Rated 6/10
I understand the appeal of Cypress Hill- they're hardcore hip hop with catchy hooks. This album was fine- nothing special but with some clear talent for writing decent songs structured around big hooks in spite of in-your-face, edgy songwriting.
Rated 6/10
"Headache" feels like it would have been the Pixies' next logical step after Trompe le Monde- most tracks honestly feel that way. The other tracks on the record are all alright, but the record should have obviously been cut down. A tight 40 would have actually probably made for a 4/5 rather than a 3. His music is fun, well-produced and always forward-thinking.
Rated 6/10
Blending trad folk with the sound of the times, 90s alternative rock, Smith was primed for a move towards international stardom when he tragically passed a few years following the release of this record.
Great production, and some killer songs- "Junk Bond Trader," the tender "Everything Reminds Me of Her" are buoyed by a forgettable middle stretch. Still liked the album overall and found it a good listening experience overall!
Rated 6/10
Yeah, probably should have been an EP as quite a few tracks here just sound unfinished (as many have pointed out). But... damn what a great EP the following would be:
1. Every Night
2. Junk
3. Hot as Sun/Glasses
4. Maybe I'm Amazed
Junk is one of the best songs PM ever wrote.
Rated 4/10
Inconsequential, forgotten art rock that separates a bit from the stock with odd instrumentation but its tired, quirky style and lyricism gets old by track 4.
Rated 4/10
My favorite bit of trivia about Norah is that her father is Ravi Shankar. So weird!
As for this record, it's kind of crazy how huge this was when it came out, given how freaking MILQUETOAST it is. Her voice is nice and it makes for very good background music, but it offers very little substance if at all. I did not dislike any tracks, but could I remember any of these tracks three days from now? NO WAY.
Rated 6/10
The Motown influence was a little too severe on some songs here and they do not sound good at all doing that sound. Heavier stuff sounds kind of cool, but not fully developed yet. Obvs the title track is a classic, but I have a big soft spot for the uber-catchy "The Kids are Alright." Just a great mod pop song, so 60s but still very likable.
Rated 6/10
It's not a bad album, but it's just kind of long and not groundbreaking in the slightest. Rap rock has better, chicano rock has better, and I'm just sort of unimpressed? The pop production is often very unfitting, resulting in some tracks feeling like "music playing poolside at a Mexican-themed hotel/resort/waterpark." Chali 2na showing up from Jurassic 5 was unexpected and his track was the best.
Rated 6/10
I actually did not know Pharrell did rock music before hitting it big in the 2010s as a solo artist. I had heard of N.E.R.D. through the song "Spaz" but was a virgin to the experience of listening to an album from them.
A couple really great instrumentals, some good melodies, but lyrics are all over the map- often a little too corny. Like a worse Gorillaz.
Rated 4/10
"Bittersweet Symphony" is one of the best songs of the 90s, hands down. I don't know anyone who does not like its brilliant fusion of orchestral backing and anthemic vocals.
The rest of the album is completely boring, however. Awkward funk and David Bowie worship at some points, and then non-boundary-pushing "psychedelic" rock the next, without interesting production or great performances.
The album is kind of contextually hilarious because of this massive dip in quality following its first track. It's a classic indicative case of what Jack Black calls "rocket sauce"- "A lot of bands - they've only got so much in the bottle. They use it up sometimes in one song."
"Greetings to the New Brunette" is a soaring jangle pop opener (written by Johnny Marr [because of course!]) that should have been a bigger hit and probably would have been without Bragg's exaggerated accent.
The rest of the album waxes a bit too political for me, what with the neoliberalness of songs like the Dylan cover "Ideology," but he has a powerful voice, and his stripped-back drumless approach makes for a "live" feeling to the album despite it being a studio release.
Rated 4/10
Boring jazz rock record that just kind of keeps spinning its wheels for 75 minutes straight without any real interesting aspects. Shrug worthy at its best
Rated 8/10
A classic party record. Funk brilliance brought to you loud but ultimately joyfully resulting in a great album!
Rated 6/10
Monumentally influential. One of the springs from which extreme metal spawned. You cannot deny the impact it had for decades. But were better albums created in its wake? Absolutely.
My hangup with Slayer remains their edginess. Does it get edged out by their performances? I'm not so sure. Hanneman's riffs outclass the messy solos (Kerry King never really does it for me). Lombardo is great on drums. Araya's vocals aren't really impressive outside of his screams.
Rated 8/10
A bit dated, and a bit overrated, but its hard to argue against melodies, lyrics, and beats this good. A tad overlong, but some stone-cold classics make up for that ("Ready or Not," "Fu-Gee-La," their superior cover of "Killing Me Softly." Also crazy to hear a rap album with actually funny skits!
Rated 6/10
Opener is epic as hell. The album peters out from there into meh Joe Walsh sound-alike rock with better-than-average production, save for "Thoughts of You," a really heartfelt love song. It was a good record overall, however.
Rated 8/10
Neil Young at his most approachable and low-key. The album's vibe is nostalgic, plaintive, and melancholy. His two most popular songs- possibly his best, too- with "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold," plus a few really great deep tracks- the emotive and bombastic "A Man Needs a Maid" and the dark anti-drug "The Needle and the Damage Done."
Rated 6/10
Decent rocksteady/ska record. Again, these guys are a compilation band- some good songs but I don't find the album cuts anything beyond listenable
Rated 8/10
A great album, but not Tom's best. Some vast inconsistency- features two of his all-time best: "Goin Out West" and "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" are absolute classics and the lyrics are incredible "I MIGHT CHANGE MY NAME TO HANNIBAL...OR MAYBE JUST REX."
Grungy alt country goodness.
On the other hand, some tracks go on too long and the tracklisting is a bit head-scratching. Overall, I would not call it one of the best albums of 1992, but it absolutely has some of the best songs from the year.
P.S. Fuck the smarmy-ass top review. Wish I could swirly that shitstain
Rated 4/10
Don't know whether to call it funny, shocking, or both that this album starts with one of the most powerful, stop-in-your-tracks arresting rock instrumentals ever made and ends with a horrific mess of noise with a whole bunch of forgettable, dated stuff in between. Now I know why I've only ever heard the title track.
