Before These Crowded Streets

Before These Crowded Streets hasn't aged too well, it sounds very late 90s, like a mish-mash of genres to try to find a unique groove, and really it mostly ends up sounding amateurish. It's too long, the vocals are maybe the best part but they're hardly standout and sound derivative anyway, modelled on a bunch of early to mid 90s alt rock/grunge frontmen perhaps, I dunno, none of it worked and the back half of the album just faded into obscurity. 2/5, it's not crap, it's just incredibly boring.

Some songs sound like a washed out Pearl Jam copy, others like a Midwestern Kula Shaker, at least one sounds like James Blunt decided to try his hand at flute-based fusion. A band I previously only knew as a clichéd punch line, but turns out they are OK. I'm not sure why they went to all the bother to get Alanis to guest (on two tracks) but then (aside from half a verse) bury her in the mix - but it was nice to hear her anyway! There's got to be *something* played between the good songs on an 'alt-rock 90s college hits' radio station - it might as well be this. Better than I feared, but not as good as I had hoped.

And so, finally, I've listened to an album by the Dave Matthews Bands, which I've heard so much about. And truth be told... I understand why so many people are derisive about this act. At times, this record sounds as if Pearl Jam and Tool had been taken to the vet so as to be castrated. Given that I'm not a huge fan of Tool, and that I think that Pearl Jam are overrated and boring for the most part, you can probably guess my exact mileage on that sort of glossy "jam-rock". Same meandering, sometimes gratuitous, dirges, but without the "alternative" edge (and layers of partly hackneyed gloss instead). Plus, the lead vocals sound particularly grating and "forced" for no good reason in some of those tracks. And they can't help the sometimes linear, sometimes decent music shine as it should. About what I've written up there... You have to forgive me for the weird metaphor about taking nineties bands to the vet. I don't really know where that came from... But I now imagine naming my two cats "Pearl Jam" and "Tool" (or dogs if I had some). And that thought strikes me as kind of funny. That's it, not much else to say. I'll see myself out. ---------------> 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 2 6.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 1.5). Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 5 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 9 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 15 (including this one)

Sure, was there in the late 90s when this was apparently popular - but in a different country - but despite this, I just don't get it. Sure, they're mostly inoffensive, occasionally repetitive, but they fail to gripper me in a way that has me questioning the gripperedness of the people who love 'em. Sure, you do you I guess. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - I just can't help but feel like I'm looking in from outside at a cult.

I'd have given this a 1 but I'm actually moderately sure Dave Matthews feels the same way about his band as I do. There are touches on here of him seemingly pleading to do something other than this grunge/jam band pop and try something weirder, but it keeps getting squashed down. Somewhere in his mind, there's a really interesting album he's not being allowed to make. #FreeDaveMatthews

This music is a vehicle for beer pong and bong rips.

This album is BLOATED. Every song is between 5 and 9 minutes long. It includes pan pies. The Augustus Gloop of country rock. It's just too much. Rating: 2 Playlist track: Don't Drink the Water Date listened: 23/09/24

Had only heard of this band referenced by US Tv shows, aggressively middle of the road

I was not thrilled to get this at all. I don't care for DMB, and particularly was not stoked to get an album with a 70 minute run time. As expected this was pretty awful.

This guy is just so damn corny, and not in a fun way. I can't take it seriously at all.

en ole mikään taavi matteuksen vihailija mutta kyllähän tämä koko homma vitutti läpeensä.poika ois voinut niitä laulujaan parturoida vähän

I don't know why I despise Dave Matthews, but I do.

I did not prefer this.

Post-Grunge Prog Fusion. Steely Jam? Pearl Dan? I hate this.

70 minutes of Friendscore torture.

Þessi amerískasta af öllum amerískum hljómsveitum gerir ekkert fyrir mig.

noooooooooo

Ugh I really was hoping to avoid listening to any Dave Matthews Band. But here we are. I did not care for the album and I do not care for DMB. It is entirely way to long and it is just annoying. It is not the worst on the list, but I will round down.