Good background music. Pairs well with action scenes or fast drives.
Stylish, bouncy and at times iconic. Easy listening for any activity.
I really liked “Death on Two Legs” and enjoyed “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” and “God Save the Queen” to a slightly lesser extent. Bohemian Rhapsody is still classic, too.
The other tracks are an odd listen for me, though I’d imagine they make for a great live performance… with exception given to “‘39”…
Every track has this wonderful energy about it that drives the music forward, resulting in multiple satisfying payoffs per song. There’s a great sense of unity between the tracks too, but that doesn’t stop them from have a good mix of timbre and varied vocal approaches throughout! Songs lead into one another beautifully and with intention, lending the record a great flow between highs and lows from start to finish.
It’s great, or at least it’s right up my alley.
Feels like a standard enough rock album from the time, but I like the way the record balances more layered, impressive musical moments against more stripped back melodic moments.
In all, I don’t feel like this album is trying to make a huge show of itself and I appreciate that. Feels genuine.
Not good! I won’t pretend to know much if anything about punk, but if this is it, I’d rather listen to congressional hearings.
Repetitive, lazy chords and lyrics in the first few tracks give the listener necessary context for the same repetitive lazy chords and lyrics experienced in later tracks. Am I crazy or do tracks 7-9 literally have the actual exact same guitar progression??
Listen to Ramones Ramones if you want 29 minutes to feel like 29 hours.
This record does a great job building towards exciting climaxes and modulations constantly, even when, like in “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets,” the direction taken is completely out of left ballpark.
“School’s out,” while boasting juvenile lyrics, sets the stage for a wide sound moving forward, especially leading into “Luney Tune”, which is a surprise hit due to its instrumental and melodic variety. Going forward it becomes clear that the records greatest strength is that of its ability to seamlessly blend timbre and styles, like in the track “Blue Turk,” crashing big band energy against hard rock.
The following tracks, “Public Animal #9” and “Alma Matter” provide polar ends of earlier track’s smoother blending, yet the tracks play to the strength that an extra minute or two provide, taking these ideas to a contextual extreme. “Grand Finale” wraps things up, acting as a sort of highlight reel of the many sounds that came before. It’s skippable when compared to the rest for sure, but feels like a nice bonus after the more thematic and candid ending of the previous track.
A great record overall that kept me hooked from start to finish.
Maybe I primed myself to dislike it, but what else am I supposed to feel when seeing 2 tracks (technically 3) at 38 minutes?
I liked the fusion elements of some electric sounds layered in with the group, but for me, this style of Jazz featuring trumpet runs facing background repetition blurs together into a largely uninteresting 18-20 minute sludge.
Little messy, but it’s got heart. Works for the second track, all I know, where the guitars slap melodies match the sang-said vocals, fits together much better than the first track. Third track is more mellow, but carries forward the low-mix vocals in a way I still find pretty distracting. Despite that, it’s got a voice unique among the tracks that proceed and directly follow it. Fourth track and on are more intimate feeling than what came before in a nice closer to earth kind of way.
tracks here are generally memorable enough, varied enough vibes and structure to make the record feel thoroughly *enough* explored by the end.
I’m down with the way some tracks blend the electro hip-hop elements with guitar. That stuff sounds pretty good, but most tracks have one or two distracting elements that just ruin it for me, be it excessive record scratches or shrill backup singers.
The frontman seems to have a great stage presence though, and his rap sounds cool- slow and rhythmic enough to follow easily while staying quick and even enough to sound impressive.
This is probably a 2.5 for me mainly due to personal preference, but I’ll keep it at a 3. It’s a weird split. Some tracks have a real communal energy about them, feeling effortless cool, but others are a pretty hard miss.
It’s good 👍. I don’t think I can say anything that hasn’t been said about 21, but the hits hit hard and the rest are generally so so. Still, the quality of the production is set high and Adele’s voice is soulful and captivating.
Solid all around, smooth and easy to listen to. That said, I don’t see myself seeking out this particular album in the future, and I do not speak Spanish.
I like the almost ambient, distant feel of the instrumentation on most of these tracks. Said features prime the listener into this odd state of depressed nostalgia that I can’t say I’ve experienced elsewhere. Lana’s vocals are easy on the ears too, barring a few choice moments on the album’s opener, “White Dress,” which I still enjoy more than I don’t.
Still, the instrumental mixing I mentioned earlier, while hypnotic in its opening, undeniably well-produced and enjoyable, goes on to become the albums greatest burden as tracks blend together into a much less impactful mush near the center. For how it seems, certain tracks are positioned in the album to break up the repetitive sound, and they work to an extent, but still, the sheer amount of similar arrangements on offer cheapens the impact of the experience as a whole.
In my opinion, this album would benefit greatly from a bit of trimming, as this kind of repetition is better served on an EP than a full release.
3.5
Generally great, but a little noisy in sections, particularly in the first track yet also present in some sections much later down the line. My experience with Radiohead is limited to a few breakout hits most people my age have probably heard, ironically over radio. Goes to show how a groups most popular tracks aren't necessarily reflective of their larger sound, however.
The name "In Rainbows" Is a fitting one. Tracks drift through keys, beats and styles like colors shifting in and out of focus. Its a deliberate haze, lazy on the surface but supported with such meticulous layering that the work's soundscape feels professionally unprofessional in a profound way.
I have no idea how well these tracks resonate with others, but I greatly appreciate their inclusion on this list and will be listening to more Radiohead soon.
4.5-5/5
Some certifiable bangers on the one and for me, the trip as a whole is far too nostalgic to be reviewed objectively. Regardless, ‘Papercut’ is a good intro, ‘One Step Closer’ is distractingly juvenile, ‘Crawling’ and ‘in the end’ are hood classics, ‘Runaway’ has my favorite “how did they make that?” Sound of the album, ‘Cure for the Itch’ is groovy and ‘Pushing Me Away’ is upfront to a fault but a good way to wrap things up.
Part of me wants to say 5, but I think 4 is more appropriate. 4.5
Bit of greatness, bit of slop. Guitars can have some nice fuzz but the vocal performance is consistently on the punkish lower end outside of a couple save instances. On the whole, the tracks are a bit too long with too little focus to justify a repeated listen or a spot in my memory.
See no evil, friction and Elevation are all very catchy and thread the line of lax to authentic vocals well. Good tracks that I’d listen to again. The others though? Yeah the lazy vocal delivery just isn’t my thing.
Classic stuff in a tight package. Agree with the note that many AM songs sound like AM songs, but I’d argue their cohesion is has more ups than downs, at least as far as “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s Not What I Am” is concerned. That unique layered guitar you hear and hopefully enjoy from track one stays present through to the album’s close. That’s not to say nothing’s done to keep songs fresh, as I find subtle differences go far in this context. Additionally, Alex Turner excels at the predominantly rapid-fire lyrical approach this album so often presents, but I find that his more intimate moments lack the punch he boasts in later albums.
As a final note, the tracks present in this album vary greatly in runtime. This carries subtle but impactful weight in supporting the album’s tendency for its tracks change in tune and build over their respective runtimes. Construction of such varied tracks leads to an album that feels internally distinct even in such a packed lineup, but must inevitably be quite a chore to complete. I can picture how the band may’ve felt temptations to repeat a few refrains they found especially poignant in the interest of outputting a more expected 3-3.5 minute structure. Glad they didn’t.
Opening track reminds me a touch of Kate Bush. Unfortunate for me, but this comparison is mainly surface level. The two have a flair for theatrics and double tracked/ layered vocals that are executed in opposite contexts, at least coming from “The Dreaming” to Little Earthquakes.” For instance, the second track, ‘girl’ examplifies how layered vocals are used to effectively convey two different, yet complementary moods at once rather than create something of a panicked atmosphere like with “The Dreaming.”
Third track is much more direct and intimate than the two that came before, and I’d say the album falls into a more expected feeling from here, boasting a consistent lyrical theme through an assortment of varied instrumentation.
As a note however, Little Earthquakes feels like it’s tailor made for those who crave overt storytelling in their music. Tori’s Lyrics are the anchor of many track’s progression, leading to the wonderful instruments on hand following a subdued presence, at least for my ears. This leaning limits my personal enjoyment of a track as I tend to prefer focus being placed much more on a track’s instrumentation and the way its complexity can lead lyrical expression. Overall, this distinction leaves “Little Earthquakes” as more of a curiosity in my mind. One I can appreciate just fine, but would rather use as a talking point with friends than a companion for any personal downtime.
It’s all sounds. Good sounds, for the most part! Opener ‘Valley of the Dolls’ gives strong “My (insert gender)-friend says this is what they think being a (insert gender) sounds like!” Useless commentary on my part for sure, but the idea lived on in my mind.
So the electronic style here leans much more towards dance floor accompaniment than overtly grabbing. I like it for the most part, but can’t help but feel some tracks could’ve been edited down. That’s my feeling though. If Mylo intended for the listener to dance with the beat or have it on in the background, then the extended length might not be a negative thing. As it stands though, I feel the tracks here walk a middle ground between ear catching and ear… nothing?, with certain examples leaning heavier in one camp than the other.
Think I’ll save a couple of these tracks for a big “my playlist” playlist, but as an album this one narrowly scores a three for me. Much more of a 2.5, but this is a whole star kind of town.
The music isn’t bad, really. The final track even bumps the score by a whole point, but there’s no getting around the profoundly unique vocal delivery on offer here. Likely holding a grudge since the ten plagues of Moses, John Martyn pries open his own sarcophagus, unleashing his bars before an unsuspecting populous (my ears).
I greatly enjoyed the unique, largely acoustic, largely effects blended sound on offer. It's quite a balance, really, how a record of such uniquely compelling variation comes across as more reserved than anything. I get the impression that creating a more bombastic series of explosive melodies is well within Wilco's ability (even if that may require a more impassioned vocalist), yet the group settled on mostly creating the opposite, perhaps feeling that a subdued and moody approach is more reflective of a growing sentiment. Topping it off, a few tracks in this mix do skew louder and more overt, but their unique instrumentation and approach to layered vocals brings carries forward, bringing an almost Beatles-esq whimsy to the overall balance. I quite like the Beatles and I quite like this. Only real criticism I have is a personal distaste for this style of vocal delivery. Ordinarily I'd be referencing that distaste more often, but here I found myself getting well into the music regardless.
Under or over the wonderful mixing and presentation is a relatable tale about how our responses to the world can lead to unassuming actors getting caught in the crossfire, creating and ruining relationships. Relevant.
4.5 pushed to 5.
Sinner here. Won’t lie, I peeped the general review scores for this one before writing this. Regardless of my personal feelings, fact is Carole and the group boast a crisp sound and vision for their tracks. Tracks are mixed impressively well for the early 70’s, feeling ahead of their time in many ways, due in part to the influence of this album in particular. Regardless regardless, I’m just not feeling it. The album is hopeful and cute, but for me it lacks the musical or lyrical punch I’d expect from an album that gets more 5s on here than anything. I’m almost ashamed to admit that at some point the tracks on here just become noise for me. All sound good. All fine, really. Just not very distinct for my ears. Super regarding regardless, this album has its place in theoretical social gatherings where I may need to be extra vigilant about everyone’s diverse tastes, putting on the least offensive collection of singles I cant find.
I could be convinced that it was all one 44 minute track. Never bad, never so intriguing that I felt the need to listen all too closely. In fairness, however, this kinda Jazz isn’t really my thing.
I feel ya, man. Sorry your wife did you dirty with the album cover.
For something so unlistenable, it’s surprisingly listenable. Most hopefully in bursts of 30-45 seconds. Heard once a moon phase. Delivered with a sum of one million dollars.
I already reviewed this and gave it a four last time. Time to do it again!
I don’t speak Spanish but the groove was groovin
I had fun, so did the artists. All around a good time!
