Softboi mad max concept album. Two tribes now makes more sense but is less enjoyable
Some total dross mashed discontinuously into a few singles. Buy the greatest hits if you must
Disappointingly repetitive still. Not quite Devo
Interesting but not one of the toppers, even from 2009
Bit of a 1 trick pony but at least they spotted the trick 30 years before The XX
So much possibility, so much hubris
Magical, melodic, challenging, obscurantist, cold. I like it but it's like a friend that's really interesting and you have brilliant conversations occasionally but you'd never look to them for help with anything
Virtuosic chamber folk free association on the edge of sanity
A typical artifact of a bad period in recorded music. Was everyone really so smacked up? (rounded up to a 2 because of the sound quality in the mix)
Big Bush energy! Something new every listen
Sublime. If only Dylan had been born into a Cumbrian village community and come up with this bunch
Harder and heavier than on first hearing
Original album is a 2. Deluxe tracks are a 3. A historical cultural experience at the time I'm sure, but all hype and no lasting value. Like Warhol, it is emblematic of other things that were also going on so you could happily take this out of the cannon without the progression of culture being affected. It's legacy casts a shadow on pop music where people insist on rehashing this nonsense in order to attract attention and fade away, just like VU. Being critical, It's the sound of being a vain, over educated, unskilled, privileged NY moron with too much time on your hands. Young, dumb and full of smack...
Strong concept album. A lot of fun to see live but then you think to yourself 5min later why did I just spend the last 2hrs immersed in that guy's weird fantasy. The concept is fun but too abstract to be sincere, and too on the nose to momentarily dip into abstract escapism or enjoy the songs as they are. Might be better if re-edited as an instrumental album with a few verse/choruses cut out?
Dreampop from heaven's gate. So much better than the Beatles...
Like the aimless middle 8 in a mid -80s Springsteen arena gig where the boss has gone backstage for a shit and a new pair of boxers. Minus the redeeming sax solo. The third guitarist has been allowed out front to do some of his Jeff Beck tributes...
A lost Joan Armatrading album meets Ani DiFranco? I like it. Don't love it. There are a whole bunch of Lucinda Williams albums that blow this out of the water that don't get so much attention.
There's a lot going on! Occasionally a bit too much. This must have sounded wild when it came out but now it feels like hot mess. If you take the guitar out it's the template for bland MOR. Probably sounded much, much better live and a bit looser. It's a shame Terry Kath didn't last long enough to find a band he fit with. All of Chicago's output seems very generously reviewed online
Ethereal beauty meets creative intensity. A 4.5
Heavenly highs or is it just a cup of Dexamyl tea? 2.6
Shoo wop doo wop! A lot more going on here than at face value and with the passing of time, the encoded layers are more obvious.
Dirge oozing through the rose-tinted memory of elegant light naiveté. Somehow less acceptable now that they're all older, wealthy and churning out indie shlage
Champagne and coke turned into music through a Manc filter. Sounds better every time I come back to it (like champagne and coke it's not a good idea to do on repeat, daily). Much more fun to hear on hifi not surrounded by Oasis fans 4.7
The master at work. Like all his best work, depths you can't fathom and breadth that disappears over the horizon. No need for extremes of novelty, Bob's undersell leaves you coming back for more. 4.8 only so as to leave room for some of his even more fine works.
Funky visceral liberation
Nice. A bit contrived and repressed. The music sounds super trad and so smooth the beauty becomes dull at some points but this is a country thing
Of it's time. Naff. I hadn't realised bohemian rhapsody was on this album and it sounds worse now because it's of this context. Over-written songs, dumbed down music theory and novelty guitar/studio effects are off-putting and Queen's camp music hall rock mixed with the tone of what now appears to be a sincere rendition of god save the queen. Pass the sick bag
Really saying something! 3.7
Operatic cyber extremism. Stunning. So progressive, it still sounds like it's from the future. Primordial ooze made electric 4.8
Alright. Fills in a missing link between punk and new wave. 3.4
A gaye night out in Paris. Much more coherent as an album than the singles would suggest. Surprising musical depth given the poptastic sounds
Did not love this the first time. Has not aged well. Get some credit for not being other US punk-ish bands of the same period.
Interesting. Curious. Not my favourite PJ album. A bit of the Julian Copes filtering through. Maybe not enough? Feels throughout that she could've gone weirder in every moment 3.4
Not bad but not even the best Irish diaspora traditional or revivalist music of that era. I've heard Fairytale that many times now it can do one. Some innovation bringing the tradition forwards with affection but also derivative and repetitive in parts. Their best works are overshadowed by the mythology of 'The Pogues'
So funky, so abstract. There's a lot going on here. Sometimes not enough. Sometimes it loses its way - especially in the deluxe re-release, but overall a groundbreaking banger that still sounds great 4.5
Indie electro psychedelic rock with John Bonham on drums. Still not sure about Wayne Coyne's voice. 3.6
Exciting stuff! Some of the lyrics/attitude are a bit smug but this is probably played up as part of the act. Has aged better than many other works of the period. 3.4
Really nice album if you employ some active listening. Not Elvis' best and not the best ever but very enjoyable.
O children, Lift up your voice, lift up your voice, Children, Rejoice, rejoice 4.4
Nice indie artefact. In the end a bit bland but showing the Boo Radleys were a load more than wake up Boo. 3.4
A really frustrating album. Only when you get so bored you want to turn it off do they do something interesting 3.4
Hard to 'hear in context' but still sounds like a collection of bangers. Every song has been heavily polished. It's just a great record. Almost underrated 😂
An assembly of similar-sounding, skiffle-inflected catchy singles filled with kitsch hooks. Ends up feeling a bit of a 1 trick pony and a retro rehash without the overwhelming power of Oasis or even Ocean Colour Scene. Well-made but lukewarm and a bit damp
Rich and complex. Full of possibilities and something new each listen. Some killer individual tracks surrounded by some less-inspiring, but still good variations 4.4
Dense, funky, in-your face. Continuing the Beastie's development into a musically more complex vehicle. Having said this, I found it difficult to listen to as an album through headphones as it feels like they're hammering the words direct into your skull. There's too much reverb and distortion on the samples and vocals and the beats have been compressed into brad nails. i tried it again on the hi-fi and it wasn't much better. taken a track at a time in a shuffled playlist there are some killer tracks but 1 at a time is plenty
The production is so bold, the performances strong and beautiful. Technology has come on but contemporary recordings are rarely so rich. Shows what you can do with ambition, dedication and the time, space and lack of distractions.
Technically excellent. Strong energy and emotion. What's the Latin term for funky? Anyway, some of the rhythms and melodies are so heavily played and copied, it's almost a caricature. OK, but not hugely enjoyable on this occasion
Trialing some ambitious and expert musical/studio play in a generally dull and conservative genre. Some good song concepts and lyrics but then are sometimes wasted on facile personal stories
Warm overwhelming rollers and delicate alt rock berceuses. A high point for the Pumpkins 4.4
