Great, dark, psychedelic Britpop. Would never have gone out of my way to listen to this, but enjoyed it on a dog walk and listened to the whole thing. Some of the songs don’t seem to fit the sequence, but that’s only a minor issue. I give this album a B, or 3/5 stars
Wasn’t sure I was ready for a Jazz album this morning, but this was perfect to wake up with! I’d never heard of Hugh Masekela until today, and I’m glad his music is now on my radar. “The Big Apple” and “Inner Crisis” stick out to me as a couple of my favorite tracks on the first listen through, but I’m probably gonna have to give it another go on tonight’s dog walk because the entire album RIPS! Oh, at the end of “Blues for Huey” when someone in the studio says “…call an ambulance!”-And they all laugh- is pure fucking gold. I’ve listened to this album 3 times since yesterday and I’m excited to dive into more of Hugh’s material. GREAT RECORD!👏
Well, I already knew I wasn’t a big fan of this band, but I gave the whole album a listen for the first time in 20 years… and still don’t like this band. There are some bangers on here from the long lost grunge era (“Rooster” being by far the best song), but the high school poetry and dismal riffs don’t do much for me. The strange, dark vocal harmonies were a positive that stood out to me (incredibly unique) and served the songs well, but as someone who never worshipped at the altar of Black Sabbath, this album and band still aren’t my cup of tea.
I definitely appreciate this album more at 40 than I did at 12/13. Brilliantly produced, killer thematic concept, and completely unique in style and sound. While I still wouldn’t consider myself a huge Radiohead fan, I will definitely be revisiting this album with a different mindset and maybe even some mushrooms. “OK Computer” could absolutely be considered the Millennials’ “Dark Side Of The Moon”, and might have had as important of an influence on modern Rock n Roll.
Well now I just wanna fuck everything… Respectfully, of course. This album is a “banger” in all senses of the term. I’ve been hard for a full 32 minutes.
Danceable, interesting sound, but not exactly my cup of tea. Maybe in a different context I’d enjoy it more, but for now it feels fairly forgettable based on my taste.
I remember the first time I heard the title track of this album, played by kids in a cover band at music camp, and thought “this is so fucking cool”. I’ve never dug too deep into the Bowie catalog if I’m being honest, but this album is non stop glam rock hits. The space rock savior story woven through the tracks of this record is part audio-biographical and part snap shot into a once in a lifetime brilliant mind bursting at the seams with a definitive sci fi statement. Loved this album even more than the first time I heard it. It inspired me even more this time around.
Sonically beautiful record. Really started off my morning right. The instrumentation, the vibe, THE VOICE!!! Like most country albums, it has too many snoozer ballads woven in between every other song, though that’s not saying that some of those ballads aren’t absolutely incredible. Grateful to have been turned on to this album. ❤️
This album is great, don’t get me wrong, but being that I am NOT a black woman in America I think a lot of it is lost on me. Excellent concept, songwriting, and sonics. Might revisit it later in a different headspace, but for now it gets 3.5/4 stars. … on my second listen and as predicted, It’s a much better experience. The minimalism of the beats, the softness of the vocals… this is a modern jazz album. It gives off “whispered conversations at a speakeasy” vibes that make the listener “lean in” to hear the story better. I’m still not a black woman though, so most of its meaning probably still eludes me.
Original and thought provoking songwriting and arrangement. You can hear Elvis’s progression from his previous 2 records. More “adult” if you will, though still just as bitter. That being said, for Elvis Costello, there’s a few too many songs on this album that just don’t excite me that much, but it could just be a slow burner for me.