strong first half. It does pick up slightly with the last two songs and some spoken word sections which I think add a lot to the album. 9/10
The Clash’s debut self titled is easily the band at their most punk. What sets the clash apart from every other punk group at the time was how clever they were with their song arrangement. You can clearly see the bones of the pop-centric masterpiece of a follow up album being ‘London Calling’ with the use of vocal harmonies, catchy choruses and zany creative lyrics. Also it’s impossible to listen to this album without being taken aback by how British the band is. Like a band like ‘the Kinks’ and not a band like ‘the Beatles’ their Englishness proceeds every word they say and I always appreciate a band wearing their nationality on their sleeve, even if they have a thing or two to say about their own country or government. The balance between an all out punk thrashing and a sing along pop album makes it infinitely entertaining. Top tracks: Janie Jones, I’m So Bored With the USA, White Riot, Hate and War, Cheat, Protex Blue
High octane hard rock, a precursor to thrash and speed metal. The shinier, adrenaline-fueled twin of Sabbaths depraved sinister metal sound. The solos are masterfully done on all instruments, with bass, guitar and organ solos on Pictures of Home, and plenty all over the album. Used to listen to this all the time, and it's just as good as I remember, Highway Star will always be one of my favorite songs. Best Tracks: Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Space Truckin
If your using any more than one brain cell to listen to this album your doing it wrong. Really down and dirty for the time although I can’t help but think that the Velvet Underground and the Stooges already did this over half a decade before. Best tracks: Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat, Judy is a Punk, Havana Affair, Today Your Love Tomorrow the World
From the get-go you can pretty easily tell that Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' isn't retreading any old ground when it comes to rock music. Where many bands struggled to capture the sounds of rapidly advancing digital technology, with product on only possible in this age, and a worldwide digital release to boot. "Has the light gone out for you? Because the lights gone out for me. It is the 21st century." 15 step embraces the capabilities of modern DAWs expertly and creates a crunchy, off-kilter, scattershot groove that wouldn't be possible without digital technology. And that's not to say it sounds robotic or even manufactured even, instead it's been mixed with live drums to create a brilliant human energy which makes the song incredibly infectious. Unlike Ok Computer and Kid-A, there isn't an overall atmosphere of cold, robotic steel and insentience, every song breathes organically and has a sense of great brightness, which is incredibly uplifting. Every sound on this album is masterfully recorded from the overdriven guitars on Body snatchers, crispy drums on weird fishes to the bass on Nude and the grand piano on All I need; easily one of the albums to test any new hi-fi setup. Still sounds new today. Best tracks: 15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Faust arp, All I Need
“I’m ready my lord” Cohen speaks these harrowing words in a voice that has clearly deteriorated from his youthful days that provoked his first albums in the 60s. There’s a great deal of beauty to this voice however, and despite the obvious pain Cohen feels as he sings these verses, there are few voices as deep and convincing as his. He truly gives it everything he has left on these final songs, passing away only 3 weeks later. This album seems on paper as hardly a comfortable listen, however I think there's great merit to Cohens optimism and spirituality on this album which lightens its most oppressive moments. It takes a great deal of strength to make statements like this at such a fragile time in one’s life. I can respect the fact that after all, this is an album to be listened to and to entertain, while making a thought-provoking statement, not just for the sake of the statement. Personally, I would come back to this album for how authentic its folky elements are, and the truly one-of-a-kind vocal performance and lyricism. But in the way the album sounds like a funeral procession, I have a great deal of hesitation in sitting down and listening to the whole thing. This album is a beautiful poetic send off to a great poet and songwriter, and really just inspirational to creatives in general. "You want it darker. We kill the flame."
Easily the best post-Beatles solo release. The rock songs rock incredibly hard. The soul songs are mystifyingly spiritual. The pop songs are supremely catchy. The folk songs are warmingly cozy. The songwriting, arrangement and production are nothing short of perfection, from the huge Wall-of-sound on ‘wah wah’ to the soothing Dylan written ‘if not for you’. I would go as far as to call this better than the vast majority of Beatles works, proving just how powerful of a songwriter Harrison was behind every ‘Lennon-Mcartney’ track.
Really boring sounding jam band stuff, and as far as prog goes it sounds pretty lame. Would much rather listen to Jethro Tull, Wishbone Ash or Gentle Giant. Or a jam band like Allman brothers band or Greatful Dead
Probably the first true punk album and it still holds up today. First three tracks are amazing, including We Will Fall which always puts me in a trance. The second half is more straight forward proto punk but still great stuff.