Rated 6/10
Mirzino Jato basically took the lightning in the bottle captured by Boney M. and sold it to the masses of Yugoslavia. It's a good album but suffers from the same fate many other pure disco albums do. It's pretty good at the one thing it's designed to do, and that is to make people dance.
Other than the banger which marked their entire career in "Apsolutno Tvoj", "Lopove Moj Mali" is also a track I thoroughly enjoyed.
Rated 8/10
I find it hard to write a review for this one. It's one of those rare hip hop albums from the 2010s onward that doesn't sound like a chore to listen to, so from the start, it's a different turn in my usual hip hop listening journey.
Right from the get-go, the thing that surprises me is how the beats sound varied, with a lot of little samples sprinkled around that give them a memorable feel, instead of the usual trap ticking or the boom-bap sound.
Their delivery is powerful, with a sort of "beating your chest proudly" energy, and with a lot of boastful and triumphant lyrics to boot. It's nothing new under the sun, but it's definitely better than the countless attempts so far in the near past.
There's only one minus, and that's how maximalist it all sounds. It doesn't breath, but paces and smacks you around at every step. It's not a bad thing, but it narrows the moments in my daily life when I can sit and enjoy this one.
But I still love it with each listen. A big surprise in this day and age for me to find such a simple hip hop album with such a big punch to it.
Rated 6/10
It starts well enough with Mother Nature, then drifts into background noise and comes back with Nothing Changes, only to dip again.
It's a well articulated statement, but it's nothing above the mean. These guys know how to craft good songs, but it's really lacking the catchiness of their previous efforts
Rated 8/10
Tied first with Paranoid for the best metal album for me. Metallica crushed the game with this album that mixes genius with sheer power. The first four tracks are timeless, with riffs and solos that are instantly recognizable and an atmosphere that's unparalleled, like on Fade to Black, or the monstrous For Whom The Bell Tolls.
Side B is a bit meeker in comparison. Not to say that the songs are bad, but there's probably nothing that compares to the onslaught of the first four songs, other than the side A of Paranoid. These songs are more of a demonstration of Metallica's ability to flirt with mainstream ideas for a composition, and safer leaning towards familiar territory with an instrumental track like Call of Ktulu, which I'm not a fan of, but can't hate on because it's a well written and played track.
A really potent album, and a thrash peak, Ride The Lightning is a dark and terrifyingly electric performance art piece from start to finish that I wholeheartedly recommend.
Rated 5/10
Bosnian diaspora starter pack
On an entirely "album, front to back" basis, Dino Merlin never exceeded the beauty of "Teško meni sa tobom, a još teže bez tebe". Though entirely confined in the pop-rock template, it entwines itself between the pillars of poetic lyrics with authentic Bosnian slang and the melodies of traditional Balkan folk music to create an album well deserving of a spot on those best albums of ex-Yugoslavia lists. From radio hits such as the title track, Nek' padaju ćuskije, and Cijela Juga Jedna Avlija, sadder ballads employing some cheese that gets drowned out by the atmospheric beauty that evokes the imagery of wintertime Sarajevan alleys like Uspavanka za Gorana B, Sibirska, and Lažu me, it never fails to meet expectations, on whatever listen I'm at. Big props to Dino for creating an album that's good for any occasion.
Rated 7/10
Despite my distaste for the man and for around 90% of the things he "created" during his career (big emphasis on the quotes), I can't help but say this is the catchiest and most easy listening he's been in his career. Other than e Plači, Mati, the entire album is a very pure breed of 80s pop and probably one of the most listenable balkan pop-folk albums around.
Svuda (Bosnom) Behar Probeharao, Kad Zamirišu Jorgovani and Jel' Sarajevo Gdje Je Nekad Bilo are where the curtains fell and when Dino Merlin realized he too could capitalize on the situation in Yugoslavia. He still is capitalizing to this day, but even I can't deny these songs are catchy as fuck and make the blood run, especially after the recent World Cup qualification and the euphoria that ensued.
Also the cover is great, maybe my favorite out of all 5 of the Merlin albums. (Yes, even better than the iconic Partisan Girl and the Coke v. Pepsi)
Rated 6/10
Orpheus Listening Challenge 2023: #32 A ska album (9th album)
Funny little release. Goes in one ear, and out the other, but who cares! It's not supposed to be profound, it's supposed to be fun. Particularly enjoyed the occasional guitar solo here and there in between the usual ska melodies, and the humorous apocalyptic and satanic imagery is a plus that differentiates it from the usual ska album.
And I mean look at the cover, man. Satanic Chicken rules!
Rated 7/10
Has one of my favorite songs of all time, Overkill, but sadly also has a bit of filler in it.
It's definitely not on the level of Business as Usual, sadly, but you could make the argument that songs like No Sign Of Yesterday, It's a Mistake, and Blue For You triumph over the back side songs of Business as Usual. Then again, Settle Down My Boy can also be argued to be even more gimmicky than Be Good Johnny.
Overall, it's a worthy listen. Much like the cover, there's a lot to unpack, but it's a joy every listen!
Rated 8/10
Men at Work were one of those bands that just came in my life at the perfect time, which is why ten years ago I probably would've given this 5 stars, honestly.
And it still holds up amazingly well. The singles are great, and I'm glad that they occasionally pop up in the mainstream, either through memes, samples or collabs, and the backside of the album has some real fun moments like I Can See It In Your Eyes, Underground, Down by The Sea and Touching the Untouchables. Really the entire album is good new wave with some reggae influences. Except maybe Be Good Johnny. I find it a bit gimmicky, but still listenable.
Rated 6/10
An album clearly inspired by the likes of,, mixed with Nico-esque vocals with a tinge of martial sound akin to some works. Overall an enjoyable album that rewards additional listens to fully soak in the different influences hidden underneath the drone base. Stellar work all in all, coming from a guy who doesn't go all that deep into metal (though I wish I did)
The top songs here are One Too Many, The Die Is Cast, and The Bosom of The Earth, but the entire album deserves your full attention
Rated 4/10
Listening to this album makes me shiver out of fear of being 40 years old without nothing to show for, living alone and listening to this and unironically liking it. Sad, but I know more than a few people like this.
Guess you could draw a few parallels between those two things: they both like doing the same things over and over again, even if it really doesn't work. But hey, at least they're happy doing it (I hope so).
Stay in school kids
Rated 8/10
Cosmic cowpunk that sounds like a feral coyote stranded in a desert slowly losing its mind with moments of lucidity in between. It largely gets shadowed by Kurt Cobain covering their songs, but unlike some other bands Nirvana covered, this album actually can stand on its own.
Meat Puppets II is a haphazard collection of songs that sacrifices musicality for camaraderie, and it succeeds. It's very sloppy with a psychedelic reverb to it with the classic punk attitude intertwined between. Curt Kirkwood's guitars and lazy vocal delivery created a blueprint alongside R.E.M and Dinosaur Jr. for indie band across America and beyond.
The best songs are the ones covered by Nirvana at their unplugged session. That can be interpreted either as The Meat Puppets being good, or Kurt having great tastes. You be the judge.
Rated 7/10
My father isn't a person who likes to talk about music a lot, which may be a product of our dismissive avoidant personalities, but hearing him say something nice about an artist (or person in general) boosts my thoughts on that person or album.
Bat Out Of Hell is not anything special or out of the ordinary, but it does the simple things well. It's theatrical and fun, and really accessible.
Rated 2/10
I hate A Crow Looked At Me, but c'mon, at least try to make it a good parody lmfao
Rated 6/10
Orpheus Listening Challenge 2025: #30 An album with a truck featured prominently in its cover art (48th Album)
Well, curse you Tim McGraw. This isn't even that bad. It's pop country of the 90s flavor executed well, nothing more, nothing less.
When She Wakes Up (And Finds Me Gone) is such a fever dream tho. It's a standard sad cowpoke ballad about leaving your woman and then suddenly a huge minute-long solo at the end after a few seconds of silence comes in. Then the last song is a happy-go-lucky song about being a hard working man. The whole album is like that, a rollercoaster of human emotion only achievable by the great Timmy McGraw. Keep on yee-hawing!
Rated 8/10
This was the last album I bought from a guy selling a collection of records from a radio station. It was between it and House Of The Holy, and I'm glad I choose this one.
It’s weird, and warm, and kind of all over the place in the best way possible. Some of it is playful and silly (Monkberry Moon Delight is full-on nonsense with Screaming Jay Hawkins-esque vocals), but a lot of it is just honest. And that makes it feel really human.
What I love most is that it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to prove anything. It’s not trying to be some grand Beatles follow-up. But instead, it's one of those albums where the charm is in the effortless ability to create a mellow soundscape without trying.
It’s the kind of record that grows on you. You might not get it right away, but one afternoon, it’ll suddenly hit you.
Rated 8/10
One of those albums where the soundtrack is more popular than the movie itself. Some real great funky songs that's centered around the eternal Pusherman.
The entire album puts me in a zone. Absolutely lovable stuff with a cinematic edge to it. Will I watch the movie? Probably not.
Rated 7/10
Tango is the 7th studio album from Italian band Matia Bazar. At this point in their career, I'd call them veterans, with a lot of experience that was put in this album, evident in a plethora of songs. I'd call it electro-dance-pop, because of it's cute, infectious energy and futuristic vibes. Recommended for people who love Kate Bush and would like to hear her influenced by Italian culture of the 80s.
Rated 7/10
This one surprised me. Coming in here, I thought this one would be a slight detour from Blue Lines, and also act as some kind of prelude into Mezzanine, but honestly, after listening to it, it at points it might be better than both.
The sound is lighter, and more pop oriented, with good vocal work on most track. The trippy hip hop instrumentals are on par with some of their best work, and their style is more refined into a well oiled hit-making machine. The only gripe I have is the closing cover of Light My Fire, which should have never seen the light of day in any circumstance.
