Reviews by conorr90

Great debut, with some really inventive sounds throughout. I hadn't really heard anything like M.I.A. when she first got big, although I think she only got on my radar with Paper Planes. Looking back though, she was really on to something here. Great fusion of genres, but a couple of the experiments don't fully pay off.

Glad I listened to this, it is a great vocal performance. I do feel like I would have enjoyed it more though if I was better at French. I recognized the Tango song, but everything else was new to me.

Some good songs on here, but overall not as good as Galang I think. Paper Planes is obviously iconic, but I find a lot of this pretty forgettable.

Musically, this is pretty great. Really solid riffs, but nothing particularly memorable. Dave Mustaine's vocals and lyrics are absolutely cringe though.

This is a great one, hadn't listened to it before but I did know the excellent Lost in Music cover. I love the contrast between the really tight band and the absolutely unhinged vocals. Some cool krautrock influences on here too. It gets a bit too meandering towards the end, but still enjoyable.

Hadn't listened to this one in a while, as I overplayed a lot of the songs when I was a teenager. Forgot how great this album is! Not a bad song on it and many of Zeppelin's best. John Bonham's ferocious drumming is the highlight, especially on When the Levie Breaks.

Found this a bit dull in places, but it does have a few good songs on it - particularly The Ocean, Born Under a Bad Sign, Tonight, and the title track. I think the problem with having a style so obviously retro is that it feels a bit unoriginal, even though he does seem to nail the style. Its quite a cinematic album, and reminds me of shows like Sex Education and The End of the F'ing World, with their anachronistic styles.

Enjoyed this, but it kinda faded into the background after a while. A lot of songs that wouldn't sound out of place in a cafe on the continent, circa 2005. I like the fusion of genres, some of the songs are a bit dated though. I remember hearing a lot of music like this around the turn of the millennium. Kind reminds me of the Ministry of Sound chill mixes too.

Some good guitar playing, but overall too sickly sweet for me. And I really think he should keep his "sement-mixer" to himself!

Surprised how much I enjoyed this, given that I don't listen to Grime, or much UK hip hop in general (apart from Little Sims). I was aware of Skepta, but I think That's Not Me was the only song I recognized. Some other good songs on here too: Shutdown, Detox, It Ain't Safe. I liked Corn on the Curb and Crime Riddim too, but found the skits a bit annoying. Great beats too, sounded really good on some bassy headphones.

This is my first time listening to a Janet Jackson album, so I didn't really know what to expect. It's a very solid pop album that's very of it's time. The crispy production in particular dates it - it reminds me a lot of Prince and Madonna in places. There are some great songs on here though, especially the title track, State of the World, Miss You Much, Alright, and Black Cat. I also surprisingly enjoyed Someday is Tonight, even though I usually hate those kind of sensual ballads. At times the lyrics are a bit cheesy, even though I do agree broadly with her views. But if you see it as a product of it's time it makes more sense. I think today's world is so cynical that this album wouldn't be too well received if it was released now. I can see why it was so influential at the time though, and also how it influenced Kendrick Lamar a bit on TPAB.

This is definitely one of my favourite Joni albums - it's up there with Blue for me. I love the airy guitar and jazzy bass thought it. The first three songs in particular have a perfect soundscape, like a huge, but cold, open blue sky. Like being on top of a mountain, or looking out the window of a plane. Sounds exactly like the album cover looks in a lot of ways too. Really interesting images and stories in the lyrics. Just a beautiful album overall!

Edit: after reading some other reviews, I had to come back and add this. It's not a penis on the cover, it's the wrist of her left hand coming out of her pocket. She's wearing a thin bracelet and has a prominent vein. Y'all need Jesus

Never heard of this before, but I think it's great! Absolutely lovely guitar playing, and some very interesting percussion. It's a great recording as well, sounds very lively. Obviously I don't have a clue what any of the songs are about, but the singing is very emotive. Will definitely be listening to this again.

Some pretty interesting production ideas on here, even though the overall products quality is really rough. Couple of good songs, but very often sounds derivative of the Beatles. Didn't hate it as much as some of the other early psychedelia on this list.

I never really got that into Doves, but really like a few of their songs. I think this album is fine, but a little too long and not that original. I never really thought this about them before, but I guess they are a bit derivative of Oasis. A lot of the songs are much longer than they need to be. I get that they're going for a late night/druggy comedown, but think it's a bit overdone.

This was my favourite Radiohead album for a while, and it still has some of my favourite Radiohead songs - Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army, Dollars & Cents, Life in a Glasshouse. Some of the experiments are really interesting as well. It dragges a bit in the middle though; I've grown tired of I Might Be Wrong and Knives Out over the years. Still a great album, but not quite on the level of Kid A, Ok Computer, or In Rainbows for me.

This one has a lot of sentimental value for me, as when I was about 7 or 8 my aunt and uncle gave me a mix CD with a load of their favourite songs to bring back to the US with me. Lose Control was on it, and I thought the Tie Fighter sample at the start was the hight of coolness. It still kinda is tbh, and a lot of these songs still hold up. It kind of loses its way towards the end, but the singles are still great.

Pretty middle of the road in general. I was expecting more based on the strength of his songs on the CSNY albums, but I found these very forgettable. Some good guitar playing, but the vocals are really unoriginal.

This one took me a while to come around to, as I don't normally find Blues very interesting. The first couple of times it just sounded like the same song over and over again. Had another listen today though with the "good" headphones, and it sounds great. The production is impeccable, especially the guitar and drums. His singing is great too. Main standouts for me were Mannish Boy, I Can't Be Satisfied, The Blues Had A Baby..., and Deep Down in Florida.

Fantastic album, and one I've only gotten into properly recently, even though I've been a Hendrix fan for a long time. For some reason I always connected more with the first 2 albums. But I get this one now, it's experimental in all the right ways and has some of his best playing (Voodoo Child, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, All Along The Watchtower). Maybe a bit too long, but I'll forgive him!