Never really listened to drill before, but this is pretty good. Definitely some awesome beats and it’s amazing to listen to an album from someone I’ve never heard of that has 15 million monthly listeners.
Very jammy in an Oasis covers Zeppelin kind of way. Song 2 is a classic riff and it's neat to see what else was around at the time. I think a lot of it is kind of meandering, none of the lyrics super jumped out to me but I think I'm listening to music differently now that I play it so much. I think Damon Albarn is sort of a syllable/melody first writer (evidenced by Gorillaz IMO) and I have never really listened to Blur but I can see where other music of his comes from. All the songs have a vibe that gets the message across.
Top tier bass playing of course. Really melodic and very cool considering it had only been an instrument for like 25 years. I really like the extended jams on Groovallegiance and the subversion of the pledge is classic. I am hearing a lot of what I think has inspired other jam bands. Tim from DMB plays a lot like this. Farther in I am hearing where a lot of Kendrick, Childish Gambino, etc are getting some musical ideas. Maybe this is just what 70's funk sounds like? This is definitely not radio-friendly but it's very jammy and vibey and I could see having it on at a party with more musical friends. It sounds very good if not super hi-fi due to the mix and everything having a nice tape-y saturation to it. Maggot Brain and Pink Floyd have a lot in common (with a much better bassline). This is wild! The cocked wah solo thing was everywhere I guess. Overall very cool and I dig it. Probably 4 stars. Not sure what my criteria for a 5 is but I'll find it I'm sure.
A total classic. I remember listening to this for the first time on CD with my mom in our living room in middle school. Let's see how it holds up! Bad Habit just rules. Also I just remembered playing a bootleg copy of Road Rash on my bedroom PC as a kid and The Offspring being on the soundtrack. Genocide playing while chain whipping on a motorcycle. The voiceovers are goofy and so 90's. Really nice crispy bass playing which I guess is a punk thing. Straight into the amp, very roundwound wompy pick tone. Green Day similar. Guitars are just shredding with gain and much looser than metal chugs. Lyrically very punk and it's crusty as hell and very real. More aggressive than the skater vibes of Green Day or later pop punk. I bet these shows were just loud as hell. I will say it is a bit fatiguing to make it through the entire album. I'm not a huge punk fan, this is more a nostalgia album for me. I think it will edge into the 4's based on how classic of a record it is and my familiarity. Smash is a great ending track.
Much more familiar with Brothers in Arms, so I'm excited! Haven't dug deep into Dire Straits or Mark Knopfler beyond the hits. Wow, this *sounds* superb. The mixing and production is next level. The lead guitar on Down To The Waterline is panned hard left and you can really hear the little nuances in his playing and the fingers on the strings. Everything feels very open and transparent - just sitting in the mix perfectly. This is just a great, great band jamming. Setting Me Up is basically a country song and there's a lot of Telecaster clack on this album. Six Blade Knife has the classic 70's heartbeat bassline. I am definitely seeing the lyrical coolness of Mark Knopfler on display here. Again, bass player here so I tend to really listen for it. Some of these songs are going for an almost upright-type sound, very plunky but always warm and just the perfect accompaniment. Lowkey and groovy. In The Gallery is a real hidden gem to me, it's very bluesy but not the searing lead tone like SRV, Kingfish, Marcus King. Much more laid back and all about really hearing the nuance of the guitar. He's a pretty percussive player and some of these slaps and fingerstyle are right at home in modern djent. Overall, really great sounding and I'm glad I got to dig into Dire Straits more!