The singles are great, I mean it’s ABBA. But it’s not filled out by other catchy earworm pop songs. Album wise not essential.
Right off the bat my jam. Smooth singer/songwriter stuff that I like way more than Alt rock/hip hop adjacent Beck from Odelay and his 90s hits. Has a Radiohead feel I like and apes a lot of others but hey I like it from first blush.
First 5 star record of the project for me. Everything just hits you with perfection right off the bat. It’s perfect British rock and roll. You can feel in so much that comes after it (oasis obviously the big one). Lyrics are snappy and funny.
I don’t listen to a lot of classical piano, so I might be overrating this. The legend around this concert and its recording also may lead me to overrate it. But right of the bat the sound and playing is just magical. Crisp and clear.
I did listen to a good amount of Jarrett’s jazz work earlier this year, especially his trio stuff with Jack DeJohnette on drums - which I just loved. Honestly I miss his little vocalizations and noises he would make during his jazz work.
Even with all that being said - I’m still giving this 5 stars. I’m doing a music league right now where the prompt is a song you would add to a new voyager golden records. Something to send out into space with the potential that some unknown intelligence could find it and appreciate its beauty. Anything from this would be an excellent choice.
(My pick was Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten if you were wondering)
I love Elliot Smith’s voice and the way he sings. Such great style. This one just didn’t fully click with me though. Huge fan of “XO” and that one comes out strong with Sweet Adeline where nothing in this hit me as hard. Maybe it was just my mood. Def one I’ll go back to
While “Queen is Dead” might be the best smiths album, this one here might be my favorite. Haven’t revisited in a little while - but this has high 5 star potential. Excited to revisit it.
Ultimately this is 4.25 stars. A great album, and maybe more accessible than their self titled - but doesn’t have that extra “thing” that makes self titled and Queen in Dead essential albums. So ultimately this is “just” a collection of very very very good to great songs.
I didn’t really have it in me to listen to this. Def need to revisit but I once thought Missy Elliot sounded like the future - but that time has passed. The Jay Z guest track was just boring naming off old rappers nostalgia. Maybe I don’t like hip hop? Not sure
Easy 5 stars
I’ve started listening to Fela this year and listened to him a lot. So it was very cool to see this album pop up. At first I enjoyed it, but it was a little too clean and polished for me. However in the middle of the album it started to have that unpredictable, free-flowing energy that so much of Felas music has. It became unleashed especially on Frustrstions and Nana. Now maybe I shouldn’t have expected/wanted another Fela record and let Femi develop his own sound. And who knows - maybe I’ll come to appreciate his own version of the Afrobeat style from the first few tracks in the future. But for now on first listen - 4 stars.
Yeeeeessss. I just made a list of my favorite albums since 1990 and this was way up there at number 18.
I mentioned thinking Missy Elliot sounded like “the future” at some point - well MGMT and this album in particular is something else I give that label to (along with Parliament, OutKast, 100 gecs and more if were wondering).
Excited to see how this one holds up. My starting point is this very likely will be an “essential” album in my rankings and 5 stars. Is it?
The top 3 songs in this album - Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, and Kids are just incredible. I’m honestly gaining a new appreciation for Time to Pretend on this go around especially these lines
“ Yeah, I'll miss the boredom
And the freedom and the time spent alone
But there is really nothing, nothing we can do
Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew”
Especially juxtaposed with all the “let’s do drugs and models, fuck it life is short” lyrics.
Electric Feel though - man this might be one of my favorite songs of all time.
The bass line and the simple lyrics. Love it. Plus the music video is so cool - I wanna live in that post-apocalyptic day glo hippy rave nature commune. Well not really but maybe a younger me.
The rest of the album is also very good, obviously not to the level of those 3 but not skippable shite either. Accept maybe the last track I usually found myself not wanting to finish that one.
In the end is it 5 stars? No. Probably 4.5 - but I still feel like it is an “essential” record. A defining record definitely of its era of indie rock becoming more mainstream - but also I thinking a defining album of the entire 21st century to this point.
Just such a great sound, I could live in it all day. The sharp guitar sound, the smooth driving bass, and John’s great vocal style.
I can smell the beer and cigarettes and feel the thick air in the sweaty basement where this band is just going off.
The influence is just insane too - you can clearly hear New Order, LCD Soundsystem, and so much in here.
Even stuff like Religion I and II shouldn’t work with the spoken word lyrics before the actual song with the same lyrics. 99% of bands would make this cheesy and eye rolling - PiL makes it awesome.
RIP Dolly. Feels a bit disrespectful to “only” give this 3 stars today - but I just didn’t feel it too much. The title track is great and the rest of the songs are all good but nothing else really stood out. I listened to a lot of Dolly today and multiple songs from “Jolene”, like “Highlight of My Life”, or the title track from “My Tennessee Mountain Home” or her later bluegrass stood always made my ears perk up more. Still she’s a legend.
I appreciate Jimi. He’s got some all time great songs. But don’t feel like entire albums hit that high mark. I understand artists want to spread their little wings and try something different - but i definitely prefer loud fuzzy acid in the headband Jimi that just rips riffs and solos over some of the more melodic stuff on this album.
So excited to listen to this one. Love gkmc and GNX.
With butterfly I’ve tried to listen to it twice before but something always got in the way. The first time I checked it out from the library and it was the edited version.
Then when I was in my “listen to music on free YouTube” phase the music videos would play for some of the songs and there would be skits and interruptions throughout. Hopefully that’s limited on this one. I didn’t mind the skits on gkmc so hopefully they are incorporated like that. LFG.
An interesting sound…but also bland. Very 2008 (derogatory).
Not sure what makes this essential. Must be something British I’m missing.
Cool alt singer songwriter stuff. Mt Goat vibes.
the Go Gos. Obviously I know the band and the big hits - but never something I’ve listened to with intention before. Playing through “Beauty and the Beat” tonight - and goddamn this is a power-pop/pop-punk/rock n roll masterpiece. Every note is perfect. Short and to the point - 35 minute album, doesn’t overstay its welcome. Catchy and energetic - but not repitive. Each song has a little unique flair. Fucking love this. Rock and roll.
Easy 5 stars. Genius. I mean is it getting the 5 on reputation alone? Maybe…but is fucking Coltrane man. Nah - it earns it. An amazing listen from front to back. The music is always evolving and changing. Never dull - always interesting; always something happening. Perfectly transitions from one feature solo to the next at just the right times. And the ending - echoes of musical themes and melodies from earlier in the album. Transcendent stuff that evokes the future spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and others. You can hear the seeds being planted here.
So much to love about this album. It’s constantly changing from one idea to the idea so quickly. It sounds like the velvet underground, talking heads, punks, post/punk. But also nothing else sounds like it at all. The music is so energetic and driving.
Also “Corona” may be one of the greatest songs of all time.
Mike Watt is just an all timer. I saw him live last year and he’s still going - making new music and playing live. Honestly just continuing the very energy and vibes from this album.
A good album but not the all time classic to me. I have no desire to listen to this right now. Heart of the city is good. Takeover is good but mostly cuz of the doors sample not really a great diss track. I always liked black album better.
Muddy is the man. I could listen to him play those heavy blues riffs and sing the blues in between all day. And I did!
I might overrate funk/soul albums like this because I only got into this genre in the last 4-5 years but I just love this style of music. Bobby’s amazing vocal style, the killer bass lines (Secrets especially) just come together in an amazing package.
I just don’t get it. I mean it’s good music, nothing terrible. But don’t get the hype. Is there even hype actually? I mean bittersweet is a cool song in some parts. But it sounds like a song that people who only listen to the radio think a “most amazing song ever” should sound like because it has strings and shit. Is this just a time and place album? Not being British and being a child at the time, did I just miss out? Was there lots of “the next Oasis?!?” With these guys? Cuz really when I listen to it - it just makes we want to listen to Oasis.
Kind of bland Brit-pop that doesn’t get close to the big 4.
Hells yes. Love the DTB. Dirty South one of my favorites of all time, and really like their more recent American Band/The Unraveling stuff too.
This is one where I’ve listened to the first half through Zip City a decent amount and liked it - but haven’t listened to the second half a ton. I think there’s 5 star potential here with how good the first half is and how ambitious it could be - but there’s a chance it just ends up being too damn long. Or there are songs in the first half I’ve memory holed that are going to drag it down. Let’s find out!
I’m going the full 5 on this. I just love Drive By Truckers and I love this album and the themes running through it. The great trilogy of “Southern Thing/3 Icons/Wallace” is great even though the Wallace song doesn’t fully work for me. Honestly the devil needs a little more theatricality - like Pontius in JCS or King George in Hamilton - but there’s a little bit in there which does help the whole rock opera vibe. They also do a similar “Walking Tall” trilogy on Dirty South - which is a thing that works way better than it should. A combination of songs and spoken word southern history lessons doesn’t sound great on its surface but it works. Just love the combination of exploring the history of the south in songs like that, “Ronnie and Neil” and more with the personal experiences of the south in “Zip City” or “Let there be rock” showing how this overall “duality of the southern thing” affects the lives of those growing up there.
Pop genius. Without a doubt
