Folktronica? Sure. But this album is also very much the descendant of the corner of 120 Minutes populated by Sophie B Hawkins, The Sundays, Mazzy Star, and even Dolores O’Riordan. And like those acts, the vocals are doing the heavy lifting, so much so that on the more ethereal tracks the atmosphere fades into emptiness. Put another way, some of these tracks don’t need to be 7+ minute songs. But, either way, a great revisit of an album that is somewhere in my crate of CDs.
This is what I’m here for — classic albums that I’ve never heard before (for whatever reason). And as someone who believes that good art is well edited art (movies should, with rare exception, be no longer than 100 minutes) I am thrilled by the 35-minute run time. That’s a tightly composed album. Even Illmatic is 39 minutes! I wonder how much of that is due to the constraints of the physical product — vinyl (the main media at the time) encouraged recording shorter albums that could be pressed to one record. Whereas Orton had the luxury of CDs and their significantly longer run time. Anyhow, on to the music. Turns out I know the first two songs really well. Like they were huge. The rest of the album is an interesting conglomeration of punkish riffs, electro bleeping and upbeat pop lyrics. While it’s an enjoyable ride, if I’m being honest, I’m probably not revisiting this one any time soon. Also, totally expected “I want you to want me” to be on this album. Fact check: that song was recorded by Cheap Trick. Oh well.
Not a Dylan album that I'm familiar with, and my jaw dropped when he came out of the gate firing trap house bars like Future on March Madness (albeit in a different key). The album kinda fell uneven from there though. I’m very on the fence about his voice (and harmonicas generally) and the lyrics range from clever to snidely artsy to actually cringeworthy. Also, maybe this is Spotify’s fault, but the audio felt very flat and in the high range. No warmth or bass/mid. Probably not one I’m going to be spinning again. But I enjoyed “It’s alright ma” and “Baby Blue” (along with the intro track).
Pleasant document of the early soul sound, with blues inflection (or back when it was understood that rock was part of the blues tradition). And an interesting contrast to Dylan trying to do the same thing (sort of) to much more annoying effect. Solomon is just so much cooler. The name checks of Ray and Sam, setting out the big three of their time. That said, I think the arrangements were a little busier than I prefer with Burke. This is much more influenced by the sound of the time, whereas his later, sparser ballads is the sweet spot for me.
The good-ish times roll with the Pump it Up king. I’m already pretty familiar with this record through the singles and The Deuce, but it all coalesces nicely in album format. And it seems oddly parallel to our terrible reboot of the Reagan years. Highlights are This Year’s Girl, Lipstick Vogue and I Don’t Want to go to Chelsea.
An enjoyable morning listen, but not really anythjng there that’s going to help me distinguish between journey, Boston, rep speed wagon, or even Kansas. That said, really enjoyed Foreplay/Longtime, which I’d never heard before.
I expected to like this much more than I actually did. While I’m partial to the 1980s iteration (more Phil Collins!), my introduction to Wind and Wuthering (via Blood on the Rooftops), left me with high hopes for Selling England. But, in the end, it wasn't for me. Too quirkily 70s without some dynamic sounds or epic ballad to compensate (well, Battle of Epping Forest and After the Ordeal deserve some honorable mention). I’ll have to stick to Blood on the Rooftops.
24 Hour Party People forever! New Order is a really amazing link in the chain from disco to techno and this album was fun journey through that link. Still give a slight nod to Joy Division, but this is a good one.
I enjoyed this more than I expected. The lyricism is great and it’s an original sound. But at the end of the day this is a bit outside of my comfort zone. Found two standout tracks, both on the slower side: Let the Sad Times Roll and Cryin Time. I found the faster ones a little too countrified for my taste.
The Vampire Weeked Rosetta Stone. Thoroughly enjoyed this one over repeat listens.
I was predisposed to dislike this record because of where hip-hop was in 2000. But… 25 years later, enjoyed quite a bit.
Aggressively mid, but with some spotlight moments. Was fascinated to learn that Grohl played everything. But seems kind of stuck on neutral and in need of an editor.
Always meant to give this a spin. Interesting, but not life changing
Loved this. Jobim is a master and Frank Sinatra’s twist on his work (for the most part) was superb. A few didn’t hit, but this was an excellent after work unwind.
An album I know and love well. Great songs and an excellent look into the future.
I liked this much, much more than the previous Dylan album we reviewed. The songs had much more room to breathe and there were a number of excellent musical elements to each track (less harmonica wouldn’t hurt, though I know that’s blasphemy in the Dylan canon). Gave it multiple spins, which is more than I can say for the last one.
SP are a group that piqued my interest in 1999 when they released an Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Tribe, Lucy Pearl) remix to their single “Tinseltown to the Boogie Down” featuring a then-rising star Mos Def on the vocals. The single also feature Psycho Les and Pete Rock variations and is worth checking out on its own merits. As for the original (and the band itself), I filed under “further investigation” but never followed up. So I was pleased to see them appear on my album of the day, especially an album from their more active period (1982-88). Off the rip, this was not quite what I expected. There were some synths and sun elements that fit my narrow understanding of their sound, but overall much more of a standard 80s pop sound (well, leftfield 80s pop). After some quick research, and a surprising amount of Gramsci and Marx in the backstory, I better understood their sound as a pivot from the punk 70s to the synth pop 80s, which was also steeped in the hip-hop and souk stylings they were encountering from the US (not too far off from blondie TBH, with strong DIY ties). As for the album itself, the vocals are a bit Wham-my, but the sounds are an interesting amalgamation of the sounds of the time. Again, not sure that it’s one I’ll be spinning in the reg, but appreciate closing the loop back from Mos Def to Small Talk.
I knew there was a pocket connecting the psych sounds of the sixties to early genesis. Here it is and I really enjoyed it. Will be digging in to more Yes.
Other than the singles, I never had a chance to go this far back in the REM catalogue. And, in many ways, I liked the sound of this album more than their later stuff as it has a raw-er sound that just, for lack of a better word, rocks. Appreciate hearing this one with fresh ears.
A record I’ve loved for years. EWF totally in the pocket on this one.
Setting aside the long standing joke about how nothing in Ironic is actually ironic (it’s just bad luck), I was really looking forward to revisiting one of the most massive albums of the early 90s. Especially since this is not one I’ve meaningfully listened to or thought about since the 90s (notwithstanding my bemusement that it has been converted to a Broadway show; millennial nostalgia cash out is real). After our recent run of Bob Dylan, I found the harmonica sounds a little triggering and —yikes — her style really hasn’t aged well (at least on the opener). A couple more songs in and that misgiving holds. The big ones still hit (mostly), with Hand in My Pocket and Head Over Feet remaining my favorites. But when Alanis misses she really misses badly, making certain songs not just the kind of tracks you can tune out while waiting for then to end but the type you need to actively skip to keep your ears from bleeding.
This and the two Untitled Sault albums from 2020 capture the most recent moment of protest and optimism, which has been sadly more than stomped to nothing. But these are also the types of albums that can inspire us to create and keep fighting for a better tomorrow. An absolute gem that brings the best out of Solange and her supporting cast. And the Master P narrative doc interludes was a brilliant touch.
Not much to say. Didn’t love or hate it.
Not sure how many blues-rock albums I need to hear before I die, but I’m hoping that this is among the last. Either this list is extraordinary skewed toward 70s rock white guys doing blues impressions (without including their blues predecessors) or it’s just a fluke of the generator. Here’s hoping it’s the latter.
Knew the big ones, of course. But enjoyed this as a total package (even if it was a bit long). A proper album with a vision.
This shreds! Breaking the law! Breaking the law! 🤘🏽 🤘🏽 🤘🏽
Seriously though, there are a lot of bands from this era that I find really exhausting and cheesy. They manage to walk the line between Sabbath and Motörhead without stumbling into AC/DC or Scorpions (which I have much less patience for). Maybe it’s something in that Birmingham water?
Not a 5, but a stellar album. Changes styles while remaining thematically intact. Lots of great standalone tracks. Excellent muaicianship. Just shy of hitting 5-star status.
Seminal text. Iconic cover. Five stars.
