Solid, competent debut album from the Killers. Not my favorite or most enjoyed album.
Hard to beat Mr. Brightside, but the sound is consistent and well developed imo
Brandon Flowers is not my favorite vocal but his vocal is competent, like how the rest of the band is competent here.
Up my alley more, so I was already inclined to rate higher. I like the production and vocals better. Doesn't overstay it's welcome, not much slowing down by the band across the 7 tracks.
Country is not my biggest or most favorite genre by any means, but I do think this is competent, consistent, and well-executed for country, albeit shorter. It feels like it goes by a little too fast in my opinion from song to song, like some could have been more developed or even just extended out. Undeniably a great singer in Dolly Parton and good backing band behind her. More of the instrumental moments on side two stand out to me. The lyrics are actually good to me and feel genuine. All around pleasant and relaxing.
This is what I figured the Cure would sound like knowing the few songs of theirs that I do, including Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love. I had actually heard "Lovesong" and "Untitled" before, but I can't pinpoint the former. I have enjoyed those songs, and it's cool to know this is their primary sound (I guess). Immediately from the opener, this brings up feelings of heavy nostalgia and melancholy for me. Some vocals from Robert Smith feel buried when he sings them, but that is fine; the delivery seems intentional, to let the other instrumentation and tones guide you more on the journey while he mostly stays soft and underneath versus being the clear lead of it all. The lyrics seem to be more open, to be both resonant and open to your interpretation. That's not to say they aren't well-written. There's soundscapes and "walls of sound," but there's also some time to breathe and take in less, like many points between lyric phrasing. There's soft and there's harder hitting elements, like lyrics and snare hits. All the elements blend, but also stand out, even if only in moments. It's cohesive and the tracks carry along well. Although not my biggest/most favorite genre or sound, this does well at what it intends to do, through lyrics, mixing, and overall delivery from the band. It is convincing me to seek the sound/genres out more. Although it is middle of the day now as I write and give a first listen, this seems good for late day, before bed, or even when in bed going to sleep. Despite the longer length this felt absolutely worth every second, satisfying from beginning to end, and deserving of a much longer set of notes (also, too much time on my hands).
I imagine everything that can be said about this album has been said at this point. What I will say is this seems to be a 101 in how to turn pain into art. At least, one of the 101s. It doesn't overstay its welcome and it resonates with people, including me. Even before I listened to this full album, including deep cuts, for the first time, I already knew a majority of these songs. "Don't Stop," "Dreams," "You Make Loving Fun," "The Chain." Even for those whose biggest genre isn't pop or rock, the humanity behind these songs is and was evident. All songs I don't get tired of, though I grew up with them. But these deeper cuts are almost equally as moving. And, "Silver Springs" not making the cut is not necessarily a crime, but rather is telling of what is already on there and how stacked it is. May Christine McVie continue to rest in peace.
A major jump/transitional album for Michael that has the feel-good of disco, and heartwarming ballads. Pretty timeless music I'd say as it is still enjoyable to me and sounds very well-produced and mixed. I also think that without this album, you absolutely don't get the follow-up in Thriller.
Getting playlisted. For my first Blur album, this shows a whole lot more to them than "Song 2" ever could and can. Damon Albarn is not my favorite vocalist, and there are some slow dry bits, yet the band absolutely rocks, and so does the lyricism. Worth the longer, nearly hour runtime and tracklist- I'm going to jump into the deluxe material in this as well. Another idea for the previous albums i've gotten from the list and enjoyed, for whatever has deluxe material. My favorite may just be the opening track but there are many moving, rocking, and mystifying tracks, including "Oily Water" and "Star Shaped."
Bowie, once again not my favorite vocalist. Intriguing lyrical stories, and instrumentation for sure (Dang, the piano work on the title track!). Also, a shoutout to Detroit, even if not necessarily framed positively. I knew this album cover well before I got to know this album today, and that probably shows the impact of both the cover and these songs/Bowie performances.
This is growing on me, perhaps because I did not really know much punk rock going into this today. The production seems a little more... crunchy, but that may be intentional, to be noisy. The lyrics are actually deep, and the energy basically doesn't drop off. I think how this hits definitely depends on your mood; this is the kind of music that hits more after a bad day, or bad/depressing stretch of life- though this likely is no realization in terms of punk, lol.
Deserves relisten. This feels very cinematic, and a dark, melancholic kind of cinematic feeling it brings on. The vocals feel front and center which is good and OK, but the instruments almost feel too far back in the mix sometimes, because there are interesting things going on there with the accompaniment. Paying attention to the lyrics is essential, however, for the full experience. More darker topics here. Morrissey is a good singer.
I may be inclined to be more generous to synthpop from the beginning, but I really do think the songs on Violator continue to satisfy time after time. It seems Depeche Mode has taken the song title “Mystical Magical” and made a full album that can be described as such… multiple years before that song was even a thing and titled as such. A bit dark, a bit atmospheric, a bit good (at the least), and still has pop appeal. The songwriting and the deliberate, artistic use of synths to go with said songwriting is all over this. Both In headphones and through regular speakers is this an experience. This is still mixed/produced well it seems, even for modern times, but I am no expert. I have to go with what seems to be majority opinion again.
For a covers and pop album this is good- It's important to go in not expecting original songwriting, but to look at the performance aspect. This is less of an album for me, however, perhaps from lyricism and just not having much consistently behind Dusty's voice. Great vocal delivery from her across the 12 tracks. Some interesting backing band bits and satisfying backing vocals, but I stand by what I said. Standouts to me include her renditions of "You Don't Own Me," "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," and "Anyone Who Had a Heart."
My first Tom Waits album and it doesn't disappoint. A little bit of a grower as I went along, maybe because I don't actively seek out much vocal jazz, or spoken word, or a combination of both like this. It's a cohesive, competent effort with unique charm that I'm not sure if any other album can match. I find it worth over the hour runtime. It certainly feels like a real live jazz bar performance (though vocal jazz, it's still got jazz which I think I love at this point), and like you are part of the audience and their experience. The singer character Tom has created seems real chill and engaging to said audience. Though I cannot make sense of all the lyrics, the stories/poetry created do seem to move along, the flow, rhyming, and humor interweaved, though the vocal delivery and pacing are casual and may make the words feel unassuming at first. The pacing of the tracks almost makes it seem that the tracks can be heard separately outside of the full album experience, even if they standout less on their own. The pacing of the instrumentals does switch up as well, for more introspective-sounding and more upbeat, energetic times. The backing band wraps this all up into a cool album experience, though even then I'm not sure how much I'll go back to this one.
