How funny is it that the first album that comes up for this challenge is one that changed my perspective on art forever?
I was 14 when I got into Gorillaz, and the self-titled stands out because this was still when Damon Albarn was trying to maintain some anonymity away from Blur. This also explains some of the musical limitations in the album itself, with lots of electronic and trip-hop influences in the songs. For the feelings behind the songs, Albarn and the other musicians behind the project stayed in-character for the Gorillaz crew. This was back when they were attempting to venture into multimedia with a book and tie-in movie that never came. It really sounds like a fully realized *cartoon* band making a soundtrack for a series that doesn't exist.
I still love this band dearly, and all the musicians involved in their recent albums still make it special and unique in the modern industry (seriously, "The Mountain" kicks ass). Yet, the simplistic and almost desolate instrumentals behind this album give me a perfect sense of nostalgia for those rainy morning bus rides to school.
9/10
Favorite track: Tomorrow Comes Today
Ah, Britpop. What a quaint genre. Everyone knows “Bittersweet Symphony”, but I enjoyed a few other songs on top of that one. The softer vibe of that song carries into some other tracks, but I also got shades of Tonic and Jane’s Addiction at times. This brand of alternative rock is very nostalgic for me. Some songs are more interesting than others. I saw there’s another album from them in here, so I’m looking forward to them popping up again.
7/10
Favorite track: Weeping Willow
This RIPSSSS holy shit.
There’s a slight dip in the middle with some of the more “poppy” tracks, but nothing that ruins the whole project. Nothing I wouldn’t expect from a late 70s album like this and nothing that the band can’t make sound good. The keys and guitar on this are stellar.
Extremely solid, fun, powerful album. I need to find this on vinyl!
8.5/10
Favorite track: One Way or Another (that guitar solo is just too good. And for this one it might be easier to pick my LEAST favorite track)
What a pleasant surprise this one was! This era of early blues rock/Led Zeppelin ripoffs is interesting to look back on. I had to look these guys up and found out they made "Cum on Feel the Noize" (which tbh I always thought was a Quiet Riot song), and compared to this, I guess they've always been ahead of their time. The bass and drums are especially tight on these songs, and I like the singer's energy.
This album has a little more character compared to some of the other releases of this era. I don't think I'll actively seek it out again, but it's a good background listen.
5.5/10
Favorite track: Look at Last Nite
This one was neat. For the most part I preferred the instrumental tracks, especially the opener and closer. The rap parts (or whatever MC Det is trying to do) and samples kinda ruined the flow for me. The mood of this is really nice, it fits the album cover perfectly. The rest of them didn’t stand out too much.
6/10
Favorite track: Shellback
Good stuff!! I love high, raspy voices in this genre. There’s a lot of great energy and songwriting moments here, especially parts where her voice builds to crescendos. Even “Mercedes Benz” which sounds like an outtake has so much personality to it. I never gave Janis Joplin a chance before and I’m glad I started with this one. It’s sad that she didn’t get to do much in her career, but this is the first time in this album challenge that makes me wanna actively look through more of her discography and collabs with the Holding Company. That definitely means something!
7.5/10
Favorite track: Trust Me
A compilation, huh? That explains a lot. Almost all these songs sound and feel exactly the same. And before you punks come in here like “tHats PaRt of tHe GeNRE” I KNOW ITS JUST NOT FOR ME.
It wasn’t bad to listen to at all, just boring. Which is almost worse than being flat-out bad.
It sounded fine for sure, the production was good and the band itself was tight, but it’s the most generic punk revival sound you could imagine. I can give them a pass because this is basically just a sampler for them and their label to introduce themselves to new audiences. This means the “weird” stuff (aka the good stuff) is hidden in their studio albums. It got more interesting in the second half at least. The instrumental outro was fun.
4.5/10
Favorite track: Here We Go Again
Before this, I only knew of Bobby Womack in his old age through Gorillaz. I’ve always liked his voice, so getting to hear him in his prime is fun. This is a very tight album, the keys and bass are great (naturally), and I love how emotive his voice can get. The arrangements are cool, and I like the storytelling in the lyrics, but it’s a very straightforward album of love songs. It’s a great listen, but not much to dissect beyond that.
6.5/10
Favorite track: So Many Sides of You
