Reviews by abrisskull

After getting Led Zeppelin's debut as album #28 on my journey, I got to skip to their fourth album today. This is a real treat because I consider IV the peak of their blues-influenced hard rock songcraft.

Every song on this album is as enjoyable as when I first heard them. From the opening bouncing riffs and Robert Plant's wails on "Black Dog", to the updated blues standard of "Rock and Roll", to the fantasy narrative duet between Plant and Sandy Denny on "The Battle of Evermore", to the eight-minute epic that is "Stairway to Heaven", to the electric piano riff of "Misty Mountain Hop", to John Bonham's complex drumming pattern on "Four Sticks", to the serene acoustic ballad "Going to California" as a neat tribute to Joni Mitchell, culminating in the otherworldly stomp that is their cover of Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy's "When the Levee Breaks". Not a single moment felt wasted here, as everyone in the group gave an outstanding performance, elevated by top-notch production from Jimmy Page.

There's not much else I need to say here. Led Zeppelin IV set a high standard for later hard rock acts to follow.

After getting Sgt. Pepper and Revolver, I got my first pre-experimental Beatles record on this album journey. A Hard Day's Night has historical significance as the first album in which all the songs were original compositions, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. That fact alone gives it some historical significance in placing it on this list.

It also helps that this album is a good romp. This early on in their career, John and Paul incorporated some of their personalities into their penned songs, usually through their insecurities on "I Should Have Known Better" and "You Can't Do That" as well as their desire for a more realized relationship on "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You". Pair those words with solid guitar hooks and a tight rhythm section, and you've got a formula that works.

I will say there is a small drag in the second half of the record between "I'll Cry Instead" and "When I Get Home" before the cowbell kicks in on "You Can't Do That". Not all of the songs could be bangers at this point. Also, it’s admittedly hard to judge this album compared to what comes later. As it stands, A Hard Day's Night is still a commendable effort and worthy of this list.

This will have been my first time listening to Air, the French electronic duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. The two originally studied architecture and mathematics before starting to play music and forming a group together. They got their foot in the door by making remixes for other acts before dropping their first EP, then a few years later, this debut album.

My first observation with Moon Safari was how readily apparent their influences were in Kraftwerk and Serge Gainsbourg. The chilled-out electronic compositions with the supple bass, piano accompaniment, and light synthesizer flourishes take on this ethereal, almost mystique feel. For a few tracks like the talk box on "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars", as well as the contributions of Beth Hirsch on "All I Need" and "You Make It Easy", female vocals are used to add a level of intimacy with the simplified lyricism that invokes this sense of longing for that romantic connection. My favorite moments on this album were probably the pulsating groove of the Moog on "Kelly Watch the Stars" paired with the theremin motif, followed by the crescendo from the spaced-out piano line and low-end bass into the string-accompanied soul groove on "Talisman".

I'll admit there is this nagging sense in me that this album peaked in the first half. That's not to say the second half is bad. Rather, it sounded like the best and most realized compositions happened to be placed near the front, leaving the back for more atmospheric pieces that continue the vibe, albeit to a slightly lesser degree.

Still, I was genuinely impressed with my excursion on this Moon Safari. Air put out a strong debut that helped pave the way for the downtempo genre. It's worth checking out.

I can't say I've heard of Machito before. Born Frank Grillo, he was a Latin jazz musician who refined the Afro-Cuban jazz sound and helped pave the way for salsa. That much is evident on this album he composed with several percussionists and guest musicians.

Throughout Kenya, the driving force of these tunes is the syncopated rhythms from the bongos, timbales, and congas that make them pop and danceable. The fiery intensity that can ebb and flow throughout this album, paired with the horns playing such eccentric lines, makes for such an engaging listen. Machito knew how to get the audience to run through different emotions with his compositions, whether it's the laid-back vibe of "Holiday" or the frenetic busy-work of "Frenzy". Not to mention how well-produced this was for 1957, with the brass and percussion mixed such that neither felt overpowering.

Honestly, I couldn't find much to complain about this album. If such a jazz album can maintain my enjoyment throughout the runtime while retaining its Afro-Cuban identity, then that is a memorable and worthwhile listen. Much respect to the legend that is Machito.

I will not include the bonus tracks and live recordings from the 1999 re-release for this review.

Let me first address my one gripe with this album—I do not like how this record was mixed. More often than not, the vocals are pushed back in favor of the grainy instruments, and that's before the crowd noises John Simon inserted to give it that "live album" feel. The sole exception to this production style is the one actual live recorded cover of Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain" at the Fillmore. It was common practice back in the 1960s to edit the studio recordings to try and replicate the live experience, an element that would have been desired to pursue given Big Brother & the Holding Company's history; their breakthrough was a live performance at the Monterey Pop Festival after all. The problem with faking the live experience is that it leaves this sense of it feeling antiquated, locked to a production practice that has died out, and makes me wonder how much better it would have been if they stayed true to the nature of the studio and polished their sound.

That said, this is still an amazing record, rooted in the psychedelic blues of the at-the-time purveying counterculture. I've already mentioned "Ball and Chain", but other tracks like "I Need a Man to Love" and the cover of Erma Franklin's "Piece of My Heart" were all well-executed by a young and hungry band that could swing for the fences. This was especially the case for their powerhouse vocalist Janis Joplin, who, needless to say, stole the "show" here with her belting voice that took command.

Even if I don't like the mix of this record, Cheap Thrills was still a thrilling album, and as such, it belongs on this list.

I have two albums left from David Bowie on my journey. Not only are they the last two albums he put out in his lifetime, but the one I got today is the second to last. Even if my album journey with him wasn't exactly in chronological order, this is going to be a fitting ending for my relation to him.

In the time since the 1970s, Bowie's work took twists and turns that were daring for him but hard to encompass the legacy of the classic albums he already laid out. From the attempts at mainstream crossover in the 1980s, to the hard-rock side project Tin Machine, to the cannibalization of industrial and electronic music in the 1990s, Bowie went through "changes" in his sound to mixed results. Then, during the 2000s, Bowie reconnected with producer Tony Visconti, and the two worked together for the former to regain his creative form on Heathen and A New Reality. All was well until Bowie had to abruptly end his touring career after undergoing an angioplasty for a blocked heart artery. Afterwards, he largely withdrew from the public view, only making minor contributions in music and acting for others. People speculated that David Bowie was largely retired at this point, which would have been fine if he wanted to rest on his laurels.

Then, this album dropped out of nowhere. His first album of material in a decade, Bowie worked on The Next Day with Visconti and other personnel in secret until the time was right to release. That in and of itself is a feat in a day and age when the rise of social media has made leaking more commonplace. It also helps that the album in question is amazing.

Not only did The Next Day sound creatively revitalized, but it showcased Bowie reflecting on his legacy with enough self-awareness and maturity to make these songs feel fresh for a man in his 60s. After all, Bowie and Viconti took production cues from the Berlin trilogy and lyrical benchmarks from previous efforts to create a bouncy and experimental record that explored darker themes and conflicts. From the condemned man facing his punishment on the opening title track, to the aging celebrity looking to the next generation of performers on "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", to the people lost as their lives move on in "Love is Lost" and "Where Are We Now?", to the inner monologue of the school shooter on "Valentine's Day", there's palpable rumination on death and decay as the two loom over. The first half of the album is some of the strongest and most consistent work Bowie had written up to this point in time.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the more varied experimentation in the second half. Unlike the aforementioned Berlin trilogy, the innovations made here come off as more curated and refined with age. The odd time signatures and pitch shifting on "If You Can See Me", the psychedelic haze over a militant drumbeat on "I'd Rather Be High", the glam rock strut with the horn accompaniment on "Boss of Me", the shuffle beat with the ethereal guitar hooks on "Dancing Out in Space", and even the stab at 80s arena rock on "(You Will) Set the World on Fire" were all played excellently. Then the album closes on two wonderfully resonant notes - the absolute callback to the Ziggy Stardust era on "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" in the spare drum beat, guitar line, and vocal arrangement, and the simmering synthesizer of "Heat" as Bowie sang away in his lower register. What an eloquent way to close out an album.

I do not mean lightly when I say The Next Day was the best record David Bowie made in decades. It's a shot of well-written, well-realized momentum that recaptured the ragged danger that ran through his best work. There's only one album left from him, and I cannot wait to get that.

I've heard one song from Michael Kiwanuka within the past year: "Floating Parade" from his most recent album, Small Changes. He is a British singer-songwriter influenced by old-school folk, psychedelic rock, and soul artists. He started as a session player until his breakthrough in 2012, and for the second time with this self-titled release, he chose to work with veteran producer Danger Mouse and fellow UK producer Inflo. With all the ingredients in place, how did KIWANUKA turn out?

Well, this is certainly a classic-sounding record from the onset. Danger Mouse and Inflo took a lot of care in the production to make the album sound reflective of those soul artists of the past without going full-hog into the nostalgia worship. The fuzzed-out guitars, the eloquent strings, and the slight reverb touch on Michael's vocals; all these elements come together to make these songs pop. Also helping matters is the sound of Michael coming more into his comfort zone within this sound, at times delivering with a laid-back passion that would merit comparisons to Bill Withers. As a result, it's an overall enjoyable from the beginning with booty-shakers like "You Ain't the Problem" and "Rolling" to the warmly textured closing ballad "Light".

That said, there is one glaring issue I have with KIWANUKA, and that is the interlude tracks. I counted four different interlude tracks on this album - two intro tracks for the singles "Hero" and "Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)", "Another Human Being", and "Interlude (Loving the People)". Aside from maybe the last of those, with the audio excerpt over the strings, low-end synths, and piano line, the interludes do not add much value to the album. They could have been cut, and there would have been nothing lost from the experience.

Aside from the interludes, this was an excellent record. The combined effort of Michael Kiwanuka and the producers he worked with culminated in an effort that carved a new path for soul music in the modern age.

I was surprised to see a solo album from Black Francis under his alias, Frank Black, alongside the early Pixies records on this list. People must have been hungry for more of his work after the Pixies' initial breakup. I've certainly come to enjoy Francis's nonsensical songwriting, and I remember enjoying "Calistan" two months ago when it came up on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. With that all in mind, how did Teenager of the Year stack up?

I'd say it's a good record, but it's not quite a great one. Francis continued his venture into the surf-rock-adjacent songwriting and construction, where at times, tracks like "Speedy Marie" and single "Headache" fit a more laid-back on the beach vibe. That's not to say there aren't bursts of chaotic energy like with the old Pixies sound; the opening onslaught of tracks from "Whatever Happened to Pong?" to "Calistan", and occasional tracks in the middle such as "Two Reelers", "Bad, Wicked World" and closer "Pie in the Sky" capture some of that wild spark Francis had been known for, the backing band was able to match his style decently and it's produced well.

That said, we have reached the point where I have to draw attention to my two hangups with this album - it is longer and less energetic than those earlier Pixies records. Clocking in at over an hour, there is a sense purveying this record that Francis wanted to put as many songs together to distinguish himself from his earlier work. The problem is that with such a long runtime and some songs starting to run together in sound and style, there's only so much that could be reasonably accomplished without the album feeling bloated. I was starting to feel fatigued at the piano-driven reggae track "Fiddle Riddle", which at that point would have been the length of a Pixies record. Needless to say, some tracks should have been cut.

I still enjoyed Teenager of the Year and continue to appreciate Francis as a songwriter. There are some good tracks in between the filler here. Cherry-pick your favorites and go from there.

After getting Sonic Youth's transitional Sister months ago on my journey, I got Goo as my next record from them, which might be more up my alley. I remember playing "Kool Thing" on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and getting the companion soundtrack to that video game with the track on it. I've grown to enjoy it over time, and along the way, I heard the opening single, "Dirty Boots", on the radio and liked that song as well.

As for the rest of the album, Goo was pretty good. While the band continued experimenting with their noise rock and the layered production style from Daydream Nation, they embraced more catchy songwriting. I've already mentioned the above singles, but alongside them, songs like "Disappearer", "My Friend Goo", and "Titanium Exposé" had these atonal guitar hooks paired with the tight rhythm section that I dug. Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon continue to share their vocal dynamics and irony-drenched lyricism in this eminating coolness, especially from Kim as she chose to be more challenging on the perception of women's role in American society. Between the exploration of Karen Carpenter's struggles with anorexia nervosa on "Tunic (Song for Karen)" and the iconography of the scene girl in "My Friend Goo", there's a genuine feminine angst permeating this album. Hell, I got a kick out of the full-blown visceral roar of "Mildred Pierce" at the end of its short three-chord passage.

That said, there are some quirky moments on the record. There was a missed opportunity to continue playing into the guitar riff of "Kool Thing" at the end of "Mary-Christ" instead of prematurely fading out. The ending drone of "Mote" went on longer than needed. Also, they tried capturing lightning in a bottle twice on this record by sandwiching "Cinderella's Big Score" between "Mildred Pierce" and yet another drone with "Scooter and Jinx". It's hard to tell how many of these issues were from the band's continued experimentation or frustrations during recording sessions and label expectations.

More often than not, Sonic Youth hit their stride on Goo, embracing catchier songcraft in tandem with their noisy experimentation.

I can't say I've heard of Ozomatli before. They are a Latin American rock band that serves as a melting pot of various styles, such as salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, and hip hop, all while giving a voice to Latinx culture and workers' rights. It's certainly a noble cause that the group assumes, which had me optimistic going into their third album, Street Signs. So, how did their cause translate to a record?

Well, I can't deny this album sounds dated to the early 2000s with the turntable record-scratching from Rene "DJ Spinobi" Dominguez, alongside the generalized rap-rock fusion vibe in the presentation. For sure, the group tries to exhume fun in their sound, and there are some technically impressive elements. In particular, I want to highlight the rapping cadence of Justin "El Niño" Porée on songs like "Believe" the title track, as well as Jabulani "Jabu" Smith-Freeman on "Who's to Blame", and their traded bars on "Saturday Night" where both their flows are well-constructed amidst the phat beats, funk guitars and occasional Middle Eastern tablas. There's a good time to be had when they're on the mic.

But also sharing the mic are singers Asdru Sierra and Raúl Pacheco, and it's the songs where they lead that break the momentum of this record. Their singing is passable but nothing extraordinary as the songs they sing over range from middling salsa in their native tongue such as on "Te Estoy Buscando", "Dejame en Paz" and "Cuando Canto", to at worst the lyrical clunkiness of "(Who Discovered) America?" as the comparison of the discovery of America to pursuing a beautiful woman is rather on-the-nose.

Also, I can't help but realize that, for how much the group sing and rap about sparking a revolution, nothing profound was said on this album. They go for populism in their calls to strengthen global unity, but there's not much further said than that. I was looking for them to be more precise and consistently powerful in their messaging.

At the end of the day, I was left wanting more out of Ozomatli. I get their appeal as they have their hearts in the right place. But if we're talking about the revolution starting on Saturday night, there better be more firepower than this.

I started listening to Cocteau Twins this past year, including "Iceblink Luck" off this album. They were a Scottish group formed by guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie. They started as gothic rock but developed their sound over time and became one of the purveyors of dream pop, a mix of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that placed equal emphasis on atmosphere, sonic texture, and pop melody. This style was well-exemplified in their sixth album, Heaven or Las Vegas.

This album felt like putting on a warm blanket, covered in the reverbed bass and drum machine, Robin's guitar hooks coated in ethereal effects, and Elizabeth Fraser's pillowy soprano vocals. The atmosphere never felt overwhelming; rather, there was a purpose to the swell.

As for the lyrical content, while Elizabeth's words came off as more impenetrable, there is an emotional arc that she and the band went through. Towards the beginning, Elizabeth expressed her joy in giving birth and welcoming her first child Lucy Belle, particularly on "Pitch the Baby", and there is this celebration of life that is explored. That celebration starts to simmer as Elizabeth reflected on her tenuous relationship with Robin as her partner, particularly on a track like "I Wear Your Ring" where she is taking the role of mother for this child seriously and expected more involvement from him in childcare. The tone of the album grows darker from there, culminating in the closer "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires", where bassist Simon Reymonde contemplated his father's passing. The transition of themes from birth to death seemed straightforward and well-executed.

Heaven or Las Vegas is an amazing offering that showcases the dreamy ambience that Cocteau Twins delivered.

Well, it's about time I got some Talking Heads after getting the My Life in the Bush of Ghosts collaboration frontman and songwriter David Byrne did with Brian Eno as album #40 on my journey. It's undoubtedly cool to start with their debut album, with hit single "Psycho Killer", which I remember fondly from playing Rock Band 2. Not only do I still enjoy that song to this day, but I realize that every song on their debut, Talking Heads 77, was a genuine bop.

From the get-go with "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town", it's apparent that the band effectively incorporated funk and R&B in addition to punk and new wave into their sound. The result is a collection of songs with a very punchy rhythm section, jangly guitar hooks, and David Byrne's unorthodox voice that commands over a wide range. If anything, David comes off like an instrument, and he played himself well in the lyrical expression of his emotions and the perceived thoughts of others. From "New Feeling" to "Pulled Up", the grooves don't stop amidst the well-balanced production, and the vibes are pleasant in such an unorthodox manner.

There's not much more I can say other than the Talking Heads put out a stellar debut album in all of its unique zaniness.

Mitar Subotić, better known under the name Suba, was a Serbian-born musician and producer who pioneered electronic music in Yugoslavia before he emigrated to Brazil, as he fell in love with the country and its musical landscape. In what was a short-lived prolific time for him, he produced this album, a single album with fellow Serbian musician Milan Mladenović under the name Angel's Breath, and Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto's acclaimed third album Tanto Tempo. During the post-production of that last mentioned album, Suba's studio caught on fire, and out of desperation, he risked his life to save the recordings. Suba would pass away a few days later, at the young age of 38.

I bring all this up to say it sucks for an artist to die tragically at such a young age just as they were starting to realize their potential. I say this because São Paulo Confessions showcased his unique production style effectively. It's an eclectic mix of downtempo, bossa nova, and acid jazz, where the vibes were immaculate. This album offered a fresh electronic spin on Brazilian music that puts me in a trance, where the organic instrumentation and loops are blended into such rich, evocative soundscapes. Pair that with the few singers like Cibelle expressing their desires for freedom and happiness in the spare yet expressive Portuguese lyrics, and the experience is elevated.

São Paulo Confessions is an eye-opening record from a man who was just hitting their stride. Descanse em paz.

For this review, I will not include the bonus track "Forget Her" added to later re-releases.

It's been a long time since I got Tim Buckley on my album journey, with Happy Sad as album #35. Now I have the lone album from his son. While Jeff only met his father once, it is rather interesting for him to continue being surrounded by music from his living family and carve his own musical career. Unfortunately, we only got one album from Jeff before he tragically passed away, which is a shame because this was a groundbreaking debut that showed so much potential.

Jeff Buckley's breathtaking delivery, paired with his poetic songwriting, made for an otherworldly experience that had to be heard to be believed. It's apparent in the lyrics the demons he was struggling with, across entangled relationships and addictions. The tone of Grace ebbs and flows from soft yet agitated ballads into raucous crescendoing rockers that command attention. It all comes to a boiling point on "Eternal Life," where Jeff lets out all his frustrations towards mankind. A truly visceral delivery all the way through, even for the few covers like the hymn "Corpus Christi Carol" and especially his rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that remains unaged.

I can understand there are people out there who wonder what could have come afterward if Jeff hadn't drowned. I can at least accept that what we got was simply astounding.

For this review, I will not include the bonus tracks and demo tapes from the deluxe edition box set.

The last time I heard Paul Weller on this journey was when he was with Mick Talbot in The Style Council for an album that was solid if dated. When the record company refused to release the group's fifth studio album, citing declining popularity, Paul dissolved The Style Council and pursued a solo career. After a modestly successful solo debut, Paul recorded Wild Wood, and what a marked improvement it was.

Unburdened by dated style and production choices, Paul delivered a very soulful rock album that wore its influences on its sleeves. His vocal range, from whispers to powerful belts, as he strummed on his guitar alongside his backing band owed to the Motown legends alongside the likes of Nick Drake and Neil Young. Pair that with the vivid imagery in the lyrics, and the result is an immaculate record to let wash over.

If I had to nitpick, while the short instrumentals Paul wrote with Brendan Lynch and Steve White were pleasant, they could have been combined into one longer and more meaningful track. Though if that's all I had to complain about, then I can comfortably say this was a truly enjoyable experience beginning to end. Well played, Paul.

This will have been my second Michael Jackson album on my journey, after getting Bad as album #78. I remember Bad being a solid, if not perfect, album following Thriller, and now I get the precursor to Thriller. I'll admit, I initially went into Off the Wall thinking it was going to peak early with the first two tracks "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" since they're the only two I heard people play from this, and perhaps the rest of the album didn't hold the same quality. Boy, was I wrong!

Off the Wall managed to be banger after banger for me, and the credit is due to Michael's desire to reach more creative heights outside of his time with the other Jacksons and his then-recent partnership with producer Quincy Jones. He knew how to make a classy, soulful-sounding record for Michael to flex his pipes in and bring well-respected songwriters into the foray. That's not to say Michael couldn't do well on his own writing with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Workin' Day and Night", but it helps to have the likes of Rod Temperton of the Heatwaves, Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson, Stevie Wonder and Sir Paul McCartney behind the pen as well. This album feels like a huge collaborative effort that was taken to craft an eclectic disco record that holds up all these years later.

There's not much else to say about Off the Wall; it's well-produced, well-executed, and simply an excellent showcase of what Michael Jackson could do with the right team.

Let's get a few personal nitpicks I have out of the way.

Could this album have been sequenced a bit better? My answer is yes. I can imagine the album would have improved if they had included "Total Eclipse" instead of "Gangland" and had the title track open the album instead of "Invaders". That doesn't change how much I thoroughly enjoy these tracks, but yes, the album order would have better reflected what the band was going for.

Would it have been preferred if they had chosen a later Iron Maiden album for inclusion on this list? I would also say yes. I consider Nicko McBrain's role as drummer on Piece of Mind onwards as the final key in unlocking the band's full potential. That said, Clive Burr was no slouch behind the kit, as his drumwork on this album is still top notch. Plus, I can recognize that The Number of the Beast was the album that broke Iron Maiden into a more global phenomenon, and thus, its inclusion in this list is warranted.

With those nitpicks out of the way, The Number of the Beast still holds up remarkably well today. All the other trademarks of Iron Maiden are present on this release - Steve Harris’s galloping bass, the dual melodic guitar work of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, and Bruce Dickinson’s operatic vocals. The songs they wrote and composed with all these elements in play sounded grandiose and epic. Whether it's the encounter with the devil in one's nightmares on the title track, the genocide of active Americans by the hand of European settlers on "Run to the Hills", the plight of the "The Prisoner" in an adaptation of the British TV show of the same name, the slow-burn ballad "Children of the Damned" that crescendoes as the telepathic children are killed, or the gloom final hours until one's execution captured on the closing "Hallowed Be Thy Name", there's a rich dramatization that purveys throughout this album with the stories told.

I love The Number of the Beast as an Iron Maiden fan, and it was such a joy to hear it again on this journey. Up the irons!

First and foremost, kudos to George Clinton himself for making this album available on his YouTube channel. Very cool move.

I've heard a couple of Funkadelic songs in passing, including the title track for this album. One Nation Under a Groove flexes itself well, as George Clinton and his funk collective constructed some nasty danceable riffs and beats to illicit such blissful vibes. They even took note from the progressive rock movement in going for longer songs with multiple structures and a more aggressive edge, such as on "Groovallegiance" and "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!"

Be forewarned that this album gets lyrically weird in places. I was listening to "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)" where they sung about finding unity and taking collective action through metaphors related to eating lunch and going to the bathroom. I'm not sure what substances Clinton and company were on at the time of writing, but it does stand out. Also, I can't help but feel like giving the slight edge to Clinton's other P-funk group Parliament, as I remember enjoying Mothership Connection earlier on my journey with the more consistent space-age-themed songwriting.

Still, One Nation Under a Groove was a great time and worth seeking out.

I know that I enjoyed the hell out of Stankonia as album #64 on my journey, and I wasn't alone in my sentiment. The album received critical acclaim and racked up multiple awards. So much was the success of Stankonia and Outkast in general that when André 3000 wanted to pursue a solo career and create an album more focused on jazz and pop, the group's label, Arista Records, wanted to pull the plug on it because they felt it would be a bad career move for him. But André still wanted to make his own record, thus, the next best thing was to package it with Big Boi's finished solo record and sell them together under the Outkast moniker. That's how we ended up with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

This double album is simply two solo albums placed side-by-side; there's no beating around the bush about it. Sure, Big Boi and André 3000 contributed additional vocals and co-production credits for each other's records, and both records have multiple interlude tracks that are pointless and, at worst, come off as self-indulgent. Other than that, these are two separate albums from two gentlemen who may belong to the same group but are experiencing creative differences. As such, I can't discuss Speakerboxxx/The Love Below without discussing each disc separately.

Let's start with Speakerboxxx, Big Boi's solo record. This one is a Southern progressive hip-hop record with Parliament-Funkadelic vibes, and it very much reflects how consistent Big Boi had been in his songwriting. There are bangers upon bangers throughout this side - "GhettoMusick", "Bowtie", "The Way You Move", "The Rooster", "War", "Church", "Knowing", and the list goes on. We also get some incredible guest features, including the team-up of Konkrete, Big Gipp and Ludacris on "Tomb of the Boom", Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on "Last Call", and not one but TWO Killer Mike features on "Bust" and "Flip Flop Rock" with Jay-Z. Honestly, I would have been content with Speakerboxxx on its own as it built upon Big Boi's previous successes to have a great, if not perfect, solo album.

But then we have The Love Below, André 3000's record. In embracing jazz and experimental music with a more sensual side, André just comes off like Prince. After opening up the record with a Frank Sinatra style intro into the noise-rock meets lounge swing of "Love Hater", André proceeds to run through multiple sex jams in the pursuit of love after his fallout with Erykah Badu, a point which he makes on closing track "A Life in the Day of Benjamin André (Incomplete)". For sure, there are bangers to be found here, including "Happy Valentine's Day", "Roses", "Dracula's Wedding" with Kelis, and especially "Hey Ya!" as the group's biggest single. Not to mention, two of André's greatest soul tracks are placed back-to-back in "Prototype" and "She Lives in My Lap" with Rosario Dawson, and I also dug the laid-back dub-jazz trip of "Vibrate". But not every experiment on The Love Below is a success, even if they came from interesting ideas. The horniness goes awry in the back-to-back "Spread" and "Where Are My Panties", and I did not care much for the falsetto-sung "She's Alive" about single motherhood. I didn't feel Norah Jones was much of a presence on the short acoustic tune "Take Off Your Cool". Finally, while it was neat hearing a drum-and-bass rendition of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, it didn't need to go on for five minutes.

At the end of the day, both Speakerboxxx and The Love Below are solid albums that would have done fine on their own, though I'll admit I preferred the consistent quality of the former. The problem is that their label forced the two to come together as a double album, and the experience as a whole ends up bloated. Go through each record separately and make what you will, but the industry machinations behind the scenes cannot be ignored here.

The Grateful Dead are one of those groups I've heard enough songs in passing to be familiar with, but I would not consider myself a Deadhead, as the fans are called. They're a solid rock band with elements of folk, country, and psychedelia that have become the pioneers of jam bands worldwide.

American Beauty, their most well-known album, is very much representative of their sound. Through their combined efforts in songwriting and musicianship, the band delivered a decent collection of tunes. I already heard "Friend of the Devil", "Sugar Magnolia" and "Truckin'" beforehand, but I can now add the likes of "Box of Rain", "Ripple", and "Brokedown Palace" to the songs I enjoyed from them.

That said, the most I can say about this album is that it's solid and decent. Perhaps the enjoyment is best found in the simplicity and sweetness of their sound, and maybe that's enough for fans to hold onto. There could have been stronger hooks or tighter compositions. Also, while I acknowledge that the production is warm and organic for easy-listening, I wish there could have been more audible impact from the rhythm section to make these songs pop off more.

As is, American Beauty is a pleasant collection of songs to have in the background or played in a live setting that I can at least appreciate.