I'd somehow never listened to a full Blur album until now, despite enjoying plenty of their songs and being a fan of Damon Albarn's output in general. Given that this album came before a lot of their more well-known hits, it has a slightly different feel to it than I'd come to associate with Blur, but it's a side of them that I enjoy all the same. I can see how people would consider it less unique and interesting than their later output, but this sort of guitar-driven, melody-focused sound is right up my alley.
Honestly, any album that just gives me lovely melodies to get lost in is going to get a good review from me. Maybe I'm just easily pleased. Miss America in particular, even though it's admittedly quite a sonic departure from the rest of the album, I thought was practically hypnotizing. I could listen to a lot of these tracks for hours.
The hooks are great, the lyrics are charming in their irreverence, and the instrumentation and production are immaculate. It's just a great album from almost start to finish (tracks 4-6 are a bit whatever, but I love the rest). I'm definitely going to check out the rest of their catalogue now.
Favourite tracks: Miss America, Oily Water, Colin Zeal
This was an enjoyable enough listen, but nothing terribly exciting. Marty Robbins had a wonderful voice, but I feel like he, like many others in that era of music, hadn't quite figured out the album format yet. While every song when taken on its own does a good job of keeping your attention as Robbins guides you through these tales about outlaws and gunslingers, when listened to as an album they all just sort of blend into each other and nothing stands out.
Maybe I'd have a more generous opinion of this album if I was more appreciative of country music in general, but as someone who tends to think of the genre as just "nice background noise," Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs didn't really do anything to change that opinion.
Favourite tracks: Master's Call, El Paso, Big Iron
I don't think this album's aged very gracefully. I'm sure it would have been a more palatable listen back when R.E.M's sound was fresher, but I've heard enough of their music in my time to be pretty tired of the bland, meandering songs that make up the majority of this album. Special mention to Stand for managing to break the monotony though by being such a god awful, corny song that it immediately wakes you up from the stupor induced by the rest of the album as you reach for the skip button.
I know R.E.M have better songs than what's on display here so I'll try to check out some other albums some time.
Favourite tracks: The Wrong Child, Hairshirt, Orange Crush
No time for a proper review today. Decent album. Thumbs up.
I love this album, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was one of the first albums I discovered via the internet, so it's probably safe to say it had a big influence on the person I am today. It's fun, it's charming, and at times, it's even touching. I dare anyone who's ever suffered the loss of a younger family member not to be affected while listening to Someone Great. Sound of Silver is a great album to passively chill to, but even more rewarding to really engage with as well.
LCD Soundsystem are masters of slowly building tension before gradually deflating it, all while making you want to get up and move at the same time. It's been around 15 years since I first fell in love with this album, and I've only come to appreciate it more as I approach the age James Murphy was when he wrote these songs, and his experiences become more relatable. All My Friends in particular hits me harder than ever now, for reasons I imagine most 30+ people should be able to empathize with. Their aforementioned skill at creating those moments of build-up and release is most evident there, with that final repeated refrain managing to send chills down my spine every time.
I really lament the fact that I never got to attend one of their shows before I became effectively priced out of them by the insane ticket prices they're able to demand. All these songs would be incredible to experience as a crowd. Maybe someday, I guess.
Favourite tracks: All My Friends, Someone Great, Get Innocuous!
A kind of weird album to listen to. Feel like it has more value as a snapshot of an important moment in music history rather than something to actually listen to on its own merit. There are plenty of classic songs on the setlist here, but some of them sound a fair bit off from their respective studio versions. Like a Rolling Stone, in particular, sounds like someone doing a wacky Dylan impression rather than the man himself. That's what happens with live albums though, and it's why I generally don't care for them.
Favourite tracks: It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Mr. Tambourine Man, Baby Let Me Follow You Down
Cool album, though not quite as listenable as Velvet Underground & Nico. These guys were real pioneers, and Sister Ray in particular feels like a song way ahead of its time.
Favourite track: Sister Ray
I was going to give this album a higher rating after the first listen because I found it so immediately charming and listenable, but I realized after a second listen that after the first two tracks, nothing else really stands out as particularly noteworthy. It all started to blur into each other. A nice album to just stick on and chill out to, though.
Favourite tracks: And It Stoned Me, Moondance,
