Reviews by galway_rat

January 8, 202six

HL: title track, "Fall Out", "Cancer", "Being a Girl"

Extremely unfamiliar with this band. They're from some place called- let me know if I'm saying this right- England?
Ok, whatever :p

Unexpected Tchaikovsky. Unexpected Tom Baker

Okay, my expectations weren't terribly high, since I may have read Manic Street Preachers and Suede influenced them (they got 3s across the board from me). Something about the reckless overuse of guitar FX and noises (anyone else catch the TARDIS at the end?) ended up making it a more enjoyable experience. Amidst contemporary bands like Suede, Oasis, & The Verve, who were taking themselves maybe too seriously in the late 90s, there were also weirdos like Super Furry Animals and, I guess Mansun, just trying random bullshit and having a lot of it succeed.

'weeping angels'? 😰

Apple Music has two EPs bookending the real album as described on Wikipedia. Consider them skipped!

I just praised Philadelphian band Espers for blending witchy psych-folk and droning post-rock, but today it seems the mix curdled a bit.

Obviously, waiting 30 mins for a bus in sub-zero weather didn't help the experience, but the same could be said of the reverse.

As depressing as it can be- as annoying as the singer can be at times- I still didn't hate it. Its oppressive, sinister atmosphere mode is sometimes buoyed by gentle melodic strumming, enough to keep it from being a total dirge.
Especially unique entry to the user list, but forgive me if I don't revisit it any time soon.

HL: "The Inmost Night", "The Bloodbells Chime", "The Frolic", "Patripassian" (of course Nick Cave is involved in this)

January 7, 2026

User Album #250

In the first half, I could not figure out why more hardcore made it here.
"I'm Not a Loser" kinda stopped being funny by the "Mr. Buttfuck" part, which is impressive for a song less than 90 seconds.
However, in the break between Side A & B, they just, like, decide on a whim to architect 1990's punk rock. In 1982!

3.5 (as always, for my own personal taste because this is a pretty great example of an influential band that got shafted in the first list)

December 23 /25

HL: "1968", "Whole Damn Town", "Evangeline"

I have a bone to pick with the producer, Mike McClure. Or maybe it's just music in the year 2010. But why the pitch correction? In a rustic, sometimes beautiful country rock album that otherwise has nothing to do with THAT kind of pop country, the pitch correction stood out like a sore thumb.
There was enough fiddle and accordion to keep me happy though, so I'm not that mad
>:0
Ignoring that little quibble, maybe there could be more variation between tracks, but what is here is pretty likeable.

Somewhere between a 6 and a 7 outta 10

December 21 /25

HL: "Here Today", "Up the Down Escalator", "Less Than Human", "A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days"

cool

Not 1st listen (hell yeh)

HL: “GIMME SYMPATHY “Help I’m Alive”, “Collect Call”, “Twilight Galaxy”, “Gold Guns Girls”

January 6, 2026

HL: “Dead Queen”, “Dead King”, “Dead Jack” (kidding, not a real song), “Cruel Song”

Straddles the line between witchy psych-folk and droning post-rock, both of which I have a personal weakness towards. So did I need to hear it? Kinda, yes.

Dedicating “Dead King” to a special someone today, January the 6th.

December 27, 2025

HL: "Escanaba", "Seven Weeks In County", "Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You", "MORBUD4ME"

First I'm hearing of this Billy Strings. But you had me at "bluegrass". I don't go out of my way to listen to the genre, but I somehow gave the 2-hour Nitty Gritty album 5 stars.

What the hell, this has the same producer as Mac Miller's Circles? Never would have guessed. Also, the Eels' Beautiful Freak. Gotta start paying attention to Jon Brion, I guess.

Well, I gotta hand it to OP. I've been pretty lukewarm on some of the country picks, but here's one that's traditional but not conservative, emotional but not depressing, eclectic but not disjointed, and long but not tedious.
Now I want to hear him do a psychedelic album in the vein of "Stratosphere Blues". Or would that be considered stepping on Sturgill Simpson's toes

4* at least

11 December 2025

HL: "Get Your Wish", "Trying to Feel Alive", "Mirror", perhaps "Wind Tempos"

For the record, I did see this was added to the generator. But it's still kinda odd that this popped up literally a day after I took this CD home from the store. Very rarely do I buy a CD before hearing a single track off of it. (Very rarely do I buy a CD at over 10 bucks, mind you)

Okay, today isn't the first time I didn't unconditionally love an album I bought the first time I heard it (read: my opinion of XTC's Apple Venus. That's at least a 4/5 now. Maybe it's time to give the Underworld CD another try). But there's enough going on I can see this sounding better over time. "Lifelike" and "Trying to Feel Alive" are gorgeous, bittersweet bookends, laced with what sounds like a melodica. The rousing synth n' beats provide an interesting contrast with the more pastoral piano bits.
Still, I was a bit confused at this album. "Wind Tempos" is perhaps the best and the worst song on the album, depending on what section we're talking about. That's just one of the moments where I felt I was trying to listen past the processed vocals, instead of taking it all in.

Also, my attempt to give more attention to the 2nd third of the album, where I felt my attention wandered a bit, was derailed after I read Kero Kero Bonito was involved in "Musician". Now my attention is once again on the album Time n' Place. Ah we'll get ya next time, Porter.

Would that I could lay prostrate in a field of daisies. But no, I listened to Nurture in a time where sunlight is scant and wet, blowing snow threatens to bury us all.

HL: "Do They Owe Us a Living?", "They've Got a Bomb", "Sucks", "So What"

Now THIS is punk!

Good name. Cinnamon, that is

"He has said that he was a fan of Oasis and The La's. He has a particular admiration for the work of Bob Dylan." - I believe it

Waiiit... "Belter" was sung by this guy?
For context, I lived in Ireland for 18 months, and heard it all around before the pubs all shut for the coronavirus. Guess it makes sense for Ireland to be tuned into the Scottish music scene as well. I don't think I've heard it once in the 5 years since I returned to Canadaland. Not even sure it's the best song on the album, but what a rush of nostalgia just there. If nostalgia is the right word. Being in a foreign country during lockdown really was the best of times and the worst of times

But enough about me! Though this is his debut album, Gerry Cinnamon already seems quite the savant at likeable melodies and wordless choruses. I look forward to checking out his rich catalogue of... one more album :/

HL: "What Have You Done", "Belter", title track, "Diamonds and Mud", "War TV"

December 19, 2025

December 17, 2025

I'm not the most erudite when it comes to Portuguese music, but in Civilization V and VI I would honestly start games with Portugal and Brazil just for the music, so

You could say I'm enjoying this so far

Continuing the series of: Anon’s favourite metal albums don’t really seem like metal at all. More like ambient that will blow your subwoofers

Incredible atmosphere, although bleak and apocalyptic. Strangely, the drums seem like an afterthought, and are probably the main reason why I wouldn’t rank this higher. At first I thought they were programmed/canned, à la Treasure by Cocteau Twins where I similarly thought the drums were weird, but Wikipedia indicates otherwise.

Still, an especially unique addition to the list, and one I’d probably not return to for a while knowing why it was made. But I’m definitely open to putting myself through this again

December 14, 2025

December 15, 2025

HL: "Strange Town", title track, "Status People"

An imaginative take on blues rock.
Didn't vibe with every track but the few I really liked all had these wonky guitar lines that wove in and out of the standard key. In particular, the guitar work in the title track knocked my socks off.

3.5, maybe a 5 another day

December 8, 2025

HL: "Visite nuestro bar", "En la playa", "Marta tiene un marcapasos", "Rita la cantaora"

Neato

December 3, 2025

HL: "A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles", "The Kennedy Curse", "Little Girls Pointing and Laughing"

My interest in Alexisonfire has always been more academic than anything. It's cool that they're a Canadian band whose influence isn't just felt on Canadian artists, cool that City and Colour made his start here.
But actually listening to them hasn't been one of my priorities. Gotta do it for the culture tho

Let the record show that anything approaching screamo does not tend to get a high rating from me. But what if the gothic-melodic-hardcore backing is often some of the best I've heard in the genre? The beautiful textures in ".44 Caliber" and "Polar Bears" do their best to offset the ugliness of Pettit's screamed vocals. I had Apple Music's lyrics tab open for several songs, and even then I had to double check "Oh THAT's what they're saying?". That's a problem I have with all so-called "unclean vocals". Deafheaven is perhaps my favourite band with that element right now, and I literally cannot hear the English language coming out of their singer.

I hope I'm not just rounding up to a 3 because they're Ontarian-- but I do think, in this case, the good outweighs the bad

Not first listen-

How time has affected my perception of these songs. Once the nadir of vacuous, auto-tuned pop in my (12-year-old) eyes, it has now risen to the point where I gave it a soaring grade of... 7 outta ten. That was a while ago, and specifically for the 90 minute expanded edition combined with the 24-track The Fame Monster (#89 on Apple Music's greatest). Consider tonight a re-re-evaluation.

Okay yeh I'm still leaning towards a 7 outta ten. It really does not get better than the opening run (which I'll repeat, in middle school I plain disliked), but mostly avoids recycling what works by trying out some new genres towards the end. Not "Money Honey" though, that's just "Just Dance" again.

I guess I still carry some bias towards having to hear songs from The Fame every day- perhaps multiple times a day- in the late aughts. At the same time, I really underrated Lady Gaga's amazing, versatile voice back then, which really elevates songs like "Poker Face" and "Just Dance" above a lot of the trash that accompanied these singles on the radio. Fight me, Flo Rida

HL: "Just Dance", "Paparazzi", "Poker Face", "Starstruck" (yes the Flo Rida collab), "Brown Eyes"

Mixed feelings towards Sublime, as while they've never been my favourite bands (even with their evergreen karaoke pick "Santeria"), it seems wrong that they're not a part of the original list.

Maybe they forgot to release it in the UK or something, because the hits from Sublime's self-titled are all over Canada.

I just refreshed myself on the 1996 portion of the book and woof...
Didn't need a 2nd Barry Adamson or Everything But the Girl; I'd argue Manic Street Preachers or Belle and Sebastian* didn't need a 2nd album either. There was plenty of room for one 1996 slacker-ska-punk record!

3.5/5
worth it for the singles at least

HL: "What I Got", "Santeria", "Burritos", "Get Ready", "Doin' Time"

November 27, 2025

*I'm sorry Belle and Sebastian, I would never cut you

I told myself I was done with the generator until the new year, but too many of these are piquing my interest.

Who the heck is Hamilton Leithauser?
Oh, the singer for the Walkmen.
Who the heck are the Walkmen?

Turns out I have a Walkmen song in my digital library, it seems. "If Only It Were True". Great tune that I definitely thought was by the Lumineers

It took me a second to accustom to Leithauser's voice, a blend of Tom Cochrane's rasp and, again, Wesley Schultz from the Lumineers. But then about three songs in, I decided I really liked what he was doing here.

Alright, as "1959" featuring ex-Dirty Projector Angel Deradoorian came to a close, I realized this album is preaching to the choir. It's me, I'm the choir. Think I'm going to pass on an indie folk album?
As nostalgic as this album can be, pulling from classic soul, Dylan and Cohen, what sounds like the backing vocals to that Flamingos song "I Only Have Eyes For You"-- there's enough moving between genre to avoid feeling trite. Plus the eclectic production from Rostam gives it a more surreal, dreamy bent.

HL: "Rough Going", "In a Black Out", "Peaceful Morning", "You Ain't That Young Kid", "1959"

December 6, 2025

The Talking Heads were a vital part of ushering in the new wave, and smoothly transitioned into more commercial pop towards the mid-80s. From then all I knew was they dropped a couple of albums most people didn’t care for, Byrne left and the rest was history.

Clearly it was not merely "history", as this apparently exists. Michael Hutchence, Debbie Harry & Andy Partridge are the names I know, all great frontmen from the Talking Heads’ time, but how well will they mesh with that band’s members?
Edit: I didn't recognize some of the names, but we're also dealing with the singers of Concrete Blonde, Happy Mondays, Live & Violent Femmes. A real 80's-90's-and-whatever jamboree.

Doesn't SOUND much like a jamboree, though.

I have experienced many examples of 70s artists trendchasing into the 80s, but don’t think as much about how 80s artists had to market themselves for a post-Nirvana world. From my own experience, there’s Madonna, who switched lanes pretty hard, and R.E.M., who took their jangly rock and (mostly) kept on truckin’. A lot however, as the YouTuber Todd in the Shadows frequently mentions, just found their career at an end.
No Talking finds the remaining Heads somewhere in the middle, in a strange middle ground between their past post-punk/funk (post-funk?) heyday and some of the worst 90s-isms the decade had to offer. Alright there's my anti-90s bias coming out, but the Heads' eclecticism has a hard time meshing with the gray porridge of post-Madchester, post-grungy, industrial-lite trends. And ya I will defend U2's slant towards industrial-lite, baggy, alternative dance on Achtung Baby and Zooropa, because I am a giant hypocrite.

Also, this damned mess has the GALL to also have some good songs and performances, so I can't even one-star it into oblivion.

A beautiful disaster, or an ugly success. Either way, I don't think it deserves to be forgotten about, but I'm still surprised to find it here.

HL: "Damage I've Done", "The King Is Gone", title track, "Indie Hair" (ya the one with the Live guy) "Papersnow"

November 25, 2025