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,
One of the all-time greats. What a voice. What a musician. What a songwriter. There weren't many artists back then creating such elaborate music as an entirely solo act, and even fewer were capable of creating al album as good as Innervisions. At times it's poignant, at others it's funky as hell, and sometimes it's even both at the same time. It feels like a perfect album for any mood, honestly.
Favourite tracks: Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing, Visions
This is a sort of uneven album in my opinion. It starts strong with some some real blood-pumping jams like Rendez-Vu and Jump 'N' Shout, but then there's a shift in the second half to a more laid-back, almost hypnotic vibe with tracks like Same Old Show and Always Be There, although Bingo Bango definitely bucks that trend and will certainly wake you back up if you'd started to zone out a bit. That said, I did enjoy the first half more than the second, but it was still a very enjoyable listen all the way through.
Remedy goes through a pretty wide range of genres, from Latin House to Dancehall, all while managing to maintain its own unique identity. I think anyone that listens to this album is bound to find at least one song that they enjoy, and most will find a lot more, so I can see how it made its way onto the list.
Favourite tracks: Rendez-Vu, Jump 'N' Shout, Stop 4 Love
Man, what a beautiful album this is. It feels like it demands the listener's full attention at every moment, with so many subtle details packed into almost every song. Each track is so short, too, so they never give you the chance to get tired of them. Quite the opposite, even, with tracks like You Still Believe In Me that feel like they have so much to give as they come to a close.
As a big fan of layered harmonies, you can imagine how much I love the vocals on this album. Don't Talk in particular I find to be almost spellbinding in how beautifully the harmonies shift with the chord changes throughout the song. I'm getting chills just thinking about it again while writing this, if I'm honest.
Obviously there's a lot of historical significance to the album as well, though I'll not get into that as it's not a subject I'm all that knowledgable about. All I'll say is that it's incredible that such a sonically rich album was able to be created at such a relatively early point in the development of the music industry.
Favourite tracks: You Still Believe In Me, Don't Talk, Sloop John B
There were a few decent tracks on here but I forgot to note them down and the rest of the album was so overly long and uninteresting I can't be bothered to listen to it again to highlight them. Oh well.
I expected to enjoy this a lot more as I'm usually a big fan of post-punk, but this album just seemed like a collection of boring dirges that rarely went anywhere interesting. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had more time to give it my full attention.
Favourite tracks: Mask, Kick in the Eye
I have to say, I feel like Gary Numan is more of a singles artist. There are some interesting sounds and ideas on this album, but they're somewhat few and far between. I think that's most plainly illustrated in the songs Observer and Cars, where the former genuinely just feels like a duller imitation of the more popular latter. I'd find it hard to believe they were 2 tracks from the same album if I was shown them in isolation before listening to it.
Favourite tracks: M.E., Conversation, Cars
Too sick to really collect my thoughts today, but I enjoyed this album.
Favourite tracks: Enjoy the Silence, World in My Eyes
I'd never heard of these guys before I was assigned this album, but it turned out to be some pretty good 90s-style punk. Fun jams that no doubt would be great to listen to and sing along with live. The album's maybe a little meandering; I don't think it really has 14 songs worth of ideas, but even at its worst it's just a little boring rather than outright bad. The highs make up for those moments though.
Favourite tracks: On a Rope, Ball Lightning, Fat Lip
I never could get into west coast hip-hop for whatever reason, and this album wasn't able to change that.
I'm not sure what there really is to say about this album. We all know Sinatra and what his music was all about. Smooth baritone, swinging tunes, and just generally pleasant to listen to. It probably "deserves" a higher rating than a 3 because obviously Sinatra was so good at what he did, it's just that what he did was a style of music that I and most of the rest of society largely got over years and years ago. These days it's music to fall asleep to. So, I can't really justify giving a higher rating to something I know I'm never going to actively listen to again.
Favourite tracks: Anything Goes, Makin' Whoopee, Old Devil Moon
Great album. Soundgarden are probably toward the higher end of the heaviness scale for music I'm able to enjoy listening to, but there's enough of a focus on melodies and structure here to keep me engaged. It's maybe a little on the long side; a couple of the weaker tracks like Fresh Tendrils and Half could maybe have been cut to make the album tighter, but it doesn't detract from the experience that much.
Favourite tracks: The Day I Tried to Live, Black Hole Sun, Superunknown
It can be easy to forget when so many huge, genuinely talented artists and bands came from that decade, but this album serves as an important reminder that the 80s had some real shit pop music as well.
That said, I actually quite like No Direction, despite the bizarre gremlin fella doing backing vocals. What's that little guy up to these days? Did he ever manage to break out of Mick Hucknall's basement?
Full disclouse: I have a lot of time for this album because I got really into it when I was about 14/15 years old. It was one of the first full albums I got hooked on as a young lad, so it's probably safe to say it had a role in shaping my love of music (which I'm sure will sound ridiculous to the sizable contingent of music lovers that despise Coldplay with a burning passion).
Back in the day, Coldplay were basically the exact opposite of a 'Singles Band' in my eyes. Their big hits from this album (In My Place, The Scientist) are the most trite and uninteresting tracks here, while the songs that seem to have been quietly forgotten by history in the wake of Coldplay becoming Public Enemy #1 among 'serious' music enthusiasts have some really great moments, like the climax in Got Put a Smile Upon Your Face, and the intro through to the opening verse in Warning Sign (Which I think is probably the best song they ever made).
This album was probably Coldplay's best attempt at making use of Chris Martin's (admittedly rather limited) vocals as an instrument to compliment the other parts of their songs, rather than just as a somewhat pleasant voice
to belt out banal lyrics over bombastic compositions, which is the formula they eventually settled on for more widespread appeal.
I think if I was trying to be more "objective," I'd probably drop a star from my review because there are some pretty weak tracks on this record, but I'm willing to admit I'm letting nostalgia cloud my judgement here.
Favourite tracks: Warning Sign, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Amsterdam
An endlessly engaging and inventive album that I'm always happy to stick on. There's so much variety on show here; it shifts effortlessly between funky, psychedelic, and just plain rocking, with virtuoso performances from Hendrix, Mitchell, and Redding all throughout the record. It's not my favourite JHE album, but it's damn good all the same.
Favourite tracks: Are You Experienced?, I Don't Live Today, Highway Chile
This is an enjoyable enough slice of 60s rock and roll, but not something that inspires much of a reaction in me one way or the other. I wouldn't turn off the radio if one of these songs came on is probably the most generous compliment I can give it.
To be completely honest, reggae does absolutely nothing for me. With just a couple of exceptions, I found that tracks on this album largely uninteresting sonically, and quite repetitive. That's generally been my experiene with most reggage music I've heard in my life. I'm hesitant to give this album a bad review just because I don't care for the genre, but I also don't want to give it extra points based entirely on how I imagine other people might enjoy it. If you do that, then what's the point of this whole endeavour? So, with the caveat that I acknowledge I'm being a bit of a philistine, I'm giving this a 2.
Favourite tracks: Concrete Jungle, Kinky Reggae
I was a big Kendrick fan back in the day, and as it happens this is the album that cooled my interest in him, despite it's overwhelming critical praise. I felt it was too self-indulgent and meandering, and to tell the truth I still feel the same way after listening to it in full for the first time in 10 years for this. Personally I feel like Lamar doesn't really have the lyrical chops to match the scope of his thematic ambitions for this album. That's not to say there isn't good lyrical work on the record; Kendrick's by no means a slouch on that front. There are just too many corny moments and too much blunt lyricism that pulls me out of it, like making a song suggesting that Wesley Snipes is some sort of hard-done-by martyr for committing tax evasion, and another song where he puts on some ear-grating, cracking voice to ramble about how sad he is while inserting SFX of beer bottles clinking just to make sure nobody misses his point.
All that aside, this album has (mostly) impeccable production from some big names like Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Sounwave and a bunch of others. Honestly the whole album feels very Thundercat even though he's only actually credited on a few tracks. I remember being blown away back in the day hearing a beat with a Sufjan Stevens sample and it actually going hard as hell. The second half (or maybe last third?) of the album in particular, from Hood Politics through to i is fantastic musical experience with great beats and gripping stories.
All in all, this album's a mixed bag. A lot of tracks I'm happy to skip, but plenty more that grab my interest right back. I'd probably rate it a 3.5 if given the choice, but screw it, I'll round up.
Favourite tracks: How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry, i
Music to wistfully gaze out of the window on a cold, rainy night to.
Favourite tracks: Strangers, Roads, Biscuit
A really nice bit of early 80s synthpop. I love the melancholy vibes here. I was quite surprised at how modern this sounded for how relatively early in the history of synthpop the album was created. Souvenir in particular sounds like it could be right off of an MGMT album.
I love the vocals, but even the instrumental tracks are great, too. I really felt myself drifting away in the sonic landscapes they created. They had a sound that really sinks its hooks into you right away. Definitely going to check out more of this band.
Favourite tracks: Sealand, Architecture and Morality, Souvenir
A pretty boring album, I thought. Winehouse was obviously a very technically talented singer, but I don't care for her singing style at all. I find it a little grating, honestly. I'm not sure why.
Then there's the production, which I thought was a real mixed bag. I looked up the credits after listening, and it was quite funny how well my thoughts on each song lined up with the producer credits. Pretty much all the songs that didn't have Mark Ronson credited were very flat and uninteresting. Luckily he did produce most of the songs, so it's not that big of a problem, but it's an interesting thing to note. Also, I'm not sure what the deal is with the Ain't No Mountain High Enough rip-off. Why not just do a cover? Very odd thing to hear on an otherwise very professionally made album.
Favourite tracks: He Can Only Hold Her, You Know I'm No Good
Least favourite track: Rehab (god it's so grating, and what an awful message, too)
I haven't listened to this album before, but I have listened to plenty of albums that have released since it came out that sound a lot like it, so I suppose that goes to show how influential it was, especially in the post-punk genre.
I really love the guitars on this album. A lot of moody, ear-worm riffs from guitarist John McGeoch on tracks like Monitor and Sin In My Heart. Monitor in particular is the highlight of the album in my eyes. Right from the very first note it grabs you by the throat and demands your full attention. Sit back and enjoy the real McCoy indeed. It's somehow groovy and oppressive in equal measure. It feels massively ahead of its time, but then again so does a lot of this album.
Siouxsie's vocals are a little one-note on this record, but at the same time they've very effective at setting the tone of the album: haunting and impactful. It wouldn't be half the album it is with anyone else. She really is one of the iconic voices of this genre.
I was almost tempted to give this a 5, but there are a couple of dud tracks that I didn't really care for at all in Night Shift and Voodoo Dolly. So that's why it's a 4.5 (rounded down) from me.
Favourite tracks: Monitor, Spellbound, Into The Light
As someone who's not particularly into jazz, this album almost lost me on the very first track, which I could have easily believed was from some royalty-free stock music collection that you'd hear in a jazz club scene in some low budget movie from the 80s. Just a generic, swinging jazz tune that doesn't inspire much of a reaction one way or the other. However, it's immediately followed up by what I thought was the best track on the record, Song For Sathima, a soothing and contemplative arrangement with some excellent piano melodies. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I did find the more sombre, piano-focused tracks like that a lot more enjoyable than the swinging ensemble pieces.
Thankfully that level of variety on show here was able to salvage the poor first impression I received, and on the whole I ended up enjoying listening to the record, even though I think it's ultimately not really my thing. I doubt I'll ever listen to it again. Sorry jazz fans; got nothing against you or your music, but we're just from two different worlds.
Favourite tracks: Song For Sathima, Manenberg Revisited, The Mountain
A very cool and weird album that I could write a lot about if I had more time today. Maybe I'll come back and do so later.
After two listens, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this album. It seems to snap between dreadfully dull and genuinely inventive every other song almost. Every time I felt like I'd had enough and was about to turn it off, something would come on that convinced me to give it another chance.
I've never been all that keen on The White Stripes' particular brand of blues rock, even though I actually quite liked Jack Whites' other project, the Raconteurs, back in the day, so it's no surprise that it's the more garage rock-style tracks on this record that I preferred. Red Rain was my favourite of the bunch, which probably has a lot to do with how different it sounds from the Stripes' usual fare.
I could maybe see myself giving a higher rating to a version of this album with a modified tracklist, but as it is, I doubt I'll ever listen to it all the way through again, so three stars feels about fair.
Favourite tracks: Red Rain, Instinct Blues, The Denial Twist
Least favourite track: My Doorbell (does anyone actually like this irritating racket?)
I was almost about to give this a pretty cynical review, but after listening to it a second time this morning, I warmed up to it a lot more. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for rock opera yesterday. Once again, I'm a little too busy with festive period nonsense to give this the detailed appraisal it probably deserves, as there's a lot going on in this record. To summarize though, it's a pretty good listen!
Favourite tracks: Father to Son, Ogre Battle, The March of the Black Queen
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Some decent Jazz, I guess.
I was expecting nostalgia to maybe cloud my judgment of this album, as younger me was really into it, but on a long overdue relisten, my conclusion was a resounding: "It's okay." There's some very tight songwriting on display, with good hooks and vocal sequences that almost make you want to sing along, if not for the often bizarre subject matter of the lyrics. I really like the post-punk energy of the guitars and bass on songs like Jenny Was a Friend of Mine and Midnight Show, even if they do at times sound like a bit of a pale imitation of their inspirations. Nice use of synths throughout the record as well to create this sort of hazy, sleazy vibe that really complements the subject matter of the songs. All that said, it's not always the most interesting listen. Tracks like Change Your Mind and Everything Will Be Alright are pretty trite affairs that are neither catchy nor interesting, but I suppose they can't all be hits.
Overall, you can see why The Killers got so big on the back of this album. They knew how to write catchy rock hits for the radio, but there's not a whole lot on here that makes me desperate for another listen.
Favourite tracks: Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Believe Me Natalie, Smile Like You Mean It
More or less the definition of a 3-star record. Decent 80s style punk (actually it sounds even more dated than 80s tbh), but there's nothing all that interesting going on here.
Favourite track: Universal Corner
This is another record that I'm going to be a little biased towards because of nostalgia, but I have to say that it definitely still holds up musically for me. The production feels as fresh as the day it came out, with ridiculously catchy beats and super clean mixing. Obviously the absurdly edgy lyrics and subject matter seemed a lot cleverer when I was a lad, but even now, I can't help but crack a smile at the gleeful stupidity of tracks like As The World Turns and Brain Damage. Eminem himself compared this album to a trashy but fun horror movie, and I think that's probably the best way to appreciate it, as it most surely won't hold up if you attempt to take it too seriously.
Favourite tracks: Just Don't Give a Fuck, Brain Damage, As The World Turns
Could have done without Thom Yorke telling me how much he wanted to make love to me tbh.
Favourite tracks: A Place Called Home, Horses In My Dreams, We Float
This album was a hell of a trip. I was expecting the funk, obviously, but I didn't anticipate it rocking so hard. I can see how these guys were pioneers; I feel like Super Stupid must have invented a couple of genres all on its own. I don't know much about the artists involved in this group, but I can only assume they must have been pretty damn influential, as the musicianship on this record is next level. As is the production; I love the effects on the drums in You and Your Folks, and that iconic guitar(?) riff in Can You Get to That. A lot of the production techniques used here wouldn't seem the slightest bit out of place in the modern day. I believe the great George Clinton deserves the credit for that. I really need to get around to checking out his catalogue one of these days.
Despite the quality of the early tracks, this record is let down in my eyes by two very weak songs right at the very end. I understand they were going for a psychedelic angle in Back In Our Minds, but the end product with the distorted instruments and vocals just sounds irritating. It feels like listening to an audiobook of some literary classic ran through a warble filter. Wars Of Armageddon is a sort of interesting experimental jam session-style track, but again, all the wacky sound effects just end up being annoying and distracting from the musicianship. Maybe the message and meaning of those ripe farts are just going over my head, though.
I could have maybe given this a 5, but on a 7 track album, having 2 tracks that I actively dislike listening to makes it hard to justify a perfect score. What's good here is very good though.
Favourite tracks: Super Stupid, You and Your Folks, Can You Get To That
It's a shame that George got so mindbroken by Paul and John's overbearing presence in the songwriting process for the Beatles that he decided to eschew any notion of restraint or brevity in his first post-Beatles solo album, as this could have been an all-time great record if he'd had the good sense to cut some of the less interesting tracks and trim the length of a few others. For example, Isn't It a Pity, as beautiful a song as it is, has absolutely no business being 7 minutes long (with another 5 minute reprise later on!). And I make that complaint even without factoring in the Apple Jam portion of the record, as to be fair, it's essentially an entirely separate record awkwardly stapled onto this one, and can be safely skipped.
Anyway, I know all that has been said to death, so with that gripe out of the way, this record is a lovely collection of songs that really highlight Harrison's abilities as both a songwriter and a guitarist. The kind of music that you're pretty much always going to be happy to hear, regardless of what mood you're in.
Favourite tracks: Isn't It a Pity, Wah-Wah, Art of Dying
