Reviews by forestfly2009

I had never heard of Elastica before today. I would compare them to the girl alternative rock/punk groups such as Garbage or Paramore. Not a bad sound, but nothing really set them apart from the loads of other bands just like them from that era. Was a good listen, but not something I would throw in heavy rotation to listen to again.

Favourite songs: Stutter, Annie, Never Here, Blue, S.O.F.T.,

Least favourite songs : 2:1, Car Song, Indian Song, Line Up,

3/5

Hawkwind reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd, Rush, and The Doors. They are definately in the psychedelic rock genre. I've never listened to any of their stuff before this exercise, but heard about them, and how "out there" their music was. You can definately tell that the "space race" of the 60s-70s had a major influence on their song style.
The use of synthesizers, theramins, trumpets, heavy bass grooves, lasers... (basically whatever they could get their hands on) gave the music a very futuristic feel, and was very exploratory in nature. Something I noted, given this is a live album, you barely hear the crowd at all throughout the duration of the album. The end of "Welcome to the Future" is the only time they are heard to any degree. I think the music and copious amounts of hallucinogens lulled them into a trance for the duration of the concert, lol. I didn't hate this album, like I thought I would. There was definately some experimentation going on, and the long drawn out solos sometimes are hard to keep focus on, but there were a few songs that weren't bad on the album.

Favourite songs: Time We Left This World Today, Upside Down, Orgone Accumulator

Least favourite songs: The Awakening, The Black Corridor, 10 Seconds of Forever, Sonic Attack, Welcome to the Future (these songs are just noises and talking), Electronic No. 1 (just God awful theramin noises), You Shouldn't Do That (almost 11 minute drawn out, acid induced solo)

2/5

This is a phenomenal album! I remember the first Lenny Kravitz song I ever heard (American Woman, off of Big Shiny Tunes 4). I thought it was a fantastic song, and really liked his style, but never really delved into his back catalog at all. I found myself enjoying that same sound on this album (rock mixed with strong funk/jazz/blues vibes). This album touches on topics such as peace & love, racism, and religion. The piano breakdown in My Precious Love was fantastic!!

Favourite songs : Let Love Rule, Rosemary, Blues For Sister Someone, I Build This Garden for Us, Flower Child

Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Mr. Cab Driver, Freedom Train, Sitting on Top of the World

5/5

Billie Holiday has such a recognizable voice. It is so raspy, smokey, and beautiful. She is one of the greatest female crooners. Ray Ellis' orchestra is beautiful. The music is low, with Billie's voice overtop, but every now and again, waves of strings and flutes wash over you, and then amazing trumpet solos blow the roof off the place. This album features songs that are about love and heartbreak. I am not a huge fan of jazz, but can absolutely appreciate it all the same.

Favourite songs: I'm a Fool to Want You, The End of a Love Affair, But Beautiful, For Heaven's Sake

Least favourite songs: Violets for Your Furs, You've Changed, I Get Along Without You Very Well

3/5

I never thought I knew Primal Scream until I heard the song Movin' On Up, which I was familiar with. I am having a hard time figuring out what genre of music they should be catagorized in, because their music is such a mash up of different styles. Certainly the common denominator in all their songs is an electronic/pop/house music style which is heavy with sampling and beat loops. Their songs are also interlaced with rock/psychedelic/gospel/jazz/funk... and the list goes on. Some of this experimentation and mixing doesn't hit for me (space type beeps and bops/irritating synth notes etc.), however there are a few beautiful songs on this album. I found that a few songs went on in an infinite loop for too long and I lost focus. This is the kind of album that would be great playing in the background at a house party, or when you are high as a kite.

Favourite songs: Movin' On Up, Come Together (instills feelings of hope and unity in me when I listen to it), Loaded, Damaged

Least favourite songs: "Don't Fight It, Feel It", Inner Flight, Higher Than the Sun, Shine Like Stars

Additional note: the version of the album I listened to on Spotify contained a few bonus tracks: Stone My Soul, Carry Me Home, and Screamadelica. These additional tracks were not bad, all of which had a slower, more intimate feel to them.

2/5

I didn't think I knew the band Madness until I heard the song Our House. There is some serious experimentation and mashups of instruments throughout, including a constant baseline of ska, with piano/synth/horn overtones, and constant tempo changes. Overall, not a terrible listen.

Favourite songs: Our House, Sunday Morning, Mr. Speaker (Gets The Word), Tomorrow's (Just Another Day), Blue Skinned Beast, Madness (Is All In The Mind)

Least favourite songs: New Delhi (used sitar music to set the scene of India, but it just ended up being annoying), That Face

3/5

I had heard of the Byrds before, but never delved into their catalog much. There was definately quite a bit of musical experimentation throughout this album. Some things worked better than others. Space Odyssey (sounds like they used a kettle whistle as a sound byte throughout, which became annoying after a while)

Moog Raga (just an instrumental experimentation with the Moog modular synthesizer, which was awful. Sounded like someone murdering cats)

Even though there was a lot of stuff that was "out there" on this album, there were a few good tracks.

Favourite songs: Wasn't Born To Follow, Goin' Back, Draft Morning (an example of where experimentation worked. The song starts out slow and soft, lyrics about slow, sunny mornings... All of a sudden the protagonist of the song gets drafted.... A musical bridge which gets heavier with sounds of war... Followed by the heavier, darker lyrics on the second half of the song... It was interesting and unexpected), Old John Robertson

Least favourite songs: Moog Raga, Space Odyssey, Tribal Gathering

Overall, a few good songs, but too much experimentation with random sounds, and nothing of note really stuck out for me.

2/5

Before this album, I had heard of Coldplay, and was familiar with their hits (of which, it turned out, there were 3 of on this album). I wasn't familiar with any of their other stuff, so I was happy to get to listen to a whole album so I could get a better feel for the band as a whole. Coldplay's hits grace the playlists of soft rock/pop rock lovers worldwide, and Chris Martin has a very unique voice, and delivery. I was hoping to find a new song of theirs that I hadn't heard but really enjoyed, and I found a few on this album (A Rush of Blood to the Head, Green Eyes). I also find that the addition of piano throughout their music catalog is beautiful, and adds to the emotional feel of most of their songs.

Favourite songs: The Scientist, Clocks, In My Place, A Rush of Blood to the Head, Green Eyes

Least favourite songs : Politik, Amsterdam, A Whisper

Overall, I'm glad I listened to this album. Not something I would gravitate to over and over, but excellent nonetheless

3/5

Alice Cooper is the king of shock rock!! It is very evident by some of the topics touched on in this album. Some examples include:
Unfinished Sweet - a song about dental surgery. Alice uses dental drill sounds and screaming/moaning noises to really drive home the cringe factor!
Sick Things - his delivery in this song is so creepy, which is the point!
I Love The Dead - a song about necrophelia, which in and of itself is shocking! The fact that it is almost a love ballad/porno groove adds to the shock factor.

Another surprising song was Mary Ann, when it is just him and a piano.

Overall a great album! Alice Cooper was a revolutionary artist, and paved the way for the likes of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.

Favourite songs: No More Mr. Nice Guy, Elected, Billion Dollar Babies

Least favourite song: Sick Things

4/5

Before this, the only song I ever knew by Lauryn Hill was Doo Wop (That Thing). Listening to her music, there is strong influence from genres such as R&B, Reggae, and Rap. The late 90s/early 00s hip hop beats are a great throwback. In Lauryn's high notes, I can hear Mariah Carey, and in her song structure/delivery I can hear Missy Elliot. Hip Hop/R&B isn't necessarily my favourite, however, I can definately understand and appreciate why this was such an influential album to so many.

Favourite songs: Everything is Everything, Doo Wop (That Thing), "Every Ghetto, Every City", To Zion, Forgive Them Father

Least favourite songs: When it Hurts So Bad, Nothing Even Matters, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

3/5

I just recently listened to a "The Ongoing History of New Music" podcast episode about The History of Alt Rock. In the episode, Alan Cross talks about the influence of the New York Dolls had on punk and glam rock.
This can absolutely be heard when listening to this album. The fast guitar and drums, the gravelly tone of the singer's voice... The New York Dolls were definately ahead of their time, which is a shame, because they didn't get the fame they deserve until later on, but their music is teriffic!

Favourite songs: Personality Crisis, Trash, Subway Train, Pills

Least favourite song: Lonely Planet Boy

4/5

This is the first album I've recieved that I have listened to many times before. That didn't stop me from listening to it again! I love The Eagles, and this album is a gem! Glenn Frey & Don Henley's vocals are amazing, and the harmonies reached by the band are wonderful! The addition of Joe Walsh on guitar was awesome, and his solos throughout this album are terrific! The addition of strings in Wasted Time brings that slow ballad to a whole new level!

Favourite songs : Life in the Fast Lane (awesome, rocking song), Hotel California, Victim of Love, Try and Love Again

Least favourite song: if forced to choose, Wasted Time

5/5

This is a fantastic album of country/bluegrass/Appalachian music. The harmonies reached by the brothers, and their tenor voices are beautiful. The mandolin playing, especially in the song Let Her Go, God Bless Her, by Ira Louvin is awesome.

This album, as referenced by the title "Tragic Songs of Life" is full of songs about heartache and loss (as is usually the case with country music). The songwriting is beautiful, and each song artfully tells a story.

Notable songs include:

Tiny Broken Heart is a touching song about heartbreak;
The whooping in the song In The Pines is awesome;
The lyrics to Alabama paint a beautiful picture of the state;
Katie Dear is a very dark song about forbidden love;
My Brother's Will is a very sad and beautiful song about the loss of a sibling;
Knoxville Girl was a shockingly morbid song about murder;
Take the News to Mother is a sad song about war and loss;
Mary of the Wild Moor is a sad song about death and loss.

The last four songs were full of messages about God and religion, and were beautiful in their own right.

Notable songs from this section of the album include:

Lord, I'm Coming Home has a haunting, echoy chorus which drives home the message of spiritual awakening;
Thankful is a beautiful hymn about being thankful for the blessings given by God every day.

Favourite songs: "Let Her Go, God Bless Her", "In The Pines", "Alabama", "My Brother's Will", "Knoxville Girl"

Least favourite song : I'll Be All Smiles Tonight

Overall, I really enjoyed this album!

4/5

Before this exercise, I knew of Buffalo Springfield, but was only familiar with their most famous song, For What It's Worth, so I was happy to familiarize myself with more of their music catalog. This album begins with a great rocking song, Mr. Soul. Neil Young's voice is so recognizable. The second song has a slower funky/country feel to it, and Richie Furay's voice is phenomenal. The next two songs were duds for me, slow, melancholic, with moaning lyrics. Bluebird was a terrific song sung by Stephen Stills with a terrific banjo solo at the end of the song. I enjoyed the rock/funk sensibilities that went into Hung Upside Down, and Furay kills his part of the lyrics. Sad Memory is another slow, depressing song. Good Time Boy is a bluesy/funky song that I really liked. The addition of the brass instruments and the brass solo towards the end of the song was awesome. Rock and Roll Woman has an almost psychadelic rock feel to it with the synth solos throughout. Broken Arrow, the final song on the album, was a strange one that I couldn't really get into. The constant tempo changes and musical breaks for random sound bytes just took from the overall flow of the song. Overall it was a great album. It is too bad they broke up so soon, because I feel they could have made some awesome music.

Favourite songs : Mr. Soul, A Child's Claim to Fame, Hung Upside Down, Bluebird

Least favourite songs : Everydays - Live, Expecting To Fly, Sad Memory

3/5

This was a great album, full of sounds of jazz/blues/funk/country throughout. I enjoyed the guitar and synth solos. Could be classed dad rock or elevator rock, but a very good listen for sure! Lots of musical experimentation throughout.

Favourite songs: Bodhisattva, Boston Rag, Your Gold Teeth (awesome synth solo in this one), Show Biz Kids

Least favourite songs: Razor Boy, Pearl of the Quarter (a lot of steel guitar work in this one, has a strong country vibe to it), My Old School

3/5

The front half of this album was more upbeat, and the back half was more somber and melancholic. At times the delivery of the vocals almost felt forced in that the singers were putting no flair on singing at all, almost as if bored. I did, however, enjoy the harmonies of the male and female vocals. The music delivery was uneventful, with simple guitar riffs and drum beats, typical of new age pop music.

Favourite songs: Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Intro (an upbeat instrumental number), Chrystalised, VCR

An interesting note about the song Fantasy: It begins as a relatively slow and boring song, but around the 1:30 mark, the bass kicks in in a big way (it would be a great subwoofer tester at that point)

Least favourite songs: Night Time, Stars, Shelter

3/5

For me, this was another surprisingly fantastic album, and one that I never in 1 million years would have stumbled upon on my own. Usually, given my ADHD, long, drawn out instrumental pieces are hard for me to listen to, however Mike manages to keep your interest through the addition of instruments or background vocal stylings throughout the whole album. Since the songs are so long, I have broken them down individually to highlight the moments that moved me.

For Tubular Bells Part 1, the first roughly 5 minutes is the Exorcist theme song, so it has a dark and eerie feel to it, then Spanish guitar is added in, followed by electric guitar to pull us out of the darkness. At the 13 minute mark, there is another drastic tempo change, accompanied by background choir humming and piano which builds into another rocking guitar solo. Around the 20 minute mark there is a funky bass groove playing on loop, almost lulling you into a trance, then an announcer starts naming instruments, and they get added in layers over the bass grove until the 23 minute mark, when you have a huge symphony of sound to finish the song.

For Tubular Bell's Part 2, the first huge transition happens at around the 8 minute mark, when the song begins to picks up with backing vocal harmonies.
A huge shock at the 12 minute mark, when gutteral, almost agitated groans accompany a rocking drum beat and guitar solo. At the roughly 21 minute mark, the final breakdown starts with a nautical sounding guitar riff with constantly increasing tempo.

Favourite song: I enjoyed Tubular Bells Part 1 a bit more than Part 2, however both were very good.

The version of the album Spotify brought up for me to listen to had 2 other tracks, which were isolated excerpts from the larger 2 songs on the album. Sailor's Hornpipe had Viv Stanshall humorously talking about an old house while the final nautical breakdown from Tubular Bells Part 2 plays in the background, sounding like a maritime house party. The other additional song is called Mike Oldfield's Theme, which has an almost LOTR/Middle Earth vibe to it.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It isn't something that I would sit and listen to on repeat, but it was absolutely worth a listen, and I'm glad I did.

4/5

I had never heard of Sparks until today, so I didn't know what to expect going into this listening session, however I was pleasantly surprised. The singer has a very uniquely high singing voice which reminds me of the band The Darkness, and their music has a similar sound to Supertramp or Talking Heads. I really enjoyed the music, but found the lyrics got buried sometimes below layers of guitar and crash drums.

Favourite songs : Hasta Manana Monsieur, Talent is an Asset, Here in Heaven

Least favourite songs : Equator, Complaints

3/5

This album was a great listen! Amy had a beautiful voice, and was gone too soon!! A beautiful artist, with the ability to meld jazz with pop in a cohesive manner. The lyrics to the song Help Yourself ring true sadly: "I Can't Help You If You Won't Help Yourself".

Favourite songs: Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke), Amy Amy Amy, Help Yourself, October Song, Fuck Me Pumps, You Sent Me Flying/Cherry

Least favourite songs: Know You Now, I Heard Love Is Blind

4/5

This album was definately not my cup of tea.

Favourite songs: Countess' Caper (fantastic trumpet work in this song, more like mariachi music than bollywood music), One Two Cha Cha Cha, Baby Let's Dance Together, Hum Bewafa Hargiz Na They (Happy)

Least favourite songs: Title Music (awful wailing/moaning track played intermittantly throughout song) Naag Devta (more awful moaning), Aaina Wohi Rehta Hai

1/5