probably the furthest i've drifted from anything i'd usually listen to. i enjoyed this waaaay more than i thought i would. you HAVE to go in with an open mind - don't try and compare it to western music. this album helped me find a true appreciation for this style of music. i loved how the first track is the artist explaining the basics behind indian music - he makes music that is so complex and sophisticated sound so beautifully simple. i can't see myself listening to it again but i feel like i've learnt so much from listening to it even just once. as a huge fan of percussion, the drums (which i know as the tabla, the dholak and the djembe) lie so neatly beneath the sitar's melodies.
have limited knowledge of soul music so it was good to expand that. started this album in the baggage drop-off queue at manchester airport, finished it 3 weeks later. was pleased with the consistent use of the gospel choir - allowed womack to improvise adlibs over which sounded great. very funky bass guitar had a huge significance in a lot of tracks. the use of the harp was beautiful in some parts but overused in others. simplistic lyrics makes the title ironic. 'game' had a stunning instrumental.
a captivating album with tracks that are full of energy and excitement. it's bluesy, jazzy, funky and is rife with innovative melodies. few vocals on most tracks but they're impactful and politically-driven when they appear. reading into the background of the album made its listen very inspiring. will definitely be listening again.
the humorous and creative lyricism makes it a very fun listen. you can tell they had a lot of fun making it. this album came at the right time considering i've been listening to a lot of tribe called quest. the interludes/game show skit was entertaining too - you have to avoid taking it too seriously really enjoy it. the singles were a great listen, particularly 'eye know' with the otis redding sample. probably wouldn't listen to the album in full again but i'll definitely go back to certain tracks.
hadn't listened to any van halen before this - i was impressed with the energy and intensity of the tracks and was blown away by EVH's guitar parts. i was already familiar with 'jump' - it gave me goosebumps from start to finish and was the first one i replayed. other standouts for me were 'panama' and 'hot for teacher', they're both everything you want in a rock song. also loved how much the synths and the guitars complimented each other. the fact that it was short boded well - might have ended up having enough if it was any longer than 40 minutes but it remained tight and compact.
only neil young song i'd heard prior to this was 'rockin in the free world' so was expecting more of that but was disappointed when it wasn't. i enjoyed some tracks (namely 'old man' and 'a man needs a maid') but kept finding myself getting bored whilst listening to it. i can see why people like it, but the dreary folk/country-style sound and slow tempos isn't really my cup of tea. i did enjoy the intrumentals on tracks like 'a man needs a maid' and 'there's a world' though.
a beautiful album with tracks full of colour. listening to this while watching sunset made it a spiritual listen. the tracks are melancholic but still have a warmth to them. it's a really comforting album to listen to and it left me wishing it was longer. i've had 'northern sky' on repeat since and can't wait to listen to his other albums. his voice is smooth and compliments the underlying instrumentals perfectly.
definitely one of the best grunge albums i've heard. came at a good time considering i'm listening to a lot of pearl jam and listening to their bandsplain episode. absolutely loved the guitars on this album - they were dark and heavily distorted which is exactly what i hoped to hear. i also really liked the haunted feel a lot of the tracks had - chris cornell's stunning vocals helped this happen. the only reason it's not 5* is because a lot of the tracks weren't very memorable. i feel like they could've shaved 15-30 minutes off this album and made it super tight and compact listen. still an enjoyable listen though.
i didn't think there was much inherently wrong with this album, it just didn't excite me very much. i thoroughly enjoyed 'all my friends' but apart from that i wouldn't be able to tell one track from another - they just weren't very memorable. i do enjoy this genre and there were moments/songs that i would give 4/5* to but as an album as a whole it just felt quite repetitive. i thought it was going to be far more gripping and inspiring than it was and was slightly disappointed when most of the tracks had little depth to them.
a wonderfully funky and energetic album that covers several genres thanks to unique, innovative instrumentation. a stunning vocal performance from joan sees her explore a wide range which is made even better by the fact that the album is lyrically strong too. beautiful guitar and sax solos add so much depth to a lot of the tracks. this album is the perfect length and has your attention from start to finish.
found myself very bored throughout most of this album, it kinda felt like i was just waiting for each song to end. southern rock really isn't my thing. i did enjoy 'tuesday's gone' but apart from that nothing stood out to me at all. i kept waiting for it to get better but ultimately every track kind of blended into each other leaving little inspiration or desire to carry on listening. 'mississippi kid' and 'poison whiskey' were unenjoyable for me and the fact they were back-to-back made it even more of a tough listen. maybe i'm being harsh and it wasn't that bad, i just wouldn't choose to listen to it again (apart from 'tuesday's gone'). i did like 'free bird' as well but it was awfully repetitive for a track that's almost 10 mins long - it felt like it was stuck on loop with the same guitar riffs/solos over and over again.
enjoyed this album a lot. i'm finding it difficult to review because a lot of the tracks differ from each other - some are very spacey/blissful/psychedelic, while others sound like oasis-style rock songs with heavy guitars. maybe that's what makes it a great album - versatility. i liked how a lot of the tracks started with simple instrumentation but then built and developed until they exploded into this cacophony of sounds that sounded so interesting and unique. the album ending with a 17 minute song was awesome.
i knew 'only happy when it rains' going into this and absolutely LOVE it so was happy to hear most of the other songs are just as good. shirley manson's vocal delivery is outstanding - it's full of passion and emotion and done with such fury while still sounding effortless. i'm a big fan of this shoegaze-y sound and it seemed to have somewhat of a grunge influence too which worked well. in additon to OHWIR, 'vow' was a key standout for me and i thought 'milk' was a great closer.
wasn't a fan of this - i couldn't even concentrate on listening to the songs. it just felt a little too bland which made it difficult to distinguish between songs. i can appreciate the influence they had over music (psych rock etc.) but i struggled to finish the album without getting bored which is concerning considering it was only half-an-hour long.
frank offers very smooth and moody tracks, all related to a lost love/failed relationship. some would call this repetitive but i didn't really have an issue with that. i liked how the lyrics appeared simplistic but actually carried a lot of weight ("for someone you adore/it's a pleasure to be sad") and the fact they're delivered with such graceful vocals makes it even better. he's also developed this signature sound of ending all of his songs on a perfect cadence as a way of settling/resolving the tracks - this sounds great in some songs but is often overdone, causing it to sound quite cliche.
like i've seen a few other people say - i do like experimental music but i didn't really click with this. i struggled to keep up with the amount of 'noise' i was hearing. it was a great album to bop my head to while scrolling through vinted but i can't see myself ever returning to it. i did like the weirdness of it just wasn't enough to make me want to keep listening.
one of my favourite albums of all time. really weirdly, i literally listened to it in full the day before the generator gave me it AND it gave me it on freddie's birthday. every track is so exciting and creative and i think it sums queen up so well. it's, in my opinion, their greatest album in terms of consistency. there's so much depth and so much going on in every track that makes it such a captivating listen.
gene was the lead singer of 'the byrds' - i actually preferred this solo album to the byrds' 'fifth dimension' project, an album i reviewed just four days ago. i still wouldn't choose to listen to this again due to this folksy/country rock not really being my thing, but i thought this far less bland and empty than that of 'fifth dimension'. it was great background music for doing work on a sunday afternoon, though that's it. it had more intriguing and interesting instrumentation and melodies than FD and i found myself actively listening to the music far more, however it still wasn't enough and it'll end up fading into the rest of the 'okay' albums i've listened to.
the only album thus far that i've genuinely struggled to get through. not only is this heavy/black metal genre just not my cup of tea, the recording and production sounds terrible. i understand why it's been included on this list in the sense that it was highly influential album for this style of music, but i just thought it was quite bland in comparison to other metal albums out there. the lyrical content was a major turn-off for me - i know they've said that it's unserious and they don't actually do/believe what they sing about but i just though it was super odd, far too literal and somewhat offensive in parts.
bowie at his funkiest - also sees him explore soul music, thus perfectly showcasing his incredible versatility. not one of my favourite bowie albums but definitely an important one in terms of shaping his creative direction. the two singles really stood out for me (the first and last track) and the beatles cover was pretty cool too.
A super relaxing and well-crafted bossa nova/samba album. it felt good to explore this genre a bit more because i've heard a lot about but never actually sat down and listened to it. gilberto's vocals were a key standout - it's so effortless and sounds so soothing over the instrumentation. the instrumentation itself is very creative and has lots of depth with a wide variety of instruments. after having no idea what to expect before listening, i was pleased overall with this album.
i was intrigued by this album at first but it quite simply did not deliver. it just sounded slightly messy and disorganised, with two 20+ minute songs giving it no real structure. i just didn't understand it. there were specific parts of songs that i could enjoy/appreciate but overall i just found it quite dull and unsettling.
i've been meaning to listen to a pulp album in full for a while so was good to do that. it took me a few songs to get used to their sound but enjoyed most of the tracks when it began to click. key standouts for me were 'help the aged', 'a little soul' and 'sylvia'. it's very britpop, with some tracks having a sprinkle of radiohead and U2. i warmed to jarvis' unique vocal technique and really enjoyed it by the end of the album. looking forward to hearing more from pulp.
incredible disco/funk/pop album that really seemed to have paved the way for MJ. what a start as well - to open with DSTYGE and RWY made it captivating from the get-go. it was good to hear that most of the tracks that followed were just as good. it's not my favourite album of his which is why it's not getting the 5*, but it was a phenomenal listen and i'm looking forward to listening to more MJ.
a very intriguing and engaging pop fusion album. heard a lot about fiona apple so was excited to finally listen to her stuff. was very pleased with what i heard - i though the long songs worked very well and i loved the colour and dissonance that the piano chords were full of in almost every track. i think if i listened to album another one or two times i would've given it 5*, but based on a first listen it gets a strong 4*.
i felt pretty indifferent about this album to be honest. i've never been suuuuper into the smiths never mind morrissey. i was enjoying his moody vocal technique at first but by the time i was half way through the album i got pretty sick of it. there's some decent tracks in there, just nothing i'll be rushing back to listen to.
the only reason i've given it 3* is because i'm not a huge reggae fan, not because it's a bad album. i can fully appreciate that this is an easy 5* for a lot of people, but it just doesn't do much for me. with that being said, i did really enjoy some tracks, particularly 'jamming' - i loved the vocal harmonies in it and the overall groove of it. it did feel a little too repetitive for me, with the instrumentation of most songs sounding fairly similar but i do understand that that's part of the genre.
iconic post-punk album with dark vocals and moody guitars. such a shame we only got two albums. i think this is one of those albums that need a few listens to really enjoy and start to understand. key standouts for me were 'disorder' and 'new dawn fades'. ian's vocals are like a blend of morrissey and david byrne. i thought the drums on this album were the best part - they sound phenomenal.
one of the most iconic hip-hop albums that seems to have been quite pivotal for the genre. i imagine it was regarded as a great album at the time, but i don't think it has aged well - as seen by the lyrics and the fact there are just way better hip-hop albums out now. i enjoyed the hits and also liked 'if it ain't ruff' but apart from that the tracks didn't really stand out from each other. my main issue with a lot of hip-hop albums is that they're too long - anything exceeding an hour is pushing it a little bit in terms of repetitiveness. an iconic album nonetheless, just not one i'll have on repeat.
coincidentally got this back-to-back with straight outta compton. i actually preferred this. great beats and creative lyrics. sometimes hip-hop can get repetitive but this album didn't - every song felt fresh and innovative. i can only imagine how good this would have been to listen to 30 years ago. still a great listen today and is definitely one of the best hip-hop albums i've heard.
one of the most iconic albums ever. i'd heard the first track loads of times so it was good to hear the others are just as incredible. it's so versatile - the melodies are captivating and innovative and it represents exactly what jazz is all about. it's difficult to put into words how good this album actually is. i've got a lot of love for it and it's quite simply flawless.
this was quite a weird album but in a fun way. a few of the tracks i enjoyed and really got behind but found myself slightly confused at other parts. there was quite a variety within the tracks, with some being slow and others being full of chaos and jarring sounds. it keeps you on your toes - it's impossible to predict which direction it's going to take.
quite a weird but fun album. good to have on in the background and bop my head to while i do other stuff. had to listen on youtube considering it's not on any streaming platforms. it did feel quite messy and disjointed though. i also thought it was too long - for an instrumental album it failed to be concise/remain interesting throughout. standout tracks for me were 'my telephone' and 'beats and pieces'.
i thought this was a very 'okay' album - wasn't exactly bad but also wasn't a very enjoyable listen. a lot of the tracks sounded like bad beatles songs so there was no surprise when i heard the beatles cover. obviously knew 'california dreamin'' before listening - most of the other tracks sounded pretty similar or at least fit the same vibe. there's definitely better options for folk/pop albums so can't see myself ever listening to it again.
a staple 80s-sounding album that represents the synth-pop era well. 'don't you want me' is classic and was definitely the best track on the album. i did however think the rest of the album was quite repetitive and, looking back at the tracklist now, i'm struggling to remember one track from another. a fun album nonetheless - i enjoyed the david byrne-style vocals too.
i expected to like this album more than i did - i had high hopes with the industrial/alternative rock genre but it didn't really end up being my speed. there were some decent moments though - i liked the emotion in the tracks, not just from the vocals but from the instrumentation too. i want to able to say that i like NIN but unfortunately i can't see myself coming back to this album.
one of those albums i feel quite impartial about. i can certainly appreciate that it's a decent album but i feel like i've heard it a million times before. the vocals are quite difficult to fall in love with but i did enjoy some of the instrumentation - creative guitar parts and the drums sound decent. won't be coming back to it but i'm glad i've listened to it.
