Immediately I enjoy how the album is nonstop, with each song seamlessly flowing into each other. Diverse sounds and genre mixing, which are awesome. Rock, dance, jazz, wacky sound effects. I’m hearing a dark energy mixed with bouts of lighter energy. The lyrics are heavy — especially “Time,” talking about how fleeting moments are in life and how time can be taken for granted. Bouncing back between intense moments of anxiety and relief. It goes up, down, up, down in terms of the vibe — over and over. Ugh the transition from “Us and Them” to “Any Colour You Like” is incredible. Hmm, that was a great album. A little too heavy for me, but I see the appeal and understand why it’s a masterpiece for its exploration of genres and themes such as mental illness, life and death, greed, violence, regret and helplessness.
Classic ‘70s sound. I enjoyed the opening track “Ramble Tamble” and how it changes in tune and tempo throughout the course of one song. I keep thinking it’s a new song, then it reverts back to the original sound before it ends. It was nice to listen to. The songs blur together, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is cohesive. But at least in overall sound it lacks distinction, in my opinion, from other records from the same era.
I enjoy the cohesive, signature sound of Bob Marley. This album makes me wants to sway back and forth in tropical weather with a cocktail… or a certain other vice. But I’m struggling to get into it. Reggae is a bit too monotonous and repetitive of a sound for me to listen to for too long without wanting to listen to something else. Ya know what, I did really dig “Heathen” with the guitar. “Exodus” is also very groovy. Overall, it’s not for me but I see why people would enjoy it.
A stunning voice that pairs well with the music. The horns, drums, guitar mesh well with the rise and fall of her voice, bringing a burst of energy into moments of the songs. “I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore” stands out to me so far. I did like “Son of a Preacher Man,” but I thought it’d have a stronger imprint since it’s one of her popular songs. “Breakfast in Bed” caught my attention. OK wow, I’m now to “The Windmills of Your Mind” and I’m mesmerized. The rise and fall of the violin with the plucks of the guitar, tambourine and her soft voice is incredible. Immediately adding to saved songs.
What a mesmerizing voice. The first two songs were soft and cozy, with a nice touch of audience participation. I like how it speeds up a bit in “Just One of Those Things.” There’s a longing in her voice that I can’t help but notice, yet she makes me feel calm and content. OK, the last two songs were great. “Just A Gigalo” was a standout. And, of course, “How High The Moon” was whacky and so playful.
I’m excited for this one, because I love The Cure and I’ve heard songs on this album before. “One Hundred Years” has always been a favorite of mine. It’s so haunting but makes me want to get up and dance. It feels like I’m in a vampire discotheque. “A Short Term Effect” is OK, but not my favorite. I do like the beat of that one. “The Hanging Garden” is good, but neither this one nor the previous song compares to “One Hundred Years.” The whole album up to this point is bleak and reeks of despair about the state of the world, a deep dive down into nihilism. The themes of sex are interesting, too, in “The Hanging Garden” and “Siamese Twins.” Both songs center around the disgusting feelings you sometimes have about sex… talk about a post-nut clarity, haha. “The Figurehead” is my favorite so far purely based on lyrics. The wanting to be pure and always feeling like something is wrong with you, that you’re unclean and you can’t shake it off and you’re not living up to the arbitrary/unrealistic standards set by a shapeless person/entity … relatable to someone with OCD. Wow, the beat of “A Strange Day” is catchy. Makes me want to be wine drunk in a dim venue that smells like cigarettes. The synth in “Cold” is niiiice. After such a dark album, the desire to recover from a horrible mental state is much needed at the end of the title track “Pornography.” I like how it sets the more upbeat tone to future albums by The Cure. Overall, I dig the album. I wouldn’t say I “enjoy” it because it’s so heavy. But I relate to the feelings of things being futile in life and how depressing it is with how twisted the world is. You’ve got to pull yourself out of that, though, and make the best out of life.
I’m not an expert on David Bowie’s work by any means, but I can tell it’s a spotlight return for him. I enjoyed the title track, especially as an opener. He’s like “Yeah, I’m actually still here!” And then he revisits the past in “Dirty Boys.” I was a bit bored listening past there… until “If You Can See Me.” Lovely song. Sounds like classic Bowie but also very 2013-ish at the same time. “I’d Rather Be High” is funny and relatable. The rest of the album… I kind of drifted out of. Overall, it’s not my favorite. I feel like a lot of older artists who made music at this time had relatively weak albums… which is ironic since the point of the record is him returning from retirement and having trouble reconciling with the thought that his new work won’t live up to the brilliance of his older work. I am excited to hear his older work to compare.