Straight off the bat I found the hyper-sweet, daggy 80s-ness of this album offputting, but as it settled itself in, it revealed some incredibly clever and almost subversive songwriting. The pop sensibilities of Green Gartside can't be overstated, he's pushed every single pop trope to its logical conclusion so cynically that it's past cliche and actually quite novel. The pop-tropeyness of it is dialled up so high that if it came out today I'd assume it was written by AI, but I don't necessarily mean that in the derogatory sense. I appreciated the intelligence of it as an art form and allowed myself to have some fun with it, but by 5-6 songs in started to find it cloying and kinda banal. I'm really not sure if this is gonna be something I'll later decide I have a taste for and come back to or never come back to again, like the first time you try Dr Pepper. Highlight was Wood Beez. "Each night I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin"

Straight off the bat I found the hyper-sweet, daggy 80s-ness of this album offputting, but as it settled itself in, it revealed some incredibly clever and almost subversive songwriting. The pop sensibilities of Green Gartside can't be overstated, he's pushed every single pop trope to its logical conclusion so cynically that it's past cliche and actually quite novel. The pop-tropeyness of it is dialled up so high that if it came out today I'd assume it was written by AI, but I don't necessarily mean that in the derogatory sense. I appreciated the intelligence of it as an art form and allowed myself to have some fun with it, but by 5-6 songs in started to find it cloying and kinda banal. I'm really not sure if this is gonna be something I'll later decide I have a taste for and come back to or never come back to again, like the first time you try Dr Pepper. Highlight was Wood Beez. "Each night I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin"

Absolutely adored this. Massive Simon and Garfunkel fan and rate Graceland as one of the greatest albums ever but never got around to listening to this one for some reason! (apart from Me and Julio of course.) More fool me for taking this long! What a delight top to bottom. Some really fun, groovy moments I couldn't help boogying around to punctuated by some gorgeous, sweet and earnest folk. Simon's quirky, absurdist and frank lyricism shines through. He has this perfect knack of making the mundane and ugly seem so novel, humorous and beautiful.

Sounds like Sherbet doing pink Floyd covers. I appreciate this is "good music" but it's not music I like. Not offensive but I won't be listening to it again

People fall into two categories with Leonard Cohen, those who deeply and implicitly understand his genius, and those who just don't get it. Unfortunately I fall into the latter category. So many people whose taste I respect love him, but I've never gotten it I've tried to like him so many times and I just can't get over line, he's just too sentimental for a flippant soul like me. It sounds like a cop out but I just find his music boring and a bit self indulgent and his voice does nothing for me. This album is inoffensive and I enjoy So Long Marianne so I'm not gonna slam it too harshly