Reminiscent of the soundtrack to Goncharov (1973), but without the distinctive character leitmotifs that made the former so iconic.
You had to be there (college during the Obama years).
I’m pretty sure all of the reviews saying he started “saying slurs for no reason” are being willfully ignorant. There’s a legitimate critique to make about the inclusion of specific slurs given the artist’s own positionality as a white American and that might cross someone’s personal line for enjoyment of the project. Unfortunately, that’s not what I’m reading in most of these responses, and the knee jerk homophobia in some of these reviews is telling.
How nice of him to try and cover Adele.
Not to be a shameless homer, but the first four tracks remain a generational run.
I really vibed with this. Loved the wordplay, loved the electronic influence, loved that he read Boston for filth in ways only a local could.
I don’t do the right kind of substances to enjoy this album.
Aisha was the high point. Between Iggy Pop’s spoken word vocals, that scream, and the TARDIS noise in the background, I might even dare to call it camp. There are a couple of skips for sure, but the songs I liked really sunk in.
I legitimately cheered at this reveal. Minutemen is one of the bands I’d go to see if I had a time machine.
I can’t believe I got two stone cold 5s in a row after a fairly humdrum couple of weeks. I listened to it on my drive home and then again on vinyl this evening. “So Far Away” remains my favorite track but there isn’t a single skip.
Not only was this a live album, but it wasn’t even a live album where the band innovated or improved on the album versions.
Some songs are so good, and yet the misogyny (and more specifically the misogynoir) is running rampant everywhere else.
Despite Layla and Bell Bottom Blues being god-tier songs, the rest doesn’t hold up very well.
I saw the reveal and immediately reached out to a former roommate to relive the year that this was in heavy rotation for our shared commute. Starlight and Knights of Cydonia are both S-tier tracks, and thankfully I don’t associate Supermassive Black Hole with Twilight.
It’s 6:30am and I press play on this album just before putting my car into gear on my way to work. Within seconds, I realize I’m in for legitimately the most interesting listen I’ve gotten from this list in weeks.
I’m deliberately writing this before reading anything about the album or any other reviews because I can imagine it’s a polarizing album, but I really liked it. Each track felt like it was the length it needed to be, whether that was one minute or seven. I wish I knew German to better dig into the lyrical content, but the (literally) industrial soundscapes and harsh electronic beats set the scene effectively enough on their own.
I’m giving this 5 stars, not because I’ll necessarily be revisiting the full album regularly (which is my usual criteria) but because this is exactly what I’m hoping to get out of this project — an album I wouldn’t have otherwise listened to, but which so clearly rooted in a DIY ethos, just not quite in a way that maps into the (comparatively) mainstream evolution of punk.
Update: I guess polarizing wasn’t the right adjective, since I’m in the distinct minority of people who enjoyed this lmao
Reading the reviews for this has reminded me that most people’s level of exposure to heavy music is minimal because this is so much more accessible and melodic than I expected. Most of the A side would fit into any hardcore or metalcore set I’ve seen in the past couple of years. Not to mention that most of the riffs wouldn’t feel out of place on an Iron Maiden album, they’re just shorter.
It doesn’t have to be for everyone, but while metal and hardcore are frequently two sides of the same scene today, it doesn’t take much digging to learn how significant this album was on bridging the previously massive gap between them. That alone earns the album’s spot on this list.
Update: Just listened to Converge’s new album right after and the influence can’t be denied!
The covers are my favorite part of this album, which is astounding given how good the renditions of their original songs are.
One of my favorite things about music (and one of my key motivations behind undertaking this listening project in the first place) is discovering the influences behind my favorite artists. Kurt Cobain (and the rest of the band) present such a rich tapestry of the musicians and genres that have inspired them across this set. The genuine appreciation for artists ranging from Bowie to American folk musicians to their own contemporaries is balanced by an artistry that still manages to make each track their own.
Getting an album with a track called “4th of July” on July 5th does feel a little disappointing. That aside, yesterday I was thinking that I should rewatch Altman’s Nashville to muddle through my semiquincentennial feelings, but maybe this is the universe’s way of suggesting PTA’s Magnolia instead.
My dad and I once drove straight through from Chicago to Denver because the thought of having to stop for the night in Nebraska was so demoralizing. In that sense, this album is aptly named. This isn’t an album that I felt like I “got” on my first listen years ago since it’s such a departure from the understanding of Springsteen that I had grown up on with my mom’s beloved vinyls of Born to Run and Born in the USA, as well as her 5-CD live compilation that showcased the E Street Band in all its glory. I still prefer that side of Springsteen, but since this is an album I’ve found myself revisiting on more than one occasion when the mood strikes or the sun sets before 5pm in the winter, it earns its four stars from me.
I’m still residually sick of the singles from my summer job in 2012 but they really are that good. The rest of the album is also enjoyable, if not as memorable to me.
One, Harvester of Sorrow, and Dyer’s Eve deserve their place in the pantheon of thrash metal, but the rest of the album didn’t live up to those tracks for me. Potentially my least favorite of their legendary 80s run.
Tomorrow I’m planning to spend a full day of my hard earned vacation time in a contemporary art museum. I am exactly the kind of pretentious piece of shit who enjoys this kind of experimental approach to music and that is a fundamental piece of why I’m listening through this project in the first place. I don’t disagree with the review I read that said something to the effect of “the famous creatives who have cited this album as important to them projected their own creativity onto it” and I personally would argue that’s exactly the hallmark of great art. It starts a conversation rather than make a definitive claim. I still don’t love this album, but I did appreciate it.
I was so locked in to this album that my elderly car began making a rattling noise about 20 minutes in and it took me until the end of the track to realize it wasn’t part of the percussion. I listened back to the track after I got home and thankfully it was just as good without the mechanical failure in the background. Honestly, I’d mosh in a circle pit to this and have a great time.
Update: Another example of an album where I’m in the distinct minority of people enjoying myself. I’m actually a little surprised this time.
Nothing but respect for Mr. Waits and his long career, but my first association for him will always be Shrek 2.
