Reviews by abrisskull

I'm well familiar with ZZ Top as southern blues-rock legends, and this album Eliminator includes some of their biggest hits - "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Got Me Under Pressure", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs". The first half of this record sandwiched by those tracks is a solid collection of bonafide rockers that keep a good generally fast tempo with delicious guitar riffs from Billy Gibbons. Even "Thug" mixes it up with a slower tempo complemented by a slapping bass solo from Busty Hill.

But then comes "TV Dinners", a novelty song where the double entendres with microwavable meals are clunky at best. By the end of that track, the momentum is lost, as the rest of the second half devolves into more overt sexual lyrics that end up even dumber by comparison. The only track in this batch I'm partial to is "Dirty Dog" as it tries to get the tempo going again and the guitar riffs again come in clutch.

There is another problem with this album that becomes more noticeable in the back half - the drum machines. This was a calculated approach by Gibbons, as he was informed by pre-production engineer and co-writer Linden Hudson that many hit songs at the time had a tempo of about 124 beats per minute. Thus, the decision was made to use drum machines to keep at this new pace. While it does mean the songwriting is improved as the group focused more on timing, that left Frank Beard in an awkward spot as the band's drummer who is not actually drumming on this album. Personally, I prefer live drums in hard rock music, especially regarding ZZ Top's previous material.

I still generally enjoy Eliminator as an album. It's a fun guitar-driven romp that's only dated by some production and lyrical choices. Make of that as you will.

This is the second Beatles album I’ve gotten on this journey, after Sgt. Pepper’s. Oddly enough, Revolver is the album preceding that one.

At this point, the boys were just about done performing live as a band. They started ramping up their studio production tinkering to create an innovative soundscape inspired by LSD trips, Eastern philosophy, and avant-garde music. There’s the horn section on “Got to Get You Into My Life”, the string octet for “Eleanor Rigby”, the back-masked guitar solo of “I’m Only Sleeping”, the Indian instrumentation on “Love You To”, the tape loops assembled for “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the list goes on for what they achieved. I know these tape effects and instrument choices will be used more frequently by artists in the future, but the Beatles did a lot to make well-structured music with these new-at-the-time methods.

Adding to that, the song structures are a lot more varied on this album. A fair amount of tracks are idiosyncratic - the out-of-tempo count-in to “Taxman”, the switching between 4/4 and 3/4 time on “She Said She Said”, and the syncopated drum pattern of “Tomorrow Never Knows” as a few examples. These variations are complemented by more normally structured songs that serve as good palate-cleansers like “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Yellow Submarine”.

As for the lyrics, Revolver largely deviates from the Beatles' prior work of mostly love songs. Instead, the themes range from isolation in "Eleanor Rigby" and "And Your Bird Can Sing", to drugs in "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "Doctor Robert", to other assorted topics like taxes and sleeping on "Taxman" and "I'm Only Sleeping". There's a great deal of variety in the emotional delivery throughout the album, whether a song evokes sadness, joy, angst, or bliss.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of a bad or middling track off this album. Each song brought something unique to the table, as every band member was on their game lyrically and sonically. I know they would continue to experiment on Sgt. Pepper’s and onward, but Revolver became a high mark to surpass.

This will be the second Bob Marley album I will have reviewed after Catch a Fire. It is also the first Bob Marley album of which "The Wailers" are in name only, after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left due to disagreements with their producer Chris Blackwell.

I will say I enjoyed Natty Dread slightly more than Catch a Fire, if only because the lyrics feel more cohesive and poignant. The album is more politically charged because the lyrics are meant to be empowering for the general population. This includes calls for unification such as in "So Jah Seh", sparking a revolution such as in the aptly named "Revolution" and "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)", a profound warning about a nation's hunger issues on "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)", and a celebration of the Rastafari religious movement Marley belonged to on the title track. The cherry on the top would be the most known track off this record "No Woman, No Cry", where there is sentiment found for one's upbringing in an impoverished community and the friendships forged in tough times.

As much as I still feel new to reggae music with its slower tempos and laid-back vibes, I certainly enjoyed how good Natty Dread was. This album comes with a solid recommendation.

I've heard of The Sonics before as a pioneering garage rock group. From this debut album, I had already heard singles "The Witch" and "Boss Hoss", along with their cover of Richard Berry's "Have Love, Will Travel." The rest of Here Are the Sonics is on par with the songs above.

This is a collection of hard-rocking tunes and covers where grainy production is a feature. In particular, I want to highlight Gerry Roslie's vocals, as his conviction to belt and scream with such power won me over on most of these songs. Add to that, Gerry was also impeccable behind the piano, complimented by Rob Lind's prominent saxophone play.

The only cover I didn't care for was Rufus Thomas's "Walking the Dog". Their rendition was played at a mid-tempo pace and sung by a different vocalist who did not have the same presence as Gerry did behind the mic.

If you dig the later garage rock sound and style of acts like The Stooges and The White Stripes, you're in for a treat with these forebearers. Check them out.

For this review, I'm not factoring the Mokran remixes for the singles "Race for the Prize" and "Waitin' for a Superman" tacked on at the end of the worldwide digital release.

I've heard of The Flaming Lips as a psychedelic rock band, though mainly from a few songs from their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The Soft Bulletin is the album before that when they started incorporating more catchy melodies and intricate arrangements in their sound.

I can see why comparisons have been made to Pet Sounds, concerning the embellished symphonic touches the group accomplished with multiple MIDI keyboards. That's before we get into the splashes of electronic elements courtesy of Michael Ivins, paired with Steven Drozd's syncopated drum work that brings about an atmospheric sound that makes me feel like I'm on a journey through space.

That said though I understand if this style of music is not for everyone. Alongside that notion, Wayne Coyne's higher-register vocal delivery can make or break your experience though to me at least it fits the progressive pop-rock style similarly to Jon Anderson's vocals for Yes.

At the end of the day, it's a solid album from an experimental band refining their sound to make it more enjoyable for the masses. It's worth a listen.

I'm familiar with Bad Company as a '70s hard rock supergroup. The title track of this self-titled debut album is still a staple on classic rock radio stations.

The rest of this album is on par with that title track. It is a collection of blues-influenced rocking tunes, carried largely by Paul Rodgers' bold tenor vocals. Sure, the lyrics aren't as deep, as is typical for this territory, but it has a charm, especially with the mellow closer "Seagull" that mixes it up at the end with the acoustic guitar. It's certainly worth a listen.

Johnny Cash does not need any introduction as a country legend, nor does his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" which is so transformative that Trent Reznor no longer considered it his song. The rest of American IV is on par with that song - a collection of mostly covers and re-recordings from an elder statesman on the brink of death. The only newly written song included is the title track "The Man Comes Around", which would be one of his last.

A lot of guest musicians make impressive contributions to this album. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers reworked Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" on a popping acoustic guitar riff accompanied by Billy Preston's tingling piano play. Fiona Apple's backing vocals come off haunting on the chorus of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Nick Cave shares a rather somber duet with him on Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". Hell, even Don Henley brings out a good rendition of the Eagles' "Desperado". Of course, Johnny Cash himself brings enough dark crooning energy with his guitar to bring bravado to the likes of The Beatles' "In My Life" and the traditional "Danny Boy". Throughout the album, his son John Carter Cash, and renowned producer Rick Rubin were able to mix these songs effectively to bring out the best of everyone involved.

I'll admit that I'm usually not a fan of cover albums unless the renditions transcend the original works. Johnny Cash did just that in spades. This is absolutely worth checking out.

I’ve heard of The Cure before as a pioneering post-punk outfit. In fact, I've heard the single "A Forest" before from this second album of theirs.

Seventeen Seconds gets very bleak and atompspheric in its style. That much is apparent from the opening instrumental “A Reflection” with its spare piano and guitar arrangements. Then “Play for Today…” kicks in with the well-accented percussion from Lol Tolhurst. From there, the album is set in tone as driven by the drums, with Simon Gallup’s thoughtful bass lines, the occasional keyboards from Matthieu Hartley, and Robert Smith’s subdued guitar riffs and dreary yet passionate lyrics and vocal delivery. All of the members are synergied in this dark manifestation that’s well-executed.

My primary complaint with this album is that the production can be uneven at times. Songs like “Secrets” and “Three” could have benefited from Robert’s vocals being pushed more front in the mix. Also “The Final Sound”, while serving as an ominous piano piece in its dissonance, is cut rather short as it sounds like the composition could have been gone on further.

Still, I enjoyed Seventeen Seconds in its strange etherealness. I’d give it a solid recommendation, though with a caveat to not listen to this if you’re feeling sad or depressed as this album is not intended to make your day any brighter.

Not only am I familiar with TV on the Radio as a post-punk and art-rock outfit, but I've already heard "Staring at the Sun" from their first EP Young Liars that shows up again here on this debut album.

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes works effectively because the group took their dark and atonal sound and transformed it into a cohesive and melodically arranged set of tunes. It might take a bit to get going on the first minute of the opening track "The Wrong Way", but once the drums kick in, the band settles into their weird sonic pocket.

There's a comforting feeling from Tunde Adebimpe's laid-back vocal delivery, which made the acapella track "Ambulance" and the third verse of "Poppy" personal highlights. Pairing that with the droning guitars, Martin Perna's saxophone work and minimalist drums resulted in an eclectic and hypnotic style, culminating in the crescendoing closer "Wear You Out" with the added flutes.

This was an amazing debut from TV on the Radio. It's worth checking out if you're curious.

I'll admit while I have heard of Elvis Costello as a singer/songwriter/producer, I've only heard one song each from his solo career ("Veronica") and with his backing band the Attractions ("Pump it Up"). This would be my first full album listen to his work.

Imperial Bedroom is his sixth album with the Attractions, expanding on their new wave sound to incorporate more orchestral instrumentation and ornate production. It becomes apparent out of the gate with tracks like "Shabby Doll" and "Man Out of Time" that Elvis was striving for perfection with this album.

That makes for an experience that can come off as overwhelming at times, particularly with the number of studio overdubs Elvis added such as the vocals layered on the chorus of songs like "Shabby Doll" and "The Loved Ones", the unusual piano passages spread throughout the album, and the odd instrument choices like the harpsichord and mellotron that Steve Nieve contributes. I think I only started getting into the album's groove by the end of side one with the horn-accompanied "...And in Every Home" and realized how rich of a baroque pop style Elvis went for.

Imperial Bedroom is certainly an album that rewards the listener with revisiting to pick up on other added details in the mix. I'd say go into this one with an open mind.

I'm already familiar with Jeff Beck as a legendary guitarist, and this album marks his solo debut after exiting the Yardbirds.

It's a solid album with a mix of original songs and covers. Jeff's guitar playing is the big highlight followed by Rod Stewart's showmanship on the mic. Ronnie Wood on bass and Micky Waller on drums provide a meaningful rhythm section. There's some fine playing here with the likes of the cover of "Shapes of Things" from Jeff's prior group, the cover of "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero".

The only songs that felt odd were the cover of "Ol' Man River" with the crackling stereo panning in the mix, and "Blues De Luxe" where audience reactions were overdubbed - a choice Jeff later regretted.

Overall, it's a solid album from a respectable guitarist early in his career, with just enough flourish to work a bit past an average debut album from the 1960s. It's worth a listen.

Van Halen is one of those bands that don't need much of an introduction, as they were one of the biggest hard rock and heavy metal acts from the late 70s into the 80s. They had an impressive run of albums in their first stint with frontman David Lee Roth, with 1984 being the one where tensions were highest. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen wanted to incorporate more keyboards into their sound. In contrast, David and their producer Ted Templeman wanted the band to stick with their formula. Not helping matters was that the band's label had them pump out another quick album in Diver Down with a subsequent tour to boot, exhausting members. Out of all that turmoil, 1984 came out and it was surprisingly good.

I can't think of a bad song off this album, as it was banger after banger in terms of the cheeky 80s hard rock they came to be known for. The synthesizers were a welcome touch on "Jump" and "I'll Wait", Alex Van Halen's drum solo opening "Hot for Teacher" is wildly impressive, and the rest of the album is filled to the brim with guitar-driven kick-ass cuts like "Top Jimmy", "Panama" and "House of Pain". Sure, there is the intro title track that noodles around with the synths, but it's only for a minute and doesn't take long before you're "Jump"-ing right into the album proper.

I know Van Halen would continue onward with another singer after this, but if 1984 was a swansong album for the first David Lee Roth era then boy what a closer. Check it out!

This is the second of two Issac Hayes albums I've listened to on this journey, having heard the Shaft film soundtrack. My enjoyment of Hot Buttered Soul is admittedly greater than that of the Shaft soundtrack, partly due to what is advertised on the tin. Issac's vocals were hot and buttery, as he worked his way around the keyboard while the session musicians played effortlessly to create this luscious psychedelic soul sound.

There may be only four songs, and three of those four run over nine minutes, but it never felt long for the most part because the song construction felt meaningful, as the album ebbed and flowed with a serene audible tide. The only exception to this feeling was the eight-and-a-half-minute introduction to the cover of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix". I understand if Issac wanted to tell the story behind that song, though it does hurt the replay value.

Overall, this was a pleasant album to have going on. It's worth checking out.

I’ve heard of M.I.A. before as a rapper/singer/producer, born under the name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. In fact, Maya’s big song “Paper Planes” is off of this album Kala. This is her second studio album, named and themed after her mother and the struggles she went through.

I will say this album is very experimental, for better and worse. She plays through a variety of world music styles with a heavy amount of sampling, and the result varies for every song. Some songs are good - the aforementioned “Paper Planes” with the samples of gunshots, cash registers and The Clash’s “Straight to Hell”, “Come Around” with its sole Timbaland production credit, “Jimmy” with its electronic disco melody, and “XR2” with its rave music groove. Other songs are terrible - the first three tracks of this album spring to mind, especially “Bird Flu” with its egregious bird noise samples. Then there are songs that fall somewhere in the middle for me - “Hussel” and “Mango Pickle Down River” have solid melodies, though nowhere near as engaging as the preceding “Jimmy”. Also, I couldn’t ignore how “20 Dollar” sounded like an electronically-filtered hodgepodge between New Order’s “Blue Monday” and the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”.

There is one unifying element throughout this album - Maya’s vocals. I’ll admit, I do not like her vocals and delivery - it’s not for me as it doesn’t come off as raw or emotionally drawn as it should. Not helping matters is that she has a very minimalist lyrical style, which combined with the experimentation can distract from whatever messaging she may have been trying to convey.

At the end of the day, it’s certainly not a boring album. You will be engaged through the whole listen, regardless of track-by-track quality. But I don’t see myself returning to this anytime soon.

Well, this is the second Leonard Cohen album I've listened to on my journey, after hearing Songs of Leonard Cohen. My feelings towards this album are about the same as they were for his debut, if not more.

There are some improvements from Leonard's first album. He gets more abrasive in his vocal delivery on some songs, accompanied by more female background vocals. His guitar playing has improved, incorporating more syncopated patterns such as on "Avalanche". The lyrics invoke more historical and cultural references in the context of relationships, such as the lament of Joan of Arc's burning at the stake on the closing track or the small allusions to Scientology and Christian biblical readings on "Famous Blue Raincoat".

The only track that seemed a bit of an odd inclusion was "Sing Another Song, Boys" but that's only because it was recorded live at Isle of Wight Festival and was not recorded in the studio like the rest of these songs.

Ultimately, Songs of Love and Hate showcased that Leonard found his pocket and refined his sound. It's certainly worth a listen if you're curious.

I hadn't heard of Everything But the Girl before. They are the musical pair of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and their style is called sophisti-pop. The subgenre emerged from the new wave of the 80s, using electronic keyboards, synthesizers, perfectionist recording, and most importantly atmosphere.

Understanding what sophisti-pop is helped me understand why I enjoyed this album. The production is pristine even if dated, as Ben and Tracey trade sultry vocals as the session musicians create the necessary ambiance to make this album pleasant to the ears with just enough flourishes to keep it an engaging listen.

I get that this style of music might not be as energetic for everyone, but I can walk away from meeting this album halfway and enjoying it. Give it a chance.

I’ve heard of the Violent Femmes before, specifically the song “Blister in the Sun” which I consider a bop. That song happens to be the first song of their self-titled debut right here.

Much like the aforementioned song, this album is filled to the brim with folk-punk tunes, where the acoustic guitars are rollicking and playful alongside well-accented percussion from Victor DeLorenzo. Gordon Gano wrote in such a manner that this album maintains a high energy throughout its runtime.

The only song I didn't immediately gel with was "To the Kill", though with a second listen I came to realize that the tonal dissonance throughout song is still mildly cohesive in its structure and actually pairs well with the perverse lyrics of the narrator thinking about killing.

There’s a such a twisted fun nature throughout this album, and I have no doubt in giving this one high remarks. Check it out.

For this review, I am only looking at the original LP tracklisting, and will not factor in the bonus tracks with the 2004 re-release.

I've heard of the Pogues before, particularly their song "Body of an American". They represent the niche subgenre of Celtic punk, which I'm glad got representation on this list. The only other groups I've heard of before in this style are the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.

If I Should Fall from Grace with God is the Pogues' third studio album, and is often considered their best work. I can see how given the fine balance they strike between fast-tempo rollicking guitar-driven tunes with bleak lyrics related to their Irish background. They even threw in some additional styles to boot with excellence, such as the Middle Eastern vibe of "The Turkish Song of the Damned" or the Christmas folk ballad of "Fairytale of New York".

That said, this album is rather long for this style of music and my enjoyment started to lower towards the end. Not helping matters is that they close out on "Worms", an arrangement of the traditional "Hearse Song" that ends on a rather odd note with its slow stomping beat, bellowing vocal delivery and the trombone alternating on two low notes.

Still, I had an overall fun time with this album, and it comes with a solid recommendation.

After checking out the follow-up Elephant, this will be the second White Stripes album I've listened to on this journey. I've already heard the first two songs before - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and "Hotel Yorba" - and between those two and "Fell in Love with a Girl", this album starts pretty strong for the garage rock revival that the pair were going for at the time.

As far as the pacing goes, I think this album drags a bit toward the end, particularly the instrumental "Aluminum" which I did not care for with the distorted wordless screaming over the droning guitar riff. There are fun tracks sprinkled throughout like "The Union Forever", "Offend in Every Way" and "I Think I Smell a Rat", but at the same time, this effort could have benefited from a trimmed-down tracklist.

White Blood Cells may not be as strong as Elephant would follow, but it is still a solid album and gets a light recommendation if you're curious.

For this review, I will look at the original tracklisting and not include the bonus tracks with the 2003 re-release.

I had not heard of Drive Like Jehu before today. They seem to have been a short-lived post-hardcore punk band from the 90s that released only two albums, with Yank Crime being the second.

Listening to it, I was blasted away by the melodic guitar hooks, Mark Trombino's pounding percussion, and Rick Froberg's commanding vocal style. Adding to that experience were odd time signatures and more complex rhythmic structures akin to math rock. Then you get into the lyrics, and Rick gets visceral in his writing as topics range from fractured relationships on "Sinews" and "Do You Compute?" to self-destruction on "Golden Brown" to ecological disasters on "Here Come the Rome Plows" and "Luau". There's a great deal of poignant angst that comes across in the words and the sonic noise that carries them.

I get that this abrasive style of music is not for everyone, but Drive Like Jehu delivered in spades within the short time they had together. It's apparent how later acts like At the Drive-In and Deftones took note of these guys. Give it a spin.