after my first listen through this album i would've rated it four stars, but hearing it again right afterwards instantly reminded me why i needed to bump it up.
this album immediately started off so strong with 'you are the sunshine of my life'. the minute this song came on i instantly knew i was gonna love this book. this song feels like getting high without the consequences. it's just pure good vibes.
i wasn't the biggest fan of 'maybe your baby', it kind of took me out, but followed right after by 'you and i' was like a reminder of how great this album is. these two songs were real game changers for me.
the only reason i won't rate this album its full five stars is just the small handful of songs i wasn't a huge fan of. that being said, there really wasn't a single 'bad' song on this album, and it really just introduced me to a whole new world of music.
favorite tracks: you are the sunshine of my life, you and i
honorable mentions: blame it on the sun, i believe (when i fall in love it will be forever)
i knew i'd eventually come across an album i didn't like but i didn't know it'd happen so soon lol. not that these were bad songs, i just really didn't resonate with any of them at all. i honestly can't pinpoint which song is which because none of them stand out to me very much. anyway i think this genre just isn't for me, still a fine record though :)
i'm not the hugest hard rock fan so i didn't go into this album expecting to love it, but there were definitely a couple tracks on there that were pretty cool. after the first couple though, i did find myself getting kind of bored, and the rest began drowning out into background music. overall it wasn't my thing, but i can definitely see the appeal.
favorite tracks: jailbreak, southbound
i can't say i would listen to this album again, but if i had an elevator this is the first place i would come to. very groovy.
this album gave me very much coming-of-age indie film vibes. probably the thing i liked most about it was that it never felt like it was stuck in one genre. as the album slowly morphed from the first half to the second, i started hearing lots of elements similar to bon iver's stuff, and towards the end it sounded like the band cults with was pretty awesome.
favorite songs: wasted hours, sprawl II (mountains beyond mountains)
i can't say this sort of hyper-atmospheric airy tone is very much my thing, but i didn't dislike having this album play in the background of my thoughts. while i do think the songs sounded a little monotonous, i get that was sort of the intention with this record so i honestly can't complain.
i don't know what i was expecting from this album but it definitely wasn't this. from the very first track i was pretty pleasantly surprised; river song sounds like when the gospel choir starts singing in church, and you're not even religious but the good vibes still punch you in the face. in general i really enjoyed the gospel influence in a lot of these songs. i can't say i'll come back much to re-listen to this record because most of the songs weren't a huge hit for me, but for a first-time listen it was pretty great.
favorite tracks: river song, love remember me, common
i think it's pretty hard to deny the greatness of this album even if you aren't big springsteen fan. every song practically radiates hope and good vibes, so it makes all the sense that was one of the albums that made his career. born to run is one of those songs that i feel like no one can truly say they hate, and i think towards the end is where i really started to appreciate the album as a whole.
favorite track: born to run, jungleland
i think most people would agree this is a definite must-hear-before-you-die album, but i don't think i was king crimson's intended audience unfortunately.
that being said, the one song i did really appreciate was i talk to the wind. hearing that for the first time gave me lots of hope for the rest of the album, and while the songs after that didn't end up peaking my interest, hearing the duo version completely brought it back. the two tracks are probably the ones that sound least like the rest of the album though, so this makes absolute sense.
favorite tracks: i talk to the wind, i talk to the wind (duo version)
lately i've come to realize that i'm not a huge fan of the blues and its genres adjacent, so while this album wasn't bad, it wasn't my cuppa. nevertheless it definitely did have its highlights. wrote a song for everyone immediately stood out to me as the best song on the album by far. it's quite beautiful and i think i'll be coming back to listen to it pretty often. that followed shortly after by lodi definitely made me enjoy the album a little more.
favorite track: wrote a song for everyone
to be completely frank, the only thing that told me when one song ended and another one started was when the audience started clapping. otherwise, the songs all kind of blended together for me, and i unfortunately was pretty bored all throughout. occasionally a melody would play that piqued my interest a little, but it never lasted through the whole song, and for me that became a trend for the entire album. that being said, like a rolling stone was pretty cool, it's just a bit of a shame it came at the very end.
pretty cool album. a lot of the vocals and instrumentals are out there, and while i'm not a huge fan of every song, for the most part doolittle is an enjoyable listen.
favorite track: wave of mutilation
this is objectively a great album. one thing i really love are the somewhat subtle orchestral elements in a lot of the songs. when it's electric the guitar tone is perfect, but specifically in the acoustic tracks i think the orchestra brings so much. billy corgan's vocals are definitely not for everybody, but i think even if you don't like them it's hard not to appreciate all the other stuff there is to offer.
favorite tracks: disarm, spaceboy, luna
i initially wasn't expecting to like this album very much, but the first couple songs definitely changed my mind. right here, right now was cool but the couple songs after that were awesome. usually i'm not a fan of repetitive lines or sounds, but i think when it's done right it can sound nice. a few songs also reminded me of tv girl which was cool.
that being said, after around the halfway point i started getting lost in the repetitiveness a little and it was harder to pay attention, so that bumped my overall rating down a bit.
favorite tracks: fucking in heaven, gangster trippin
lovefool is cool but i think the rest of this album definitely has more to offer. it reminded me of some twee bands like talulah gosh or tiger trap, but with maybe a little more bossa nova or jazz elements, i'm not sure. it was a little more falalalala than i'm usually into but that's okay.
favorite tracks: losers
a lot of complaints about this album seem to revolve around the idea that it's boring or just too inoffensive to enjoy, but i think that's one of the things i appreciate most about it. while it's nice listening to albums where every single song is a hit and hard not to pay full attention to, i also really appreciate ones that can just sit in the background and that i can enjoy passively. for me it feels like that was the intention with this record, and it does that perfectly. i would fall asleep to this on a plane, but whether or not that's a good or bad thing just depends on who you ask i guess.
favorite tracks: seven years, feelin’ the same way, lonestar, nightingale
i can't say this is really my cuppa but i can appreciate this is a pretty good album. very funky very fresh.
i didn't hate this album, but unfortunately i didn't resonate with it very much at all. i'm not a huge lyricist though and i've heard that's a large part of the appeal, so maybe that's the problem lol.
