Reviews by funny_character

Another album by The Specials, and this one is approximately the same type of fun as More Specials. There are gives and takes honestly, this is a little more focused, but a little less interesting, more consistent, but with lower highlights. But it is solid overall. And even if this is a little less vareid, it's still a colorful soup of Ska, Reggae, Two-Tone, and what kind of sounds like a little punk influence. Although I must conclude that The Specials refined their craft a little between this album and More Specials. I don't think anything here is as good as Enjoy Yourself, Sock It To Em J.B., Stereotype, or International Jet Set. Though there are highlights here, like Do The Dog, Gangsters, Doesn't Make It Alright, Blank Expression, and more. This is still fun, and still holds up well and stands out among other ska albums.

Damn, literally got this *the day* after this album's 35 anniversary. It took me a good while, but I have gotten to the point where I think both In Utero and Nevermind are basically perfect albums. In Utero provided an easy way in for me when I first really sat down with it. It just burns so bright and so ugly, and still has such immediate songs. But it took me a little to appreciate that Nevermind is basically 12 perfect pop songs, performed with *real* punk power and zeal (followed by Endless, Nameless; a special little gift for us freaks out there). And "pop" doesn't mean light fare either. We can thank Nirvana for the fact that like half of the biggest rock songs of the '90s have lyrics about misery, true kidnappings, isolation, and more. The songs about sex here are really lyrically special. Cobain writes about sex in the terms of meat and chemicals: Sex is the result of pumping endorphins, and primal urges, and a series of very carefully calibrated glands in Cobain's eyes, and it's a genuinely fascinating lens that got overshadowed largely because Nirvana became big enough that they are more a synonym for music than they are a band at this point. And Nevermind is a great reminder as to how the hell that even happened in the first place. The first three songs here (Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, and Come As You Are) pretty much read as the sound of the '90s in a vacuum. These three songs alone had the kind of "singles" power that you just can't buy. Not to mention, we also have Lithium, Polly, Drain you, Breed, On A Plain, and Something In The Way. This albums is like 80% hits, or like widely culturally significant statements. Even something as utterly soul crushing as Polly, or even further, Something In The Way got *real* hit status. And the only "deep cuts" are Territorial Pissings, Lounge Act, Stay Away, and *maybe* Endless, Nameless, if that counts as a song proper, are still fantastic. I know these songs are truly incredible, because I've had a lot of them in rotation one job or another, and I still love them. And, as I said, I think it's because the ingenious, shiny, pop songs here are backed up with some *real* energy, and pure rock power and some spellbinding attitude. But yeah, this album is basically totally immortal, it defined a generation, *and* it's really, *really* good.

It turns out that Senegalese music is just ridiculously good. I didn't get into this quite as much as Djam Leelii, but this album does have a lot of the same appeal. The songs sound relatively simple, but they are hiding incredibly intricate guitar and percussion, and the cumulative effect of everything is just dizzying and spellbinding. The fuller arrangements here keep this from being as stark as Djam Leelii, but it does still carry a lot of the same magic. Pitche Mi and Taaw are my favorites here. Pitche Mi is beautiful in almost a mournful way. While Taaw is easily the most intricate sounding song on here. Just watching it evolve through it's runtime is utterly delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the other two songs as well, but I didn't have as strong a reaction. Even if this isn't *quite* a 5, I'm gonna be thinking about this album, and listening to it a hell of a lot more than I thought.

I always kind of thought of The Monkees as being "What if The Beatles never changed from their original sound and aesthetic", and Headquarters doesn't do a whole lot to challenge this perception. It's solid '60s pop music, with a couple of moments that prove The Monkees had some stranger aspirations. It's also not exactly my thing, but I can definitely hear an impressive ear for melody here, even if it doesn't make me like it a whole lot more. This is gonna be a 2 for now, but if I enjoy this more on a revisit, I'll keep you posted.

Perfectly good blues rock, with some incredibly creative guitar playing. Say what I will about Eric Clapton, but the man *can* play. And his work with Cream is probably his best work (in my opinion). Anyways, a lot of these songs are really enjoyable hard rock/proto metal. Sunshine of your love is almost certainly the best song here; just bask in that riff. But this album really isn't slacking overall. It's not one I have a lot to say about, but Disraeli Gears is pretty great.

The 2000's must have been an awfully good time to be an eclectic, politically minded, and world music inspired rock adjacent music outfit. Street Signs ended up being a lot of fun. In an interesting twist, Ozomatli's base sound is effectively a gumbo of Latin music, which they spice up with rock, Hip-Hop, electronica, and more. They keep things kinetic and varied, the mixes are bright, and most importantly, they sound like they are having fun. And I will admit I was a little skeptical of the sound at the front end of this thing, but their incorporation of influence is smooth and aesthetically cool, making something that feels more their own than anyone else's. And the fun factor here ended up going a long way too. I was having a great time by the end. It may not be something I spin while sitting around the house, but Street Signs has a nook carved out somewhere in my life.

The Lemonheads play some particularly jangly power pop with a fire lit under them and an ear for great melody. The appeal here isn't particularly complicated, this is just a particularly tight ~30 minutes of exciting, emotionally interesting pop music. And I know it's a bonus track, but the Mrs. Robinson cover here is particularly enjoyable, and I see how it became a hit. It's A Shame About Ray is short and airy enough that I see myself returning, even if it isn't in my upper echelon, and thst is very much a win for The Lemonheads.

This really isn't what I thought it was. I was expecting a solid country album, but I got an *extremely* solid epic, jamming rock album. Happy Trails is largely instrumental, and while it doesn't reflect the country aesthetic of the band's name or the album's artwork much, it *does* manage to conjure the sparse majesty of the high plains with epic guitars, sprawling songs, and dynamic ideas. I had to do a lot of Midwest highway driving today, which may as well be what this thing was made for. I am very pleased.

It's time for us to revolve with our best friends, Paul, John, George, and the comparatively normally named Ringo (just learned that he took the pseudonym Ringo, because of his tendency to wear rings on his fingers: a fact that makes me feel as though I am a TV with a magnet on it). Revolver is, often, excellent, but the parts where it isn't are perhaps more important. Firstly, let me just say that I understand that the leap from Rubber Soul to here is *unthinkable*, this was pretty much the pattern establisher for The Beatles' staggering rate of artistic growth in the second half of their career. Eleanor Rigby, For No One, I'm Only Sleeping and more are functionally completely timeless by virtue of being on the album that was maybe more conclusively a turning point in the sound of pop music than any other, while also remaining fantastically written. Taxman is not quite timeless, in fact, it's kind of *extremely* of a time and place, but it is an excellent song. To be honest, much of this album *is* this good, but what isn't (to me at least) may be more interesting. Firstly, I actually *do* like Yellow Submarine: it's whimsical, it's a vivid story, and it's got some incredibly detailed soundscape stuff. I honestly don't see how it's really worse than any other solid Beatles song. But now, let's dig in. I don't really love Love You To, I just can't usually get into Harrison's Indian music inspired stuff (although Tomorrow Never Knows, later here, is actually a song I *do* dig, probably because it is moreso trying to be a Beatles song. Even if Harrison can clearly play the required instruments, I just don't think he can compellingly write in the style of these instruments, and I'd rather just listen to Ravi Shankar or someone do it). I also don't find the song at the center of Doctor Robert especially compelling. I Want To Tell You, and Got To Get You Into My Life aren't bad songs, but they show their age more than anything else here, and they just can't hold up to the quality of writing that this album is largely filled with. And lastly, Good Day Sunshine is honestly one of the worst Beatles songs in my opinion, maybe full stop. The chorus is so brassy, and so simple, and there is so little outside of it, that it hardly feels like an actual song. To remind you, the reason I'm complaining so much about an album that I *do* really love is because I think the narrative that this remains a perfect album is one that has devoured any ability to chime in on if you actually like the music on it, and while I largely do, it is my responsibility as a Bealtes skeptic to make my voice heard. Revolver gets a rather strong 4.

I honestly didn't know Yeah Yeah Yeahs had this sort of thing in them. I had heard It's Blitz! and Maps, but neither of those works really prepare you for how hard YYYs go across this album. It *really* feels like dance *punk*, not post punk, not goth. They have insane performances and sneering lyrics all across this thing. I'd like to specially shout Karen O's utterly distinct vocals here in particular. But, as is proven by Maps, YYYs *can* do pop songs too, And just as well. Maps is genuinely an excellent pop song, and you get to see their chops come through in some of the other later songs here too. But as far as the punk stuff goes, Rich, Date With The Night, and Man is a pretty crazy opening salvo. And songs like Pin and Y Control keep it up. I am *very* impressed by this. I'd say this is honestly one of the coolest albums of it's time and place.

From what I can tell, The Beta Band was an interesting experimental/psychedelic/electronic/pop/rock thing in the '90s, before making increasingly less interesting music. As such, Heroes To Zeros, the last album of their original run, is not especially interesting. But it is *occasionally* interesting, which is something. This is kind of just an electronic flavored rock album, which contains a mix of good, bad, and bizarre decisions (these categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive). But there is enough to be at east somewhat engaging, but I really can't formulate an argument for this being exceptional. I would like to note Liquid Bird as an exception though. The only *really* good song here, Liquid Birds contains like 3 excellent hooks, interesting audio experiments and a prominent Siouxsie And The Banshees sample. All in all, there are saving graces here, but I don't know if I need to give this repeat full listens.

There is something epic amd magnificent about Springsteen's music that is slowly revealing itself to me. But the songwriting and the subject matter keeps things grounded and relatable. In short, I think I'm really starting to understand the appeal of his music. I will also say that this is not quite Darkness At The Edge Of Town, but Thunder Road, the Title track, and others are just wonderful songs. I think my favorite here is Jungleland though. It just keeps getting more grandiose while never becoming disconnected from the human element. I really love Born To Love, and at this point I am interested in exploring the catalogue.

I don't know if this is a 5 necessarily, but The Residents are true originals, and I love them. Just utterly bizarre, demented audio experiments, pretty much constantly on this thing. The Residents have gleefully set up shop within the rotting carcass of rock and roll, pop, and early electronica, and are selling curdled milk out of it. It's also surprisingly musical, genuinely eerie, and lots of fun at times. To be honest, I'd even argue that there are a couple of perfect songs here, but there are also a few more fragmented tracks that I'm still negotiating with. Although I revisit this album pretty regularly, so it may be a matter of time.

This was just kind of another post punk/new wave/goth album, but there was admittedly something kind of odd here. I've heard some arguments that the X Factor here is psych, but I can't really here it. Regardless, this has it's moments, but it doesn't have the energy or slickness or songwriting of other albums in this pocket that I like more. The result is fine, but it does very little for me in the grander scheme of music. I also can't really see the argument that this is essential, give how much music like this is on the list.

One of the best indie albums of all time. The manic energy here is unmatched. There's some surf influence, there seems to be some broadly Southwestern US influence. And Pixies managed to slip some *real* catchy songs on here, even though they have some *raw* performance. Even the weird little candid spoken word things add to the atmosphere here. I wish I had the time today to say a little more about this, because it really is fantastic but this will have to do for now.

Another example for the relatively short list "albums where the album art is easily the most intereating part. This is fine, but I'd say it has even less teeth than Soul Mining. These are largely good pop songs, but I will say that there's no getting around the fact that I like my synth pop a little weirder, or darker, or more surreal, and this feels just like an extremely normal '80s synth pop album. I will say that the vocals are pretty consistently cool though, and the lyrics I caught *do* give me a little of the tone I want to see, but it can't elevate everything here. To my memory, the only song I really liked was Sweet Bird Of Truth, with it's weirdo drop and hand percussion. But everything else was more or less just fine to me. I also don't know if this is going to grow on me or grate on me if I keep listening, so I guess time will tell.

This is pretty amazing funk and RnB. It sounds incredibly bright, and playful and unique breezy for the first half, before hitting us with some more somber instrumentals in the second. I don't know if I'm entirely sold by the structure, but the good here is great, and the first side of this is some of my favorite music in the genre. The best song here in my opinion is probably Aht Uh Mi Hed, with with unique, echo-y, and nimble drums, incredible vocals, and a unique sourness that creeps in. It makes me feel like I'm at a Salvador Dali themed discotheque. But like I said, side A is pretty sick generally, and side B maybe just needs some time, but it's not really that it's bad, just less substantial to me. This is as great for deep listening as it is for a breezy drive regardless, and it should be celebrated.

I didn't know Cocteau Twins had *two* generational masterworks in them. Everyone knows Heaven & Las Vegas, but this was a real surprise. The tone is a little different, this is still dreamy, but it's a little more gothic, a little more baroque, but still sounding not of this world. It's also just hauntingly, floatingly beautiful. But there's definitely a sadness, almost a yearning here. If this album were a person, it would be a bioluminescent goth woman from the moon who speaks in tongues. And speaking of tongues, this is another album from Cocteau Twins where I am not fully convinced they are *just* speaking English, or any language for that matter. The delivery is mostly just sounds, and I can make out a word here or there, but just barely. Although this is an album that isn't so much about what the lyrics say, as it is about what the lyrics *could* say. I honestly didn't know I loved music like this so much. But I'm feeling this just as much as I felt Heaven & Las Vegas; it's basically perfect.

I was worried for a sec when I got this because, fool that I am, I mixed it up with Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works *Volume 2*, which while on some level still compelling, is *much* longer, and *much* more ambient. I'll just say that if you aren't into this one, you can skip the sequel. If 85-92 is like hanging out in the weirdest dance club on the planet, Vol 2 is like studying for an exam about a spacewalk that you're about to participate in. Anyways, this is about 85-92, so I should probably write about that one. I am now a good several years away from my most robust Aphex Twin phase, but I do still love a lot of the man's music. Although this is one I largely missed. To be honest, I kind of gravitated towards the post SAW Vol 2 stuff, and just didn't really give this a fair shake. And I have to say that while I still don't really understand the incredibly common argument that this is his discography's crown jewel, I do think this is remarkable, *especially* within the context of when it was made. As the album title suggests, these songs were recorded between the years 1985 and 1992. Regardless of your thoughts on this thing, just listen to it and think about this fact. The music here sounds so consistently, deeply futuristic, and remarkably organic that it is honestly damn near timeless. To think that it was largely recorded in the mid to late '80s, one of the most deeply "of it's time" times for music, is damn near unthinkable. I have no idea how he made something like this. And honestly, for all the emphasis on "ambient" here, these songs have some real musicality. Listen to the synth melody on Aegispolis, or just everything on Green Calx. The music here is chilly and spongey and surprisingly varied. As I implied, I do prefer Richard D James' later works somewhat, but the place this has in electronic history is cemented, and deserved.

This is honestly one of the best rock debuts of the '60s. *Especially* when compared to The Beatles and The Stones, who both jumped on the scene with album consisting mostly of decent RnB covers. There are a few covers here, but putting two James Brown covers and a Bo Diddley cover on your 1965 Rock and Roll debut is not nearly as big a sin as whatever was going on with The Rolling Stones. Anyways, this thing genuinely rocks, and is *among* the earliest *rock* albums I've ever heard which gives an honest peak at the power the genre is capable of (note, several blues musicians discovered the electric guitar well before this, and while I'm not sure that the music was *precisely* rock, it did *rock* if you know what I mean). At this point, with regards to their contemporaries, The Who's secret weapon was largely Keith Moon. Moon is most well known for having an energetic, chaotic, edge of your seat drum presence, and it gives this album and, at the time, extremely rare propulsion. Moon is second most well known for being a danger to himself and others, but that's a discussion for another time. The Who's approach here is almost punk-ish. The songs are simple, quick, and powerful. And the lyrics are other sarcastic and pointed: just listen to It's Not True or the title track. And speaking of the title track, it is miraculously just as fun in 2026 as it must have been in 1965. A song that dates itself, conceptually, as much as My Generation does should *not* have the shelf life that it does. But the two chord riff, the nifty bass work, and the *absurd* stutter on the vocals still manages to be identifiable as youthful. On the more melodic side, you have The Kids Are Alright, which is just a fantastic pop song. And the biggest surprise on the album is The Ox, which is basically a surf rock song that just *explodes* forward with an utterly improbable percussion part that still needs to be heard to be believed. While this isn't a perfect rock album, it is my favorite studio album from the Who as of right now, and it *is* jaw dropping as a debut. It's easy to forget just how formidable their sound must have been at the time, so much so that you can still listen to this 1965 rock album, and find some real vitality and excitement in it. The Who have probably had at least one better album, but this is *impossible* to scoff at.