Reviews by ella_ayates

Something about this album just makes me feel incredibly anxious the whole time it's playing. He just whines at exactly the right frequency to make me feel like something awful might happen.
Favourite song: Knives Out
Least: Pulk/Pull Revolving Door

I continue to hate long unstructured improvisational jazz pieces. And beyond the length and messiness the music itself is annoying. This is the kind of album that makes me dread getting any jazz album.
Love the name though.
Favourite song: Spanish Key
Least: Pharaoh's Dance

White Rabbit is such an incredible song. The rest of the album is fine.
Favourite song: White Rabbit
Least: Embryonic Journey

I listened to it twice and it did grow on me on the second time- but it grew from hatred to mild dislike. I can see little hints of why people love it but god it's a rough listen.
Favourite song: Stonemilker
Least: Quicksand

Cannot explain the dread I felt listening to the A side (and not loving it) having read that the B side was "bleepy-bloopy" and Kraftwerk inspired. But it was so so different from what I expected and much better, I thought Sense of Doubt was especially gorgeous.
I'm glad to have heard the album, and blown away by how much wasn't prewritten before recording, but I don't think I'll ever come back to any of the non "Heroes" songs.
Favourite song: "Heroes"
Least: Neuköln

The way some of the reviews went on about it I thought I’m In Love With My Car would be the worst song I’d ever heard but it was pretty fun! And as someone who knows nothing about (and doesn’t care about) cars it’s exactly how car people sound when they talk about their cars.
Favourite song: Bohemian Rhapsody (or ‘39)
Least: The Prophet’s Song

Perfect album for having a nap on the train. Can see why it might be boring if you’re trying to do something else (but I wasn’t)
Favourite song: Basic Space
Least: Heart Skipped A Beat

There are some real fun songs and some great samples and sound effects, but I think lyrically and musically we’ve had better rap albums. I’m really just not a fan of his voice.
Also all the iron man references and then skits like Heart Street Directions make parts of the album come off very childish to me.
Favourite song: Dogs of War
Least: Jellyfish

Obsessed with the way Fela Kuti says "Ginger Bakerrr". Such great energy and reading about Fela Kuti made it all even more interesting. I genuinely believe this is an album people should hear before they die.
Favourite song: Egbe Mi O (Carry Me)
Least: Ginger Baker and Tony Allen Drum Solo

An album full of paranoia about being killed by someone who would be murdered the year after it was released. As a concept it's fascinating.
But there's quite a few cringey moments and it goes on too long so overall I was very underwhelmed.
Honestly, I'd probably have given it 2 or 3 stars, there were a few songs I really enjoyed, but listening to this album meant I had to hear a man who was convicted of sexual assault (and was in prison for it when the album was released) say "if you tell me you don't want it, that's a lie". Disgusting, I'm team world.
Favourite song: Old School (or Death Around The Corner)
Least: Temptations

Some songs in the middle that merge into indistinguishable artic monkeys noise. But still a good album- some great songs that I've heard many times and some I hadn't heard but really liked (like From The Ritz To The Rubble and Fake Tales Of San Francisco).
Favourite song: When The Sun Goes Down
Least: Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured

Started this album a few times and kept losing momentum but when I finally committed to listening to it I really really enjoyed it! Think it might be one of those albums you have to be in the right mood to listen to but it when in that mood it's so much fun! will have to listen to it again!
Favourite song: SWLABR (really liked Outside Woman Blues too)
Least: Mother's Lament (such an odd choice...)

There's a bit of Nick Drake to it which I really like, but he's not quite reached Nick Drake quality levels. Got a bit fed up with the moppiness by the end, give us a smile Beck, cheer up pal.
Favourite song: Guess I'm Doing Fine
Least: End Of The Day

Feel a bit like I've got cornered by a man complaining about his divorce without a single thought of what he also did wrong, uncomfortable.
Favourite song: Anger
Least: I Met A Little Girl

I found the first couple songs boring and was dreading a full album of it. But when she starts to really go for it she's so so good! What a voice!
Also the guy who originally composed the song Shadowland is called Dick Hyman...
Favourite song: (Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor
Least: Western Stars

I don't hate his voice but I do think it started to grate on me a little by the end of the album. That being said it's rare I like a ten minute song as much as I liked Marquee Moon, found the guitar especially satisfying. Kind of mindblowing that it's from the 70s.
Favourite song: Marquee Moon
Least: Friction

I'm exactly the target audience for this album and I've been targeted well. I mean it's literally an album about being an overdramatic Ella in your early 20s/late teens.
I love Writer In The Dark but I always think about the videos of her shushing the audience at her concerts so she can sing it without them.
Favourite song: Liability (or Supercut, mood dependent)
Least: Hard Feelings/Loveless

Vocally underwhelming. Think there's something beautiful about all the remaining members of Joy Division continuing to make music together after Ian Curtis died but choosing not to keep using the Joy Division name. But musically I'm not a big fan.
Favourite song: Sooner Than You Think
Least: The Perfect Kiss

I really enjoyed the lyricism and the variety. Think I'd have liked it slightly more if it was sung by a different vocalist...
Favourite song: Freedom at 21
Least: Love Interruption

Nostalgic, gorgeous and a little heartbreaking.
Favourite song: Reelin' In The Years (but Dirty Work is a very very close second)
Least: Fire In The Hole