9/10
favourite - "Us And Them"
least favourite - none
7.5/10
favourite track - "How Many Mics"
least favourite track - "Mista Mista"
7.5/10
favourite track - "Little Green"
least favourite track - "This Flight Tonight"
4.5/10
favourite track - "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A."
least favourite - "London's Burning"
8.75/10
favourite track - "Cupid"
least favourite - none
soul perfection, so much passion in his voice
70/100
favourite track - "Come Away With Me"
least favourite track - none (they're all extremely consistent in quality)
7.5/10
i very well see why people complain about abba, and this a wholehearted product of it's time, but in a great way. it just has this happy feel that i can't in good faith say that i dislike. not to say that it's all good, as, while i love a good drum loop, i don't like how they're essentially the same in the first three tracks, especially when those tracks make up a third of the runtime.
overall, none of the tracks stick out as extremely good or bad, just an extremely consistent and enjoyable listen.
favourite - slipping through my fingers, 8.5/10
least favourite - none, extremely consistent
the singer is really good, but i only like a very specific type of synth-dominated music, which shines in "lungs", but of the rest, some are decent like "we sink", "tether" "under the tide" and "recover"
the mother we share: 72/100 - like the theming
we sink: 73/100 - also like the theming
gun: 45/100 - just don't care for it at all, skipped it halfway through
tether: 74/100 - singer works really well with this slower but intense melody, dont like the instrumental synth part as although the melody is good i think it would've worked better if it was dominated by the guitar and drums, but overall pretty solid
lies: 30/100 - its honestly worse than gun, really don't like this even though it has some instrumental similarities to tether
under the tide: 77/100 - this singer is just ok, but i genuienely enjoyed this, not too much else to say
recover: 66/100 - also not much to say, its alright
night sky: 68/100 - didn't realize until this track, but the simple lyrics work incredibly with the singer, solid track
science/visions: 50/100 - whatever, honestly was actively forgetting what happened earlier in the song while i was listening
lungs: 88/100 - genuienely loved this one, everything good from the tracks preciding is consolidated here, like the backing vocals in "science/visions", the simple lyrics in "night sky", etc. love the synths here too which i don't think i've ever said about a track
by the throat: 74/100 - honestly a lot of what i said about lungs i also enjoyed here but to a lesser degree
you caught the light: 79/100 - great finisher, but the intro is a bit too long for my tastes
I came into this not expecting much, as I don't tend to like hard rock.
The last thing I expected was a blues-heavy, psychedelic-heavy collection with the greatest guitar work i've heard in a while, that somehow makes the harmonica hype.
As I said the guitar is incredible. the singing could be a lot worse, not too much technical skill but its perfect for the purposes of this music.
It's a bit hard listening to this with the modern ear, as this type of rock has become mocked and parodied extensively to where it's hard to take entirely seriously, especially as this is not my style of music, but it's still great even considering that, although I don't think it's the masterpiece it's said to be.
Good Times Bad Times: 79/100 - good teen rock feel, guitar work is incredible and i like the chorus
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You: 69/100 - weird switchup from the last track in the intro, although i like it, but from 1:00 to 1:15 it just sounds like a generic country riff, and the lyrics are quite lacking. After the 2 minute mark the guitar picks up a lot of slack and the lyrics actually fit the intensity, but from 3:30 to the end of the track it just feels unnecessarily long.
You Shook Me: 76/100 - I like the psychedelic sound (although I can't appreciate it fully as I've never done drugs), and the organ and harmonica sections are great. The blues-y feel is something I love although I don't listen to blues much. Just doesn't live up to the Muddy Waters version, but that's some of the best blues I've ever heard so I can't fault it for that. I don't like the screaming at the end though.
Dazed and Confused: 81/100 - The loud vocals work so well with the instrumental work. I've never heard a harmonica or an organ sound as sick as they do here. The instrumental break around the halfway mark definitely adds to the ethereal feeling but not in a way I like. The instrumentals afterwards though, were great, if a bit extended, which unfortunately seems to be a common theme (at least up to this point)
Your Time Is Gonna Come: 74/100 - Out the gate, the organ intro is lovely. other than that i don't have much to say. it's alright
Black Mountain Side: 66/100 - it's alright but i don't understand why it was included
Communication Breakdown: 75/100 - definitely better than the last, the raw almost desperate vocals are a very nice touch although some of the harmonies i don't like
I Can't Quit You Baby: 84/100 - Definitely my favourite of the tracks with this format of 'raw intense vocals // instrumental break // soft vocals // intense vocals'
How Many More Times: 64/100 - Did this really need to add 20% to the album's runtime? No, it didn't. it gets boring after the first 4 minutes honestly. From around the 6 minute mark onwards is great though, lifts this up from being a skip for me (mostly)
overall rating: 74/100
71/100
it's good but i just can't imagine myself ever actually listening to it again
65.7/100
It's an interesting start.
The highlights are definitely the folk-oriented parts, especially the ones with the more desperate sounding vocals/lyrics, such as "Epitaph", or the ones with good instrumentation, like "The Shining".
The almost alt-rock sounding tracks are so terrible, both in a vaccum and in cohesive theming. Why follow up a mellow, guitar-dominated track like "Stone in the Water" with rubbish like "Another Pearl"? And also, this changeup completely ruined "Cause a Rockslide" for me. Honestly upset me.
Not to mention, some of the tracks overstay their welcome, namely "Another Pearl", "Cause a Rockslide", and "Say It Again". I understand why you make long tracks, but the whole point of long tracks is that they're supposed to stay interesting throughout.
Overall, some solid highlights, but theres just too many issues.
The Shining: 78/100 - the intro is great, unfortunately the rest doesn't live up to it but is still good, the chord progression is lovely though
Everybody's Stalking: 73/100 - amazing chorus, but like "the shining" the rest doesn't live up to it
Bewilder: 50/100 - just a filler track, could be worse
Fall in a River: 42/100 - felt like it was trying to sound like it has meaning without actually having one; not a fan
Camping Next to Water: 77/100 - Love the melody honestly, I think the obnoxiously loud guitar around 2:00 actually fits if it was a little quieter, also like the lyrics, not really sure what he means by them (lol) but its pretty so idc
Stone on the Water: 64/100 - Gets better in the second half, but most of the first half feels like im listening to the obnoxious guy from work who always brings his guitar to social events unprompted and unwanted
Another Pearl: 49/100 - I really don't like this changeup from the more folk-oriented sound, i didn't come to this album to listen to indie rock, but rather deep, critically acclaimed music, and this just isn't it
Body Rap: 45/100 - Another filler track, but this doesn't fit the folk sound of the first 6 tracks so I'm rating it lower than Bewilder
Once Around the Block: 57/100 - Once again, don't like the change from the folk sound, i was looking for some chill stuff with a pretty voice, but overall this is significantly better than "Another Pearl"
This Song: 63/100 - I like the distorted vocals, considering the lyrics it makes me feel like the meaning is distorted because we don't understand it, which i like honestly, too short though
Bewilderbeast: 62/100 - Just an alright sound, not much to say
Magic in the Air: 87/100 - Return to form of the first 6 tracks, with this being the best one yet. Love the piano, it works so well with his soft vocals. The progression is great too.
Cause a Rockslide: 67/100 - The first half of track feels like trying to hold in desperation and anguish and I love that. The vocals mostly being in falsetto and with several repetitions adds to that in a great way. I just wish you could actually tell what he was saying. The second half though, just why? Three minutes of buildup, for absolutely fucking nothing. It's a shitty transition into the next track. The soft vocals at the end which I've been constantly praising make it even worse, because of how little it fits the beginning. This track would've been great if it just cut off after the loud crashing. The first half is 86/100, the second is 38/100.
Pissing in the Wind: 69/100 - Definitely better than the last one overall, and this is a small gripe, but in the lines "Now the drought is crippled by the rain//That hammers on my pain//We lose ourselves again" he should've pronounced "again" so that it rhymed with rain and pain. idk why but this bothered me a lot. the progression works well too.
Blistered Heart: 70/100 - It's a nice instrumental with a nice title.
Disillusion: 71/100 - It's alright. not much to say
Say It Again: 59/100 - By this point, the album has gone on too long, and this track in isolation does too. It just doesn't need to be 5 minutes.
Epitaph: 82/100 - There's a lot of good here. The layered vocals, the simple instrumentation combined with the desperate lyrics, etc. doesn't overstay its welcome, good way to wrap things up.
overall track ratings - 64.7/100 (bonus points for semi-cohesive theming).
