Reviews by dcspool

4.1/5

Lots of big hitters on this one. A little bit bloated but I actually really enjoyed the back end of the album. Could be a 5 for me simply by subtracting a few tracks.

Never been a huge fan of Lust for Life, I think it's a fine track but it just doesn't do much for me.
Some Weird Sin's intro is fun.
The Passenger guitar riff has a lot of gravitas. This is a much better hit than Lust for Life for me - the vocal is much more effective.
Tonight is pretty good too tbh. Don't mind Success either.
Turn Blue is a bit slow and annoying. I feel like Iggy feels the need to try something different with his voice but it doesnt really work.

Liked this album a fair bit more than expected.

Fave Tracks: Some Weird Sin, The Passenger, Tonight, Fall in Love with Me

3.8/5

Fisherman's Blues - enjoyable.
I love the way We Will Not Be Lovers starts - this instrumentation combo is super cool, strings and drums, bass. This is the sort of music Bruce Springsteen would've made if he was Irish. That song was really great.
Strange Boat a bit of a comedown afterwards.
World Party piano almost gives me Steely Dan vibes. Hmm then goes in a very 80s direction I'm not such a fan of.
Sweet Thing, Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, And a Bang on the Ear all sort of just passed me by.

I really like the start of this album, but it kinda fades away and drags for me. I could give or take most of the second half.

Fave Track: We Will Not Be Lovers

3.6/5

Love the album cover.

You can hear the influence all over this album. But it sounds incredibly dated, not a pleasant listen for me. This is one where I fully understand the inclusion on the list, but I don't enjoy it as a piece of music.

1.8/5

21 minute 90s alternative song - sign me up. I'm all about this nonsense. 10 stars.

millions/5

My expectation heading in is to not like this. But I enjoyed Rehab, You Know I'm No Good and Me & Mr. Jones more than expected.

Tears Dry On Their Own probably the first track that I think I'd like to come back to.

I can appreciate this album without really wanting to dip into it too much myself. I think I have to give it at least a 4 because I don't think there are any bad tracks, but it mostly washes over me. It's impressive how Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson made this album that so clearly riffs on a previous time/style, but is also unique and inimitable. I can't think of any other 21st century albums that achieve this sound with any sort of similar quality.

Fave Tracks: Tears Dry On Their Own, He Can Only Hold Her

3.9/5

Needles in the Camel's Eye - I love the wall of sound, and the running guitar riffs. The breaks in the song even have a very singular quality to them.

The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch - first signs of Brian trying to be Bowie. I like where the song goes in the stomping final act.

Baby's On Fire - the ringing tone in the background reminds me of Silver Apples "Lovefingers". Eno's voice has a fairytale goblin character to it.

Cindy Tells Me - nothing particular to say about this one

Driving Me Backwards - seems to be a great example of how Eno values experimentation over song structure and musicality.

On Some Faraway Beach - feels even more Eno-y now. Weird ending to this one.

Blank Frank - this is bizarre, every musical choice here feels strange.

Dead Finks Don't Talk - oh naughty sneaky. This one is weird in a fun way. Then it gets next level weird in the last 20 seconds.

Some of them are Old - nothing particular to say about this one

Here Come the Warm Jets - is this sampled by Injury Reserve? It surely is. That's a crazy sample. Ah I love this one, this is awesome. I prefer the tracks without goofy goblin singing.

Its quite interesting to hear this album which is quite quirky in many ways, but also way more conventional to rock standards compared to much of what Eno would go on to do. Pretty fun album though.

Fave Tracks: Needles in the Camels Eye, Driving Me Backwards, On Some Faraway Beach, Here Come The Warm Jets

4.1/5

There will be an end of the spectrum for punk, metal, and possibly some other genres that is gonna be unappreciate-able for me, and this Black Flag album is at that end of the punk spectrum.

Six Pack is slightly more engaging than the first two tracks. But barely.

Oh my days the vocals are so bad, the mixing is so bad. Its not even loud and punky enough.

TV Party is an embarrassment.

This is really hard to listen to. Its so difficult to relate to this noisy angst in 2023, it just gives me angry irrational white man vibes.

Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie maybe the least bad song so far.

My favourite moment of the album was the abrupt stop at the end of Life of Pain.

If you separate context and influence from the music, there is as close to zero redeeming quality to this as is conceivably possible.

0.6/5

I prefer the Scroobius Pip version of Planet Telex tbh. Nah actually its kinda an underrated Radiohead song in my book. Chorus is nice.
The Bends is a very 90s tune, perhaps the most Britpop-y Radiohead. It's still a tune also though.
High and Dry is also just such a beautiful song, same for Fake Plastic Trees. The Bends starts so hot.
Bones I guess sounds quite derivative of much other 90s alt rock. Bassline sounds a bit like Green Day, echoes of Oasis.
Nice Dream sounds much more like a Radiohead song.
Just is both a bit overplayed and underappreciated to me. The guitar lines have some of the first murmurings of what OK Computer would do - like the passage at 2:08 or in the verse along the line "One day he'll get to you
And teach you how to be a holy cow".
I'm not a big fan of the My Iron Lung chorus - if you can call it a chorus.
I can give or take Bullet Proof.
Blackstar is a bit of a ditty.
Sulk is kinda boring to me.
Street Spirit is haunting.

The Bends is still a very decent mainstream rock album to me.
4.1/5

Hmm not sure I like his voice.
Scott Walker vibes.
This seems like its tongue in cheek, but I'm not sure it is.
Does this guy want to be a horse? Is this an album about bestiality?
Timewatching is so dreary.
So much prefer I'm All You Need. This song is great. He's well into horses though.

Fave Songs: If..., I'm All You Need

2.7/5

I'm going into this thinking I'm not going to enjoy it. I think I have it on vinyl actually but have never listened.
4:25 changeup, nice.
7:25 organ, not feeling this.
12:40 now we're getting Spanish.
14:10 not sure where we're going now but I'm interested.
20:20 grand piano
21:05 glockenspiel!

Side 2 - just kinda nice. Very chilled, medieval folky.
11:50 - what just happened, i love it.

Do I like this or not? I don't even know. I don't know what the occasion to listen to this is, its very much like a piece of art rather than a piece of music.

Listening through this certainly does make me want to check out more of Mike's catalogue.

3.6/5

That Lady - great track, feels strange without Kendrick rapping on top.
If You Were There - I like the da da da dra das at the end
Listen to the Music sounds Stevie-esque. The transition to What It Comes Down To is vibey.
Summer Breeze hasn't typically been my fave, but it is a great tune really.

Fave Tracks: That Lady, What It Comes Down To, Summer Breeze, The Highways of My Life

4.2/5

Birth of the cool might be an apt name, but I don't think this is (even close to) Miles' best.

Move, Jeru, Venus de Milo are all fine but have some formulaic elements to them.

Fave track: Moon Dreams

2.7/5

This was great. I loved it. Better than Bob Dylan.

Fave Tracks: Strolling Down the Highway, Smokey River, Finches, Do You Hear Me, Running From Home

4.6/5

This was good. A slight lull in the middle but very few imperfections. One song kinda sounded like All Saints to me, which was weird but good.

4.2/5

Hello is rather epic but I feel it deserves to be clowned on, its pretty cheesy.
Send My Love (To Your New Lover) is my favourite Adele song, its a bop. If you gave me the aux and said play an Adele song I'd definitely pick this one.
I Miss You, When We Were Young and Remedy are fine but all a bit bland and slow for me.
Taylor Swift vibes from Water Under the Bridge.
Love In the Dark strings.
Million Years Ago sounded for a sec like it was going Fleet Foxes.

Its just not for me this. Obviously Adele has a great voice, but I would love to hear her turn out more fun or creative songs.

Fave tracks: Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Sweetest Devotion

2.7/5

4.2 - very solid album. Not familiar with any of these tracks, but all round very clean crisp catchy sound, not what I would’ve expected from their debut.

4.1 - solid, smooth, delicious

Bonkers
The instrumentals sound like a blind man parading round a scrapyard with drum sticks.
Tom sounds like a deranged lunatic.
Tough one to rate for me, I didn’t really like it bar a few tracks, but I give it some credit for just being so weird and singular.
2.6/5

Yes jazz