Reviews by funny_character

Given that Sex Pistols were a boy band, and that John Lydon is now almost completely unlikable and disconnected from any principles he may have had, I kind of forgot that Publid Image Ltd. Had several albums of fascinating and genuinely subversive music. A far cry from the relative sugary sweetness of the Sex Pistols, First Issue begins with a grinding 9 minute noise rock song (Theme) without any kind of identifiable riff, just expressive wailing feedback and John Lydon screaming a mantra about wanting to die. It's insane and exhilarating, and honestly it serves as a striking mission statement from a band who were genuinely looking to push punk somewhere stranger and darker than *most* bands were willing to look. Annalise is similarly punishing. But there is a little respite here, Public Image, Low Life and Attack have a little more structurally in common with a more conventional punk album, but with the distinct, signature bitterness and wonderfully bad vibes that are on display here. And we gear shift back up with Fodderstompf, which is a fascinating piece of funeral dub, in which Lydon's vocals are pushed so far past the point of parody that they *must* be taken seriously. I think the only low point may be Religion (1 in particular). I can look past it a little on 2, because there's a whole song there. And I do think that critique of religion is pretty much essential in society, but it shoots for shock over substance, and ends up sounding clunky and ridiculous. And this is at it's worst on Religion 1, which is basically a slam poetry recitation of what, in 2026, I can only read as Reddit atheist zingers like "Pray to the God of a bitch, spelled backwards is dog" and "Do you pray to the Holy Ghost, when you suck your host?". I dunno, in the song, delivered by Lydon, it kind of feels like he's trying to be cute and cheeky with it, and I just don't think it really works. But regardless of this little rough patch, this is a fantastic album, and a real curve ball that stopped Lydon from being doomed to die as "The Sex Pistols Guy", all while genuinely pushing punk into new and challenging places.

The best word I can think of for this is "pastoral". It's *very* English sounding folk music with all sorts of accordion and whatnot, and it is really pleasant. I would need to listen more to find out if this really has the depth I want, but it seems like it *might*. Also, for whatever reason, I have found that I much prefer the live tracks here to their corresponding album cuts, so make of that what you will. This does suffer from being a folk album at a time that was *very* saturated with folk albums, but the detail and the breeziness does make it stand out. It's very enjoyable!

It's pretty baffling to me that Automatic For The People is one of the consensus best R.E.M. albums. I honestly think that nearly every R.E.M. album from before it is better. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it, but it feels like it has lost some of R.E.M's identity, with the draw of very clean, very pretty, very self-serious pop songs. But on Green, R.E.M. proves that they were capable of making a real pop album without completely sacrificing the slightly gritty, shadow-y, even esoteric feel of their earlier stuff. While, it isn't at it's most pronounced, Green does still retain some of the mystery behind R.E.M., while also being a really incredible pop album. The lyrics are still odd, the arrangements are still eclectic, and the production still feels underground, but the writing is *incredibly* immediate and infectious. Look at a song like Orange Crush. The refrain is "I've got my spine, I've got my Orange Crush", over an indie pop instrumental, but they sold this distinct oddness into a real single. I Remember California is also a kind of heavy song, which gives a unique tone to something that could have just felt wistful. And You Are The Everything has a really distinct acoustic jangle to it. Green manages to put some of that early R.E.M. mystery into a context that I would honestly just call fun, and it's a massive success. I'd even say that there isn't any song here that really brings this down. This perfectly achieves what it wants to, but I just don't think I like the intended piece here as much as I like some of their truly fantastic older albums, which have a sound similar to this, but are more willing to really drive you somewhere strange and fascinating, and just drop you off. Green holds your hand a *little*, and I am still learning to love it, but it's kind of an undeniable achievement in pop music, and a unique, delightful expression of R.E.M.'s sound.

I think this is my quickest turnaround for one artist, I had EVOL like 4 days ago. Honestly, listening to them in quick succession like this was kind of an interesting exercise, especially because they were released subsequently. I loved EVOL, it got a 5, pretty cleanly (although I don't particularly like my review of it). Sister comes in the middle of a run of Sonic Youth albums where the band was evolving particularly fast, and is a sort of unique piece. A little history may help in explaining where the sound of this lies. Sonic Youth started soundly as a No-Wave band (and became one of approximately two No-Wave bands to really survive past the incredibly short lived scene, the other being SWANS). No-Wave was a reaction to New Wave, and is basically a completely deconstructed form of punk (which is, on some level, already a deconstructed form of rock, keep this in mind), with emphasis on grinding sounds, intentionally obnoxious writing, and an almost outsider-y performance philosophy (even though these bands were all *very* much part of a certain artistic "In Crowd"). I would describe Sonic Youth's music through Bad Moon Rising pretty cleanly as No-Wave. EVOL was a big step, and ended up as No-Wave-ish, but with some (admittedly abstract) pop sensibilities. Basically, it created a really particular sour, eerie, even dangerous atmosphere through this sound. But on Sister, the No-Wave "sound" is more or less abandoned (although some of it's philosophies remain), and the sound of Sister is as though Sonic Youth have started at their No-Wave sound, and tried to un-deconstruct it back into punk. And to go further, Daydream Nation actually feels to me like they go a step further and kind of un-deconstruct Sister's version of punk all the way back into rock. This puts Sister and Daydream Nation into a really unique position, where they have a lot that's recognizable as "punk" or "rock", but at the same time, they are also like 3 or 4 degrees of separation away from the genres as we usually see them. And the result is what I'd imagine it would be like hearing music from another dimension. To bring this back to Sister; it's an incredibly unique expression of punk, but I honestly prefer the (somewhat) similar EVOL. At this point Sonic Youth have pretty soundly lost their particular flavor of spookiness that appeared on the earlier records (though Pacific Coast Highway comes pretty damn close), but they are also rocking a little harder and, at the end of the day, have more mature, complete songs here that work both individually and as a record. I will admit that the earlier albums are great *albums*, but they don't always work as "collections of songs, if that makes sense. This can kind of do both, and a consequence of this is that I have some more individual songs that I consider favorites, like Stereo Sanctity, Pacific Coast Highway, Cotton Crown, White Cross, and the admittedly strange Master-Dik. But that atmosphere on EVOL really was something, and since these *are* fairly similar albums, I kind of feel the loss. Although, I will definitely agree that Sister is one of the band's better albums, and that it's pretty awesome.

Not to be confused with Gary Numan, or more distantly, Paul Newman. Randy Newman's sound does feel a little quaint here, but there's enough depth that he eventually overcomes this. His deep voiced, crooner thing feels like more of a punchline than anything in 2026, but he *really* does sell it. I will say, there's some pretty remarkable social commentary here as well. Rednecks has some smart observations, based in some solid satire, and even if Randy Newman says some words he shouldn't along the way, he has some really worthwhile insights that live beyond the character piece. After this, it's pretty much surprisingly enjoyable songs, with surprisingly sharp writing the whole way. And even if this was never going to be a favorite, due to aesthetics, this is definitely still a very worthwhile listen, solidly showing that Randy Newman has more depth than you'd think.

I did not particularly like the Steve Winwood album on here, but this is more interesting, if pretty indulgent. There's some folk rock, jazz, prog, and a little funk. It's pretty pleasant, but doesn't feel especially unique. The songs also feel a little more flash than substance at times. But the effect isn't distracting enough to make me dislike the album. Although, I will say that my favorite song here is John Barleycorn, which is a more straightforward folk song that really puts the writing at the forefront. Like I said, the cumulative effect of this is fairly enjoyable, but it's a little frustrating that it feels like their prog influence occasionally gets in the way of the songwriting. But this does still get a 3, even if it's kind of a shaky one.

Honestly, this may be Deep Purple's definitive recording. It puts the hugeness and alive-ness of their sound in perspective into perspective in a way that their studio albums cannot. The way songs are constructed here is almost like a jam band. Stuff is really allowed to organically evolve. And it works because Deep Purple are completely locked in. And the sound they get out of this is a powerful, rumbling proto-metal. The volume and power of everything is deeply felt. Especially on iconic Deep Purple tracks like Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, Space Truckin', and Child In Time. The last of which also features one of Ian Gillan's greatest vocal performances. It's just about everything that Deep Purple's sound on albums hints at. I will say that the jamming can feel a little self-indulgant, but the results *are* largely enjoyable. Regardless, this thing is pretty great.

EVOL is a pretty special album for sonic youth. It captures a moment where the early era's slinky creepiness collided with some of the catchiness that was fully realized of stuff like Goo or Daydream Nation. And honestly, I kind of think this is more accessible than Daydream Nation. But that's definitely a me thing. If you don't have a lot of noise rock experience, it may be surprising to learn that Sonic Youth is a particularly patient take on the genre. But honestly, I do think it's shows. Like Tom Violence and Shadow Of A Doubt are so shadowed and eerie that I can't think of a better word. But the atmosphere that EVOL conjures is pretty special. And Sonic Youth was a truly unique band. This is getting a 5.

Holy hell! If this thing is anywhere near as good as the album art, I'm in for a treat here. It turns out this is psych, which I honestly probably could have figured out from the art admittedly. And I'm finding out the list has a *lot* of psych, and I could probably do to go a little harder on it, but not today I guess. This is honestly towards the top as far as the genre goes honestly. *And* it's one of the first rock operas to boot. The sound here has some familiar psych components, and a few very unfamiliar psych components, but I'll firmly say that this isn't too closely tethered to the genre's tropes. And in fact, the hard garage rock edge of S.F. Sorrow in particular gives it a little more definition and identity than the average psych pop album. But honestly, the staying power here is mostly from the songs themselves. The writing is really creative across the board, as well as suitably colorful. It's writing like this that separates an album apart in a genre as defined by aesthetic as psych is, if that makes sense. Although I can't think of a ton to say; just very solid, creative psych, that I'm willing to call "underappreciated" on record. It's cool stuff!

Let's get it out of the way: I love Dinosaur Jr. and this is my favorite from them; this is getting a 5. Shit, I own and play a J Mascis signature Squire Jazzmaster, I have some personal investment in this thing. Although, if you don't get what makes You're Living All Over Me great, I don't know if I can help. Dinosaur Jr. were absolutely crucial in the development of grunge and other '90s alternative. I think I've heard someone say they're kind of the missing link between REM and Husker Du, and I sort of agree. Dinosaur Jr. had some of the mystery of REM's '80s aesthetic, but had something that's kind of punk-y in like a noise/sludge way that would later help define grunge. And the result is You're Living All Over Me, which honestly also rocks *unbelievably* hard for an indie record. Like this thing has some very fragile alternative, pop-by-way-of-rock-underground melodies, but then you turn the album on and the first fucking guitar tone you hear is a goddamn life-ruiner. The wah/noise solo at the beginning of Little Fury Things is *crazy*, it's like a whirlwind of ceramic, and it let's you know that these guys really mean business. It's rare to find indie willing to get this fucked up. And then, on Kracked, you get more mournful melodies and a guitar solo that brings up another point about this band; that J Mascis is kind of the most deeply secret *generational* guitar God *ever*. He has real chops, but is also really willing to slam so much fuzz on his tone that he's basically sculpting the riffs and solos out of a wall of pure scuzz. But honestly, as easy as it is to gush over Mascis, the whole band contributions are also deeply important, and Lou Barlow and Murph *need* their flowers. And as this thing goes on a real magic emerges between the punk sloppiness, paradoxical nimble-ness, and understated tenderness of this thing, which come together in a context that almost feels like folk or lo-fi sometimes. It's one of those records where the band stumbled onto a certain magic in their songwriting, and just stayed in the pocket for the entire time. There isn't a bad song here. I even really like Poledo; sure, it's *really* out there, but it brings some of the more quietly weird things about this album out and boldly relishes in things like ambient, lo-fi, and musique concrete. And I think of it kind of like a Revolution 9 situation. Putting Poledo here wasn't the decision that makes the most sense to the listener, but it's here because Dinosaur Jr. took a lot from the sounds on songs like that, and I think it was kind of their way to give back to genres like lo-fi and ambient. Regardless, I think of You're Living All Over Me as a landmark achievement in rock, and I think the fact that this band is perpetually a *little* underrated has made me more steadfast in this. It's really a fantastic album, mutating hard edged rock into a sound that honestly *does* bring to mind the sympathetic monster on the cover.

ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ or Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs or just Psalm 69 is a landmark industrial metal record, and one of the greatest industrial *metal* albums ever. After this, the genre got a little too diluted for my tastes, with a lot of bands just throwing synths and drum machines on top of groove metal tracks. But *real* industrial flows through Ministry's blood: just listen to what they were putting out before this. So the result here captures what I love about the genre, even with a substantial metal slant. In particular there's a thrash-y, almost punk-ish intensity here that turns this album into an absolute barn burner when combined with some of the industrial noise and collage elements that this is kind of built on top of. It's blistering, it's caustic, and it's exciting. There are even a couple hits here. N.W.O., Just One Fix, and Jesus Built My Hotrod all managed to get some real popularity. The first two are groovy and driving, and intense, and awesome; but Jesus Built My Hotrod is really in a league of it's own. Whoever had the idea to slap Gibby Haynes' manic redneck babble on top of an industrial thrash track was a genius, and needs to be in the history books. And the deep cuts are enjoyable too. TV II is more sheer mania in particular. But Scarecrow brings something a little more plodding and eerie to the table. And the last 3 tracks here are particularly far from where we started. The industrial and collage elements really devour this album, and drag it back to purer "industrial" territory. Although I do think that piling this sort of thing onto the end adds some weirdness to the pacing here. I could see this one eventually becoming a 5. But I just need to spend a little more time with the mutations present on side B. All in all, this thing is still exhilarating though.

That's two Eno-involved projects in a row, three and it's a hat trick. But I'm not exactly complaining, Eno is kind of a musical genius, and there's something *incredibly* special about this period in his career (really from Here Come The Warm Jets through this album). I love his later ambient work, but there's really something about the albums which are basically just ultra art-damaged pop music. Before And After Science is a great representation of this sound, but is definitely looking forwards to Music For Airports, which pretty much immediately follows it. One Of Eno's very favorite tricks is also in full display here; starting the album with kind of odd, but still energetic art pop/art rock songs, then slowly dissolving into ultra-expressive ambient soliloquies. Here, No One's Receiving, Backwater, and Kurt's Rejoinder gleefully throw together Eno's signature futuristic sound with rock energy, pop catchiness, funk influence, and a little theatricality. But by Julie With, the quiet sadness and lurking mystery slowly creeping up on this album has fully immersed it, and until the end, it just sinks deeper into shadowed motifs, gorgeous melodies, and lush arrangements. The sensation is as though the listener is slowly enveloped, but remaining calm. It's like slowly gliding to the bottom of the sea. And when you get there it isn't dark, or menacing per se, but it is unfamiliar, and bizarre, and weirdly gorgeous. By This River is particularly spellbinding, if I had to single out just one song. But this is very much an album that needs to be listened to as a single piece of art. There's a really powerful cumulative effect here. I don't know if this is as perfect as Eno's best, but it is still pretty magnificent. I genuinely think this will eventually be a 5, but I don't really want to jump the gun.

Honestly, one of the best albums ever. And Born Under Punches is legitimately may be one of the 50 best songs ever recorded. Just to gush about it a little. It best emphasizes the sheer magic of the collision of funky Afro-American rhythm, glossy, avant-garde futurism, and teeth grinding anxiety. The guitar solo here alone is legitimately more exciting, valuable, and fascinating than a lot of bands' entire discographies. And the rest of the album is *very* nearly as good. From alternate dimension funk of Crosseyed And Painless, to the jittery The Great Curve, the tastefully Hip-Hop inspired Seen And Not Seen, the plodding, yet nimble sadness of Listening, and the unlikely hit in Once In A Lifetime. Once In A Lifetime represents a small period of time in which the demands of the public collided with what Talking Heads were giving. And more hits came, but none of them feel quite like this. Remain In Light is just a masterwork, artsy, weird, exciting, punk-y, funky, and remarkably accessible for being so fucking odd. Not to mention David Byrne's magical, irreplacable, vocal presence, and the absolute, locked in precision of the whole band. Remain In Light is a generational accomplishment.

I ended up with this on Father's Day, which feels spiritually appropriate. As I understand it, Hysteria is a dad rock classic, and is kind of considered a hair metal high watermark. And, honestly, it probably *is*, I just also don't really like hair metal that much. This being a mid-late '80s hair metal album means that it's inevitably cheesy, flashy, and at least a *little* ridiculous. But I do respect that this album is pretty transparent about the fact that this is a pop album with big guitars. Def Leppard are definitely not trying to be something they're not. And, maybe it's just the father's day spirit, but it kind of worked for me. A lot of these songs are *really* catchy. Women, Animal, Gods of War and Pour Some Sugar On Me are a pretty good encapsulation of what's going on here. Instantaneous pop songs meet metal arrangements and tropes. And the result is a lot of fun. But 62 minutes is a little much for this kind of thing, and I think the last leg of the tracklist is kind of weak. But Hysteria is still very enjoyable.

One of the better synth pop albums here. There's some real pop know how here, and a subtly dark undercurrent. The sound is very '80s, but it works here. There are neat synth lines, moody vocals and more. And Don't You Want Me is a legendary song. This was really enjoyable, nothing close to the best I've heard, but enjoyable!

I was really pleasantly surprised by this. The Electric Prunes are an *incredibly* unique psych band. On their best tracks, psychedelic ideas are realized with a guitar tone so deeply mauled that there really is some early experimentation in incorporating electronic textures into rock here. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night), Sold To The Highest Bidder, and Get Me To The World On Time are all basically psych-punk. And legitimately are some of the best songs of the '60s. The other stuff here ranges from decent to kind of stupid though. About A Quarter To Nine, The King Is In The Counting House, and The Toonerville Trolley are all kind of ridiculous, and kind of drop the ball a little. But the good stuff here is *so* good that this weird little album with it's skittery, broken guitars has really sold me.

Having terrible album art is quite the curse, but having your album art be the most interesting thing about it is almost as bad. Unfortunately, this is the case for Woodface. Crowded House were kind of ahead of the curve with their "approximately indie" sound, this was from like '91. I have to wonder if Crowded House are kind of thought of as Australia's REM? But regardless, this could honestly do to be a little more interesting. The lyrics are playful and slightly surreal, and the vocals are pleasant. But the other performances here are just too polite. There are some little flourishes here that are neat, and there are some good songs. In particular, there's a pretty good run about half way through. But I don't think there's much here that's truly exceptional. And I'm kind of lukewarm on it in general.

This is a live performance where Jerry Lee Lewis cemented *something*. This is rock and roll delivered with an energy that devours everything the genre usually is. Jerry Lee Lewis blasts through some jazz, blues, and R&B standards at breakneck speed, while absolutely battering his piano and singing like he's racing the instruments. Songs like High School Confidential take it far enough that I dare say the result has some aesthetic similarities to punk. It's sloppy, it's powerful, it's flying off the rails, and it's a blast. This is an early '60s live album that transcends the status of "document" and remains exciting to this day. This is a remarkable missing link between Elvis and what rock was at the end of the '60s.

Dusty In Memphis is smooth and sensual, even to the point of sounding genuinely romantic. It's honestly a very sweet pleasant listen. Dusty Springfield is an amazing vocalist, and she absolutely sells the tone she is going for here. And there is some musical depth here that can kind of blind side you if you don't know what this is; just look at The Windmills Of Your Mind. This is a landmark for women in rock history, and I think it deserves a 4.

This is an insanely nostalgic listen to me, and my favorite Megadeth album (though their opus is usually considered to be Rust In Peace). I was raised into metal, and while my tastes are more varied now, this stuff still lives in my DNA. Before I get into the album itself, a quick metal history listen for the unengaged will be very helpful for this one. In short, Dave Mustaine was a member of an early (pre-Kill 'Em All) incarnation of Metallica, but he was unceremoniously kicked out of the band for being too difficult, drinking too much, and partying too hard for early '80s Metallica (no small feat). After this, he basically said "Fuck you guys, I'm starting my own thrash band, and we'll be faster, angrier, and kick more ass than you!", and thus, Megadeth was more or less born out of spite. Megadeth has since outlived this fraught introduction to the world and been immortalized as a member of the big 4 of thrash (with Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer, all of whom appear on the list). And also, it's worth noting that Megadeth's rivalry with Metallica is more playful than anything in the present year. But the attitude that formed Megadeth did power them almost immediately into some scene classics; enter Peace Sells... But Who's Buying. Megadeth's sound probably best represents the core sound of thrash out of all the big 4. Metallica's thrash stuff had a proggy slant due to Cliff Burton (RIP), Anthrax was closer to crossover thrash/hardcore punk stuff. And Slayer was damn near a grind band sometimes (Reign In Blood in particular can still peel paint). Megadeth kind of sits in the middle, but is generally most similar to Metallica, if you need a touchstone. Peace Sells is an insanely efficient record, the band is pretty much locked in from beginning to end. This thing is full of exhilarating triplets, wailing solos, and some really creative basslines. I'm also not gonna tell you that Mustaine is a *good* vocalist per se, but he is the only man for the job. He brings some punk snottiness here, and it really shines through the most on songs like the title track and Good Mourning, he almost brings a comical theatricality. The lyrics are the perfected mix of surprisingly in depth political observations, pop culture, and a little occultism thrown in for flavor, and are very enjoyable. I honestly think this album is pretty much a perfect 36 minutes of thrash, but to single out some favorites, the title track is *incredibly* catchy, and tons of fun, while also having something to say behind the sarcasm. And My Last Words (a deeper cut) is one of the band's best thrashers. But this album has an incredibly iconic sound, and is a scene classic. If you love metal, you'll be floored by this. If you don't, you should give it a shot, it doesn't quite have Metallica's crossover appeal, but the level of quality here is high enough that it's worth it for just about anyone.