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.
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.
Weird. Bad.
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.