Reviews by bee-york

Bit of a tricky one honestly. I think this is something that I can appreciate and acknowledge the talent on display while not feeling that it is something I would want to listen to regularly. Jeff is obviously the highlight with his delivery and the way he is able to change tone in his vocals so frequently and smoothly. I found the band surrounding him to be pretty solid but without too many parts that stood out to me. I suppose it at least accentuates Jeffs talents as a singer, I just wish there was a bit more to latch onto instrumentally for me. Some songs in the later half dip into this a bit at the very least.

Highlights: Lover You Should've Come Over, Dream Brother, Forget Her

Starting to feel convinced that this group is a psyop to bury a single incredible song in an album where every other song is some stupid bullshit sung by a white dude in a reggae falsetto. Luckily for me, my tolerance for stupid bullshit is strong enough that I was able to enjoy some of this.

That being said. I was almost ready to let that stupid 'Mother' song tank my rating for this album holy shit what the fuck happened there? Without it I would be comfortable giving this album a light 4, but its inclusion really has me considering giving this a 2. Regatta De Blanc didn't have anything this bad on it but I did prefer some of the chaff, non-hit songs on this a little more so I think it evens out to the same rating for me, how damning that the biggest Police apologist in my group is only willing to give this a 3.

Highlights: Every Breath You Take, Synchronicity II, O My God, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Mother (NOT IN A GOOD WAY)

You could bottle this album and sell it at Chemist Warehouse as sleeping medicine. In terms of the instrumentation it's not the worst thing ever, definitely leans towards rock more than the pop side from what genre labels are attributed to this. In spite of what I would have to imagine is a mostly independent and very passionate project from the creator, he sounds like he is checking his watch throughout a majority of the very stretched runtime. Coming in at 1 hour there are some albums which have taken more of my time but this one was definitely up there in terms of feeling long just from the monotony of it all.

I expected something really dull from the genres listed. Was pleasantly surprised with how varied it ended up being. reminded me a little bit of The Band/Music From Big Pink. Though I would say I liked that album more

Still goes really hard. While I've always liked the style and mood that their music sets I felt like I was really taken in more by their beats and samples than I have been listening to them in the past. The groups rhymes as a whole are all really good but the way they construct their beats and of course their usage of cheesy old martial arts dubbing gives it a sound that is both indistinguishably Wu Tang, while also giving room for different tempos and feelings. Which can range from more energetic and intense to you can really just lay back and unwind to.

Probably the only negative thing I could even suggest is that (at least for the spotify version) the interludes are not segmented into their own parts on the album

Highlights: Protect Ya Neck, Bring Da Ruckus, Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' wit

There was a particular review on this site for Prince that really nailed on the head what makes Prince work so well, it specifically goes into how for all the different types of sound layered into each track. It does not come across as over the type or too rich/studio sounding. While Prince and MJ were both magnificent artists and entertainers. I would say Prince leaned more into the artist side than MJ.
While the big hits of the album, such as When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy (possibly my favourite song in the album and a contender for GOAT opening track of an album) and of course the titular Purple Rain are the obvious highlights, the less popular tracks in between holds their own.
Solid contender for my favourite album on the 1001 so far. And I sure as shit don't see it being dethroned as the greatest Original Soundtrack on this list.

💜💜💜💜💜/💜💜💜💜💜

Queen has this habit of coming across either really catchy or really annoying. I don't even think it's entirely their fault, I think a lot of negativity towards the band comes from their overexposure. I wouldn't be surprised if every marketing and advertising firm on the planet had a copy of their greatest hits on standby.
That being said this album was fairly front-loaded and hit or miss throughout. Killer Queen was the highlight for me, I'm sure some people would prefer something like Stone Cold Crazy or Brighton Rock but the latter of which is tainted by the stupidity of the final act of Baby Driver's plot for me (See? another instance where negativity comes from overexposure).
The latter half of the album is also filled with some incredibly short segments that would almost feel more like interludes than their own tracks on a different album. I'm not sure about their inclusion as they sound more like the concepts for a song rather than one in their own right.
On a more positive note, Bring Back That Leroy Brown reminded me of Norm Macdonalds 'Meaner than a concentration camp dog' bit.

Highlights: Killer Queen, Stone Cold Crazy

This feels like a weird one to rate. I did not have the best first impressions going in, especially with how much of a wanker Nick Cave comes off as. His singing voice is definitely a bit different but works for the songs and the overall tone of the band. I would say that is my biggest point of praise in general, the instrumentation is pretty good throughout but I was impressed with how they maintained a very strong atmosphere throughout the entire album.

With all that being said though, I did find the tone and lyrics to be a bit much. They REALLY want to be edgy and out there in a way that started to get old towards the end of the album. I would say Jack The Ripper (also my least favourite song on the album) was the one that really took me out of it. Possibly an odd complaint, but I also thought they leave very little room for the instrumentals to breathe through. About 85% of the runtime I think that Nicks voice is booming over the rest of the song. Obviously the lyricism of these songs is a highlight to a lot of reviewers but I would have appreciated giving some moments for the rest of the band to come through.

So yeah, a pretty competent album that I was initially ready to dislike but found myself appreciating some of its craft. Not sure if it is something I'll be returning to anytime soon but I wouldn't say it was a bad time by any means.

Funny how this was a posthumous release because I was also looking for an early exit on this one. It was already feeling pretty slow but I wanted to tap out just a few songs in once he started yelping towards the end of Car Hiss by my Window.

For something that was definitely more in the one hit wonder camp (I didn't even realise this was the Lovefool band at first despite still hearing it regularly). I was surprised with how much of the album I enjoyed. The first few songs were alright and had me expecting this would be sitting at roughly a 3. But the album was surprisingly middle loaded and really got me hooked in the stretch between Never Recover and Losers. The last few songs (Iron Man - Choke) are all still good and I prefer them over the first few tracks, but the middle of this album does a lot of heavy lifting. I really liked the indie style on a lot of this. A really cool surprise of an album honestly

Front-loaded to a comical degree. I don't think I am going to ruffle anyones feathers saying that the first few songs were probably my favourite. It's also not to say that the latter half of this is bad. In fact songs like The Last Resort and Pretty Maids are still really good. Just a bit more standard. Especially when compared to how much the first half of the tracks here blew up in popularity. It's more comparable to hitting consecutive home runs back to back, then spending the rest of the time taking walks. Instead of striking out after a few initial successes. idk man, I had a rough night, and I still feel mostly indifferent towards the Eagles. Great album at the end of the day

I really loved the instrumentals on this one . I gotta say I wish I knew what the singer was waffling on about for most of the album. I'm sure this is mostly just me but I couldn't really gel with his singing since I often found myself pondering 'I THINK that's what he said???'

The fun tunes that accompany it would be enough for a 4, probably the best folk styled music I have heard so far since it is given a bit more flavour by the punkier elements of the band. I did feel that the novelty of the style did wear out as the album got longer, stretching just above an hour.

Look, I get if you think Nirvana are pretty overrated. But getting this album just a few days after Nevermind really puts things into perspective and shows how much of an upgrade they are over this AliExpress type proto-grunge.
The album really only shifts between being boring and irritating. The singer sounds like he's only just getting over puberty and the instrumentation feels like it is pulling some sort of prank where they are trying to repeat the same shit in a song and seeing how long they can get away with it for a full track.

I wasn't sure which of these songs was in the original release so I just stuck this on until I tapped out, I got around 9 songs in before I got to the one with the corny cold open with the royalty free monologue from somewhere

Highlights: Hitting the pause button and backing out to something else

Truly an album made for the modern man. Reflecting the existential terror that rears its ugly head at the greatest threat we all face: Alimony Payments

Another case where I think an artists one and only inclusion on this list was credited to an album which has some historical significance. In this case being the album released during his incarceration. As opposed to one of their best accomplishments. There's a handful of good songs here but a lot felt pretty standard fare. I should probably give this a 3 but my disappointment at the lack of other 2pac albums on here and my bewilderment at some of the negative reviews for this push it to a 4 for me.

Highlights: If I Die 2nite, Dear Mama, Young Niggaz

Hokey 80's theatre kid pop (Complimentary)
The Lavender/Violet colour palette of the cover really matches the feeling this album gives, I know Kate Bush to be a bit out there in terms of pop artists which is not something I am against at face value but I was a bit concerned for if I would like all of this going in. Thankfully I was able to really relax and get invested in most of it, some of the songs in the 2nd half felt a bit redundant and like they were lacking something for their duration.

I'm glad I am almost completely culturally oblivous to Stranger Things so I can just enjoy Running Up That Hill on its own without any baggage.

Highlights: Running Up That Hill, Hounds of Love, And Dream of Sheep, The Morning Fog

Definitely not beating the lo-fi chill weed vibe allegations here. This whole album just feels easy to unwind to or have on in the back during a quiet/lazy day of work. I can see where someone could find this monotonous but this whole thing just flows together so easily. if I had to pick a specific part that stood out to me as a favourite it would be Midnight in a Perfect World

To me, this feels like a perfect example of all the correct elements coming together. All the individual elements here are good to great on their own, but together really feel like a perfect blueprint for the genre. Smells like Teen Spirit and the impact of Kurt Cobains death feel like they culturally overshadow the actual accomplishments of the band a lot of the time in my opinion. Especially when there are multiple tracks on here that I prefer over the opener (Come as you Are is definitely my favourite of theirs).
It would feel as insincere as a white girl in a Dark Side of the Moon shirt to not give this album the respect it deserves due to its popularity
Highlights: Come as you Are, In Bloom, Stay Away

When it's stuck on one of the more tedious dreamy songs. it is a pretty cruisey and easy listen. When it strays from this it goes pretty hard. That might sound a bit negative but I wouldn't say I disliked the less interesting tracks, I just found them to be an adequate sideshow to the songs on here that I actually liked.

Highlights: I Am the Resurrection, Made of Stone, Fools Gold

You will catch me Stroking my shit before you EVER catch me Throbbing my Gristle.
This one feels pretty overrated given its global score, I enjoyed it quite a bit but can't really see it at some post-punk, Y2K era masterwork. This feels like something I have spent a solid amount of my life witnessing in the background, usually plastered onto the TV in the waiting area of a Hairdressers or on the idle screens of some Bowling Alley, likely being put on from VH1/MTV/Rage
I like the distorted, garage style sound they have going here. Though the way they describe the creative process behind this sound does sound a bit hokey, it works for me.
Highlights: Trying Your Luck, Alone Together, Hard to Explain