Easily one of the greatest albums of all time. Rarely can something be so politically poignant while retaining its musicality. Other musicians can succeed for a song, but The Clash succeed for the entire runtime of this project. It includes what I consider to be one of, if not the greatest song of all time, Spanish Bombs. Spanish Bombs offers such an interesting look into how the world may have understood Spain as its brutal dictator died, and democratic reforms took over. Even today, Spain is celebrated as a beautiful tourist attraction. The Sagrada Familia is a must-see location in Europe. But it wasn't that long ago, it was damaged by artillery fire to pave the way for a brutal Fascism, which killed millions. This album lets us remember the sacrifice of the Anarchists and Communists who gave their lives in a desperate attempt to preserve the liberty and lives of so many Spaniards. It begs us to act in our modern day, as far-right governments move closer and closer to totalitarianism.
Nilsson succeeds in combining emotional ballads and hilarious tracks, never losing his musicality throughout. The excellent instrumentation can bring you to tears alone. There are very few songs which can captivate me without lyrics, and this album has at least two of them. Even better than the instruments, Nilsson's voice is undoubtedly excellent, and subjectively one of the greatest to touch a microphone. Although the lyrics are not particularly provocative, they offer more than enough to think about, and doubtlessly function seamlessly with the atmosphere created.
This is the first album that has a 10 minute song Ive heard that truly earned those minutes. Thus project's biggest pull is without a doubt it's instrumentation. Such creative guitar turns what could be basic into something so interestingly complex. The lyrics, while simple on the service, offer a wide breadth of analysis that leads to a much deeper experience than at first listen. The biggest flaw is definitely the singing, but even this isn't a negative by any means, it's simply not on the level of everything else.
Every song on this album is pretty good. This album has taught me there is a limit to what someone can do with just a guitar and a whispery voice. At a certain point, there just aren't enough interesting things going on. There's nothing wrong with it, there's also nothing great.
Some good moments. Some bad. Some great. Instrumentals are impressive. Most of the singing is pretty good. But some songs have some bad moments that bring them down, and I was rarely wowed.
This album is greater than the sum of its parts. I wouldn't put any individual song on my playlist, but as an album, it's something special.
This genre of music isn't my personal cup of tea, but I understand why Radiohead gets the applause it does. I listened to this album 4 or 5 times before this review which is a testament to its replayability.
The second half of this album isn't anywhere near as good as the first half. And the first half, while being good, isn't as consistent as I'd like it to be. "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" is a stand out track to me, and while the others are food, they aren't excellent. I also really enjoyed "Little Dreamer." I could probably make this a 2 star review, but for now it sits at 3. Not bad by any means, but it has enough to be unhappy about that as a complete project, it cant compete with others. But at no point is it outright bad, despite a few unfortunate moments.
This album is more consistent than blackstar but has lower highs. There's nothing all that interesting, which is disappointing because I know Bowie has interesting ideas. I can see why other people rate it so highly, but I find it fine.
Groovylicious. You often can't help but have a smile and bob your head while listening to some of these songs.
Some of the tracks seems to lack an identity, sounding very similar to eachother. It doesn't mean any of the tracks are bad, but with a runtime of 30 minutes, you're left wishing some of the tracks were a little more unique from eachother.
I can't believe I actually enjoyed an 18 minute long song.
The final two songs are definitely weaker than the first, but they still hold up. There is no filler, only beautiful rock. If you enjoy complex instrumentals, beautiful soundscapes, and being taken away by an album, this is the place for you.
Has great ideas but takes too long to get to them. Their ten minute instrumental track is so good, but it just keeps going. It's great artistry, but couldn't help but feel it didn't earn all ten of its minutes. Some songs were forgettable, others were good but weren't great. An album close to greatness but just so sorely... Lacking.
Some of the bass likes makes me thing it should be 3 stars, but I can't ever see myself coming back to this album. Maybe I'll return to the title track, but not much else.
It's a good album if this is your thing. Love the instrumentals. This album is not my thing, so I got kinda tired of it by the end. I understand I'm not who this was made for. That's ok.
I'm being overly harsh but I don't want to listen to this album again. It's not interesting. It sounds so generic. It's not entertaining. Sometimes it's decent, but other times the lyrics and singing just make you frown. This genre can be so much better.
All of the songs blend. Elvis has incredible performances, and the songs are good. However, they are all 2 minutes long, and there is no evolution within each song. Beyond that, the album itself has little uniqueness, with each song sounding vaguely the same. There are some standout performances, but nothing incredible. I can see why Elvis was such a powerful radio force at the time, but I also see why he has little in terms of legacy.
Some of the songs are truly wonderful. Others can miss the mark. I also found the album was a little too long. I'm not sure what I would remove, but I think I would rather if the album were two or three separate projects.
Some really really great songs, but the album remains bloated. A few songs should've been cut to make a much tighter and much better project. Still excellent.
I want to like it so bad. It should be an album I adore. Ill come back to it one day. It's just a little boring right now. Sometimes it gets me excited then falls flat. Maybe I'm not sad enough to like it.
