Reviews by benc

Great songwriting and some of the most beautiful singing ever put to record. RIP legend.

Just good ol' righteous chooglin punk rock

Not to get all 2000s on you, but this is what I would have called "hipster swill" back then.

Some bands are derivative. Some bands plagiarize. And then there's LCD Soundsystem.

James Murphy loves to brag in interviews about having "discovered" many of the bands he rips off, a Columbusing move for which I have zero respect. Try having an original thought for once!

My oldest brother listened to this album a lot in the 90s, so I have some nostalgia for it. It's certainly well made, and I enjoy some of the tracks more than others (especially the last track, which is my favorite by far). But now that I've heard quite a bit more from the breakbeat tradition, I can see why this is rather milquetoast. Also, the edm-style risers were novel for the time but have aged badly.

Gorgeous. I had not really gotten into ANOHNI until her solo records, but I wish I had heard this in 2005. She really is in a class of her own, and I think this album stands as one of the great queer singer-songwriter records.

-I'm American, so forgive me for not having a near-religious devotion to Oasis; I merely think they're "good," and I don't really understand why this band blows so many peoples' minds.

-Despite the constant comparisons, they don't really sound all that much like the Beatles, at least not on this album. They sound more like what they are -- a power pop band who got to enjoy the tail end of the Creation scene. You can hear C86 all over this album, and obviously the Stone Roses, but with far less groove.

-It's a little shocking how much bad guitar wankery is all over this album. Nearly every song has a boring, indulgent blues-scale-dad-rock solo just bumbling along. And sorry but the rhythm section is dull as dirt.

-This album is perfectly fine pop rock, but not at all worth the hype. Kevin Shields is right: britpop was probably a psyop.

I understand, and can respect, why this is an influential metal record, but I also don't like almost anything about it.

I enjoyed this weird album much more than I expected. I'm an annoying Who purist who "only likes their early stuff" and I always avoided Who Sell Out because it seemed like the turning point to their more pretentious high-minded prog-adjacent arena rock. The concept of the album is whatever, but I loved almost every song. They all sound somewhere between the Kinks and the Residents. And it's quite tongue-in-cheek and goofy, but also weirdly heartfelt. Plus, "I Can See For Miles" might be the best Who song.

Kate Bush is NOT new wave, which is why it took me so long to enjoy and understand her music. I constantly see her lumped in with the new wave, probably because she was a quirked up pop musician who made records in the early 80s. Her music has absolutely no relation to punk rock -- this is prog rock through and through. But her ability to write insane (and catchy) hooks, plus her willingness to experiment with textures and timbres, makes for a really great album. Side A of this record is damn near perfect and Side B has a ton more to enjoy. On relisten, I think The Dreaming might be the best thing she ever made (and that says a lot, given how great Hounds of Love is). Thank heavens for Kate Bush, that magnificent weirdo.

I really do fucking hate the Eagles and have fully walked out of stores and other social situations for playing Hotel California. That being said I really tried giving this a fair shake. It's just so bland and artless. There isn't an ounce of grit anywhere on this album and there's absolutely nothing exhilarating, unique, or daring in this music. If I could give any credit, I would say "Life in the Fast Lane" is a decent r&b song and "Try and Love Again" is a pretty good country song. But otherwise, this is absolute trash kitsch.

I think I just need to admit to myself I'm a VH fan (DLR only). Again, there's about a million reasons for me to hate this band, but I am endlessly charmed.

This was an interesting listen, and I can appreciate how Shankar flipped the "cultural hybridity" fad of the time on its head; instead of watered down Hindustani classical music being ramrodded into Western pop music, he took Western forms and tried to incorporate them into his own style. Mixed results, though. The most enjoyable listens on the album (by far) are the extended instrumental pieces. The rock "cover songs" are quite square and plod along without adding much enjoyment.

I love S&G, especially their early records, and this one is near-perfect. It's sweet and charming and creative and heartfelt and beautiful. But then there's Feelin' Groovy and the awful fake Dylan parody -- humor and whimsy are not their strong suit!

I gotta admit, when I opened this album my first/only thought was, "the Brimful of Asha band?!" But this was actually quite...good? And creative? Like, this is a band that should be known above many of their contemporaries. The chooglin' indie rock songs are great, and when you add the hip-hop and Punjabi influences on top it makes for a really compelling set of songs. At times it kinda reminds me of VU ("Brimful of Asha" is a rewrite of "Sweet Jane"), but with a very 90s trip-hop vibe. I also majorly appreciate that the band themselves played the sitar, tamboura, and dholak. I would easily recommend this -- fuck Morrissey.

I never really got into Pavement, despite the fact that I think they're good and I love a lot of Pavement-adjacent bands (like Sonic Youth). One time (almost 20 years ago) a friend told me my band reminded him of Pavement; he meant our best shows were the ones that completely fell apart. I kinda know what he means. The best thing about this record is how sloppy and bad it is at times. But the whole band are "bad" in the same way and they are all rowing in the same direction. I'm still not a Pavement freak, but I think this record is very fun, cool, funny, and lovely.

I really like Bauhaus, and I really like Mask. But this is not an essential listen for anyone other than enthusiasts and should be replaced with In the Flat Field, which was a much more revolutionary, genre-defining record.

Immaculate. This record sounds incredible. Nile Rodgers might be the best pop musician ever.

Maybe this was successful because it helped proved Frampton was "actually a really good musician" -- he is a true blue shred devil all over this album. But what an absolute chore to listen to.

I really don't know why I didn't get into Siouxsie when I was younger -- this music is exactly up my alley and I had a lot of friends who were into her. I think I didn't totally understand goth at that point (which is ironic because I was a teenager). Anyway, this is great and I would listen to this over and over again. I look forward to adding this to a bunch of spooky Halloween playlists.

The Violent Femmes are a good band and this is a good record. I bought and loved this record my first year of college, which is exactly when you should find and love this band. I don't feel the need to dig through their discography -- this album feels like enough for me. Had lots of fun listening to it again, and I look forward to listening to it again in another 15 years.