Reviews by daniel

This album is really a great one, with some pretty interesting tracks and some really nice energy. Although I am not much of a fan of the instrumental songs in this record, it is pretty cohesive and a very enjoyable one. Not to add that some of the psychedelic sounds in here are delightful. It is surely not perfect, but an album you can enjoy whenever you listen to it. And that is fantastic.

There are two characteristics that apply to this album: those guys love a conversational way of making music, as well as they love reverb. Like, a lot of reverb. It almost feels like being inside of a cave. And, sure, this album is from the 80's, I should have expected that. But, oh, this is reverb. That being said, the album is nice, even enjoyable at first. But it becomes pretty bland and plain as the songs go by. It is somehow joyful, and I love some aspects of this early hip-hop, but it is also a very forgettable record. And one in which it feels like there is a lack of layers. Some songs are very stripped, as if they were just having a conversation with the drums and some spontaneous synths. It does not feel much interesting, nor an album that really sticks, or that is enjoyable. And, yes, I said it was enjoyable at first. But the thing is that, as the songs go by, it becomes very repetitive and insipid. And its initial charm starts to decay. A good things is that it is short, which is a virtue that helps it not become very monotonous, but, still, there are a lot of things to polish in this record, as well as compiling a better bunch of songs. The first two songs seem to carry the weight of this whole record.

Cee Lo Green is… how to say? A guy with some really good songs, very soulful (also when it comes to his hip-hop tracks), with some great taste but a bit annoying voice, mostly when he raps. And, I would not say that he is necessarily bad, but this album has a bunch of songs that are nothing but forgettable. And others that are just… slightly nice. But nothing outstanding. Just some good ideas and a not that nice delivery. It is impressive to find that he has some really nice songs by judging the content of this album. I would never say he is great, but enjoyable. This album is not enjoyable. And that is the worst part of it. At least it is good, decent enough to make listening to it not a pain but, rather, a frustrating experience in which you would like to find something else.
There is potential (at least to do better than this pretty insipid and generic thing) but it does not show at any moment in the full hour this album lasts.

This album is really pleasant to listen to, and nice too. However, it does not move me in any way. The songs sound very classy, in a good sense, but they just are not much powerful, neither musically talking nor lyrically speaking. So, I do not know how to feel about it. It is not an exciting record. Sure, some songs are really good, and one of them is the last track, but it is not a very memorable album. Yet it is enjoyable. And, as I said, with some pretty solid tracks. So, it is good. Just I have not been much of a fan of this record.

David Bowie really feels intimate in this album, and, in some way, at the same time, also willing to explore new things, yet knowing it is going to be his last album. Blackstar feels more like a last conscious breath in which he tries to evoke life through death, with some obscure and melancholic atmospheres. Yet it feels fresh, or very personal, through the kind of jazzy rock he makes in this album. For some a work of art, this Blackstar surely is a pretentious album. For the good and the bad, but it really is a last statement, and one in which Bowie tries to reunite very different directions, or influences, from jazz to electronic music, a more atmospheric side and noisy productions as well. It feels very cohesive, but very chaotic too, in a good sense. It is an album in which he really feels involved, connected even more than artistically. And very art rock too, it has to be said. But it is more of a baroque decision to try to prove to be Bowie once again, or just because he really needs it to feel alive. It is chaotic, but also are all the emotions this album encapsulates. And, lastly, it is human. For the good and the bad. It is not Bowie at his best shape, nor his best curated selection of songs, some feel very lost in the soundscape they try to create. But in those things I find the greatness of this record. It is not perfect (not as many people claim it to be), and maybe Bowie has not been perfect at any moment, but it is real, it is tangible, it is human, and it feels very close to an end, it feels like the final chapter of a book. It concludes with a breath of life, with a melancholic feeling, with some great songs. And it is pretentious, as a quick ending before dying. But maybe this is what I would have expected from Bowie. And it is nice to have this vibrant final project, which really feels warm at also being cold. The final track may be the best part of it, and it really feels like an end, an end to an artist that has been brilliant and so unique. And he was David Bowie.

I am surprised to have found some really nice songs in this album, and a very nice jam feeling, as well as some really good parts. There are surely some different influences, and, yet if I am not very surprised or convinced by some, surely this album has some treasures. And, overall, it feels very cohesive and pleasant, with some pretty interesting layers too. So, even if I am not a big fan of this album, nor have I actually liked everything in here (some songs just feel pretty insipid), I must say I am slightly surprised to have ended up liking it, enjoying it. That is surely interesting, and surely somehow fun.

This is nice, but, is it enjoyable? Not much. And, actually, there are some interesting things in this record, but it feels very bland too, making it not that much of a pleasant listening. So, what at first may be of my like ends up all the time being just a nonsensical song in which everything keeps on going with no true direction. And, with direction I mean somewhere to go rather than just becoming repetitive with nothing else to deliver. This album is long, and it does not benefit it. Mainly because most songs are just long, but would work the same with three minutes less, so, what is the point? It is just insipid and very repetitive. What may be good ends up all the time becoming bland. Sure, there are some interesting productions, but it is not enough to make the composition of this album better. And, as much as I hate to consider it a very mid album because I have enjoyed some songs and liked some productions, I must say that as a whole it works horribly, and most of the songs are just very little memorable or remarkable, not to add that they lose a lot of flow as they advance.

I would not say this album is necessarily bad, but it sure is monotonous at some point. However, some productions are really nice, making it flow somehow well, if we ignore that some songs become very repetitive. At least, there are little moments that save it from being painfully unpleasant. Because Kendrick may be a great rapper, but he is very bad at singing, sometimes his voice even becomes irritating. Also, another part that takes me off this record is that it sounds very stripped of layers, and sometimes a same chorus is repeated so many times it ends up being very bland and uninteresting. It feels like some songs are just enlarged just for the sake of. Or the album overall, I think it would have benefited from being shorter. And not in the tape-like recordings, which really enrich it, but in songs that are just... well, nothing remarkable. And just because I find it interesting content-wise is not an excuse for ignoring that I have found it terribly insipid. There are no interesting or exciting production tricks, nor songs I would highlight. It is just an album in which Kendrick does his thing over repetitive and predictable instrumentals, which are not even thrilling in the first place, making it tedious to listen to this album in full. I may not get the importance of Kendrick (or I may, but just because of what he transmits and how influential he has been, not because of his music, and I guess I am here judging music, and even trying to expand my musical taste, but Kendrick just does not do it for me, but I can say I have tried it), nor the likeness of hip-hop, which I find purely insipid most of the times. I get the importance, although, and even enjoy certain songs, just it is a genre I find purely influential (even when I listen to it), but at the same time very insipid. And it may be because of the reiterating structures of the songs. It feels like there is no evolution in this album, that it is just a continuous piece of songs correlated in context and content but that do not work quite that well as an overall. Nor alone. But, rather, they all feel plain at some extent. I would like to be more insightful, but it is hard when this album has completely thrown me off. Some songs just sound bad. And it is not a statement. That is a stylistic choice. And it sounds awful. (Sure, I am not speaking about every song, this is a huge collection of them, and some are nice too, but just this album does not work quite well as a whole.)

Well, this album is not that bad, actually, but trully it lacks of something more interesting. It almost feels like a soul-like country-pop, which, in theory, it should not necessarily be a bad thing, but it does not work that well, to be honest. It is still a pleasant album.

This album is pretty bland at certain moments, but I can't deny I've liked listening to it. At first it felt like a mixture of some light goth elements with Coldplay. Then I found it was not the case. Not in the Coldplay aspect, as, at certain moments, it could be an album of them… just that this one is more interesting and sonically diverse. For sure, I've found some songs to be really nice. And I've enjoyed it overall. Not that everything is good, but, as a whole, this album works pretty well. Also, I've liked that the string arrangements give some depth to the songs, sometimes making the listening experience of this album a bit cinematic and intriguing. Sure it is not mindblowing, nor a very memorable album, but it has its moments, and its songs, being a very listenable and even enjoyable album.

This album is nice, very plain in certain moments, but surely worth paying attention to. I love the more experimental moments, in which the album really grows into something interesting. Most of all, the title track, which is a great song. There are other great songs too, but that last song really is outstanding and a fantastic song to close an album that, even if it has some bland moments, is overall a very pleasant one. That is something undeniable, also about Morrisey's vocals, it may not be outstanding or great, but it is pleasant. And that is enough to make listening to this album an overall nice experience. Something that really gets you into a project that, lyrically, is not that unconfronting.

This album is really nice, and, I would love to say something else, but it truly has some parts that are not that well done. It is a really enjoyable record, this for sure. I love how there are hints of different styles all around the record, combining different sounds sometimes in really good musical decisions. So, I have to say, there are many parts that are great. And some of the guitar work is delicious. That being said, the vocals are not this album's strength. They are fine. There is nothing wrong with them (except at certain points in which they start to feel a bit tedious to listen to), but they are not very remarkable, to say the least. I do not mind much, either. And I can get through all this full record without paying much attention to that detail. But, that added to some weak compositions and some reiterating elements are parts of the record that make it feel not flawless at all. There are many songs that feel like a collage of some indie stuff, something not good, to be honest. And some songs are just nice. Yeah, this album is... nice. Just that. It is pleasant to listen to, not too much heavy, not too much interesting, not too much exciting. It is nice, good, and, sure, you have a nice time listening to it. So, it is what it is.

This album is really a surprising one, such a great combination of sounds and a very polished production. I love some of the guitars on those tracks. It feels very fresh and very upbeat and enjoyable. And, although the length of the songs is not short, to be honest, they flow really good. Just a few songs feel a bit repetitive. Except for them (and, even though every song in this album is really a very nice one), the rest is just very well done and composed. It works excellently.

This is surely interesting. The vocal harmonies are delicious, and there is a hypnotic feeling while listening to this album that is wonderful. If there is a word for this album, aside delicious, or delicate, is beautiful. Really beautiful. It surely is not the kind of music I like to listen to, but I do not mind to sometimes take a break and find something as sweet, pleasant and also unique as this album. It is a full a capella album and, still, it feels very warm. It is almost ritualistic, in the way the voices come and go, over and over, accompanying each other in a kind of sway. It is wonderful. It has something really catchy and enigmatic that traps you even being just a vocal album. The harmonies are so very well accomplished. But, if I stick to a more subjective side, sure, it is not much of my taste. I've been very pleased to listen to it, but it is still an album that lacks of some more variety in the melodies. The songs are wonderful as tranquil tracks to listen to. And, as background music, I'm sure it really works well, but I don't think as an album it stands that hugely, as a conscious listening. Then, I would need to talk about ways of listening to music, and, for sure, there is no correct one. But I like to pay attention, and I don't feel I have much to find in here. It is mostly a soft sequence of lovely songs. So, I don't know, have I liked this? Yes, sure. Is this a well delivered record? Sure, and pretty original too. Will I listen to it in the future again? I'm not so sure... That's the point, it's really lovely, and beautiful, but I don't think it is an album I will be willing to listen to again. Maybe yes, but not in the recent future. So, maybe I'll change my mind, but for today, I'll just say that it is nice, even more than nice, but not my cup of tea. It works well because of its length, but I don't see me listening to this album in repeat. Oh, I would love to love it, but it is not the case.

Is it a kind of cheeky self promotion? Because I get the context, but this album is surely a pushback. The thing is, the more "gangsta" and "anti-system" this album tries to get (and the hip-hop genre in general), the more horrendous and insulting it becomes. And, sure, I am not necessarily asking for something easy to face when I start listening to an album, I like confronting music. But this is not confrontational, this is not a hard album to get into, it is a pretty vulgar and tasteless album. There are nice things, some nice topics to cover, but the delivery is just bad. First of all, because of the repetitiveness of the songs – enlarged until they become boring. And, then, because the only interesting thing this album can have are the lyrics (so unnecessary at many times) and the production (great at some points, but so dated at some parts too). So, what does it have? A big ego that can defend the album at some points but that is that huge that ignores what is simply uninteresting. Sometimes having a message is not enough for making a song good. I won't tell you about a whole album.

All right, this album has finally convinced me. This is a great collection of songs, so many interesting musical choices, so many deep and enigmatic atmospheres, great melodies and a fantastic songwriting. I did not expect to like this album that much, judging by the other U2 albums I have listened before. But there is a great mixture of textures in this album, and a quite disturbing feeling to some songs that match perfectly the lyrical content, making of this album a very descriptive one too. The music accompanies very well the emotions of the songs, those being nostalgia, sadness, uncertainty or rage. It really works extraordinarily well. And the songs are all superb. This is truly a great album, and one that also has some little experimentation in the sounds that works so nicely. That is what I expected from U2 since the beginning. And now I have found it.

This is a pretty enjoyable album, a very tranquil and serene, soft one. True, it flows so greatly quick, and the songs are fine. But this is it, it is fine. There are no outstanding songs, nor moments that catch your interest. It all is fine and nice. I could never say it has not been of my taste, or, in other words, that I have not liked it, I sure have. But I have not found anything to love in here, I have not found anything to make me want to return, or anything to amaze me. It is fine, I guess.

You cannot deny the energy, this album really is such a funny and highly enjoyable one. One that you put and really get excited song after song. It is very easy to listen to and, still, a very important step in the history of music (yeah, maybe not that album in particular, which is fantastic, but Little Richard himself). So, sure, there are much better blues, rock-blues albums than this one, but this one is also pretty special, and such a delight for the ears. Great, fantastic, it is such a 30-minute gem.

This album is definitely not much moving or enjoyable. It is not much interesting either. Sure, there are some interesting sounds, some nice melodies, but it feels pretty plain at constructing atmospheres. It feels sometimes even distant. And, to be honest, the switches between the house-driven songs and the atmospheric ones are not impressive at all, as they seem to not flow but, rather, conflict. And, it is not that there are not nice songs, for sure there are. And the singer's voice is really good and warm, something that really goes well with certain songs. But, even though there are some nice ideas, and sometimes they are delivered correctly or even in a good way, most of the time this album lacks of a clear direction, or, at least, of having a clear sound and trying to make it sound interesting. Because most of the time what could be immersive, what could transmit something, ends up being more like background noise, making the songs feel much longer than what they actually are. This is not great, for sure. But I appreciate some of the experimentation in here as well as some songs, but... It could be good. It isn't.

How is it that I have never listened of Barry Adamson before? This record, as well as Oedipus Schmoedipus, is delightful. Such a great album, and with a strong remark on the album word. It truly is a sensorial and immersive experience, with so many layers and sonic directions. Adamson in this record does not make just an album, but, actually, a very innovative conceptual album. And, even in that sense, he reinvents the idea of the album by sticking to a very important concept: creating a whole, a story, a link between the songs. And, with this in mind, this album evolves to become a story, an even cinematic experience. It is not just the story, it is the environment, the atmospheres that surround this album, the feelings it projects. And, overall, a narrative, that is also guided through the titles of the songs, as if inside a noir film you were introduced. It is brilliant. The decision of the sounds, the Hollywood kind of acid jazz influences, the tape recordings that give this album a dimension of being also filled with field recordings... it really traps you inside of a story. And, then, the music becomes part of it. The album is not just a compilation of songs, or a concept explained through different songs, it is not just about cohesiveness, it is all about creating a story, the album as a book, as a film, as a narrative self. And the music is the channel for this story, not a narrated one, an explicit one, but rather a sensorial one. It is the ambient, the sonic associations, the disturbance of sound to confront our confort. It is how the songs first conceptualise and build an environment to play with. And how certain effects disturb the peace, how those sounds create an oppressive and claustrophobic environment. Barry Adamson really explores the limits of music, or, on the other side, all of its possibilities. It is strange, and certainly sometimes not easy to listen to, but the music is great, and it just adds more to an album that is more a concept, a solid narrative than a list of songs. Sure, the songs do not work separately, and it may seem like a flaw, but it really understands the nature of the medium. This is not for the songs, this is for the album. The final piece, the final stage of a project. And this album is wild and fantastic, and something really unique to listen to.