Reviews by abrisskull

Alright, I get to check out A Tribe Called Quest's debut after the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After listening to People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, I can see how they were considered pioneers in the conscious hip hop I've come to appreciate.

Ali Shaheed Muhammed worked wonders on the programming and turntable to create strong and accessible hooks amidst all the experimentation. The jazz-influenced style served as an eclectic backdrop to rap, accentuated by Q-Tip's clean production and sample choices. As for the wordplay, Q-Tip, Jarobi White, and the late Phife Dawg struck a balance in poetic wordplay that comes off as a conversation where thought and expression were valued over machismo. I am genuinely impressed with their flows early on in their career.

That said, as much as I enjoyed the album, I still had in the back of my mind that this is a debut album and it shows in places. For one, this album is a bit longer than it needs to. Not that any one song was particularly bad, but the opportunity was there to tighten the overall experience. Especially where attempts were made to connect songs with short interludes led by Jarobi where it seems like they had a loose concept for the album but never coalesces into a truly meaningful or engaging narrative to tie it together outside of the funkiness.

Still, I had a good time traveling through the paths of funk and rhythm for Tribe's debut. This debut gets a solid recommendation, and I look forward to checking out Low End Theory later on this journey.

While the world prepares for Oasis's reunion tour next year, this will be the first album I get from them on this journey. Of their first two albums, (What's the Story) Morning Glory is the more popular one in the Americas; an observation I have made from how many times I've heard "Some Might Say", "Champagne Supernova" and especially "Wonderwall" growing up. I will say there is some credence to the lasting popularity of this album.

Sonically, the group channels their various influences—particularly the Beatles—in creating a vibrant and psychedelic Britpop sound, cranked up by the use of brick wall mastering, that feels anthemic and full of vivid imagery. Sure, some of the songs are straightforward fun rockers like "Some Might Say" and "Roll With It", but Noel Gallagher varies the songwriting to draw from personal experiences or emotions. Whether it's the somber reflection on his mate Richard Ashcroft of the Verve on "Cast No Shadow", the necessity to look forward on "Don't Look Back in Anger", or the use of words to paint a scene even if no meaning could be found on the closer "Champagne Supernova", Noel did an excellent job of penning these songs for people to connect with, propelled by Liam's well-projected vocals, Paul Arthurs's superb guitar play, and the complimenting rhythm section of Paul McGuigan and Alan White.

That all said, this album is not flawless. Where the first half shows strength in composition, the second half falters. The two untitled interludes known as "The Swamp Song Excerpts" could have been combined into one instrumental blues jam session. Also, "She's Electric" does not evoke the same power and dynamic range as other tracks have, even if it tries to be cheeky by borrowing the same outro from The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends."

Still, Morning Glory is a fun album that serves as a shining example for Oasis and the Britpop sound of the 1990s. I don't expect to look back in anger at this one.

I will not be factoring the bonus tracks from the CD release for this review.

I've listened to Depeche Mode, from singles such as "Personal Jesus" and "I Just Can't Get Enough" to their recent album Memento Mori. I generally enjoy their brand of electronic music with dark undertones, and Music for the Masses is a good representation of that style.

This album will ebb and flow in its twisted madness. The first half lures in with songs that have a driving beat amidst the spare guitar riffs and lush electronic elements such as "Never Let Me Down Again" and "Strangelove" all the while David Grahan commands in his baritone voice with occasional assistance from Martin Gore's soft tenor as they wallow in their perverse views of relationships and desires.

Along the way though, the beat becomes sparing as the song structures become more atypical - the subtle synth orchestration on "Little 15", the respiratory breathing used as a focal point for "I Want You Now", segueing into the dirge of "To Have and to Hold", culminating in the spare piano riff of "Pimpf" that builds into a more sinister presence with the operatic vocals, organ arpeggios and clashes of cymbals in the distance. I wouldn't call this experience bad so much as unsettling on purpose. A means to deliberately discomfort the listener and make them question what they heard, to explore deeper and find what lurks within.

I enjoyed Music for the Masses in its perverse manner. I understand not everyone will enjoy it, given the reliance on dissonance and the macabre in Depeche Mode's music on display here. Nevertheless, this album is a worthwhile experiment for those curious.

It is rather fitting that I get to check out my first album from the Pixies on this journey the day before they release their next album, The Night the Zombies Came.

Their third album Bossanova, while not as much of a standout compared to the preceding Doolittle or Surfer Rosa, is still a fun and weird album in its own right. Continuing to blend elements of surfer rock into their spaced-out alternative sound, vocalist/guitarist Black Francis wrote and crafted songs with the band that illicit this sense of tempered chaos. From the opening instrumental "Cecilia Ann" into cuts like "Dig for Fire" and "Is She Weird", there is an otherworldly quality to the tracks that allowed the Pixies to have fun in their slightly bizarre ways, filtered through the reverb production of Gil Norton.

While I look forward to checking out the new album from the Pixies along with their first two albums on this journey, I certainly enjoyed Bossanova in its own right. I can see this album growing on me. Give it a chance.

Update 3/24/2025: I listened to Bossanova over a hundred albums later, especially after listening to Doolittle for this list. This album grew on me, where I picked up more jaunty hooks and riffs and my appreciation for each of these tracks improved on the revisit. I feel like I was used to the maniacal screaming of "Debaser" opening Doolittle and I looked for more of that chaotic energy going on here. Yet there is enjoyment to be found in the more quiet, surfer-esque style here that continued their songwriting success paired with Gil's production.

While the lyrics are mostly nonsensical ranging from Francis Black's ex-girlfriend to aliens to the Havalina which is a wild boar, the instrumental arrangements and vocal deliveries worked wonders in the wackiness of it all I honestly didn't mind it. It's funny how that can work.

I've listened to PJ Harvey's music before, both the song "Good Fortune" and her recent album I Inside the Old Year Dying. She is a singer-songwriter who genuinely tries to make each album unique in its musical style. For example, Rid of Me takes a more aggressive approach to songwriting compared to the preceding Dry, complemented by Steve Albini on production.

From the onset of the title track, PJ plays around with the intensity of the sound, teetering between the quiet storm of the verses into the loud and abrasive chorus. This experimental attitude carries throughout the rest of the album, effectively using distorted guitars, banging percussion, odd time signatures, varying dynamics, and PJ's artistic lyrics in her off-kilter delivery that blends well into the constructed madness. Even the cover of Bob Dylan's "Highway '61 Revisited" is manic in its presentation.

I get that Rid of Me's abrasive nature might not be a sell for everyone, as the overall experience can come off as esoteric. Given PJ's tendency to change styles with each album and her rejection of the notion that the lyrics have much to do with her personal experiences, the mileage one can get can vary from album to album.

That said, I can walk away having enjoyed this album, value its inclusion on the list, and find myself revisiting the songs here, even if I can't extrapolate meaning from every song's lyrics and structure within a day of receiving it from the generator. I'm sure this album will grow on me, but for the time being it is still getting a solid recommendation for those adventurous.

I've heard of Solomon Burke before as one of the founding fathers of soul music. I've already heard "Cry to Me" from this album, which is such a powerful song about feeling down and lonesome. As much as I generally enjoyed the rest of Rock N' Soul, it's clear that "Cry to Me" was a hard track to follow up from.

Throughout this album, the general style tends to be swinging soul music with lyrical themes of love and relationships. While there isn't a bad song on here, and Solomon did his best to sell each track with his belting tenor vocals, most of this album tends to feel repetitive with the instrumental structures and lyrics. There are some other personal highlights besides "Cry to Me", such as the up-tempo cover of Woody Guthrie's "Hard, Ain't it Hard", the slowed-down crooner of "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)", and the playful guitar line of "Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)", though those standouts moments for me were few and far between.

I'm still glad I listened to Rock N' Soul and enjoyed Solomon's work. This album made the list for historical significance, and as such I can live with that and cherry-pick the songs I want to revisit.

I have heard of the band Sade, but I have never listened to them before. They are a group whose style blends soul and sophisti-pop, formed by singer Sade Adu, saxophonist/guitarist Stuart Matthewman, and bassist Paul Denman, with Andrew Hale on keyboard duties. Diamond Life is their debut album, and I will say it is pretty good for what it is.

This is the kind of sensual music where Sade Adu's sultry contralto voice carries most of the tunes, with the rest of the band providing good soul/light jazz instrumentation to neatly back her up. It does help that the band does flourish when it needs to, particularly with the saxophone solos on "Smooth Operator" and "Love is King."

If I had to complain, there's not much variation in the lyrical content. This is mostly a collection of love songs, where Sade Adu plays coy with the love interest while also observing relationships that fall apart such as on the track "Frankie's Love Affair." I will say there is a nice deviation in "When Am I Going to Make a Living", wherein she sings about surviving on the fringes of a livable wage. Given that Sade Adu squatted early on in her career, this song does come off as drawn from personal experience.

Overall, it's a solid debut album from a group that would go on to influence the neo-soul sound. I'll give it a solid recommendation.

I heard of Dusty Springfield as a blue-eyed soul singer with her distinct mezzo-soprano singing voice. Earlier this year, I listened to her cover of Classics IV's "Spooky" which was pretty well done. This album of hers Dusty in Memphis was about as good as that cover was.

Her voice carries throughout this album, elevating the songs with the lustrous instrumentation from the session musicians while Jerry Wexler cleaned up the sound nicely. Some of my favorite tracks were the ones that took more style deviations, particularly the anthemic Southern country tune "Son of a Preacher Man", and her cover of Michel Legrand's "The Windmills of Your Mind" which kicks up the tempo towards the end, and the sitar cadence of "In the Land of Make Believe".

I understand that not everyone is into this style of music, with the performance relying solely on the singer with the instruments serving as a backdrop for her not helped by the number of covers present on this album. But Dusty in Memphis was a good outing, and in some respects, I can see how this album and by extension, Dusty herself inspired later female singers such as Adele and Amy Winehouse. Give it a spin.

I’ve been listening to Kacey Musgraves a bit this year, between “Blowin’ Smoke”, her duet with Zach Bryan “I Remember Everything”, and her recent album Deeper Well. It is only fitting that I get to check out her breakthrough album.

Golden Hour is a good pop country record in its own right. I enjoyed Kacey's expressive charisma, as her vocals come out clear and layered well in the mix, with only a few touches of reverb and a bit of vocoder on "Oh, What a World" that never came off as obtrusive. The instrumental arrangements are similar to traditional country songs but with more languid grooves, which makes for an overall pleasing listen. There are some standout moments such as the stripped-down piano ballad "Rainbow", the key shift on the bridge of "Space Cowboy", and the keen touches of pedal steel, harmonica, and banjo on "Oh, What a World". I also dug that from a lyrical standpoint, while there is a fair amount of love and affection on display, there's also an underlying melancholy that lurked - the breakup on "Space Cowboy", the cold loneliness of "Lonely Weekend", the lingering feeling that the happiest moments don't last long enough on "Happy & Sad", and the acceptance of imperfections from a partner on "Wonder Woman".

Yet for as much as I enjoyed Golden Hour, I don't consider it as lyrically deep or as genre-bending as it might have been marketed. I'll admit, I've been listening to indie country for a couple of years now outside of this journey, and I know other women out there who have made more compelling or experimental country music yet haven’t gotten the same amount of attention as Kacey has—Karen Jonas and Emily Scott Robinson, to name a few. Even Kacey herself has done better in the past; I think back to "Blowin' Smoke" from her debut Same Trailer, Different Park and that song had more sarcasm and wit in the lyrics that the songs on this album don't quite match. Not helping matters are certain percussive and melodic elements that are awkwardly blended, like the staccato piano and guitars that lead into "Butterflies" or the blown-out guitar solo of "Velvet Elvis".

At the end of the day, I still consider Golden Hour to be an enjoyable record. Sure, there may be some missteps here and there, and it's not as ambitious as it was hyped up to be, but still a fun album that I can see myself revisiting. I'm glad for Kacey's continued success, and I hope that rings true for other up-and-coming country women out there.

I am looking at the standard edition tracklisting for this review, as no deluxe editions were needed.

After being underwhelmed by their proverbially titled Sell Out album, The Who wowed me with this album. Created after they tried and failed to follow up Tommy with another rock opera album Lifehouse, the group salvaged some of the leftover songs to make a project that could stand well on its own.

Every band member got to shine on Who's Next. Many songs like "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" were excellent showcases of Pete Townsend playing the synthesizers, popularizing their incorporation into rock music. Keith Moon behind the drums was excellent as expected, though he allowed enough space when the atmosphere needed to be emphasized. John Entwistle played well on the bass as needed, having some standout rhythm-carrying moments such as on the bridge of "Bargain". Roger Daltrey commanded behind the mic for half the album, though Pete also shined with the likes of "The Song is Over" and "Going Mobile", and likewise John with his track "My Wife".

Throughout, Glyn Johns was superb in his production role, focused on getting a good-sounding performance out of the band to breathe life into what Pete Townsend originally demoed. As a result, there is a great sense of depth and dynamics throughout the runtime making The Who's music feel more grandiose than what was expected for a hard rock sound at the time.

Honestly, my only nitpick is the songs could have been rearranged in a different order for a better flow, such as placing "The Song is Over" as the closing track, which it would have been on Lifehouse. Again, that's only a nitpick on what can otherwise be argued as one of The Who's best albums alongside the likes of Tommy and Quadrophenia. Who's Next is absolutely worth your time.

Okay, I know I do like Rod Stewart's smoky vocal delivery, and Ronnie Wood is a decent guitarist in his own right. But I have to ask - why is this album on the list?

Gasoline Alley is an equal mix of cover songs and original compositions, which seems to be a recurring theme with some albums on this list. While there isn't a bad song here, and there may be some novelty in hearing Stewart play the likes of Elton John's "Country Comfort" and the Womacks' "It's All Over Now", there isn't much of an identity or uniqueness to this album in comparison to other such works of the time.
What is especially egregious in hindsight is that the follow-up Every Picture Tells a Story is also on this list, which seems to me like the one Rod Stewart solo inclusion needed.

This album may not be terrible, but I don't consider it an album to listen to before you die.

I've heard little about Nick Drake going into this album. From what I gather, he was an acoustic guitarist who released three solo albums and sadly overdosed at 26 years old. He sounded like someone dedicated to his work, often spending long nights writing songs and experimenting with his guitar techniques. That level of commitment shined on his final album Pink Moon.

With just himself and his guitar save for some spare piano on the opening title track, Nick created this inviting, intimate atmosphere as he sings softly in his baritone range. I understand if it may be easy to paint the lyrics with the foreknowledge of the bout with depression Nick was going through at the time. Still, for me, the vivid imagery evoked in these songs gives off something more whimsical and adventurous. I listen to songs like "Road" and "Things Behind the Sun" and find myself in an exploratory mood, finding what lies out there in the world with a sense of curiosity. Aiding that emotional drive is the intricate guitar picking Nick pulled off here, which is more advanced than the typical singer-songwriter.

I understand if a man with his guitar isn't always the most engaging music to listen to. Not to mention, a fair amount of these songs can come off as short and could have afforded to expand the individual narratives told. Nevertheless, there is something magical that resonates with Pink Moon, and it absolutely should be listened to.

This is the second Prince album on my journey, after Sign 'O' the Times. I will say my enjoyment of 1999 is about the same as that album.

This was the album that defined the "Minneapolis sound"—funk with an emphasis on synthesizers, loud guitars, drum machines, and faster rhythms. Suffice it to say, the sound is very much of its time. 1999 starts well with the title track leading into "Little Red Corvette" as a fine-rocking tune. Then afterward, tracks such as "Let's Pretend We're Married" and "D.M.S.R." come off as extended jam sessions, which I didn't mind.

I'm certain the stretched-out duration of some of these tracks coupled with the dated sound can make the album feel its length on occasion though not to the same extent Sign 'O' the Times felt. Nevertheless, Prince wrote such wonderous sex jams with charisma and played nearly every instrument to great effect, making the experience remarkable.

1999 is another funky and sexual 80s album by the legend himself. It is certainly worth a listen.

For this review, I am looking at the North American edition of the album, which swaps out the cover of Crow's "Evil Woman" with "Wicked World" in the standard tracklisting.

After hearing Paranoid on this journey, I guess I'm back once to the album that proverbially rang in metal music as we know it. Starting with the pattering rain and the chiming of the bells followed by that iconic doom guitar riff to the title track, the mood of Black Sabbath's debut album settles into that sinister vibe. Indeed, this starts well with the title track and "The Wizard" which establish the doom-driven tone.

Then I realized that the album could have been tighter in comparison. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and "N.I.B." are strong songs individually, but a noodly bass solo from Geezer Butler loosely connects them. It's not badly played, but the songs should have been sequenced better. A similar case happens when linking "Sleeping Village" to their cover of The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation's "Warning" by Tony Iommi holding onto a single guitar note. Again, not bad but it could have been more meaningful.

I only have this notion because I've listened to other Sabbath albums in the past, including again Paranoid recently, and the song compositions were more compact and got to the necessary beats than the slow-burn moments on their debut. It's still getting a solid recommendation from me, and it is worth seeking out if you haven't. Given the other Sabbath albums on this list and their discography, this debut holds a more historical significance.

Well, I've already heard this self-titled debut from Garbage before this journey. They're a 90s alternative group where three of the members - Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker - have had prior experience producing for various artists. The three recruited Shirley Manson for vocal duties, and together they sought to blend pop music with different genres.

The result heard on this album is that each track feels unique in its mix. From the laid-back trip-hop of "Queer", to the straightforward electric grunge of "Only Happy When it Rains", to the groovy drum-and-bass of "Stupid Girl", the band built a rich soundscape of tunes off of samples and loops brought to their jam sessions. All the while, every member plays effectively; Butch with his driving beats, Steve and Duke with their good guitar hooks, and Shirley singing the lyrics the band collectively penned from shared dark experiences.

I understand that not everyone may be into the genre-hopping style Garbage employs, as the quality can vary track by track. I also realized by "Not My Idea" that Shirley Manson's contralto vocals are an acquired taste as she can teeter between sultry and discomforting. But make no mistake, Garbage is not "garbage", as easy a joke as it would be. They're a fun group with a bit of edge to their pop to make them stand out. This debut album of theirs is worth a listen if you're curious.

Update 4/7/2025: I ended up relistening to Garbage's debut over a hundred albums later in my journey. Upon reflection, I realized that I didn't have much of an issue with this album per my original review. Sure, it might sound a little dated, but the variance in song structure paired with the synth textures, distorted guitars, layered production, and Manson's vocals balanced between vulnerable and fierce culminate in an atmosphere that was enjoyable all the way through. There's an argument to be made that Garbage peaked with their first album, but even then, what a high peak to come off of.

I've heard of Dizzee Rascal as a British rapper and MC, having listened to his song "Fix Up, Look Up" on this debut album. He's been credited as a pioneer of grime music which is electronic dance music with rapid syncopated breakbeats, an aggressive or jagged sound, and an emphasis on emceeing with lyrics revolving around gritty depictions of urban life. Boy in da Corner pretty much fits that description.

These songs deliver fierce manic energy, as Dizzee spits bars out of necessity to shed light on the seeded underbelly of his upbringing and London neighborhood. Complementing him are the driving beats, guest performers, and electronic experimentation that give the music a heightened sense of immediacy.

Sure, some of the lyrics are either dated such as bringing up the Nokia phone or Sean Diddy Combs on "Stop Dat" or tied to Dizzee's British dialect such as referring to drug dealers as "shotters" on "Brand New Day". But there's no denying he had hunger at a young age and that translated well into a commanding presence. In that regard, Boy in da Corner gets a solid recommendation for those curious.

I've already said my piece back on Common's "Be" about how Kanye once cared about creating and producing music, unlike these days putting the music second to repping fascism. I wanted to give this album the benefit of the doubt from when and where Kanye was. The problem is this was when Kanye started to spiral.

Back at the 2009 VMA Awards, Kanye stole the microphone from a then up-and-coming Taylor Swift to instead say Beyoncé had the greatest music video. I can understand to an extent that he was still deeply affected by his mother’s passing, and had overworked himself to the point of making such a public stunt without common sense. It’s not a perfect excuse and doesn’t detract from how he was perceived as an asshole, but it is a reason. After that botch, Kanye proceeded to isolate himself to Hawaii to work on this album alongside those he felt close with, exploring what he perceived as the dark underside of fame alongside the id of his ego. In essence, Kanye wanted to show the monster he became, for better and worse.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a frustrating listen for me. There are elements to each of the songs that I like, but there are also enough glaring missteps and a general lack of focus to keep this album from coalescing into a meaningful theme or driving mechanism in the dissection of Kanye’s insanity. We start and end with two excerpts in Road Dahl’s rework of the Cinderella folk tale as read by Nicki Minaj with a fake British accent and the sampled Gil Scott-Heron’s “Comment #1”, without much in the way of connecting the two pieces. In between, Kanye does his best to come off as hedonistic, such as the sexual advances in “Devil in a Dress” and “Hell of a Life” along with more general musings on “Power” and “Monster”, but at best these explorations come off as hollow and token. There isn’t much in the way for someone to connect with Kanye’s purported dark side as he can’t fully embrace it.

Not helping matters is that Kanye’s flow and lyrics can get choppy and distracting from what’s being conveyed. Nowhere is this more evident than “Runaway”, the song that many a Kanye fan has claimed to be his best song and the centerpiece of this album. In a way, it almost works - the spare piano motif coinciding with the industrial drum pattern and Rick James sample, the light and elegant strings that add contrast, Pusha T’s verse, and even the chorus and lead-up to Pusha T are well done. The problem with that track and by extension this album is what Kanye chooses to say and sing that can’t match the tone of his production and the general themes he tries to communicate. I understand from the chorus that the idea of “Runaway” is that he is a broken man who can’t change and that it would be better for the loved one in the relationship to keep their distance from him. Unfortunately, that message is not received well by Kanye’s verses, particularly in his enunciation of “She find pictures in my email/I sent this bitch a picture of my dick” that’s flat-out embarrassing and takes me out of my focus. Not even a three-minute piss-poor vocoder solo at the end can save that shit.

That is the crux of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, where Kanye’s flow and awkward lines get in the way of his messaging. Whether it’s taking cheap shots at the writers of South Park and Saturday Night Live, or the thin connection between getting “blackballed” to his “black balls”, his words distract from and hamper what could have been otherwise decent tracks with top-notch production, potent choruses from guests, and eclectic sample choices. Kanye’s lyrical pitfalls also led to some of the rapper guests like the aforementioned Pusha T, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross outshining the man in their respective verses. Granted, not every guest was good as I once again bring up Nicki Minaj for the intro to “Dark Fantasy” and her over-the-top verse on “Monster”, as well as Cyhi the Pyrnce’s lazily written verse on “So Appalled”, but they are noticeable cracks in the frame.

I’ll freely admit I haven’t felt this infuriated by an album on this journey since the Sex Pistols’ “Never Mind the Bollocks”. In no way do I see myself revisiting this anytime soon, as I await the other two albums on the list from this man. In a way, Kanye somewhat accomplished what he set out to do by showing off his inner demons. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s paid off well if history is a good indicator.

For this review, I will not be factoring in the bonus tracks included in the CD reissue.

I’ve heard of Marty Robbins before as a country singer-songwriter, often cited as a pioneer in the subgenre of outlaw country. The one song I knew from him prior was “Big Iron”, which not only serves as a strong opener to this album but it has since gained a wide resurgence in popularity from its inclusion in the Fallout: New Vegas video game soundtrack.

I’d say the rest of my enjoyment with Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is about on par with that opening track. Marty had such a knack for effortlessly crooning and singing baritone whilst strumming away on his guitar, as him and his backing band run the gamut through tales of the Wild West with a fair amount of cover songs played decently.

Probably the only complaint to be had is that the album is rather one-note. Most of these songs are standard tempo and sticking to the Wild West aesthetic. It’s certainly pleasant to listen to, though outside of “Big Iron”, “El Paso” and his cover of Curley Fletcher’s “The Strawberry Roan”, there’s not much else here that uniquely stands out.

Still at the end of day, I had a good time with Gunfighter Ballads. If you like your country western, or need a good soundtrack for traversing a retrofuturistic nuclear wasteland, then this album comes with a strong recommendation.

Full disclosure - I used to be a Taylor Swift hater. While I was lukewarm to “You Belong to Me” and “Love Story” early on in her career, I did not enjoy her transition to full-on pop as the singles that got big were obnoxious to me (e.g. “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “We Are Never Getting Back Together”, “Shake It Off”, “Look What You Made Me Do”). For a couple of years, I never sought her out as a result of that shift.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. I remember switching to working from home, and after exhausting the music I usually listen to, I was itching to check out other artists and expand my horizons. That’s when I noticed Taylor decided to surprise release an indie folk album called folklore. I was curious, checked it out, and I came to realize I was wrong in dismissing her so easily. Don’t get me wrong; those aforementioned pop singles still weren’t great. But approaching Taylor’s music from a different lens and with a bit more understanding, I came to appreciate her songwriting and attention to detail. In a sense, folklore helped me come to terms with who Taylor Swift is as an artist.

So color me surprised that folklore isn’t included on this list, but rather the “sister album” evermore. I put “sister album” in quotes because while the two have similarities in producers, guest collaborators and content, evermore is admittedly closer to the country/folk songs off of Red. I have to assume it’s because Aaron Dessner of The National took a more hands-on approach in the production of this album compared to folklore, with Jack Antonoff only having credits on “gold rush”. That does mean the guitars are warmer, the bass is more supple, and there’s more oomph from the keyboards, at the sacrifice of some electronic touches and swell that could have elevated this album a bit. The one really noticeable drawback though is the clattering percussion on “closure”, which does not fit with the spare piano arrangement.

Another complaint I have are with the guest collaborators. The HAIM collab murder ballad "no body, no crime" should have had more detail in the danger and stakes. Also, while the collabs with Bon Iver on the title track and The National on "coney island" were solid, neither of those two tracks were anywhere near matching the gravitas of "exile" off folklore.

That all said, the biggest draw for a Taylor Swift album is the writing, and she does continue the loose fictional narrative weaving from folklore. She’s able to build off old relationship drama with a keen eye on the emotional nuance for both parties involved. It’s why “champagne problems” is such an early gut punch where she abandons the boyfriend who is on the cusp of proposing to her but never quite “got” her, or why “‘tis the damn season” and “dorothea” share this conflict of the girl who chased dreams out to Los Angeles that never quite stirred her soul to the same extent versus the guy she left behind who holds the key to her heart, or why “cowboy like me” focuses on the love of two con artists paired in their unique wiliness. But then you also got the agonizing “tolerate it” where the more experienced lover withholds affection from her, which bleeds into the implied fractured relationships on “coney island” and “happiness” where there’s a real sense of vulnerability in the scenes painted, framed by Taylor’s recollection of her grandmother on “marjorie”. Sure the stakes across these songs are generally smaller like it was on Red, and the more I think about it this album is just Taylor coming back to her comfort zone of being the everywoman, but these songs do work as a necessary catharsis as she tries to close the doors on her past and move on; emphasis on “tries to” as we know she’ll continue with Midnights onward.

At the end of the day, evermore is a solid album that does feel like a necessary transition period for Taylor. Some individual moments are great, and the album is consistent enough for what it is. Personally, I probably would have picked folklore for the list as the songwriting and production were much more elevated with that prior release. But still, evermore is a good album, and it will certainly be appealing to those who look for a more grounded connection in the music.

For this review, I will not include the bonus tracks from the CD version.

This is one of those days where I think to myself, "I would have never sought this out if not for the album generator." Laibach is a Slovenian/Yugoslav group that are considered pioneers in the martial industrial subgenre, which is to say industrial music with a militaristic beat and politically provocative lyrics. After listening to Opus Dei, I can hear the influence these gents must have had on Rammstein and the like.

Right out of the gate with their German-sung cover of Opus' "Live is Life" with the bombastic horns, I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity this was. Then they have the hutspa to go into another cover, this time of Queen's "One Vision", where with the German translated lyrics and militaristic composition it becomes clear how they approach the song from a darker angle and I dug it.

Alas, the novelty started to wear thin by the time they've finished the second cover of Opus' "Live is Life". I have nothing against any member of the band; they all played pretty decent. The problem is the idea of using industrial music to focus solely on parodying authoritarianism and militarism limits the scope of what could be accomplished, at least in the case of this album.

Opus Dei was a surprising listen, and certainly one of the more batshit inclusions on this list that I'm at least glad to have checked out. I don't expect this to be everyone's cup of tea given the group's image and style, but for those who dig industrial music or militaristic camp Laibach paved an interesting niche path.