Track 1 - See No Evil
Upbeat, love the drums, blind bliss
Track 2 - Venus
Venus de Milo (Aphrodite), lovestruck, quite poetic, meaning a bit lost on me, high on drugs or life??
Track 3 - Friction
Carried by bassline, vocals bit shaky, drags on a bit
Track 4 - Marquee Moon
Long song, catchy riffs, song about experiencing life whether good or bad, doesn't feel 10+ minutes long, satisfying structure (cyclical) shows reflection, very cool lyric change from 'just waiting' to 'hesitating' to 'I ain't waiting' before leading into instrumental break. (moment I realised this album was special), Verlaine's vocals shine and really fit this style.
Track 5 - Elevation
Least punk feeling, don't want to be soaked up in city culture, dreams of shores and seas, feels too literal, great guitar solo
Track 6 - Guiding Light
Floatiest vocals yet, nice chords (keys could be mixed better), loss of a lover, unsure of future without them, optimistic outro
Track 7 -Prove It
Another great bassline, search for meaning questioning, 'case' is life, meaning of life is confidential, repetitive
Track 8 - Torn Curtain
Good closing track, catchy quite solemn chorus, time passing, endless cycle of hardship coming with time
Overall
Television's debut Marquee Moon is a very British feeling post punk record by a NYC band. Explores themes of life, time, love and hardship spurred on by very poetic and abstract lyrics. Verlaine's vocals are very floaty and raw fitting with the style. Undeniable influence in the art rock and post punk genres. Phenomenal instrumentals. Felt some songs were slightly repetitive and overstayed their welcome.
Favourite songs: Marquee Moon, See No Evil, Venus, Guiding Light
Least favourite songs: Friction
9/10
Track 1 - Take It Easy
Ah it's the Winslow Arizona song, really like the backing vocals, really like this one, banjo fits if a bit cliché
Track 2 - Witchy Woman
Bit boring, like the guitar solo, not aged brilliantly
Track 3 - Chug All Night
Really like Glenn's vocals on this, quite like the 'vibe', subtle references to death, feels pretty standard
Track 4 - Most of Us Are Sad
Not really subtle, drags on, I like the message and see what they're going for, feels really disingenuous after 'Chug All Night'
Track 5 - Nightingale
Felt like a chore to listen to, the 'ooos' get pretty annoying, unimaginative, cool bit of bass about 3 mins in, most excitement I felt throughout
Track 6 - Train Leaves Here This Morning
Quite like the harmonies, once again putting me to sleep a bit, simple as it gets
Track 7 - Take the Devil
I like the instrumentals, not too keen on the vocals or the lyrics, outro feels too long
Track 8 - what the fuck is this intro please shut that bird up it sounds like a car alarm, I quite like the ,rest of this one, cool themes and lyrics, doesn't overstay its welcome, best drums on the album, why is the bird back
Track 9 - Peaceful Easy Feeling
More love, nice vocals, dull lyrics, dull instrumentals, I literally yawned during this
Track 10 - Tryin'
Not much to write home about, once again not brill vocals
Eagles self titled album released in 1972 is soulless and drab. I had hopes after quite a first track but those quickly dwindled as the album felt quite simple in themes and instrumentals. For an album so focused on freedom as a core aspect it feels like they refused to really experiment. It is a shame because there are moments of greatness particularly in the harmonies, drums and bass. The best way I can describe this album is cookie cutter.
2/10
Track 1 - Missing Pieces
Very nice and satisfying guitar work, love the instrumentals as a whole, feels really bluesy with the keys, really like this one
Track 2 - Sixteen Saltines
Holy shit the instrumentals go hard, would like a bit more passion and soul
Track 3 - Freedom at 21
Not a huge fan of how Jack sings this, pretty cool lyrics
Track 4 - Love Interruption
Definitely catchy, keys are nice, feels like it's lacking a bit of oomph in the instrument department
Track 5 - Blunderbuss
Nice strings, I like the lyrics, most passion from Jack so far, Jack does this thing where he cuts the instrumental sings a line then kicks it back in, it's cool the first few times but it gets a bit annoying seeing as a lot of the composition is pretty good.
Track 6 - Hypocritical Kiss
Nice piano once again, feels like it's going somewhere and then stops again, fits Jack's voice
Track 7 - Weep Themselves To Sleep
Theme of nice piano, quite intense, lyrics are kinda cringe, back to bluesy which is nice
Track 8 - I'm Shakin
I like the backing vocals, some of my fave vocals, why does he say nervous like that
Track 9 - Trash Tongue Talker
Lost me a bit, really nice piano as per, doesn't jump out at me enough
Track 10 - Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy
Very cool drums, doesn't make me feel all that much
Track 11 - I Guess I Should Go To Sleep
Nice bass at the start, not the hugest fan of the vocals,
Track 12 - On And On And On
Fitting title for the back half of this record, cool bass, something just feels off, kinda boring
Track 13 - Take Me With You When You Go
Doesn't feel distinct from the rest of the album, oo this is pretty cool now, don't like the vocals, love the guitar
Jack White feels like he's trying to not replicate the sound from The White Stripes but I feel he should've gone the extra mile, he is incredibly talented musically as shown by the composition of a lot of the songs but the album just feels quite repetitive in terms of lyrics and themes, lots of wasted potential here but the album is absolutely saved by Jack's talent.
6/10
Listened while travelling so couldn’t do usual review. Pretty perfect 90s rock album, absolutely enthralled by the vocals, lyrics, instrumentals and as a whole the general vibe of the album. The hits really hit such as spoonman and black hole but even the lesser known songs like let me drown are pretty flawless. 9/10
In future I am ditching the track by track note system in favour of listening to the album in full before sharing my thoughts.
Tears for Fears second album is undoubtedly great the themes are great and the lyrics are both well written but also well performed. However I feel like some of the songs failed to hold my interest wether that be with repetitive instrumental or being overshadowed by the other superior songs. The production is phenomenal and this album really does deserve praise.
8/10
Elliott Smith's second album released in 2000 is incredibly satisfying to listen to. Smith's incredibly fitting lyricism and vocals combine greatly with the experimentative and involved instrumentals. The album is very diverse and isn't one note. Some of the songs I feel failed to fully grab my attention while I can still appreciate the themes Smith is going for. These involve love, loss, home and other relatable themes which I think he quite nicely gets across. I think I do prefer his first album but this is a worthy follow up.
7.5/10
