Reviews by bee-york

A solid start with an incredible set of tracks towards the middle before losing a bit of steam towards the end. The strong ambience in some tracks reminded me of Phaedra though not nearly as otherworldly or sci-fi adjacent. The singing could be hit or miss for me, not necessarily due to an issue with the vocalist themselves but rather that in some spots the instrumentals were so good that I think they could speak for themselves.
Also while Hjartað hamast was my favourite track on here I have to ask what the fuck was up with the ear rape at the end?

I tend to be a bit biased when it comes to New Wave and the 80's synth sound but I really don't know who could dislike this. between multiple legitimate classics to a few more 'deep cut' tracks which were honestly just as solid as their bigger hits you can't really say this album is loaded in any direction. Just consistently great and varied tracks.
Possibly the only thing I could even argue as a downside is while Listen is a nice and dreamy track to end on. It does go a bit long and I would have loved having Head over Heels as the end track, though I don't know where that would leave Listen

A lot of this shit feels like something you would hear in one of the early-mid 2000's Hitman games. I was pretty captivated with this in spite of how boring a lot of it was. I think I'm just a sucker the grittiness on display here, especially with the psychadelic edge it has in a few places

11 - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (Ray Charles) *****
Not to glaze too hard but cover album or otherwise I feel like there is just a heavenly feeling to Ray’s music that has a relieving effect on the soul.

I don't think the chaotic development of this album did it any favors, it has elements of quality but I think each track suffers from some unpleasant or dated oddities.

Given a majority of this album hinges on one 'song' it's understandable that this is a bit of a contentious album. The remainder of the album is solid but outside of maybe Something or Nothing I wouldn't say they would rank among my favourite tracks from the band. 2112 itself on the other hand is a different beast. Being about as long if not longer than my commute to work it's comparatively a more committal song to listen to, but I'll be damned if I don't love how the lengthy ebb and flow of the different instrumental sections makes this track feel like a journey in of itself. Geddy Lee's mousey voice usually leaves him doing more 'talky singing' but he goes all out in multiple parts of this song.
A hard album to judge with how it is weighed. I will sit with a 4 given some of the baggage the album comes with and the fact that a few of the non-2112 tracks here are not favorites of mine.

This one's a real beauty in spite of the mopey nature. On top of just being a good listen this album really exceeds in pulling you into its gloomy atmosphere and manages to feel fairly varied in the arrangement of its tracks. Given how much I like to rag on certain vocalists as I feel a good/bad singer can make or break album. I do feel a least slightly hypocritical or biased in liking of Robert Smiths vocals. Some of the imperfections and cracks that come through here and there sell the earnestness and contributes to the groups vibe.

Given the pretty rough first impression I got from the start of this album I didn't expect to end up enjoying it as much as I did. It's certainly not my usual preference when it comes to electronic music but even in the tracks that were more of a miss I at least found them to be fun and danceable. Obviously Paper Planes is the standout here but there was still more to like the deeper into the album I got. I'm not sure if I would call the album rear loaded or if my appreciation for it just grew that much over the course of the thing.

I am conflicted on giving this too high of a score as I do think this album had a fair few songs that were just quite average. But I also really want to applaud how much of this album feels unique and fresh in a fun way. I feel as though experimental albums like this get a bad rep because of ego stroking artists who are either trying too hard to reinvent the wheel or trying to make up for their lack of contemporary talent.

Some of the most unimpressive noisy indie rock I've heard performed by guys with the same level of enthusiasm as someone being walked in front of a firing squad.

It feels harsh to disgregard this album as not being very ambitious, as a lot of the tracks can feel quite similar. That being said I can't say I wasn't enjoying any bit of this. Baker's soothing & soulful vocals and the 80's, almost city pop style of the instrumentals brings a vibe that really compliments a laid back night/afternoon.

A love supreme sounds like a shitty overpriced deal you would get from a local burger joint.
Jazz is a pretty easy winner for me on this list and this album is no different. it's maybe a bit too eager on the piano but this was still an awesome listen

I think the Nagel artwork on the front should be considered a warning for how bombastically 80's synth this album is gonna be.
I previously was not a big fan of the title track but it won me over on this listen (I think it's because it partially sounds like a news bulletin that keeps trying to start). The Saxophone on Rio really popped off for me this time.
I have similarly positive thoughts for the rest of the album. Given some of the new wavey similarities here and there you could maybe find some of the stronger tracks make others obsolete but I think there's more than enough standouts on here to make this album a standout regardless

Another album that I just couldn't find myself really loving as much as others. The type of energy in this performance just does not resonate with me as much as more aggressive punk artists we have had previously.
It's something I didn't mind putting on a couple of times (the short run time helped with that) but there just wasn't anything that I felt myself really gelling with this time around

The quirkier and often edgy lyrics really feel like they are gonna open this album up to a lot of hate and normally I would be inclined to feel the same. A few songs in however I began to really appreciate Grant's vocal style. The more eccentric style started to feel a lot more sincere than one might initially believe. I'm sure he is also going to lose some points from a lot of people for the amount of different vulgarities used across 'JC hates Faggots'.

Surprisingly varied and enjoyable. Though you can tell this guy could probably spare to go to therapy a little more often

Nothing very exciting but nothing too offensive either, maybe the most milquetoast album in a while. It's sorta catchy but I really don't know if there is much from this album that I would want to save to a playlist. Costello has a voice that feels like it would get annoying at first but is actually pretty easy to get used to, I'm looking forward to getting more of his well received albums

Wow, not a band I am really familiar with but this was an awesome little trip of an album. The ethereal, dream pop style really just works for me. You could maybe knock the style for being inherently a bit 'samey' but when the resulting quality is this good I can't complain.

Big ups to Scotland for doing some heavy lifting while your counterparts fail to keep the British end up with their continuous output of the most irritating music known to man

I may be a little biased in my liking for this album given I come from a country where this bands lyrics could be used in dictation tests, hell I wouldn't be shocked if giving this less than a 5 will have me flagged by ASIO. I have heard this emanating like an aura from most if not all construction sites. I have seen actual religious iconography used of Bon Scott beyond the Let There Be Rock music video.

Aside from the title track there are a few other standouts, some of which may or may not bring back memories of my family members playing these songs on full blast with their copy of AC/DC Live: Rock Band for the Wii. I'm also of the camp that thinks Touch Too Much is better than the title song.

Pretty painful listen I won’t lie. The steep hurdle of a runtime would not be a problem if it wasn’t for the fact the whole performance feels like it loses all of its energy about 30 minutes in. They definitely thought this was going to be way more ‘epic’ than it turned out. Whenever the orchestra’s sound isn’t being overwhelmed by the band (Hetfields vocals are especially at odds) it always feels like a tacky inclusion to whatever song is currently playing, if we lived in some alternate universe where Pierce Brosnan got a 5th James Bond movie, I could see the studios getting inspired by Limp Bizkits involvement in Mission Impossible II and shitting out something like this for its soundtrack. (Tragically, Michael Kamen, who had the unfortunate task of conducting the orchestra half of this birth defect of a concert, was actually responsible for one of my favourite James Bond soundtracks)

45 minutes for 4 songs sure is a flex (especially when one of them clocks in at just under 19 minutes)
I'm actually kinda shocked at how much I loved this. the production for these songs has a genuinely timeless feel, which is a statement I think gets thrown around about a lot of albums but if you gave this to someone who somehow had no clue who Isaac Hayes is I think they would have a tough time piecing together when this was made, let alone the fact that it's more than 50 years old.
I imagine a lot of people would be put off by the duration of each song, especially the opening of 'By The Time I Get to Phoenix' which is essentially just a 8 minute monologue with some light instrumentals along the way.
But if you have the patience for a much slower burn than normal there is plenty to love in both the cool stretches of calm and the bombastic climaxes of each track

Very dull alternative country that I don’t see myself wanting to listen to again. Not my cup of tea whatsoever.
Knowing this site more people were probably upset by the intro referencing Morrissey than the knowledge of this guy being a rapist