Rated 8/10
What a nice treat. I really like the vibe of this album. It has distinct "80s"ness to it, but doesn't feel tacky or poorly aged.
Each of the first 4 tracks were pretty strong in their own way.
Fave Track: A Walk Across the Rooftops
4/5
Rated 8/10
This is the Day is such a bop. Ohh Uncertain Smile too. This is low key a bopfest.
4/5
Rated 6/10
I quite liked the first track then it was mostly in one ear and out the other.
2.9/5
Rated 8/10
Well well well I liked this a lot more than I would’ve expected. Not my genre at all but I could certainly appreciate this.
Fave Tracks: N.W.O., Just One Fix, Scare Crow
4.2/5
Rated 6/10
Quite nice. Reminded me a bit of Victoria by the Kinks or whatever that album about Blighty is called.
Didn’t really find any standout tracks or moments I’d want to revisit though so can’t go much higher than this.
3.4/5
Rated 6/10
not really much of interest for the 2025 ear. Noisy, I'm sure this ruffled feathers in 1968.
2.8/5
Rated 8/10
The opening bars of Dreamin' really hit. Wait a minute, is this album actually really good?
Ok it gets a bit in your face, but I don't hate that. Tracks like MDC Vendredi feel like dubstep precursors.
It reminds me of PC Music, particularly the track About Funk - its just unapologetically brash and fun(k).
Fave Tracks: Dreamin', Music Makes You Lose Control, Take a Little Time, About Funk
4.1/5
boring menage a noise
2.3/5
Rated 10/10
Highs that are just so high. Its not a perfect album but it has too much goodness to not be a 5.
Fave Tracks: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Broken, Head Over Heels
4.5/5
Rated 8/10
Fave Tracks: London Calling, Rudie Can't Fail, Lost in the Supermarket, The Guns of Brixton, Train in Vain
4.2/5
Rated 6/10
I don't think the sound has aged super well. Some songs like Drill Sergeant sound super corny - maybe they always did. But generally the hooks are undeniable, the Neptunes production chops are there on full display. The early 2000s feels like the new 80s. Catchy songs with a sound that has aged badly, rife for guilty pleasures.
Fave Tracks: Fly or Die, She Wants to Move, The Way She Dances
3.2/5
Rated 8/10
Quite surprised that I liked this. Pretty tight recordings, pretty cool stuff.
3.7/5
Rated 10/10
This has long been a favourite album of mine. It's amazing to me how beautifully and tastefully Paul Simon blends African influences with his own folk style, creating some genuinely groundbreaking music - I'm not really familiar with any other album that sounds anything like this.
The big hitters for me are a great testament to Simon's diverse skills as a songwriter. The titular Graceland is a driving piece of Americana, somewhat oddly out of place amongst the numerous other tracks with clear African influence. You Can Call Me Al is full of 80s bombast, but is just so irresistibly danceable. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is one of those beautiful unique blends that could simply never be recreated.
Not every track is a hit for me, its not a perfect album, but its pretty darn good.
4.7/5
This wasn't quite as fun as I was expecting. It becomes quite repetitive and not much stuck out from this one for me. Great vibes as always, but I prefer some of the studio work. The 16 minute drum solo track is a bit of a test.
3.3/5
Rated 4/10
Man, I didn't like this at all. A big surprise tbh.
2/5
Rated 6/10
2.9/5
Rated 8/10
Surprised that I not only recognised There Goes the Fear and Pounding but also quite enjoyed them. But ultimately this feels like less sold out Coldplay. It might be a lot better if the lead singer had just a little more character to his voice. Its a decent album but I don't need it in my 1001.
Fave Tracks: There Goes the Fear, Pounding, The Suplhur Man
3.5/5
Rated 6/10
This is a funny little album of highs and lows. At points very tacky, but other times smooth, aged terribly in places but perfectly relevant in others. As an album I kinda don't really like it because of the undulations, but I could certainly pop back to a few of these tracks.
Fave Tracks: Underwater Rimes, Gutfest '89, Sex Packets, Packet Man
3.5/5
Rated 8/10
Actually really enjoyed this. It was pleasant music to accompany a slow Sunday morning. Lots of nice melodies but also healthy dose of 90s lo-fi grit and self-awareness. The Iron Man cover is most amusing.
Fave Tracks: Been It, Step on Me, Lovefool, Losers, Iron Man
4.1/5
Rated 6/10
I wanted Randy to charm me, but this was quite a snooze.
Fave Track: Naked Man
2.7/5
