Reviews by conorr90

Ugh, I think this is maybe the worst album so far, and I'm approaching 600. And I've already had Scum. This sounds like a desperately untalented person trying to imitate Simple Minds, but it's like they've only ever had Simple Minds described to them and never hear them first hand.

I enjoyed elements of this (particularly the Charli 2na bars), but ultimately it didn't make a huge impact on me. Interesting mix of genres though, and was definitely a break from the norm in this list.

Wow, I'm surprised this was never on my radar, because it's kind of right up my alley. Kinda finds the middle ground between something like Minutemen and REM. Looking them up after, I see why they remind me of Minutemen! Enjoyed this in general, but it's not exactly sticking with me. 7/10

I'm a bit of a swinger myself!

For some reason, I've never really had much urge to listen to Queen albums - the Greatest Hits was alway enough for me. Having said that, I've enjoyed all 3 I've got so far. This is the best of them though, some great non-single tracks in addition to the fantastic singles.

Love this one, although I'm only starting to get into it lately. Have loved the title track for a long time. It's got some great other tracks as well, like Mother Goose, My God, and Locomotive Breath. Wind-Up ties it all together nicely as well. I think this is a bit unique as prog goes, with some more traditional rock songs, and obviously the very prominent flute!

Really enjoyed the production on this one, reminds me of Chic and Prince in places. The vocals are good, but I found some of the lyrics overly repetitive. For that reason, I preferred the French version, it allows me to focus more on the music. Overall enjoyable, but didn't really stick with me apart from the Girlfriend, Doesn't Matter and Goya Soda.

Love this album for its energy and really great songwriting. So many catchy songs and interesting lyrics on here. I definitely prefer Sleater-Kinny where Riotgrrl is concerned, but Kathleen Hanna is a real legend. I had a bit of an obsession with Deceptacon for a while over the COVID years, and it was a constant on my early jogging playlists. Hadn't really done a deep dive into the album until now though, glad I did!

Actually enjoyed this more than I expected, and was able to finish it, which puts it above Stripped in my ranking. Her voice is amazing, but the very frequent vocal runs do my head in. It's way too long and the Thank You song is very cringe worthy, but there are some quite good songs here and there. I also enjoyed some of the production. Overall, not something I would listen to again though

Kinda like AC/DC and T.Rex, but way worse. I know of Slade for two reasons; their very average (but remarkably enduring) Christmas song, and a certain BBC6 DJ (my favourite one) from northern England who loves to play them occasionally. I'm fine with both of those, but I now know that I really don't need any more Slade in my life, no matter how it's spelled. On that subject, minus a star for the atrocious spelling on this album.

Listening to this transports me right back to being like 15 or 16. Listening to songs from this album on a friend's MP3 player, downloaded illegally from god knows where, tinny quality, at lunchtime in school. How time flies! Easy 5 for me - they perfectly captured their (and our) youthful energy in a bottle. In my opinion, they never came close to equalling this album, unfortunately.

I didn't recognize this one at all at first, but I was surprised when Mr. Wendal came on and it sounded very familiar. Maybe I just recognised the Sly & The Family Stone sample, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'd say this was a breath of fresh air in the early 90s, contrasting nicely to the likes of NWA and Snoop Dogg. Sonicly, it hasn't aged particularly well and sounds very of its time. TCQ's Low End Theory, for ex, has definitely aged better. But I still found this very enjoyable, even if it is a bit saccharine in places. Great sample choices and production, and very positive lyrical themes.

One of my favourites; although it's dark and twisted and a little depressing, so I don't listen to it often. It's also noisy and experimental and shouty, so I'd say it's not everyone's cup of tea. However I'd argue that it's one of the most important albums of the 90s, considering it's credited with the birth of the Post-Rock genre.

I discovered it in a backwards sort of way, after getting into bands like Godspeed You! Black Emporer, Mogwai, and Sigur Rós in college. It also eventually opened the door to hardcore and post-hardcore punk for me, which I came very late to (almost in my 30s, in the late 2010s).

Once I listened to it a few times I could see how influential it was. In fact it's still influencing bands today, like "the world's second-best Slint tribute act", Black Country New Road. I hope the lead singers of both Slint and BCNR got the help they needed.

This gets an extra star because the title track and Fame are fantastic, but the rest of it is exceptionally mediocre. I would have preferred an actual authentic soul album to be included here instead (even though it's not my favourite genre personally). Never really got the appeal of this one, even though Bowie is one of my favourite artists.

I love this album, it's one I come back to a lot since first getting into it. Their music (along with The Knife's) is so unique and refreshing. Love the variation of vocal styles and chilly but immersive production. I don't think this is quite as good as Silent Shout, but still a 8/10.

I'd only known of Cypress Hill's singles before, so I knew sort of what to expect. I enjoyed this more than I expected, it's aged better than a lot of other gangsta rap. It is a bit homophobic in places, but not to the degree that rap of the time often was. In general, they seem mainly concerned with opposing police brutality, and getting high and having a laugh. All of which I support. It is a bit boring in places, but the funky samples, Latin flavor and nasal vocals do set it apart from a lot of their peers.

Near-perfect album. Incredible singing and songwriting, and lovely piano, bass and drums throughout. I think it has a bit of a lull during Jesus Children and All in Love is Fair, but they're still good songs.

I can see why the critics were divided on this one. It is very uneven and lo-fi, but I guess that is the point. Definitely influential on later lo-fi artists, but I can't help but wonder if this would be as lauded if it was anyone other than McCartney. Some really solid songs on here, but a lot of them sound unfinished. I let the album play until I was a few tracks into the demo/outtakes disc of the deluxe version and barely noticed.

I'm a fan of a lot of Eno's work, but for some reason I've never listened to this one until recently. It's great but still growing on me. I don't like it quite as much as Taking Tiger Mountain or Another Green World, but it covers a lot of ground, and is a clear precursor to his later ambient work. It also really sounds like it had a big influence on Talking Heads! It's an 8/10 now but could see it becoming a 9 in future.

I recognise Billie Holiday's talent, and think Strange Fruit is a fantastic song. However I found it hard to connect with this album for some reason. The only songs that stood out for me were I'm a Fool To Want You, You Don't Know What Love Is, and You've Changed. I often find it hard to connect with music pre-1965 or so (except for instrumentals), so it could be another case of that. She had an amazing voice, but I found that the songs were too similar or something.