Reviews by funny_character

Elvis Costello opened my eyes to something interesting: '60s rock and roll revival as a viable path for new wave. It's kind of hard to pin down exactly what his sound is, but this is the description that makes the most sense to me. And this sounds interesting, which is too bad, because I think Costello's music is just fine. Blood & Chocolate has some interesting highs, but as a whole, I would say the album works out to be just approximately fine. I really do like Elvis Costello's lyrics and vocal presence. I think the best word for his writing is "witty", he has a lot of cool images and ideas you can catch if you're listening close enough. And the vocal approach is *sort of* in the punk tradition, and it works for me consistently. But the songs on this album are really hit or miss. At Elvis Costello's worst, I think his sound is more dated than classic, and he has a good few songs that just aren't that interesting. But every once in a while he will choose to do something extremely interesting for a brief period of time, and remind you that he kind of has these little flashes of new wave-y art house sensibility. And there some songs here that I do just like. Uncomplicated is loose and rockin' and I like it. Tokyo Storm Warning's writing kind of reminds me of Dylan. Battered Old Bird goes to some really interesting places with some really interesting vocal flairs. My favorite song here is the (thankfully lengthy) I Want You. The really tense, angular and skeletal place it ends up in as soon as we hear that weird little electric guitar is my favorite thing on the album. And the way the song builds is really cool.

I'm kind of struggling to rate this, it's not bad: there are cool moments, a few good songs, and the writing is good. But a lot of the time, it kind of undershoots, relying too much on it's rock and roll revival sound, and just ends up kind of boring. I'm gonna put it at a respectable 2 for now.

I know this album is incredibly well-loved, and it's really cool how people have kind of rediscovered it, but I only *kind* of get it. Now before I go any further, I'd like to say that I actually think this is a really great album, and a *fantastic* debut. But it's the sort of thing where I can see Grace justifying Jeff Buckley's place as one of the greatest *singers* of the '90s, but not a place as one of the greatest artists of all time. I don't usually like to pull this lens, but I do truly think that him releasing a single, incredibly well-realized debut, then dying tragically has made it impossible to view his career without some understanding of unrealized potential, which I think can overshadow his actual accomplishments. And Grace is, admittedly, an accomplishment. Grace combines alt-rock, singer-songwriter sensibilities, and a vocal approach which reminds me of '60s vocal jazz into a compelling mix that's tricky to pin down. His originals are all well-written, and dynamically performed. My favorites are songs like Mojo Pin, Grace, so Real, and Dream Brother: songs that really revel in the swell of the sound. Sometimes it's almost reminiscent of post rock, and adds a really smart dynamic to songs that may otherwise feel like more conventional singer-songwriter affair. While he is a talented songwriter, it's fair to say that Jeff Buckley is more well known as a singer. And while I think discussions about who the best ever singer is quickly lose sight of what actually makes music enjoyable: I would be a fucking liar if I didn't mention that Buckley sings his ass off on this entire record. He is a fantastically talented singer. That being said, I do think there are times where he threatens to oversing a little, and raw talent is rarely what I'm really looking for in a singer. But I did really enjoy the performances on this album. But while I am talking about negatives, I do have a couple of other things I'd like to mention. Firstly, when his songwriting gets grungier, sometimes it feels really out of place. Last Goodbye is an example that I'm able to brush off, but a song like Eternal Life comes out of absolutely nowhere, and it's almost distracting. I think the noise guitar break on So Real is a moment that handles a gear shift into heavier sounds a lot more elegantly. I'd also like to note that of the 11 songs here, 3 are covers. So while the majority of the material is Buckley's, I do think it's fair to mention in the context of a singer-songwriter record. Although, I do like the covers: Lilac Wine and Corpus Christi Carol are beautiful. And his cover of Hallelujah is legendary. Although I need to complain about something a little bit, while I'm talking about Hallelujah. I do really enjoy his cover of Hallelujah, but my favorite will always be the original 1984 Leonard Cohen recording. It captures a different tone, a heavier emotional feeling (to me) and I actually love Cohen's vocal styling. Also, I think Hallelujah is where Jeff Buckley comes closest to oversinging on the whole album: *also* he subbed out my favorite verse of the original Hallelujah (I did my best, It wasn't much...), which kind of paints the subject matter in a whole different light at the last minute on the original recording. Anyways, I would like to end on a high note, so I'll say that I think Gary Lucas' guitar playing on a few of these songs is incredibly underrated. He organically fills in the gaps around Buckley's singing with some really incredible, textural guitar playing. Anyways, I kind of see why some people have the relationship to this album that they do. There is a real beauty here, and Buckley's such an interesting, compelling figure. But I do have enough problems across the runtime that they do start to add up a little. Although despite a few things here I consider flaws, this is still a pretty amazing record that I thoroughly enjoyed. And the best songs here kind of are must-listens.

I do like country quite a bit, and even though I'm not as well versed as real genre die-hards, I'd like to think I have an honest appreciation of what the genre is at it's best. However, you would not necessarily know this from my record on this website. I've enjoyed most country I've heard here, but not really been floored by any of it, and I honestly think it's kind of a curatorial issue. I think the authors of this book did a pretty good job, but I think there are a couple of gaping holes in the country selection here, particularly as far as ~60s-ish stuff goes. As a couple of examples, Glen Campbell and Townes Van Zandt are both *entirely* absent from this list, which is almost criminal. These musicians have created several of my favorite country songs *ever*, and I think Townes Van Zandt is one of the greatest American songwriters ever. What does this have to do with Marty Robbins? Very little. Do I mostly just want an excuse to mention these artists? Probably. But I also bring this up since the list has finally seen fit to give me a country album that I truly love. I don't think Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is perfect, but its best songs may be. Firstly, let's get this out of the way: that isn't just a title, this album does consist pretty much entirely of gunfighter ballads and trail songs. I generally think the gunfighter ballads are the stronger of the two categories. And they are *very* strong. Some of these songs contain some of the finest storytelling in the history of country and western. They are all "Gunfighter Ballads", so there isn't a ton of variety in subject matter, but this subject matter is presented in a wide variety of ways. We have stories from the perspective of outlaws, rangers, strangers and disembodied narrators. Robbins explores various tones, and you never feel like you can assume "good" will triumph in the end. These songs are visual, and poetic, and masterclasses in building suspense. Big Iron is the most legendary song from this album. And it has earned this status. Big Iron manages to be both a fantastic country composition and a stirring micro-Western. The way the narrative unfolds almost feels like watching a short film. Billy The Kid feels convincingly like you've been cornered by a talented troubadour. And The Master's Call is a unique song among the others here. It is the tale of an outlaw turning to Jesus after miraculously surviving a storm. And even though I would not presently self-describe as Christian, the presentation here is incredible. It captures Christian music through the lens of cowboy mysticism. And the result leans into what feels almost like magical realism in the way that some of the more interesting stories of the Catholic saints feel like magical realism. God is presented as an interventionalist force of nature, and it is unique and refreshing to hear in a world of evangelical music.

As I implied earlier, I am a touch less floored by the "trail songs", but they are still solid and still serve a purpose. They are vital in maintaining immersion in this album's world and stringing the center-pieces together. And even if the story telling isn't as flashy, there are very much still echoes of what makes the highs on this album so great. That being said, I am less inclined to revisit these songs, even though I think they are justified within a full album setting. I'd also like to mention that of all the '50s music I have heard through this project (so far), I think this may be the lead contender for the album that has aged the best. The core of these songs is a person and a guitar, and there are embellishments, but you could effectively perform these solo without making huge changes to the guitar parts. And this framework lends itself very well to frank, earnest songwriting. Which is why you can still find young people making music that resembles this, it's a medium which naturally lends itself to earnest expression. Contrast this with something like Elvis' Rock and Roll. You *can* still find artists tapping into a sound which directly recalls Elvis, but it's almost always a subversion or pastiche of the sound. And even if the artists in question have an earnest love of the source material, the art they are making serves a different objective than this source material. In short, the simplicity and honesty of the presentation here lends Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs a timelessness that it wears well. Marty Robbins delivered a landmark in country here, and the storytelling across this album absolutely still holds up. The trail songs make things a tad uneven, but the full picture kind of needed them. This is pretty excellent, and I feel happy with what I will officially call "a high 4".

I am utterly fascinated by the briskness and certainty with which Wikipedia insists on informing me that this album achieved commercial success **ONLY** in The Netherlands. I am fascinated for two reasons: firstly, why has Wikipedia deemed this piece of information second sentence worthy? Secondly, how did Gene Clark (of The Byrds) manage to release an album that was, implicitly, a commercial failure everywhere *except* for The Netherlands. I have decided to do a (small) amount of research into this, instead of just reviewing the fucking album.

I have discovered, per Dutch professor of sociology, Mel Van Elteren, that,

"All kinds of American popular music have been embraced by large groups in the Netherlands during the postwar era. One major exception to this general tendency is country and western music. Although its various brands, from old-time music to country-rock, do have their enthusiastic groups of Dutch aficionados, none of these draws a really large audience, comparable to, let's say, middle-of-the-road pop music, rock, or even rap music. Country is hardly visible or audible in the public realm."

This is a little helpful, but mostly just confusing. Am I to believe that niche, sub-cultural interest in Americana on the part of the Dutch public is enough to constitute a commercial success in the eyes of Gene Clark's label? It is possible, but still doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Also, while I haven't taken a particularly close look at this facet, I have also found discussions about "Dutch Americana". This leads me to believe that Americana originating from The Netherlands is at least prevalent enough to warrant a unique genre descriptor, which may be an indicator that the country has *some* broader interest in the genre. Similarly, I have discovered that several (fairly recent) Eurovision performances from The Netherlands have been Americana inspired, which is another point in favor of public interest. However, this is just about everything I can find on this topic without expending resources on actual literature regarding the subject. So I will call it for now with the tentative conclusion that the success of White Light by Gene Clark in, and only in, The Netherlands *may* make some small amount of sense.

Anyways, we're here to discuss whether on not this is any good. And it's fine. Gene Clark's take on Americana is not particularly inventive or unique, but the songs here are largely well-written and well-performed. A couple of psychedelic flourishes mix things up now and then, but this is mostly meat and potatoes folk rock. Which is to say, if you like folk rock, this will keep you fed, and you'll probably find something to enjoy. But if you're not sold on the genre, White Light probably won't change anything. Although, I would like to mention the lyricism here before wrapping up. Even though his style of writing isn't exactly new, he does manage to pen a few really exceptional images. but all in all, I thought this was fine. I'm kind of baffled by how much this website's top reviews of this album seem to absolutely hate it. Much in the same way that I'm kind of baffled by how The Netherlands alone seemed to love it.

I've always avoided Sheryl Crow, I guess because I lumped her in with the pop country scene in the early 2000s, which it turns out wasn't really a fair assessment. In fact, even though I think there's an Americana slant here, there's not a whole lot of capital C "Country" on Tuesday Night Music club. I'll just unhelpfully, but not dishonestly, call this "pop" for now, even though there is certainly more going on. Although, enough with labels, the most important thing here is that the songs on this album are really enjoyable and well-written. And I enjoyed her lyrics a lot too: I think she writes about hope and determination in a way that a lot of songwriters struggle to. Sheryl Crow doesn't come across as cloying or saccharine at all, and she has some real lyrical meat on these songs too, with very little "fluff". Although, I will say, the aesthetic here doesn't always hit for me. There are some songs here that do get a *little* too close to the modern country sound that I just can't really do. But, on the other end of things, the full arrangements here do give these songs the capacity to have some really cool flourishes. For example, anytime the bass playing asserts itself, the way it fits into the mix results in some really cool moments. But, as I mentioned earlier, the real key to this album's success is that these songs all have a really solid core. And I think the best song here is We Do What We Can. It has a really cool, uniquely moody tone that I didn't expect the album to bring so late in the runtime. It is also a deceptively sparse mix, the first half is mostly super cool bass playing, piano, some guitar and trombone flourishes, and a noir-ish drum machine. But at about the halfway mark of this song, the tempo suddenly hits double-time, trades the drum machine for a live kit, and expands the sound of the arrangement greatly. When I first listened to this song, I was kind of floored by this sudden drop. This is the second to last song of the album, and nothing else on the album features anything like this, so the sudden realization that Sheryl Crow has the vision to pull off songwriting tricks like this was really cool. Ultimately, I liked this quite a bit. There are plenty of great pop songs, and some cool tricks. And even though I don't always like the production direction here, it's not actively in my way of enjoying this (most of the time). Stuff like this is one of the reasons I started doing this challenge. Every once in a while it's good to be forced into a world that you maybe unfairly dismissed.

This reminds me of Tracy Chapman's self titled album, in that they're both really earnest singer-songwriter albums released during a time when that sort of thing wasn't in vogue. Suzanne Vega is one of the people who seemed to spearhead a kind of singer songwriter revival that when coupled with the emerging indie scene sort of laid the foundation for what the zeitgeist of the early '90s would look like. She has a real talent for storytelling that is really well-presented across this album. Of the singer songwriter music coming out in the '80s, very little of it could give what Vega brings narratively on Marlene On The Wall, The Queen And The Soldier, or Knight Moves. And it isn't like this is just '70s folk worship. Her arrangements and production do sound distinctly of their time, and her conversational singing tone sets her apart from much of folk rock. I honestly really enjoyed a lot of this album. Her lyricism and songwriting are pretty special, and the aesthetic here is a really enjoyable way to push folk into the '80s. This is really solid!

Oh no, it's The Beatles. I don't especially enjoy reviewing music by The Beatles, every opinion on every Beatles song has already been spoken and memorialized, and I don't subscribe to the idea that every Beatles album is flawless within it's context. Regardless of this, I *do* enjoy a lot of Beatles music, and I *do* really like Rubber Soul. In fact, I kind of think of this as the earliest Beatles album that I personally think is truly great. I also agree with the narrative is that this is a huge stepping stone for The Beatles, and that the leap in songwriting maturity, and emotional range here is vital for the band's development. But, I also don't think that necessarily resolves into a perfect album. Although it does give us a lot of really great, inventive pop songs with a lot of range. This album opens with Drive My Car and Norwegian Wood, which kind of epitomizes this. Both are fantastic pop songs: Drive My Car is tons of fun, and Norwegian Wood is sophisticated and melancholy. But The Beatles set a consistent tone and palette between them. Which doesn't feel particularly impressive in 2026, but if you listen to much of what The Beatles were doing before this, it becomes clear how important of a development this is. This album is full of studio tricks and detailed songwriting just like what we see on these songs. I love the really unique melodies on The Word. I love the soundscape work done done on Michelle, it's so simple but effective. I love how the arrangement expands on Girl. And the album is full of cool moments like these. At it's best they merge with the incredible pop songs here. But on occasion, I do think the Beatles haven't quite honed their songs enough to not be overshadowed by the production work. These songs are short, and some of them inevitably end up a little low impact. Which isn't to say that there are bad songs here, just some which aren't especially noteworthy in my opinion. And I think this compounds with how much The Beatles developed their art afterwards. As far as more hit or miss moments on here go, I'd particularly like to mention the closer, Run For Your Life. It's fine, but I have a number of problems. Firstly, I think the song here is not an especially inspired fusion of Elvis-style rock with The Beatles' sound. But this song is also well-known for consisting of John Lennon threatening to kill his significant other if he catches her cheat. It just comes across super weird. Is this to be taken at face value? If so, that's insane. Is this meant to be an acknowledgement of toxic masculinity through the medium of '50s rock n roll? If so, then it's weird hearing it from Lennon, given what we know about his history as a husband. It just doesn't make a ton of sense as a closer, and brings the album down a little in my opinion. Regardless, I do really enjoy the majority of this, even if The Beatles later achieved so much more. I see myself revisiting quite a bit here.

I'm kind of surprised to see this here honestly. I didn't know that this album was really thought of as essential outside of dedicated metal circles, but I *am* happy to see this. I think there are people out there who assume that once you get into indie or jazz or R&B or noise or anything more "sophisticated" you kind of fall out of love with music like this, but I'm here to say that, at least for me, I don't think I'll ever be "too cool" for Anthrax. And it's not even *really* nostalgia, I've heard and love several songs from this album, but I've actually never listened to it from front to back before. For anyone who doesn't know, Anthrax is a member of the big four of thrash, but they're kind of the weird middle child that gets unfairly talked over all the time. Metallica and Megadeth are the older siblings with the mass appeal who shove each other around a little bit, and Slayer are the youngest sibling demon child with Pentagram tattoos who wins on pure aggression. Meanwhile, Anthrax kind of feel like they get shoved off on their own. The Anthrax thrash sound carries the punk end of thrash more than any of the other members of the big four. This album has the sprawling songs, and speed metal gallops that you'd want from thrash, but it also has some HardCore mosh riffs and gang vocals. Somehow this perfect storm has resulted in a world where Anthrax doesn't really get the respect that Metallica, Megadeth or Slayer command (even though I think Anthrax is the only one whose last album was actually pretty good), but I would like to make the claim that Among The Living does, in fact deserve classic status. This album has all the things that keep thrash metal exciting. The riffs are catchy, energetic, and well-constructed. The punk-y approach here keeps things feeling vital and fresh, even on the longer songs. The full band locks in early, and just keeps incredibly tight until the end. And I think Anthrax is generally underrated for their choruses. The result is a thrash album that is colorful and catchy, while maintaining the signature thrash intensity. Also, this album has an incredibly high concentration of Anthrax classics. Among The Living, Caught In A Mosh, I Am The Law, Efilnikufesin, and Indians are pretty much undisputed within the Anthrax discography. We've also got a lot of classic, cool thrash metal lyricism here. Lots of stuff that really speaks to the frustrations of the Reagan era. Throw in some reflections on living genuinely and a song about a comic book character, and you're looking at classic thrash. To talk about some of my favorites here, Among The Living is driven by a *really* catchy riff, and it has a fantastic chorus. Efilnikufesin feels "punkiest", the way the melody is constructed really conveys that energy. A.D.I./Horror Of It All is engaging as the longest song here, and there's some really cool drumwork and some unique riffs as this song plays out. And lastly, Indians is one of the best songs here overall. Out of all of the '70s and '80s "we really wronged America's indigenous people" songs, this is probably the one that has aged most gracefully. A lot of similar songs are well-meaning but really flawed in the way they deliver their message, and I think Indians has avoided the vast majority of the pitfalls. I am aware that some of the vocab has not aged all that well, but it helps that Iroquois heritage seems to be a big part of Joey Belladonna's identity, *and* if you get to the meat of the lyrics, this is a song that's willing to come out and blatantly say that America is built on stolen land instead of sort of dancing around the issue. And that is something which *remains* controversial to say. Besides the message, this song also contains like 4 unbelievable riffs and some great melodies. Any negative about this album I can think of is mostly that the production is kind of weird, but that's not really a bad thing and mostly just distinguishes this from other thrash albums. The execution and writing here are insanely high, and every song is exciting, energetic and engaging. I will say, one of the highest compliments I can give this album is that there are songs here which compel me to mosh, and there are songs here that make me wish I could skate better. And that is the kind of compliment you can't buy.

So far, this has been the hardest album to listen to, physically, just because it isn't anywhere for some reason. It's not on Spotify, and a different, similarly named album is all I can find on Youtube. Shout-out to a certain Spotify user for frankensteining this album back together from best of compilations, you're my hero. But how's the album? It's pretty good. This is one of the better really early Rock n Roll albums I've heard. While this doesn't have the raw energy of someone like Little Richard, the strength of the songs here makes up for it, and Fats Domino is still a very charismatic presence on these songs. There's some R&B and jazz flavor here and the songs are brief, catchy, and enjoyable. I still don't think I'll be coming back here a ton, but Fats Domino's music is kind of a blast while it's on.

Holy shit, I had Blood On The Tracks like a week ago, let me catch my breath. I can only digest so many of the most well-regarded albums ever in a span of time. A pattern has emerged with Dylan, so at least I know what to do. I'm gonna take the hint, go listen to this like 5 times, because that's the only way I know how to digest Dylan, and then I'll get back to you.

Okay, it's the following night, and I could only get two listens in. Turns out this is a long-ass album, that means more Dylan to sift through, so I'm not confident I've gotten all the way there on these songs yet, but I can definitely see something here. The poetry here is as intriguing and sprawling and surreal as I expect from Dylan, and I am as endeared to the performances here as I have been on the other Dylan albums I got. I will say that I like a lot of these songs, Visions Of Johanna, Stuck Inside Of Mobile..., Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, and Obviously Five Believers are my favorites, but just from the volume of material here, there are definitely songs I need more time with. I will also say that this is a bit warmer, almost brassier than the other Dylan albums I have heard, and it has a unique place among his other classics (to my ear). Even though this is unlikely to usurp Highway 61 Revisited as my favorite Dylan, I still appreciate the poetry and songcraft on display here, and I can see how this is worthy of its reputation.

I'm gonna show my hand pretty early here: this is sick as hell. I think cow punk and adjacent genres are usually awesome and a lot of people are understandably, but unjustly skeptical of them. Wikipedia claims that this is the first punk album to combine the genre with American roots music, but I don't know if I agree with that when you have The Cramps and The Birthday Party coming earlier, but regardless, this is still revolutionary. It's punk, it's blues, and sometimes it's almost true-blue country. The searing intensity of punk melds remarkably well with the scuzzier, dustier side of Americana, and the result is like a rickety train, constantly threatening to derail, but never *fully* escaping. The energy is awesome, the songwriting is awesome, the lo-fi take on punk suits the country vibe well. And for the rickety presentation, there's some real cool playing here. Also, from what I've caught, the lyrics are really cool. Preaching The Blues and For The Love Of Ivy are probably the songs to go to if you want to know what this is all about. They both have insane momentum, clever writing, and really smart incorporation of both parts of this album's DNA. In fact, one of my favorite things about the presentation here is that The Gun Club doesn't just slap some country paint on a punk album. Both genres are completely ingrained in the sound here and I can see how it would make people feel that this was completely original when it came out. Because, even if this had precedence at its time, it still sounds worlds away from its forerunners. In short, Fire Of Love truly feels like a unique accomplishment, and to the right person, this is like the coolest shit ever.

There's some really intriguing stuff hiding at the limits of new wave. Not always stuff I want to listen to, but intriguing nonetheless. And New Boots And Panties is certainly intriguing. I kind of forgot how early New Wave kicked off, but even so, this came out in 1977: or, famously, the same year of the fittingly named "Class of '77". Even if I'm not always with Ian Dury here, it is admirable that the same year The Clash, The Sex Pistol, X-Ray Spex and others were inventing the bones of punk, Ian Dury was already fucking around with it, jamming in all sorts of shit. This deviates from other early new wave in a very particular way: while other early bands were mutating a core of punk with all sorts of art-school camp, the core on New Boots And Panties *is* the camp. This is more of a quirky pop/music hall/dub/funk/showtune album than it is a punk album. Which isn't to say you can't hear any punk here, Blackmail Man in particular is basically just a punk song, and you can certainly see punk in the negative space of other songs, but I don't think I'd ever call this a punk album. Anyways, as I've implied, I have kind of mixed thoughts on this album. There's a comedy slant here that doesn't always hit with me, and I'm not coming back to every song here. But the highlights have plenty to discuss. I'm figuring out if I like Wake Up and Make Love With Me, but it is fascinating. I'd say I didn't know they made new wave for straight people, but I'm almost tempted to say the depiction of heterosexuality here feels more like it was made by a gay man as a joke than anything. Any romance on this album is kind of through this lens, it's kind of campy and as blatant as possible, and *sometimes* I like it. On another note, My Old Man has neat dub influence, and Blackmail Man kind of rips. But I'd also like to note Billericay Dickie, which may be the most British song ever commercially released. It sounds like a parody of every musical, and as an American, I was kind of surprised I even had the biological mechanisms necessary to enjoy this song. And I also want to make another note of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, which absolutely grooves, it's got a fantastic melody, great feel, and is everything I want from this sort of proto- New Wave. But if this album is clever and catchy and weird at it's best, it's kind of stupid at its worst. But that isn't the worst crime an album has committed during this project, not by a long shot. And besides, I did like a lot here. Give this one a go, it's truly unique, but I can empathize with anyone who just thinks this is just obnoxious.

I'm starting to realize that vocal jazz may be a genre I struggle to connect with. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of it, but it's a matter of just "liking" some of the most sacrosanct music of all time. For me, there's kind of a pattern with it actually. I understand that the vocalist is incredibly talented and really enjoy the performance, but just can't really enjoy the songwriting which is rooted in a time and genre that I'm distant from (I'd like to note that Wild Is The Wind by Nina Simone is an exception, I adore that album and find it incredibly beautiful). I thought that maybe I could get a little closer on Lady In Satin: after all, I do like some of Billie Holiday's older recordings. For example, her recording of Strange Fruit is absolutely haunting and I can hear her vocal talent even on casual listens. But sure enough, I find Lady In satin to be a beautifully performed rendition of songs that I struggle with a little. Though, I will say, that the higher fidelity sound here grants her voice a really compelling, smokey quality. And the band here is enormous, and unbelievably tight. It's almost a bit too much sometimes, but it really is grand and beautiful. Check out I'm A Fool To Want You and go from there. It's one of my favorites, and if you *really* like it, then this whole thing will be right up your alley.

All things considered: McCartney's exit from The Beatles was pretty graceful, at least in hindsight. It feels like people are slowly becoming kinder to McCartney's post-Beatles output and more cynical about Lennon's. And, honestly, that's a development I'm fine with. A few years separated from The Beatles, Band On The Run seems to be the fan favorite McCartney album. And there's a lot to like here. We've basically got a bunch of grand, ambitious pop tunes, any of which could have feasibly been a hit. But, it does make sense that the title track gets most of the attention here. It's multi-phased and every part of it has merits. It captures some of the magic seen in The Beatles' biggest, most well executed moments. And immediately following it with the rockin' Jet doesn't hurt. Honestly, I don't have a lot to say about every song here, but I do want to say that I liked them all, at least to an extent. The biggest downside here is pacing. Honestly, I don't know how he did it, but this is a *long* 42 minutes. None of these songs are *that* long, but somehow half of them feel a good 2 minutes longer than they are. I guess, in short, even though I like the songs, I think the album drags a bit. But I did enjoy it, more than Lennon's Imagine for anyone keeping score.

The Kinks kind of sit in an interesting place as far as iconic '60s bands go. It seems to me like they had a hit or two, then were rewarded with relative commercial failure for the rest of their creative heyday. Which, I think makes people rally around The Kinks as an underdog story. After-all, the forgotten little '60s-band-that-could being rediscovered in the '80s off of a freak MTV hit does make for great rock 'n roll myth-making. Anyways, from what I've seen, Something Else is very well loved as one of the band's finest moments, so I'm interested in hearing if it holds up. And, for me, the answer is "kinda". I mostly know The Kinks for their earlier, garage-y hits, but there's (perhaps fittingly) very little of this on Something Else. They traded their earlier muscle for an art-y pop palette, more mature songwriting, and an occasional splatter of psych. And the approach here is enjoyable: the best thing I can say about this album is that it's varied, consistent, and interesting. A lot of these songs embrace denser arrangements and really colorful, fun songwriting. And from this jumping-off point, a lot of ground is covered. I am particularly fond of David Watts, Death Of A Clown, Harry Rag, Situation Vacant, Lazy Old Sun, Funny Face, and Waterloo Sunset. But, at the same time, I think something like Tin Soldier Man is a little annoying. But overall, this is a pretty good album. That being said, I don't hear anything here that makes me understand the cult that The Kinks have now. Although, I'm open to hearing more, and I know this was immediately before a string of well-loved concept albums that I'm interested in hearing (which is, in-turn, a few years before a string of universally hated concept albums that I'm not especially interested in hearing, but I digress). What The Kinks give here is enjoyable and interesting, but it's mostly just made me interested to see how far they took their sound during their creative peak.

I'm slowly learning how to appreciate Dylan. And with this, I'm learning that he really makes music that demands to be visited and revisited, again and again. Which kind of makes his stuff difficult for a project like this (for me at least). And I say this even though I've heard a lot of this album before, more than once too (with various levels of success). But after really sitting with it, it's clicking more and more. And I'm starting to see the rare magic that occurs in his best songs in the space between his immaculate, winding poetry, simplistic songs, and organic, almost sloppy execution. I'm realizing what I've long suspected, that his "controversial" delivery is as essential to his songs as his incredible pen. And Blood On The Tracks sees Dylan in a unique place. This is often cited as his breakup album, and it manages to capture, at various points, the warmth of love, the bitterness of the break-up, and the maturity in his ability to see his own flaws. Even if I haven't gotten *quite* to the bottom of this album, it's clear that it's pretty amazing. I will say, I think this album is at it's best in the first four songs. The full emotional spectrum is laid bare here: from Tangled Up In Blue, which sounds wistful to me, to Idiot Wind, which sounds *furious*. Although, I would also like to shout out Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts, which is a fascinating, sprawling narrative. That being said, I do like a lot of the other material here, but I've not quite gotten all the way there, at least not yet. I will say that while checking this out, I re-listened to Highway 61 and realized that it's *probably* a 5. And I can see myself returning here. Blood On The Tracks is complex and beautiful and remarkable, and even if I'm still giving it time, I can tell it's remarkable.

I've never dived too deep into Earth, Wind & Fire, but I do know that some digging would be worth it. I know this is one of their more popular albums, and sure enough, I know Shining Star, an iconic song. But there's quite a bit here that's worthwhile. It's funk, it's soul, and it's very easy to listen to: There's something positive and pleasant about That's The Way Of The World that makes it hard to dislike. But, I must admit that my favorite material here is all the stuff that adheres closest to funk. Also, the mysticism here really seems to bug some people, but honestly I'm ambivalent to it. This didn't exactly change my life: there are some funk albums I know I prefer, and I didn't gel with a couple songs here: but, this is an enjoyable listen, and regardless of what I say, Earth, Wind & Fire are legends.

Going into this, I wasn't particularly excited: I don't particularly like No Scrubs, and this is nearly an hour long. But it turns out that this is pretty good. It's very much '90s R&B, with a cool hip hop/soul tilt. The beats are fun and funky and slick. And more importantly, Tionne Watkins, Lisa Lopes, and Rozonda Thomas have great vocal chemistry. They can sing, they can rap, and they are dynamic and fun to listen to throughout. I'd also like to say that ending with Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes was a really cool choice. The vocal features throughout the album are few and, until this point, pretty much just spoken word/interlude things. So, when this track came up, I was *shocked* that (a very young) Andre 3000 is on it. It feels mean to say he probably has the best rap verse on the album, because he and TLC are kind of playing different ballgames (vocally), but he does. But even aside from this song, there are plenty of fun and memorable stand-outs here. I really enjoyed Creep, Kick Your Game, Red Light Special, Take Our Time, and the ultra hit Waterfalls. And I'd also like to shout out their extremely creative cover of Prince's If I Were Your Girlfriend, which they flip on its head in a really cool way. But honestly, I don't think any of the real songs on here are bad. The interludes are kind of a mixed bag on the other hand. But they're brief, infrequent, and usually entertaining enough. Like I said, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. The chemistry, consistency, and fun factor here are just undeniable.

Yet another album from the CSNY extended universe. I consider Neil Young's discography to be it's own thing a little, but even discounting him, there are entirely too many CSNY orbitals here. I've Had 2 CSN/CSNY albums, one Buffalo Springfield, and a Stephen Stills album. And now a David Crosby album. I really think we could have done without some of these. But I will say, out of the non-Neil Young albums in this circle, this one is my favorite. This is a more abstract take on folk rock. It's kind of jam-y honestly. But the jam stuff works, because the players here are pretty much just a laundry list of Crosby's most talented friends. We have Graham Nash, Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jorma Kaukonen, Gregg Rolie, Phil Lesh, Laura Allen, Jack Cassidy, Bill Kreutzmann, Michael Shrieve, Mickey Hart, and more. Just look into some of these names, the pedigree is insane. This is one of the most insane artist collectives in classic rock. And the result is that this has immaculate chemistry. These songs flow and grow in incredibly natural and cool ways, and the sheer number of people involved means that the mixes here get really detailed. I don't think the core songs here are all worth writing home about, but this is a pretty great complete package.

I like this, but I kinda expected to like this more. This was marketed to me as folk punk, but the problem is that this was kind of forging ahead before folk punk was really established, so it doesn't *feel* like folk punk. But it *is* folk punk, in the strictest sense of the word, in that it feels like a combination of singer-songwriter music and like class of '77 songwriting. And there is a lot here I like, the songs themselves are really cool, and combine these two worlds in a really unique way. My favorites here were Train Train, Levi Stubbs' Tears, There Is Power In A Union, Help Save The Youth of America, and The Home Front. These all prominently feature the combination of great songwriting and razor-sharp political lyricism that this album features at its best. I will say, my biggest problem here is the production. There is sort of an echo-y, new wave-y sheen on this album that I don't think suits it especially well. It sounds fine on some songs, my favorites tend to be the ones that wear the aesthetic well. But as a whole, it imparts a kind of strange sound, and I think I would prefer it with a more stripped down presentation. All in all, it's obvious that Billy Bragg is talented, and I like his songwriting quite a bit. It doesn't fully come together, but it's a cool listen all thr same, and I see myself coming back.