Reviews by dburke

I don't recognize this artist nor any of the track names by title. So I'm basically going into this blind.

This is very boring. I feel like they just forgot how to rock. They're certainly doing the other halves of Psychedelic Rock and Space Rock, but there's just no rock to be found here. Why are the drums seemingly completely missing?

[Spacemen 3]: Our new album is called "Playing With Fire."
[Interviewer]: So does it sound like you're playing with fire?
[Spacemen 3]: Oh Lord, no.

I'm well aware of this group's one hit. And I would consider that one hit to be sort of a guilty pleasure. But I suspect that they do have a "one-hit wonder" status for a reason probably. I'm going into listening to this hopeful, but I can also see myself being let down by this album. We'll see how this goes.

I enjoyed the more Funk genre stuff, but House music just bores me mostly. And unfortunately, there's too much House and not enough Funk.

I recognize a few of the tracks on this album. The title track alone would justify its inclusion on a list of albums one must listen to. I'm not sure if I've ever listened to this album start-to-fish, but I am looking forward to this.

This was really great. I'll be adding this to my list of albums to listen to again.

I'm quite familiar with this album. It's solid, and definitely belongs on a list of albums one must hear.

The track "Helpless" is great, and this recording isn't even my favorite version of it.

I don't think I recognize this artist or any of the tracks on this album by title. So I'm going into this completely blind.

I find the vocals to be particularly off-putting. I could probably enjoy an instrumental version of this, as part of a "music to listen to while working" sort of playlist. But the vocals are distracting. It just doesn't work.

Copy-pasted (with minor edits for clarity) from my review for "Parachutes":

I'm quite familiar with this album. When Coldplay first came out, I admit I didn't like it. I found I could enjoy "Trouble" but still had a tough time getting their overall thing. When their second album came out, I enjoyed that quite a bit more. I checked that out, and found it to be solid, and upon revisiting "Parachutes," I was able to see it in a different light and came to enjoy it on a similar level. But then they released their third album. It's got one or two good songs, but otherwise blah. And the "blah" has only intensified since then. So, it has become disheartening to listen to the first two Coldplay albums, knowing what has happened since then. These first two albums are absolutely worth being on this list and a clear distinction should be made between them and the albums thereafter.

YES.

I recognize a bunch of these tracks by title, and I have a good idea of what to expect here.

This is worth listening to as an example of what else was going on in the music world in the mid-60s. It's fine, but pretty meh.

This one's in my library, and I probably don't listen to it enough. Thanks for reminding me to listen to it again today.

This gets 5 stars just for having "Sledgehammer," "Big Time," and "In Your Eyes." Peter could have farted into a microphone for the rest of the album, and it'd still be 5 stars. Luckily he didn't and the rest of the songs are pretty solid. But those 3 are insanely good songs.

I'm aware of this album, and I have listened to it before, but maybe only once. I recognize a few of these tracks by title, but I'm also familiar enough with Black Flag's style to know what to expect. So I'm not really going into this blind. I am looking forward to listening to this again though.

I'm quite enjoying this. I'll add this to my list of albums to listen to again. And I probably need to check out more Black Flag stuff too.

I don't recognize this artist, and don't recognize any of these tracks by title. So I'm going into this blind.

Okay, let's talk about band names for a moment. This band calls themselves "The Incredible String Band." They're not a string band. And certainly not "incredible," at least not in the figurative sense of them being "amazing." But maybe they mean "incredible" in the more literal sense of them _not_ being a credible string band. If that's the case, then my review of this album is that it's an incredible album. The musicianship and vocal work: incredible. Songwriting: incredible. I'm even willing to infer that the titular Hangman's Daughter's Beauty is also likely incredible.

I think I've heard this album before, but even if I haven't I recognize a few of these tracks by title. I'm looking forward to listening to this.

I like listening to The Stooges because it feels like a Punk Rock/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal archeological dig. I quite enjoyed this.

I know some Rufus Wainright stuff, but I'm not aware of this album, and have never listened to a full album of him. And, as this is apparently part 1 of a two-part album, it's nice that this is being presented to me before the part 2.

This is... fine, in the "just okay" sense. I like the loose, effortless, half-drunk quality of Rufus' singing style. But overall, it's just kind of meh.

I've never heard of this group before, and aside from knowing some things about the members of this so-called "supergroup," I'm mostly going into this blind.

Yeah, this is just kinda meh. Not terrible, but I feel like it's inclusion in this list might be due more to Damon Albarn than anything else.

I've never really spent time to sit down and listen to Arctic Monkeys, and I'm not sure why. I'm also not sure if I recognize any of these tracks by title. So I'm going into this with an open mind.

I quite enjoyed this, and not only will I be adding this to my list of albums to listen to again, I feel I need to check out more albums by Arctic Monkeys.

I don't think I know this artist, and don't recognize any of these tracks by title. So I'm going into this blind.

I don't know, this is just too odd and it's just not grabbing me. There's just something sort of annoying about this music.

I'm not aware of this album and I don't think I recognize any of these tracks by title. I have some idea of what to expect here, so I'm not necessarily going in blind, but this is also the first time I'm listening to this album.

I quite enjoyed this. It's not _great_ but it's certainly a vibe.

I don't think I recognize any of these tracks by title. I kind of know what to expect from Lou Reed, but I don't think I know about this album, so I'm sort of going into this blind.

This just isn't grabbing me. It's not awful, but it's also just not very good. Thoroughly meh. Maybe it would be better if someone other than Lou Reed were singing?

UGH. I really hate Morrissey, and like the other albums this site has forced me to listen to, I'll be spending the entire time listening to the album giving a thumbs up to each 1-star review.

Yeah, I hate this. Again the only real upshot of being forced to listen to yet another Morrissey/The Smiths album is that there's one fewer album of theirs to listen to in the future.

I'm quite familiar with this album. It's not my favorite album by the Beatles, but it's totally solid.