1) "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - fun song. nothing really stood out to me, but i liked it
2) "Rock With You" - very catchy refrain. enjoyed it immensely
3) "Workin' Day and Night" - i really like the percussion in this one
4) "Get on the Floor" - good song!
5) "Off the Wall" - i really REALLY like this one. one of my faves
6) "Girlfriend" - so full of love and whimsy. i like it.
7) "She's Out of My Life" - i know how it feels. good song
8) "I Can't Help It" - BANGER.
9) "It's the Falling In Love" - i liked this a lot :-)
10) "Burn This Disco Out" - fun song. not much to note.
overall, the type of album i'd enjoy listening to in the background! i enjoyed getting schoolwork done listening to this. thank you MJ, you're the best
FAVES: Rock With You, Off the Wall, She's Out of My Life, I Can't Help It
1) "Across The Great Divide" - i really like the vocals in this one.
2) "Rag Mama Rag" - that piano sure can go. not a super exciting song, but good!
3) "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - tennessee is the only place that exists (unless its texas). all things considered i like this song. go harmonica go
4) "When You Awake" - makes me think of Lil Oldman. that's really the best thing i can say for it.
5) "Up On Cripple Creek" - i mean it's fine? nothing to call home about. i do enjoy the chorus
6) "Whispering Pines" - a nice change of pace in the album. the vocals here are really nice, thank you piano
7) "Jemima Surrender" - can't really get into this song on premise alone, i'm sorry.
8) "Rocking Chair" - down in ol virginny. lol. it's a nice song
9) "Look Out Cleveland" - LOOOOK OUUUT CLEEEVELANNDDD the instruments in this whole album is pretty solid but i think this song is a good example of it
10-11)
12) "King Harvest Has Surely Come" - probably one of my favorites out of this album. good stuff!
FAVES: Across the Great Divide, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Rocking Chair, King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
not the kind of genre i usually listen to, which is really the worst thing i can say about this album. all of the songs are solid in their own right!
okay so i was halfway through writing my review and my power went out so this is attempt number... 3? woohoo.
1) "I Looked Away" - pretty solid song. i like the refrain.
2) "Bell Bottom Blues" - instant favorite. exactly how it feels sometimes. I DONT WANNA FAADEE AWAAYYYY
3-4) both songs are pretty alright but nothing to call home about. i like the guitar in them.
5) "I Am Yours" - the percussion in this song is really subtle but it adds a lot i think.
6-8) kind of blended together for me, but not in a necessarily bad way? good background music.
9-12) good guitar. send tweet
13) "Layla" - i was ready to brush this song off also but then the PIANO CAME IN and suddenly the whole vibe changed and ouuugh it sounds good. it sounds really good. REALLY REALLY GOOD.
14) "Thorn Tree in the Garden" - from the start the acoustic guitar is so beautiful and then the vocals... beautiful song. FEED ME MEN SINGING HIGH NOTES NOOOWW!!!!
while there are a few standouts on this album (and BOY do they stand out) there's also a lot of stuff where im like. yeah. thats okay
1) Purple Haze - pretty sure i've heard this song before, the guitar riff at the beginning is familiar. feels like listening to the radio at that one cabin where all we had was classic rock radio.
2) Manic Depression - sounded fine. nothing much of note
3) Hey Joe - i like the guitar in this one. does some fun stuff. classic song about person getting gun and causing problems.
4-5) nothing to say
6) I Don't Live Today - i like this one a bit more.
7-8) nothing to say
9) Third Stone From The Sun - im sorry i just dont like this one that much. it's like. whatever.
10) Foxey Lady - can he stop saying it like that. i dont trust him near a woman i think
11) Are You Experienced - poses the fascinating question "what if you could become un-experienced". thats about the only thing it has going for it. roll credits song
12) Stone Free - let me in there. i'll hit the cowbell. make me a rock star baby
13) 51st Anniversary - really upset because there's these two bits of this song that sound REALLY GOOD and the rest of it is just. whatever. (0:59-1:10) (2:06-2:30)
14-17) nothing of note to say
this just didn't really hit for me im going to be honest. i can definitely see the market for it, but im not a beer drinking man out on the sun fishing so as it stands im good.
1) The Headmaster Ritual - immediately the singers voice (Morrissey?) stands out to me, and he makes wonderful use of it throughout the song. and the guitar provides just a really strong and stable backing.
2) Rusholme Ruffians - there's a good energy behind this song. i like how it moves.
3) I Want What I Can't Have - how it is. i take a long drag of my cigarette.
4) What She Said - has a good kick to it!
5) That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - a good acoustic guitar and good high notes from a man is almost enough to make me black out.
6) Nowhere Fast - There's a particular sound I really enjoy that's present here. I only wish I knew the word for it so I could seek it out deliberately.
7-9) not much to say except it sounds good.
The Smiths have a kind of way of making me feel a bit like I'm laying under a wet blanket on a sunny day. I should feel better, but I don't. Good album, but nothing I'd really call home about, you know?
1) Suite II Overture - My favorite album opener so far. and then the transition into
2) Dance or Die is PHENOMENAL!! I literally gasped out loud hearing it come up after Suite II. I love it when music can give you those "wow" moments.
3) Faster - I really love the energy in this song! Monáe's vocals are SO crisp and wonderful. Thank you music
4) Locked Inside - UURRRGHHH THIS CHORUS! MWAH MWAH MWAH! This makes me want to dance down the grocery store aisle and I mean that in the best way possible. If this was the music that played at my job as a cashier maybe I wouldn't have wanted to quit. I have to say again that the vocals are so GOOOOOD!!! Buttery smooth.
5) Sir Greendown - Slowing down here, but that's not a bad thing! I'm really impressed with the range of this album. In my opinion, the best albums have both a range of sound AND a cohesive feel, and ArchAndroid is nailing it so far.
6) Cold War - "KELLINDOOOOO!!!!!!!" AND THEN THE GUITAR GOES CRAAAAZYYY YES YES YESSS! even with not liking this song as much as the others it's still really good!
7) t-t-t-tip on the Tightrope - i think that this song would make a good DDR map. It has solid rhythm. the album is DANCING!
8) Neon Gumbo - i am a SUCKER for reversed songs!
9) Oh Maker - huh! oh i LIKE THIS! the slower pace doesn't make this any less of a vibe! i reallllyyy like the way the song introduces itself, and it stays warm and wonderful the whole way through. Monáe can SING! my only fault with this one is the outro, but I think it might have been necessary to make this work next to
10) Come Alive (War of the Roses) - the other thing I have to fault Monáe for is the ableist language, which jarring at best, but it was also 2010. unfortunate because otherwise i REALLY LIKE the sound of this song, especially the guitar and the louder vocals.
11) Mushrooms and Roses - the intro is pretty solid, I like the percussion and then the voice effects are REALLY FUN. a classic Song About A Location. we love to see it.
12) Suite Overture III - similarly to the other overture, it might not be a song I'd listen to in any other context, but in the context of the album it works perfectly. I like the fuzzy sort of vocals. A much stronger song than the first overture.
13) Neon Valley Overture - the breakdown in this song is so GOOD. urghhh. and once again the guitar comes in clutch as the best instrument of all time. sorry i don't make the rules.
14) Make The Bus - oh this is FUN. lots of cool stuff happening with the vocals. kevin barnes was right to give this song to this album, it adds a lot to it!
15) Wondaland - this is so dreamy and peppy. wonderland indeed!
16) 57821 - I really like the echo-y sort of melancholic feel of this song. With all of the energy in this album, I think the slower bits really complement it well.
17) Say You'll Go - My least favorite song of the album, but still a good song.
18) BaBopByeYa - slow and confident and SMOOOOTH. a stellar way to end the album! i'm ALSO a sucker for songs that have several distinct Parts. this is a long song that EARNS AND RELISHES in its length! urghh.
THANK YOU MUSIC. ArchAndroid succeeds at tying everything together despite each song sounding so distinct!! After a few albums I wasn't much of a fan of, this was a WONDERFUL surprise. this is absolutely something I would listen to again!! concept albums my BELOVED.
i'm honestly ... not sure what i expected from steely dan? whatever it was, it wasn't this. and i mean that in the best way possible. i found myself really enjoying the album! dirty work was definitely my favorite song, but reelin' in the years is definitely the most popular song for a reason, it SLAPS.
i've never heard an organ solo before this album and now im angry that i haven't heard an organ doing this stuff before now. also shoutout to the saxophone my god. very fun stuff. that being said, i don't think this is the kind of music i'd sit down and dedicate my attention to listening to. worked good as background car music while i drove, though.
faves: City Country City, The World Is A Ghetto, Beetles in a Bog
