Reviews by conorr90

Back in BlackAC/DC

Rated 6/10

Hell's Bells, Back in Black, You Shook Me, and Rock n Roll are 4 great songs, but I'm not convinced that they're worth the effort of sitting through the other 6 somewhat embarassing and boring songs about how horny they were.

Another one that I've never listened to at all before. I've always enjoyed QOTSA singles but never really understood why they got so much attention. However, I do now! Listening to this at full blast in the car on a hot sticky summer's day made me feel like I was driving across the deserts of New Mexico instead of semi rural Leinster. It's such a unique sound, I'm going to have to go and listen to their other albums now and see how they hold up. If I can stop listening to this one that is, just finished my 4th listen!

3rdBig Star

Rated 4/10

I listened to this about three times and can't remember a thing about it now. Not for me, but I can see how it might be considered influential.

Pretty much what I expected really. Ace of Spades is great, but the rest of the album is just mindless monotony. Also Jailbait and the Chase are creepy AF

I don't know what it is exactly about the White Stripes, but I just find them so boring. They have some undeniably great singles, but a whole album of theirs is a chore for me to get through. This one was no exception.

OKTalvin Singh

Rated 4/10

This one was quite interesting in places, had never heard of the artist or album before. I enjoyed the first few songs, but after a while it just faded to the background a bit. A lot of the sounds are a bit dated however. I can see why it's on the list, but not one I'd come back to again.

Fully expected this to be a bit cheesy, but it was surprisingly smooth and enjoyable the whole way through. The title track towers over everything else here, but some of the lesser known tracks were quite good too. Incredible singing, but the production was a bit too raw perhaps, made it sound like a much older album than it is.

We're certainly in Dad Rock Heaven now! I'm conflicted about whether to give this a 3 or a 4. On the one hand, it has three genuinely brilliant songs, and his melodies are great throughout the album. But on the other hand, several of the songs have terrible lyrics and made me physically cringe (particularly Long Boats). I don't see myself returning to this anytime soon, but I won't be too upset if it comes on the radio. I'm feeling rebellious so I'm going to go with a 3. 6/10

I'd like to preface this by stating that I am a HUGE fan of Loveless. It's one of my favourite albums and I consider it to be perfect. However, I've tried to get into Isn't Anything several times over the years and I just can't. Too abrasive, too meandering, too noisy. I understand why it's on the list, and it's interesting to see it as a precursor to Loveless. But I just find it difficult to listen to. Listening to Loveless is like listening to a dream; listening to Isn't Anything is like listening to a nightmare.

AjaSteely Dan

Rated 10/10

I've been listening to this a lot recently, another recent discovery, via Róisín. This album just gets better and better every time I listen to it, I'm always hearing new things. Truly a masterpiece of music production.

This was a bit of a surprise, I had heard the name of this band but never knew who they were. I really enjoyed a lot of this, will come back to it for sure. Definitely sounds like a precursor to a lot of 80s and 90s rock and metal.

I've listened to this before, years ago, but kind of forgot about it. I still hear Holes or Godess on a Hiway on the radio every now and then though. I think I consigned them to the same bin I put The Flaming Lips into at some point. Listening to it through again though, I'm pleasantly surprised! It's a very relaxing blend of genres with clever use of a few classic melodies here and there. Some of the deep cuts are great too, like Hudson Line. Still probably not something I'd listen to very often, but I was glad to spend a bit of time with it today.

This was an interesting listen, but only memorable in a very unsettling way. Still glad to have listened to it though.

Surfer RosaPixies

Rated 10/10

On a bit of a roll here, five 5s in a row! This is another of my favourites from my teenage years, such raw energy and great songwriting on here. Quite unhinged and funny in places too. I really don't think music today would be the same without this album and Doolittle. Favourite songs: Bone Machine, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Where is My Mind.

GueroBeck

Rated 10/10

This is another one that takes me back to my teenage years, I was a big Beck fan back then. I've cooled on him a bit since then, but this album was always one of my favourites of his. I had "E-Pro" set as my ringtone for a few months at one point, so it always has me looking for my phone if it comes on unexpectedly. Overall there's some great songs on here, especially "Girl", "Missing", "Earthquake Weather", "Scarecrow" and "Go It Alone". It's nor a perfect album, but I'd give it a solid 9/10, possibly due to a heathly dose of nostalgia.

One of my favourite Bowie albums, this one is great start to finish. It's more of a cohesive album unit, with only "Golden Years" really standing out as a single, so I can see why maybe it doesn't get as much praise as his other 70s albums. It's a solid 5 for me though, great production and songwriting. I have an 80s vinyl of it, so gave it a spin to refresh my memory!

Moon SafariAir

Rated 10/10

This is a fantastic album, been listening to this since I was a teenager. There are no bad songs on it, and the first half has several perfect ones. The bassline on "La Femme D'Argent" is heavenly.

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I don't think I've ever listened to this the whole way through. It's a masterpiece, but still not perfect I'd say. The Paul McCartney duet and the last song were a bit cringy I thought. Other than those though, it's a solid 9/10.

Hadn't listened to this one before, but I knew the singles and am a fan of TCQ. This is a good album with some memorable songs and thoughtful lyrics. Q-Tip maybe isn't the best rapper out there, but he's likeable and is a good lyricist. I thought that the production and instrumentals on here were decent, but sound a bit dated in places. I'd say about a 7/10.