If you pitch shift Devendra Banhart and his guitar up a couple of octaves you get Tiny Tim and his Ukulele. This is no where near the brilliance of TT's opus 'Rock' (1993), maybe Devendra need to focus his vibrato on 23 minutes versions of Rebel Yell.
A bit long, could have been 15 mins shorter, and there wasn't a single 2 or 4 not smashed with both sticks on the snare, but I enjoyed it more than most 90s grunge, which is one of my least favourite genres. I liked Billy Corgan, his voice was a bit more energetic and theatrical than his contemporaries. I think the best moments was when it slowed down and got a little sparse, I'm all for the loud stuff but I could go an entire acoustic album with sweeping orchestral backing of tracks like Disarm and Spaceboy. I don't think it's a 4, just because of the vibe and time period, but it's a decent 3
I was ready to like this album, I love weird gender bending style icon figures in pop music - Madonna, Prince, Annie Lennox, recently Chappel Roan. The music is always inventive and vital, it always has something to say beyond the boring cool platitudes of artists performing down the middle of the road. Side A is excellent, she's killing it with the opener going into 'Girls'. Side B is a bit of a let down, I feel like they ran short of an idea or two and a couple of songs are skips. I'll give it a generous 4, just because she's so damn cool and still crushing it after all these years, but I think her best album is probably The Greatest Hits
This can't be a 1 because they're good at what they do, it's just what they do is really dated and has been surpassed by so much more adventurous and interesting music. Even a fan would have to admit every song is very similar. If you want to listen to a nerd play jangly guitars in a suit and tie and thick rimmed glasses, Elvis Costello is right there, you don't need to back this far. 25 mins long is a positive though, get in and out without mucking around.
I'm going to be biased and give this a 5, even though I think it is one of the weaker of Dylan's 60s albums. Blowing in the Wind is trite, but was probably incredibly deep when it was written. Masters of War is a bit too on the nose and obvious. Bob Dylan's dream is schmaltzy, although I love it and Corrina Corrina sounds out of place and will be far surpassed by stuff to come later in his career. He's still putting joke songs in like I shall be free and talking WWIII because he doesn't quite have the material.
But show me any other 22 year old this side of Mozart who can come out of the wilderness, plonk down in NYC for a year or two crashing on couches and being unemployed and then write Girl from the North Country, Hard Rain and Don't think Twice. This is when Dylan arrived, and I get that he's divisive, feel free to think he's terrible, but IYKYK.
Sea shanty Irish folk punk. Most famous song is a Christmas carol. Do the Pogues win the award for most esoteric and convoluted genre? I love bands that defy normal characterisation.
You've got to love them. I came of age in Flogging Molly mosh pits and saying there would be no FM without the Pogues is the understatement of the century. Shane McGowan might be the ugliest person ever to be famous. The Christmas Carol is a wonderful tune that only a bunch of sad Irish people could write. Irish people aren't sad enough any more, they're economy is doing too well to create good art. Everything starts to sounds very similar after a while, but that's the vibe, relax, have a Jameson's and be one with the tin whistle and the accordion
Boom bap, boom boom bap. I like it better than most modern hip hop, all the scratching is really cool. They should do more of that. Adjacent to the music, the dancing and fashion associated with this is also really cool.
It's very evocative, a really great album, but is evocative of an era and a culture that I am not a part of.
Wick wick wick wickky wick wick wick
1983, man U2 have really been U2'ing for that long huh? I liked this one more than their later stuff, which has become the example of mainstream radio rock fluff. I like the pronounced Irish-ness of this, the politics in Sunday, New Year's Day, Refugee. Irish people aren't angry enough any more after the troubles have ended. It's rawer, less produced. Bono still sounds the same, he's actually kept his voice remarkably intact over more than 40 years. Maybe it's the blue glasses. Anyway, I like these newcomers from Dublin. I wonder if one day they'll put an album on everyone's phones without asking.
Love Talking Head, love the 80s trend of having a complete raving lunatic as a front man. Love cocaine. Love songs about apartments that you want to live in that have good convenience.
But, it's a 4 because he really can't sing yet and Tina Weymouth is on of the greatest bassist in rock and pop history and the mix is so tinny you can barely hear her! It gets better for them, way better.
I got married to a sigur ros song and I put this album on at night to help my baby sleep. They such sweet, dorky, beautiful people and songs. I just want to curl up inside one and wear a thick Icelandic sweater. Sigur Ros is part of us all, a part of us all, a part of us all
I love the reviews on this and how I knew 50% of people would fucking hate it from the first second. Come on people, open your minds to a diversity of sound, John Spencer isn't real, he can't actually hurt you. Imagine being afraid of an album because the guy screams.
And the people that like that, ask yourselves, is it actually that good? JSBE live shows are all time, but the album struggles to translate the chaos in a legible way. A lot of it is just some guy screaming. It's cool to give it 5 stars to stick it to all the 1 star losers, but it's really not all that.
I'm Switzerland, 3 stars.
Plenty of funky bass lines and flared pants super style. Almost like big Bond vibes at times, with the rapid fire horns. It's pretty cool, definitely a retro sound by now but still has a hipness to it. I should see the movie. Wish his vocals were a bit more forward in the mix and I don't think his falsetto is particularly strong.
This took me ages to review, but I just can't get myself to the level required to like it. It's not fun enough. It's not particularly virtuosic. The production is bad - that bass guitar needs some distortion really bad. Ozzy is better as an icon than he is as a singer on an album.
After the album finished Spotify spun Killing in the Name Of, which is the same song as War Pigs but faster, punchier, more fun, more angry, better. It was a contrast.
The backstory to this is really cool, and some of the crowd noise was wild. Imagine being so riled up and blown away by big band that you basically riot and start tearing down the stage. Duke Ellington was the Limp Bizkit of his day.
The emcee was laughable. I would have rioted if I had to sit through that guy interrupting the music all concert.
Big band isn't my jam, small band jazz just sound more modern and evergreen. Still, a cool trip down music history.
This is a DISTINCT sound. Those electronic drums, the compressed to the point of distortion snare smashes. All of the angular beats. The lyrics raise class, race and social issues but from this weird alien lens, like the artist is aware of these things but has not actually experienced it. Not because they are rich enough to have shielded themselves from inequality, but because they have spent their entire lives in a slavery-adjacent music creation sweatshop run by their father in Gary, Indiana.
This IS late 80s to early 90s music made by the Jackson family. It cannot be from another time, another place, or even any genetic line. A... 3 I guess?
Don't do this one. Let's do Raw Power, Lust for Life or The Idiot. People might think this is what Iggy sounds like and that's not cool. This isn't fully formed, the heroin hasn't fully kicked in yet. Mid 70s, mid 70s
If these Boys are from the beach, why are they wearing knit sweaters and sitting by a pool on the album cover?
When my brother was a young boy he thought the Beatles were a children's group like the Wiggles because of the prevalence of Yellow Submarine at day care sing alongs. I actually like the Beatles version of the song, I like the salty sea dog vocal of whoever is doing that.
Credit to the post war British tax system to make a song by the world's most famous musicians complaining about paying their taxes seem sympathetic.
Nice and short, bit all over the place but has some stone cold classics.
I feel like theatre kids love this. There's some melodramatic through line for this album that I'm not quite understanding, something about werewolves? Spooky stuff.
Not as well produced as a Madonna record, Kate is a bit back in the mix which is tough. It's just weird enough to get a 3.
I always feel like Pet Shop Boys are some rude mid 90s thing like the Bloodhound Gang. They're obviously not, but the name sounds like that to me. I like a couple of these songs but the cumulative effect of the drum machines and marching beats is a bit wearing and grating. A lot of it sounds like the Village People. Go West in particular is the same exact song as In The Navy.
This is FAR too long, but there's a good album buried somewhere in here, and it's easily the most 'beachy' of any of the Beach Boys' output. Missed out on a 4 because of the length.
I don't want to give them a 1, they're doing something, just that thing isn't really my thing.
Good for them for being sober. Straight edge punk and hardcore shows must be interesting. Like moshing during church.
