Reviews by abrisskull

I’ve heard of John Mayall and the Blues Breakers before. In fact, I discovered the opening track “All Your Love” earlier this year as part of my journey in learning to play the guitar. I enjoyed that song, and the rest of the album follows the same quality.

It’s a good blues album that’s carried by Eric Clapton’s guitar work, though John, the rest of the Breakers, and the session horns also do a brilliant job with the instrumentation and delivery.

There is one glaring issue I have with this album, and it’s how similarly structured the songs can be. I get that comes with the territory of blues music, but once you’ve studied the blues bars you pick up on them rather quick here. Not helping matters is that some of the riffs sound similar to other works around the late 1960s, either by coincidence or perhaps as small nods.

Also, yes I’ve read the lyrics to “Little Girl” and they are a bit creepy, but I chalk that up to songwriting of the time. At least the female referred to in song is 18 years of age, it could have been worse.

Still, I had a good time with this Blues Breakers album, even if Eric Clapton is a piece of shit.

It’s not often that the album is well advertised in the title. In this case, Jazz Samba is a subgenre in of itself, combining Brazilian samba with American jazz, particularly the bebop style, to create a sound that taps into both rhythm and improvisation. This album fits that description to a T.

I appreciated the technical craftsmanship that saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd accomplished with their respective solos. The manner in which they play comes off as very free flowing, near effortless. Pair that with the especially good rhythm section, where the tempo and structure evokes a range of emotions throughout this album, from danceable like with “Samba de Uma Nota Só” to somber and reflective with “Samba Triste.”

I’m not sure how well this album can be retained in memory, given the improvisation side of jazz that doesn’t follow closely to set patterns. But for what it’s worth, I had a fun time with this album as it gets a solid recommendation.

I’ve heard of Norah Jones recently, specifically that time she swept a good chunk of the 2003 Grammy Awards with this debut album of hers. I get that dependent on who you are, the Grammys can be taken with a grain of salt, but still for the artist’s recognition it can be validating and Norah continued to be appreciative throughout her career.

As for the album in question, it’s a pleasant acoustic pop album with touches of soul and jazz. Norah has a very sultry mezzo-soprano voice, and she seems to know her way around the ivories. The guitars and backing instrumentation provide nice compositions for the ambience, and it all makes for smooth easy-listening background music.

Unfortunately, background music is about the highest praise I could give this debut. Aside from a few songs like the opening single “Don’t Know Why” and “Painter’s Song”, a lot of the songs are structured so similarly to the point where the music goes in one ear and out on the other. It’s not a bad album per se, as it’s apparent early on how good of a singer-songwriter Norah is. I certainly don’t regret listening to it, but I also don’t think it left as much of an impression as I’d have wanted it to.

Okay, here’s the thing - I anticipated that there were going to be a few Rolling Stones albums on this list. With this debut album, each member is technically efficient in their respective right from the get-go, and on some level as a Stones fan it was cool to hear the humble beginnings of this group.

But that leads us to an undeniable truth - that this is a debut album consisting mostly of cover songs of the blues artists they were influenced by early on in their career, broken up by two original songs that admittedly aren’t well remembered. Technically good and flattering, but not something worth listening to before you die given what the Stones have accomplished in the latter half of the 60s onward.

I’d say this album is definitely for the diehard Stones fans - the ones who know what this band are capable of and want to further explore their roots. I know we got some true classics from them coming up on this journey, and this debut unfortunately doesn’t hold a candle to them.

I’ve heard of Shaft as a blaxploitation film from the 1970s, however at this point I haven’t seen the film yet. Thus, it feels weird to me that Issac Hayes’s soundtrack is on this list, given its ties to a piece of visual media. Still, there seems to be a lot of appraisal for the soundtrack, historically signified as one of the first to incorporate a more funk/soul driven sound for a film. The question is, does it hold up on its own without seeing Shaft the film? The answer for me at least is somewhat.

Obviously, the “Theme from Shaft” is the standout moment right from the get-go, and it gets a nice callback with “The End Theme.” Other notable tracks in between include “Ellie’s Love Theme” which oozes this sense of mystique around what sounds like catchy xylophone motifs, “Cafe Regio’s” with its epic guitar soloing alongside the horn accompaniment, “Be Yourself” with horn riffs for days, “Soulsville” as another finely sung piece from Isaac, and the 19-minute “Do Your Thing” that comes off as an extended jam session with tempo changes amidst guitar and electric piano solos.

But going back to what has been stated earlier, this is nevertheless a soundtrack for a film, and it shows in places. The rest of the album can be described as either light motifs that last no more than two minutes, or like with “Early Sunday Morning” best serves as background music for certain scenes.

Overall, Issac Hayes is a good composer in his own right, and I certainly look forward to catching Shaft the film sometime based on my enjoyment of the soundtrack. Perhaps Shaft is better served on a list of “films to watch before you die” to get both the audio and visual components together, as opposed to just the album separately.

I’m already familiar with Fiona Apple as a singer-songwriter, having heard her album Fetch the Bolt Cutters when it dropped in 2020. I very much enjoyed that album, and that same amount of enjoyment can be applied to her debut album as well.

This can be attributed to how Fiona is able to take emotionally complex relationship drama drawn from her fraught adolescence, and make her stories accessible with well-written hooks. Add to that Jon Brion and Patrick Warner’s contributions on various instruments like the marimba and Chamberlin organ, and you got a piano-driven album with variance. Themes explored range from sexuality with “Criminal”, temptation with “Shadowboxer”, fantasizing with “The First Taste”, and even reminiscing about an ex-lover with “Never is a Promise.” There’s also no denying the impact of the wistful closer “Carrion”, where the relationship comes to a point where there is no saving it, as her love for her partner fades amidst the tickling ivories and jaunty guitar soloing.

Overall, I enjoyed Tidal very much, as it serves as a good introduction to Fiona if you haven’t checked her out.

Well, I’ve already heard Adele’s album after this, 25. While I felt mixed on that follow up, here 21 ends up being overall powerful, from the singles to the deep cut ballads.

The song sequencing is well structured, taking more cues from country and roots music, and consistently produced courtesy of guys like Ryan Tedder and Rick Rubin. The album follows an emotional journey that Adele went through post-breakup, with a lot of the immediacy and stakes present in the lyrics and vocal delivery. Each song hits from the opening one-two punch of “Rolling in the Deep” and “Rumour Has It” when the rage is seething in the immediate aftermath, to the complexity of the relationship painted in “Set Fire to the Rain”, to the yearning of what could have been in “He Won’t Go” and “Take It All”, and finally to the surprisingly potent cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong” that is thematically followed by such an impactful closer in “Someone Like You” in wishing the best to a now past lover.

It is an amazing time capsule of such a hard time for her, and while she’s done some healing since, it’s impressive how she was able to capture what she went through. Give it a listen.

I’m finally getting to some Creedence Clearwater Revival. I've already heard about half of this album beforehand, and the rest of Green River is of the same good quality. The title track and "Commotion" are excellent openers, "Wrote a Song for Everyone" is a very potent lament, the succession from "Bad Moon Rising" to "Lodi" and "Cross-Tie Walker" is impressive, and the album ends on a good cover of Ray Charles's "The Night Time is the Right Time". I can see why John Fogerty considers this his favorite album from his time with the band; it's all killer and no filler. Check it out.

I'm well familiar with the garage rock duo that is the White Stripes, particularly for this album the sports anthem classic "Seven Nation Army" and the just as excellent "The Hardest Button to Button". Going through the rest of Elephant proper, the rest of the tunes are about the same level of quality as those two singles. I especially liked the seven-minute "Ball and Biscuit", along with the riffing deep cut "Hypnotize", "Little Acorns" with its fun little opening skit, and Meg White's ballad "In the Cold, Cold Night". It's amazing how much good song craftmanship Meg and Jack accomplished together.

I don't quite think it lights my world or blows my mind away at any point, given my familiarity with their influences like Led Zeppelin and the Velvet Underground. But for what Elephant is, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thus it comes with a solid recommendation.

This was a surprising find, not gonna lie. We have here a well-done late-90s garage-rock album that takes the good elements of acts like Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth with an Irish tint. 1977 is certainly good in the latter third, from the ruckus buildup and breakdown towards the end of "Innocent Smile", to the ending guitar solo of "Angel Interceptor", the surprisingly good ballad "Lost in You", and that bombastic closer "Darkside Lightside". It may be a product of its time, but like with Green Day's Dookie, this album is a good musical representation of that era. Give it a shot.

Alright, it's time for OutKast! I've already heard "Ms. Jackson" and "B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad" before listening to this album, which I'll say right now are personal highlights.

Going into Stankonia proper, this takes the funk foundation of acts like Prince and Parliament-Funkadelic and builds upon it with a lot of techno and hip-hop experimentation to bring the sound to the start of the new millennium. Andre 3000 and Big Boi share some fun, tongue-in-cheek lyrics with dashes of forward-thinking verses in between, all delivered on top of some exquisite production courtesy of Mr. DJ. It was even fun with the sound diving into funk metal adjacent territory with "B.O.B." and "Gasoline Dreams".

Come to think of it, there are a lot of guest artists that bring their A-game here, including B-Real of Cypress Hill on "X-Plosion", Erykah Badu on "Humble Mumble", Cee-Lo Green on "Slum Beautiful", and a very hungry Killer Mike on "Snappin' & Trappin'".

If I had to nitpick, while I'm cool with the interludes, there are a lot of them; roughly a third of the album's tracklisting. That said though, they're short, don't overstay their welcome, and it's admittedly funny that they end each with the crew shouting "BREAK".

Overall, I had a fun time visiting Stankonia. Give it a chance.

There’s two ways that one can go about reviewing this album - the easy way or the hard way.

The easy way to review it would be to just say, “It’s Dark Side of the Moon.” That’s it. This album continues to garner accolades. It shows up on “Top Albums of All Time” articles from various publications. The individual songs and the whole have been covered multiple times (and yes, that includes the shitty Roger Waters solo de-make). Even if some people might prefer Animals or Wish You Were Here, Dark Side usually gets brought up when discussing the best albums of Pink Floyd’s discography. You could point to all that and get away with it.

The hard way to review it is to sit down, listen in full with a fresh mind, and think critically about how this album works in relation to you the listener. For me, I know I just listened to this album a couple of months ago for the solar eclipse in Vermont, plus I watched a making of documentary about Dark Side last week. Regardless, I wanted to listen again in full and see if I can figure out why it works for me.

What I can say right off the bat is how impeccable tracks flow from one to another. Whether it’s “Breathe (in the Air)” building up tempo to “On the Run”, or “Any Colour You Like” with the guitar bend at the end moving towards “Brain Damage” followed by “Eclipse”, the transitions are well executed. There’s even wonderful segues in the tracks themselves, such as the cashier sounds leading into the bass line for “Money”, or “Time” providing a neat callback to “Breathe (in the Air)” at the end. Hell, even the intro track “Speak to Me” serves as a pretty good overture.

Every band member and session member perform exceptionally well on this record. My personal highlights would have to be Dick Parry’s saxophone solos on “Money” and “Us and Them”, as well as Clare Torry’s vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky”.

Lyrically, Roger Waters was able to craft a meaningful reflection on life as we are each day drawn closer to the end of our time. Is it a bit melodramatic? Maybe, yet it also can be viewed as a call to pursue something greater in our lives while we still can.

Overall, I’m glad to have revisited Dark Side and thought more about how I view this album. At the end of the day, that’s the best we can do on this site, ain’t it?

This is a prime example of "It should not work, and yet it does."

After the commerical success of Young Americans, and starring in his first film The Man Who Fell to Earth, David Bowie transitioned into a new persona that would be dubbed The Thin White Duke. This character would be the embodiment of one of the darkest times of Bowie's life, where his diet of red peppers, milk and cocaine contributed to an unhealthly and depressing lifestyle. In fact, Bowie was so drug-induced that he couldn't recall the recording sessions for Station to Station. I couldn't begin to fathom what he was going through at the time, let alone attempt to make a new album in that condition. That could've been a recipe for disaster, right?

Yet in spite of the turmoil Bowie went through, this might be one of the best albums he's ever done. Six songs of various genres that end up somehow cohesive as he tows the line between drug-riddled and yearning for love. The ten-minute title track is ambitious in switching from a slow march to progressive disco at a different key and tempo, and it works. The singles for this album are superb, especially "Golden Years" with its uptempo groovy edge. Finally, the album closes on a cover of Johnny Mathis's "Wild is the Wind" and it might as well be one of the best vocal performances we ever got out of him.

I'm not saying doing cocaine made this album work, and I'm certainly not going to endorse that notion. Rather, this album works in spite of Bowie's at-the-time addiction. I'm glad he sobered up after this and continued to be ambitious with his music, but I'm also glad this album exists as a sobering reminder.

I hadn't heard of Ray Price before. From what I can gather, he was notable for being one of the best baritone singers in country music and helped popularize the shift of the beat in country songs from 2/4 to 4/4 time.

There's a bit more to the story though, as one of the members of his touring band that played on this album was a young Willie Nelson, playing bass and backing vocals.

As for the music itself, this is the chill yet upbeat country music that would be expected from such a pairing. Every instrument has its moment in the limelight, and Ray's delivery is silky smooth. There were a fair amount of standouts from the opening title track to the end with "Are You Are". It was a pleasant listen and as such gets a solid recommendation.

I've heard of Wilco before from a hipster music professor I had back in college. They're considered one of the more influential indie rock bands out there, with this album standing out due to its troubled release history, which you're welcome to look into.

I will say I enjoyed the album as a whole. It was an easy listen, with some light motifs on songs like "Karema", "War on War", and "Jesus, Etc." that stood out. It does overstay its welcome a bit on the closing track, "Reservations", and some songs do run together. Still, overall, it was a solid album to have going in the background while keeping the vibes interesting.

Update 4/6/2026: Over 400 albums later, including checking out Being There, I revisited Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with a greater appreciation for Wilco.

Where I used to think some of these songs ran together, I now better acknowledge how distinct these tracks are in the artistic indie styling the band utilized on this record. The rhythm section is strong throughout, the acoustic guitar textures are soft yet crisp in the sound, and Jeff Tweedy's raspy delivery is pleasant to listen to. Credit to Jeff and Jay Bennett for such intriguing compositions that complement the lyrics that seek answers and comfort in such strange and turbulent times. Probably the most poignant to me were "Radio Cures" as music is used to quell the confusion and detached feelings stemming from being away from loved ones, "Jesus, Etc." for trying to make sense of those existential questions that can't be easily answered, "Heavy Metal Drummer" in its yearning for lost innocence, "Pot Kettle Back" in the acknowledgment of cultural biases, and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" in working up the courage to share personal feelings for someone, despite the shortcomings.

I admittedly still feel that "Reservations" goes on for longer than it should, as does "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" if I'm being honest. But overall, my outlook on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has significantly improved to the point where I'd be down to revisit this album down the line.

For those unaware, Public Image Ltd. was formed by John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten shortly after the Sex Pistols broke up. He recruited an old friend of his Jah Wobble as bassist and former Clash member Keith Levene as guitarist.

Metal Box, subsequently known as Second Edition, is their second album, categorized by what they're getting away with as an "avant-garde" sound, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics, dub-inspired bass grooves, and an abrasive "metallic" guitar sound.

Now that formalities are out of the way, my enjoyment was admittedly slightly better than the Sex Pistols' one album. Keith Levene's guitar playing may not be as hook-driven as Steve Jones's was, yet it's also weirdly hypnotic in its unorthodox behavior. The rhythm section shines here, where Jah Wobble's playing up and down bass is well executed, and the session drummers do a superb job with the beats.

Once again, Johnny Rotten is the worst part of his own group. He's a terrible singer, but instead of badly snarking he's now badly wailing. Similarly, he hasn't improved much as a lyricist, though he probably got away with using abstract imagery under the guise of "avant-garde." Thankfully, we don't get a "Bodies" here. Also helping to ease things between are the instrumental tracks "Socialist", "Graveyard" and closer "Radio 4", which I admittedly found pleasant.

Overall, it is technically a step up from Never Mind the Bollocks, but not by much. I can see how someone would classify this as a landmark album for post-punk. Just one more Public Image album on this journey, and then Johnny can fuck right off.

This is my first time listening to Portishead. From what I can gather, they're considered an influential group in the trip-hop genre, alongside the likes of Tricky whom I’ve heard before on this journey. That genre is pretty much the vibe we get with this album.

Beth Gibbons's sweet and sultry vocal delivery melts over the slow yet well-accented percussion and spare accompaniment from various live instruments, samples, and electronic programming. In a way, the album is cinematic in its overall presentation. Pair that with yearning lyrics, and the experience takes on a whole melancholic tone.

I enjoyed this album overall, and I can see how later acts were inspired by it. There's a sense of it being simple but effective.

Alright, I'm already familiar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds as an influential goth rock act, having heard select songs before including his 2013 album "Push the Sky Away".

I will say here, this is technically a double album, but arranged into two different sounding albums. Abbatoir Blues contains more abrasive, rocking tunes, while The Lyre of Orpheus contains more chorus-driven ballads with some potent hooks. That's where I would recommend breaking your listening time into two different sessions, one for each disc.

The other hurdle with this project is that the music better resonates if you're already familiar with Nick Cave's songwriting. How he touches upon themes of death, gothic tragedy, relationships, and religious imagery is established by earlier material. It doesn't work as effectively if say you're on this site getting daily randomly generated albums, this comes up and you hadn't heard of Nick Cave before. If you have the time, I recommend listening to a greatest hits compilation or playlist before approaching these two albums.

For those already familiar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, yeah these are two great albums. I admittedly got a bit more mileage out of the melodic nature of The Lyre of Orpheus, but both are worth your time.

For this review, I am looking to the original track listing, and not factoring the "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" remix with Jay-Z that is included on streaming services.

Alright, it's time for K-Dot and his major label debut, executively produced by Dr. Dre. Billed as a "short film," good kid is a concept album about Kendrick's upbringing in Compton, with the prevalence of drugs and street gangs. Yet, such a summary doesn't do much justice, as there's a lot of introspection done on this album, exploring the expectations and transgression faced in a cruel, uncaring world. It's revealing the kind of storyteller and MC Kendrick could be in how he can twist and warp his delivery to fit a dark, swampy West Coast vibe that's well done in the atmosphere. Kendrick gets away with the 12-minute-long track "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" on those principles from the perspective of different characters. Hell, this album interweaves audio recordings so well that the tracks feel incomplete without them, and every featured artist brings their best contribution including Drake which is a rarity for him.

I know we still got To Pimp a Butterfly coming up next, but good kid is such a prime setup that it can't be ignored.

I've heard of Arrested Development as an alternative hip-hop group that was big in 1992 but fell off shortly after. They've since reformed with Speech as the sole original member in the lineup, and 3 Years is still regarded as their best effort. Listening to this album, I can see why.

The skits, slow conscious rapping, sampling, and swagger are of the early 90s deviation from the rise of gangsta rap. I give them props for using live instrumentation in the song construction and Speech's ability to command the mic with his flow, even if the sound is stuck to a specific time.

Lyrically, this album mainly addresses spirituality, civil rights, and the prevalence of street gangs. A fair amount of the songs pop off well including the singles, particularly "Tennessee" with how Speech reflects upon his upbringing and where he belongs after his grandma and brother passed. Other songs though can come off as either dated, a bit preachy, or in the case of "Natural" questionable with the sexual advancement.

Overall, 3 Years is not a bad record and I can see how it paved the way for later conscious hip-hop efforts. Take the singles, and cherry-pick from the rest.