1001 Albums Summary

Top banana!

Not as interesting as I remember. Lyrically and (potentially) stylistically dubious.

“Look mom, no solos!”

…pleasant! Perhaps warrants another listen or two.

Feel bad giving an REM album less than 4 stars but this isn't a favourite. Some standout bits but not their best!

Not even my favourite Smiths album. haven't listened to this in ages and on hearing it now, it's a remarkably cohesive record (aside from the title track, really) that evokes a mood and place so well. The instrumentation is tight as anything and Marr throws away some amazing fills that feel almost buried in the mix.

The instrumentation and production, I like. The songs could grow on me with more listens. I'm not keen on the vocal style, though, which feels overly mannered for my own tastes.

Never listened to this though it was ubiquitous in my youth! Think I assumed it'd be boring. First 20 seconds, thought I was going to really enjoy it but then quickly realised DG is the man who Ed Sheeran could've been. Or vice versa. Actually, that's unfair.... Much more interesting than ES. Perfectly fine and, perhaps, even actively "good" if in the right headspace. Sonically, very much of its time. Almost simplistic / DIY sounding.

Not my bag. Don't like this kind of quirky, instrumentally competent but unengaging Americana. Just totally out of sync with my sensibilities.

More insidious and addictive and, actually, better than "Heroes". An album that feels lowkey and easy to overlook but is actually incredibly substantial. Lyrically it's also more troubling than a casual listen indicates (perhaps because rebirth and possibility become implied, when married to the music). I think Station to Station edges it (just by virtue of the opener) and Lodger is certainly more immediate but this may be the most atmospheric and beguiling of that run of albums.

Seems harsh to give an album that contains "Once in a Lifetime" only three stars. Not TH's strongest, for me, though.

Fine, I guess. Not sure if it's the instrumentation, or else maybe all the songs were written in quite a similar way, but overall this feels kind of mechanical. Lyrically, it left me pretty unmoved.... Perhaps unsurprising, given I'm a middle aged man. Some of the vocals, I did like, actually. Also, I feel that if the songs had more room to breathe this would be a much better album.In summation: a kind of a cross between The XX and Lana Del Boy but nowhere near as good as either.

I knew this was going to be dog sh*t within .2 seconds of it starting. It's the music Action Man f*cks to. I actually think that, had he lived longer, Jim Morrison would've ended up doing sh*t like this, self-important juvenilia. There's a part with a repeated wah pedal stab that sounds like Zippy from Rainbow (he was kind of like Elmo but for p*ssies, for young or non-UK readers) interfering with himself.