Reviews by funny_character

Honestly, I like this substantially more than Brothers In Arms. I think the songs here are generally better, and that Dire Straits have a more interesting aesthetic. The guitars here are bright and nimble, and make me better understand the appeal of Mark Knopfler as a player. It feels like some of this brightness almost sounds lifted from funk too. And this feeling gives this a much better feel than Brothers In Arms. Where Brothers In Arms felt like a classic rock slog, Dire Straits finally makes me understand the term "Yacht Rock". Like yeah, if I was on a boat on a beautiful, hot day, wherein I'm cooled by the breeze rushing past me, this would probably, for a fleeting moment, be the best album ever. Down To The Waterline is a great song that exemplifies this album's tactful, bright, and precise sound. Sultans of Swing may be my favorite Dire Straits song though, it's just a fantastic song. But honestly, most of this album is good. I also really like Setting Me Up, In The Gallery, Wild West End, and Lions. Although, I will say that Dire Straits have the misfortune of operating chiefly in a genre I don't really like, *and the remaining songs largely don't do it for me that much. So I am capping this at a 3. but it's honestly a good listen.

This feels more like a history lesson than a recommendation to me. I get that a lot of talent came out of this band, and that this album helped springboard Eric Clapton, and that this was some of the first English Blues Rock, but it isn't a genre I really love, and in hindsight, I don't think this is a particularly special execution of it. But, I do think it's ultimately fine. Decent songs, and decent performances do go a long way, but it doesn't get this into the list of albums I really enjoy, or see myself going back to. It's fine.

This is really interesting. It's basically 2-tone ska plus a little bit of everything behind the bar. Just off the top of my head, there's some rock & roll, Latin Music, lounge music, chiptunes and more. Sometimes the mix ends up sounding weirdly similar to the quirkier nooks of late '90s alt rock. I really like Enjoy Yourself and Man At C&A, then I think there's sort of a lull in the tracklist. But fortunately, from Sock It To 'em J.B. to the end, The Specials have their best songs. Sock It To 'em J.B. is a blast. Stereotype has a really cool atmosphere, it's like psychedelic reggae, and it's got an incredibly catchy core. I can't Stand It is a really inspired arrangement, and a great chorus. And International Jet Set is a slightly spooky song about the absurdity of air travel, and ut's really good. These songs all sound really ahead of their time, fun, catchy, and kind of weird. And they contain the core of what's so special about The Specials. I was kind of surprised by this album. This is lots of fun, and it has a lot more depth and experimentation than you may think. I'd say it's worth a front to back listen.

Ive never really checked out Supertramp, they never seemed all that interesting to me, and I admittedly wasn't that excited about listening to this, but Crime Of The Century was a lot better than I expected. This feels like it has a combination of well-written pop, funk, glam, and a tasteful smattering of prog that feels like it almost gels into disco sometimes. Yet it's also grounded in good rock fundamentals and willing to play in uncharted territory like the best of prog. The lengthy songs are dynamic and well paced, the arrangements are enjoyable, and the full package still has some immediacy. School is one of the songs where the disparate parts of this album feel like they are most well balanced. Asylum and Rudy are dense rock epics. Bloody Well Right and Hide In Your Shell hit like great pop songs. Dreamer and If Everyone Was Listening are some very welcome tender moments. And Crime Of The Century is an austere, epic end of the project. I will say that matter of taste does keep me from going 5 here. And I will also say that I dont think these songs are all equally interesting. But think they are all well presented. And I think the best ones are *real* stand outs. Rudy, School, Asylum and Crime Of The Century are particularly compelling. This was a pleasant surprise, and a surprisingly great album.

I dunno man, this is kind of alright, but it also kind of sucks, a little bit. Rod Stewart's vocals are kind of neat, and the playing is good. But, at the end of the day, the 4 originals here are largely whatever. And the remaining 5 covers are also whatever. There's nothing about Stewart's songs that would make me take them over other blues rock bands of the time. And he also doesn't really bring anything special to the covers. I think you can kind of get away with this sort of thing if you are a really skilled, unique interpreter with a strong vision, but I just don't think Rod Stewart is. It also doesn't feel like the rock songs here rock hard enough. I will say that his approach to ballads does occasionally sort of work though, his raspy voice and straightforward presentation does put the songs at the forefront. And, he *did* choose a good selection of songs to cover, even if I don't think his interpretations are that special. I think there are enough little bits and pieces here to save this from the one out of five, but just barely. Rod Stewart is on thin ice.

As immaculate as it is exhausting, Bitches Brew is, in my (not unpopular) opinion, Miles Davis' magnum opus. It is a feat of improvisation, it is a showcase of emerging recording and editing technology, and it only works because it was assembled with an incredibly discerning curatorial ear. Jazz is dragged into utterly new territory here; our instrumental palette here consists of trumpet, sax, electric guitar, electric piano, bass clarinet, as many as two simultaneous drumsets, as many as two simultaneous bass guitars, and much more. The songs are edited together in a way that was kind of unprecedented (I'd advise you just look into the process instead of counting on me to describe it). And the rock influence on the compositions was trailblazing. Bitches Brew consists largely of lengthy, dense compositions upon which psychedelic, organic, funky, and often beautiful sounds abound. The pacing and assembly and composition of these songs is remarkable. This has a unique mix of tuneful and abstract that makes Bitches Brew incredibly easy to listen to passively, and *incredibly* hard to really digest. While rock influence comes through on a moment to moment basis, the free-flowing, organic nature of these songs is something that I think only jazz could have properly conveyed. I've listened to this a few times, and I still feel like I'm only at the tip of the iceberg. I think the most accessible songs here like Sanctuary, Spanish Key and Miles Runs The Voodoo Down can be enjoyed by those who are not true believers, and they convey a lot of what is so incredible about this. But also, this album would *absolutely* not be the same if not for the ultra-epics here. We kick off with Pharaoh's Dance, and it's immediately clear during the song's 20 minutes that this album exists on it's own terms. And the 27 minute long title track doubles down *hard*. And while I do think the fact that this album is exhausting is kind of important to it's identity, leading with the two longest songs does at least make you feel like you can easily tackle anything else it throws at you. Anyways, while this is probably not my favorite ever jazz album, it *is* kind of a perfect jazz album to me, and I am giving it a 5.

I kind of forget how cool The Who were at their best honestly, but this really rocks hard. Full disclosure, I listened to the edited, original version of this. While I am glad the unedited concert is available for archival reasons. As a listening experience, the original experience of Live At Leeds is super lean and complements the energy of the performances here. And The Who really sound like they're bursting at the seams on this recording. Keith Moon is really the foundation here: he sounds as sloppy as he does tight, and it sets the pace for the rest of the band, giving a couple of moments here something like a proto-punk feeling. Side A blasts through Young Man Blues, Substitute, Summertime Blues, and Shakin' All Over in a blistering 15 minutes. But the centerpiece here is really the My Generation Medley. Over the course of 15 minutes, The Who dynamically leap from fragment to fragment, capturing everything that rocks about The Who. It's just an onslaught of material that is expertly paced and consistently exciting. And I think stuff like this also captures what is unique about live albums as a whole. The My Generation Medley here could have really only existed live. After this, we wrap up with a chugging, 8 minute long rendition of Magic Bus. It wraps this up perfectly, and really shows how much fun they seemed to be having here. I should probably give this a few more listens, because I could honestly see it growing on me. But, for now, this is still a particularly great live album, and a real showcase of The Who at their most exciting.

This was pretty good, but I certainly have a couple complaints. Firstly, the elephant in the room is that outside of that Velvet Underground record, I dont listen to a lot of Nico, and frankly a lot of it is because she was *extremely* racist, especially since I have no shortage of artists who can fill the weird chilly singer-songwriter shaped hole in my heart in her stead. Anyways, with that out of the way, the music is pretty solid here. This is a singer songwriter record with a sparse palette and kind of an artschool beatnik vibe. The Velvet Underground's debut is honestly not a bad point of comparison, especially in it's less rock centered moments. I also generally like Nico's performances here. She has a cold, droning voice that reads as eerie and confrontational, which tracks, given everything I know about the woman. The quiet acoustic guitars and flutes and cellos here give the album a slight neo-classical slant as well. I will say that while the aesthetic is cool and probably Chelsea Girl's defining attribute. It's also not an anesthetic that carries it; going sparse and drone-y and weirdly in a context like this only flies if the songs are good, and many are. These Days is pretty and wistful, as is Winter Song. It Was A Pleasure Then has some really cool noise stuff going on. And Eulogy To Lenny Bruce is one of the starkest, most vulnerable moments here. What remains is largely decent, but some of it loses a little definition in it's sparseness. And I'll also say that there are a couple of moments here that would have benefited from a slightly more tuneful style of singing. But overall, this is a neat album with some real stand outs. As I alluded to, I dont really see myself coming back here much, but I suppose Im probably glad to have heard it.

While Bossa may never quite be the ticket to my heart, I could see how this may be the platonic ideal of the genre. This is smooth, breezy and refreshing. And it's ultimately an enjoyable experience. I don't feel the need to overthrow this one. Getz/Gilberto is well written, well performedand extremely pleasant, and I don't think it needs to be anything else. If you're new to Bossa, give The Girl From Ipanema a listen if you haven't already, its a classic for a reason.

The hits really don't give you the full picture for Queen, huh? What I found here isn't exactly what I was expecting, but while A Night At The Opera is more interesting than a lot of the era's rock, I will say that I'm honestly not sold on all of it. There are approximately two vibes here: one is "goodness that day at the park was lovely", and the other is "The wizards will battle for time untold". There are songs in each vibe that I like and songs in each vibe that I don't. At their best, the park songs get me to let go of my stresses and just float along like it's the most beautiful spring day I've ever seen. And the best wizard songs feel genuinely epic. But at their worst, both feel at least a *little* stupid. It really depends on whether Queen's musical theater approach hits or not. You're My Best Friend is super sweet and airy. Death On Two Legs is epic and foreboding. '39 is beautiful. And the a cappella section on The Prophet's Song is the coolest moment on a song that would otherwise be a bit eye-rolling in it's self-important epic-ness. And, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody is here. Many put this among the greatest songs ever. I personally don't, but it is excellent. On the other hand, everything else here is a mixed bag, queen's whole tone and approach just don't always do it for me. So the result is an album that swings between songs I really like, and songs I really don't like. I would say that it evens out to about a three though. I did ultimately enjoy myself.

This is pretty cool! It's a light and airy sounding combination of dance music, dream pop, and psych. The songs are pretty good, but this feels more like an atmosphere album to me. This is a really pleasant listen, with a cool instrumental palette, good production, and pretty memorable songs. It's not an album I have a ton to say about, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time regardless.

I'm just gonna cut to the chase, this is incredibly beautiful. This may be the best Björk album. It is the first project where she really embraced her later era's experimental sound in a big way. And it's her best executed album in this style. She has a really synthetic sound palette that she uses in a really organic way. It's an album that has both a metallic gleam, and a rubbery stretch. It sounds like a field of alien flowers. This organic streak is so prevalent that the chorus of Undo got interpolated on a Mount Eerie song and I didn't know until I heard it here. Speaking of this refrain. This album's incredible aesthetic is constantly anchored by amazing songwriting and deeply human performances from Björk herself. These songs are abstract, but never formless, there's always something to latch onto. Pagan Poetry is probably the catchiest moment here. It operates more like a pop song than anything else here, albeit on it's own terms. And Björk's vocals are the vehicle by which these hookier moments slip in. She sounds warm, emotive and earnest. And the contrast against the soundscapes is incredibly compelling. I'll leave it here. This album is an incredible realization of the synthetic and the organic, anchored in beautiful songwriting and a super dynamic presentation. Vespertine is incredible.

This is really good, but not quite my goth album of choice. Part of the problem is definitely that the Sisters of Mercy sound became archetypal as the 80's and 90's progressed, so to me, this doesn't sound like it has an extremely strong identity, even though I know that this was pretty groundbreaking. The post-punk basis of earlier goth is slowed down, reverb-ed out, and given a dancier coat of paint. But it kind of sits in a weird place to me: to put it as efficiently as I can, it's not as dark as The Cure's albums from before it, and it isn't as catchy as The Cure's albums from after. But Sisters of Mercy do definitely carve out a path in the genre that I think of as more "goth" than any of the aforementioned The Cure albums. So I can enjoy this as it's own thing. There are a few really strong songs here: like Dominion/Mother Russia, 1959, This Corrosion, and Never Land. But some of the others are devoured by the aesthetic, without giving the songs themselves a chance to shine. I will also say that while the vocals slot really nicely into the sound here: I don't think Andrew Eldritch is really a stand out presence. But regardless of some little complaints, I thought this was really enjoyable, and I'm glad I heard it.

When I was assigned this, I was a little skeptical: pop isn't always my thing, and I'm not particularly fond of the (mainstream) 80's. But Cyndi Lauper *delivers* here. This album has a completely infectious energy and it resists the cheesy balladry of the time, doubling down on an *incredible* fun factor. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is *immortal* it's got the perfect combination of a genuinely good song and immaculate camp that will *always* find an audience. The other singles are also pretty great, and She Bop is a *fantastic* song. But I was really surprised at how good the deeper cuts were here as well. It feels like she really paid attention to the cohesion here. She has enough early new wave influence here to give the album a unified feel. And it feels like the energy and immediacy here take just the *tiniest* touch from the genre's punk roots. It takes some real genius and understanding of the genre to make pop feel this immediate and exciting and fun. It's an album that makes you abandon your most curmudgeon-y tendencies for it's runtime. You just want to enjoy this.

I referred to this band by name in the previous day's review. It is the only time I have done so, so this is kind of startling. Said previous day's review was also of Killing Joke's self-titled, so we are basically just tracking the lineage of industrial rock now. Basically, between the two, this band has always been my preference. I don't think this is the correct Big Black album for the list, but beggars can't be choosers. Basically, Big Black backed off of the 70's rock and post-punk, and then doubled down on just the pure fucking grind of the sound. This band sounds *incredible*. This is one of Steve Albini's (one of the few people ever to *begin* his career as an insufferable curmudgeon and end it as someone who was generally considered responsible and charismatic) earliest bands, and his incredible proclivity for coaxing out jaw-dropping guitar tones was already on full display. This band has two guitars. One of them sounds like a steam locomotive: the other sounds like an explosion in a sheet-metal factory. And this is over-top a rhythm section which is just a relentless low-rumble. And tying it all together is Albini's ranting. Time has made it apparent that his execution may not have been the smartest, or most empathetic path (and Albini had earnestly admitted this by the end of his life). But the lyrics of Big Black were basically an attempt to excavate America's Reagan era sins in as loud, and blatant a way as possible. And he discussed *everything*, no territory too taboo. There are songs here about child abuse, domestic violence, pedophelia, suicide, PTSD, alcoholism, and more, you name it. As I said, there are moments where the flaws in this technique become clear (at least within the context of social commentary). But this band is what it is, and when you strip things back, I think the approach is at least indicative of a band that genuinely cares about things, in their own flawed way. And, it *does* grant this album, a unique, pitch blackness. Atomizer is just about as horrifying, and unapproachable as the day it was unleashed onto the world. But honestly, if it didn't sound like *that*, the lyrics would only do so much. As I alluded to earlier, this band sounds like an exploding steel-mill. Just relentless, industrial noise. At the core are some catchy punk songs, that'll keep you coming back. But if you can't learn to love the racket, you'll probably never find them. I will admit that I do love the racket though. And that this album is pretty special to me. This is basically my cocaine; the momentum and power here are undeniable. This is just fantastic if you're willing to roll around in the filth a little.

What Killing Joke do here is really sick, and I have qualms, but let's talk about the good first. This album has such a great aesthetic. The combination of industrial grinding, and riffs that veer between post-punk and something almost like hard-rock does a lot of good here. The sound is relentless, buzzing, and crudely mechanical. It ends up with an appeal almost like metal in some regards. Which makes sense, it's influenced an awful lot of metal bands. When I said I have qualms, it's weird because I can't pinpoint a lot specifically. Basically, the way it falls out, I love pretty much all of side 2. But there a couple of the songs on side 1 where the formula doesn't gel together in a way that I've really fallen in love with. But this isn't Killing Joke's fault. This is still a pretty fantastic album, and even now sounds unique. With the exception of maybe Big Black, I don't think any other industrial tinged rock band really captures the genuine, distinct darkness of the original industrial movement.

Honky Tonk Heroes is a solid country and western album that strips things back to Waylon Jennings' performances and Billy Joe Shaver's songs. Shaver delivers convincing, thoughtfully assembled tales of modern cowboys. And Jennings plays a perfect modern cowboy in his performances. It really is that simple. I will say that I don't gravitate as strongly to this vein of country as I do to some other artists and interpretations of the genre. But, I *really* like We Had It All. And the rest of what's delivered here makes for an enjoyable, breezy, and well-written 27 minutes.

The last album that Johnny Cash released during his life, American IV: The Man Comes Around is Cash celebrating his life, celebrating Americana, contemplating death, and embracing music he loves. Even though this is technically a covers album, Johnny Cash imbues every song here with the weight and wisdom of his old age and storied life. Each and every song feels like his own. And a lot of these songs are beautiful too: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, I Hung My Head, Danny Boy and many more are gorgeous, elegant compositions in their own right. It's tough to give a 5 here because of how American IV has to contend with being a covers album. But it is a pretty incredible farewell transmission from Johnny Cash regardless.

I'm really not sure about this one. There are a good few established paths for aging punks to take, but without getting too far into it, wise and poetry savvy singer-songwriter is very much one of them. And it's one where mileage varies *a lot*. Nick Cave is someone who I think is a good example of someone who is still making great, beautiful music that's slower, sadder, and more contemplative than his younger years. But Paul Weller kind of gives us the other side of the coin. I don't particularly care about The Jam, but they have a couple of pretty good songs. But now, in 1993, Paul Weller is trying to sell himself as kind of a folksy soulsman. But I do *not* think he pulls it off. This reminds me of late-era Van Morrison and Pearl Jam's rootsiest songs, with a hint of the era's Brit-pop for good measure: And I do not consider that a good thing. I don't really like Paul Weller's vocal approach, or lyrical approach, and I don't think there's much special about these songs. But what I think really dooms this album for me is that 1993 was during a new golden age for earnest, Singer-songwriter-y stuff. It was a time for exciting new artists to expand the genre, and for old favorites to re-invent themselves in exciting ways. But here, Paul Weller's entire sound is too tied to decades old ideas from music he likes for him to indulge in anything genuinely new and exciting. He puts a lot of weight on the fact that he embraces electronic influences here. But honestly, it sounds like he's just keeping it at a comfortable, unchallenging distance. He isn't willing to incorporate electronics to an extent that would allow them to actually effect how he writes these songs at all. And he just throws a cool synth over stuff every once in a while. And I think that his approach of just letting the classics run could at least be forgivable if there was anything exceptional about the performances or songs or aesthetics on this album. But it really does just feel like he spent some time listening to some 70's folk-rock and soul records and he said "I just need to model my new record after *exactly* this". This is gonna sound mean, but I really think it's just a couple of steps above listening to a decent cover band in a bar. It's not even that this is unpleasant, it's just that it's *so* unoriginal, and *so* self-important, and *so* unexceptional in execution that, aside from a couple of fleeting moments of neat sounds, I don't get anything from the experience of this album at all. This doesn't offer me *anything* I can't get from it's influences, which I think marks a total failure for what I would loosely call a genre revival record. This is almost a challenge to my grading principles. Does a somewhat listenable album with a few, sporadic seconds of interesting music skirt by on a 2, even if it has nothing to offer me? I think I'm gonna come down and say that this is where I'm staking the flag (for now) on what the best 1 may look like. It's inoffensive because Paul Weller happened to be listening to decent records, but Wild Wood feels like a functionally empty experience.

I don't have anything against Neneh Cherry, I think she seems like an interesting person, and I do think this album is earnest, and personal to her. But I just don't think the execution on this is great. Raw Like Sushi is a decent collection of songs. But I think it's let down by some really clunky production decisions, cheesy lyrics and slightly obnoxious 80's-isms. This is kind of cool as an early combination of hip-hop and RnB. And Cherry can even kind of carry a serviceable rap performance. But the hip hop production influences here were a little bit behind where the genre was in 89' and it just makes a lot of the album's more hip-hop moments sound incredibly awkward. Additionally, while these are songs she clearly cares about, I just don't think her lyrical approach makes them especially interesting or unique. And the big 80's synths and reverb on top of it aren't helping. But Neneh Cherry does get in some good melodies, and she can sing well. This ends up at least listenable from front to back. But when I try to dig in here, I just don't really find much that impresses me.