Reviews by conorr90

This is one of those where I recognise the importance of the album more than I enjoy listening to it. Although I do enjoy it - it's just a pretty intense listening experience (especially Frankie Teardrop), so I wouldn't often.

This is a core album for me - Pearl Jam were one of my favourite early bands, and probably the first one I properly deep dived into in my teenage years. I was about 10 years late to the grunge train, but all of the themes still appealed to me. It really has a bit of everything: dark crime stories, lefty politics, garbled lyrics you have to look up, and Jimi Hendrix-esque guitar solos. It also has arguably the best break up song of all time, Black.

Overall, it's not my favourite PJ album - that would be either Vs or Vitalogy (or sometimes Riot Act), but this is an almost perfect album for where they were at the time.

I can see why people wouldn't like them compared to the other big 4 of grunge, but I think a lot of that hate is related to their popularity (something they did actually try to push back against). I did get tired of hearing Even Flow, Alive and Jeremy after a while, but the deep cuts on this (Oceans, Porch, Garden, Release) are well worth diving in again.

I also took this opportunity to compare the original version with the 2013 Redux version back to back. I'm surprised at how different they are, I never really noticed before. The Redux version is much brighter and clearer, with way more separation.

Really surprised at how much I love this album! I have only listened to Pale Green Ghosts, which is very electronic, so this is not what I expected at all. Very interesting to see Midlake's involvement too, I wasn't aware of that link. I really like the songwriting and instrumentation on here. The lyrics remind me a bit of Harry Nilson and Father John Misty.

The only negative I was hoping to list is that it's a bit too long, and the last few songs could be dropped. But today, on like my 4th listen, I found out that everything after the title track are bonus tracks! So I think this gets a 9/10 from me after that adjustment.

I was really hoping there would be some Fugazi in this book - omitting them would be a crime! I've loved this album for a long time, although I think 13 songs is better (not sure why that doesn't qualify as their debut).

As a teenager, I listened to a good bit of classic punk (The Ramones, Sep Pistols, The Clash, etc.), but always found it a bit boring, lacking something. What it was lacking for me, I realize now, was mainly melody. The Clash were more interesting to me, because they blended other genres into their music after the first (boring, IMO) album.

I also was pretty big into Green Day, but grew out of them fairly quickly when I got to college age. I think I discovered Fugazi around that time, but didn’t fully get into them until a few years later.

This album was an eye opener for me, and turned me on to a whole lot of other hard-core and post hard-core. Still listen to it a lot today, and often reminds me of cycling to and from work in Galway. I love the guitar, and groovy bass and drums. The singing takes a bit of getting used too, and some of the lyrics are a bit sloganistic, but I don't mind.

This is some of the least offensive music I've ever heard. Like the definition of easy listening; something to soundtrack a waiting room. Seems a bit derivative of Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins, but I dont know who really came up wigh this sound first. I do know they both did it better. While You See a Chance, Spanish Dancer, and Night Train are decent - but I doubt I'll be back in this waiting room again willingly.

Not really my thing at all, even though I like some of the instrumentation and melodies. The vocals just don't do much for me, and I didn't find the silly lyrics that funny. Everyone Knows is a pretty good song, but I knew that already. It's just a half hour album, but feels longer. Preffered Casanova.

I like a lot of prog, and really got into Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, so I was pretty excited to listen to this. Unfortunately, I found it really dull. Twilight Zone was the only song I really enjoyed. The title track/suite is interesting in places, but I found the story a bit silly. Maybe it would have been considered decent Sci-fi at the time, but it seems cheesy now to me. A guy who has never heard music before finds a guitar, tunes it up and immediately starts shredding? I find that a bit hard to believe.

Funnily enough I thought I had reviewed this album already! I think I came across it when I was looking over past Mercury Prize winners and nominees. It's not a bad album, but is a bit dated - I feel like this blend of genres and slightly pretentious, overly earnest songwriting was everywhere in the late 90s. There are some really great songs on here, but it is very hit and miss. Tides for example, is brilliant, but Pilgrim immediately before it has aged like milk. The first 3 songs are quite good. Some of the non-English songs I found to be more interesting than enjoyable. Overall it's a very listenable album, and undeserving of the amount of negativity on here I think, but not perfect. It's like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach that gets a bit tiring after a while. Immigrant is a song that I completely vibe with the sentiment of, but the delivery just made me cringe. Overall it's a bit over-polished, cheesy, and too long.

I had written off this as boring easy listening music for years, something my parents would listen to on date nights or whatever (although my dad always said he much preferred Diana Krall).

But then a few years back I heard her covering Wilco's Jesus's, etc on Neil Young's school benefit album, and it gave me a new appreciation foe how fantastic her voice is.

I still find this album a bit dull in places, but it's a smooth and relaxing listen. The production is great too, so it sounds lovely on headphones. Or maybe I'm just old now?

This is a great album - I'm starting to realise I've slept on PJ Harvey too long. This is grungy in all the ways I love, but also very bluesy with some really nice slide guitar in places. There are also nice sprinklings of cello and double bass here and there. Great lyrics with a feminist lean as well, something that's kind of lacking around here! I definitely need to go and listen to her other albums.

Masterpiece, his best in my opinion. Very seasonally appropriate also - great autumn album!

Masterpiece in my opinion, even though I don't love every song here. The cultural impact and trailblazing ahead of punk and new wave bumps it up from 4 to 5 stars. Love Gloria, Redondo and Land especially.

I don't like this one as much as TEE, and thought I was going to give it 4 stars because I only remembered the title track. But the rest of the album is great too - love the flute and fishing pole type noises at the end.

I don't really know how I feel about this one. I knew and liked his biggest hits as a teenager, but never listened to a full album and it seems too late now. Listening to this actually made me feel a bit queasy in places. I was so disappointed to learn about his abuse allegations, because he always seemed to prove misconceptions about him wrong when he appeared in the media, for ex speaking so eloquently and thoughtfully about the Columbine shooters at the time.

Anyway, here's my best attempt at a subjective review after 2 listens: Good in places, but overall feels like a poppier NIN. Tourniquet is a great song, and there are a few others in the middle third of the album I like. But overall it just made me want to do another deep dive into the NIN discog.

I find this hard to admit, as a long time Oasis hater, but this is a pretty great album. Particularly the second half, and especially the title track, which slaps. Yes, the lyrics are stupid and large parts of the album are lifted from the Beatles and other artists. But I've gotten to the point where I see the appeal here, and continuing to pretend I hate everything about Oasis just makes me feel like a classist. The whole "Oasis vs. Blur" thing was mostly a marketing stunt anyway I reckon.

There's a couple of good songs on here, but most of the others have such cringe lyrics it's like a 14 year old wrote them. Just no nuance at all, and mean spirited in places. Some of the other songs are quite good musically if you tune out the lyrics. Irish Blood, English Heart and First of the Gang are the only songs worth revisiting really.

Some decent songs, but in general the vocals don't really do it for me. I see why it was included though - very important album from a certain English point of view.

This album is really dated, with its tinny production and never ending vocal runs. I don't really hate it, but it gets boring pretty fast, and definitely doesn't need to be an hour long. The first 3 songs are great, although I always thought Survivor sounded like it had too many lyrics in each bar.

Nasty Girl is a bit of a head scratcher. I thought it was such a stark contradiction to the previous song that it had to be a joke, or some sort of satire defending themselves from their critics. But it seems to be completely serious. If you look up that song, the single cover is a shot of the 3 ladies with Beyoncé in the middle wearing a yellow bikini - they don't appear to be at the beach! I'm not against that at all, but seems a bit hypocritical.

Apple Pie, Happy Face, and Emotion are decent. But apart from those, I can take or leave this.

I have respect for Stills as a guitarist, and think he wrote some great songs with CSNY and BS. But I've found his solo stuff really dull so far. A few decent songs scattered across this, but it's way too long to digest. Like most double albums, it should have be a single album.

Great album, really doesn't let up! Reminds me a lot of Seasick Steve in places.