Reviews by giddy

On my album journey I've grown very accustom to something that once was a killer to my Gen Z, short attention span brain: long songs. Often times now, I get excited when I see a long song because I know the artist often poured more of their soul into that track than any other song on the album. Even better if the whole album is ten minute-plus tracks, as then I know I'm about to go on a trip. However, there is still one variation of the long song-riddled album. An album with the average twelve-or-so songs, all in the five-to-six minute range. I hate that kind of album, every song feels it drags on to long, and ruins the general good will I had towards the song at the start, and I fall into its trap every time. 90s R&B is a good example of this, as the baby-making nature of all of these songs leads to a lot of tasty, sexy jams that become tired with time, not helped by the fact that each song is generally the same sonically. You'll be relaxed, sure, but perhaps too relaxed, to the point where the difference between track five and track nine is non-existent in your memory. This album is no different. I really want to like it more, and there are moments of something great all throughout, but at an hour long I was just not in a mood worth caring by the end, and it really knocked the album down for me. Each song was so close that I could taste it, but as it went into the four-minute mark and always seemed to be at a perfect stopping point it instead went "Nah, time for some more slow jams!" and I was exhausted. It's good, instrumentation is great, Maxwell's voice is stellar, and the vibes are immaculate, but I don't know if I could sit through one of these songs again anytime soon, let alone a whole album.

Sometimes perhaps a bit too mellow and smart for my 80s filling, Blue Nile's A Walk Across the Rooftops is an excellent showing of that warm Summer night part of pop. The moments where the synths feel just subdued enough to be cozy, and the compositions are intricate whilst still having those bits and pieces to make it onto mainstream radio. It isn't a genre I ever thought I'd like, but it seems to constantly be hitting well with me, and this album is no different. The vocals aren't smooth, but it's that odd sounding, mellow-toned 80s gruff-lite that works oh-so-well, and I'm just a fan of the whole thing. It isn't mindblowing stuff, you'll find yourself a little outdone by the songs' long-winded runtimes, but those moments of just enjoying the urban, humid rain that make this album shine; enjoy the feeling as it presents itself, I say.

While Nirvana has some great moments here performing their own songs, I think everyone comes here for the immaculate covers. The Man Who Sold the World, Where Did You Sleep Last Night, the whole Meat Puppets section, they are all amazing covers and fantastic songs in general that Kurt Cobain especially makes his own, and really allows this album to shine. This album not only has a tinge of humor thrown in (only exemplified watching it) but Dave Grohl feels especially into the whole act. You can tell the passion is truly there from the whole band, and the inclusion of any other musician gives this album a weird effect where it feels like being a love letter to itself. I think Kurt Cobain's death happening between recording and musical release really makes it so every song feels special, as if they are the essentials in Nirvana's canon, even if some of their biggest hits here. This album, being unlike a good chunk of their discography, feels like it is truly them musically, and just getting the chance to listen to a truly great musician on the verge of meltdown is almost awe-inspiring, not touched by another live performance save for Alice In Chains' just a few years later. This album may have a song or two that I'd prefer the studio cut of, but this album just feels right, and it is a shame seeing a band flowing with still so much creativity getting snuffed out, but at least they parted with such an amazing gift. All I'm saying is that there is a reason many think The Man Who Sold the World is a Nirvana track, even if it isn't a good reason, the album is full of moments like that that trample over everything, and you could almost twist it in to something worse. All of these songs are now more famous because of Nirvana, and I somehow guess Kurt Cobain wouldn't have wanted it that way, and that gives the album that hint of extra tragedy. It is just such a fantastic record, I can't help but give it nearly full marks. Just cut a couple of the renditions and we're golden. Then again, I'm sure that misses the point of this track listing, too...

I mean… it's alright, but perhaps due to just being used to this sort of instrumentation, the album just comes off as another drum focused electronic album in the 90s. Is that fair to this album? Probably not, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like this an album with far more importance to those who were alive during its creation. That isn't a mutually exclusive rule, but I fail to think more than "that was neat." It had some cool parts: the intro to Mutual Slump was brash, sudden, and a pleasant surprise, and I'd say from then on the album was hitting a cool groove in my head where I understood the hype a little more, but a lot of the other tracks felt too mellow for me to get anything I couldn't get from an album I'm already familiar with. An album probably influenced by this, no doubt, but that doesn't change that I'm just not feeling as impressed as I think I should be. It suffers from the curse of the 90s length album, and while the scratching was neat, anytime it wasn't there I didn't gather anything from it that wasn't already acquired via Aphex Twin on the mellow side, or the Avalanches on the plunderphonics side. I can recognize the quality, and as I said, "part three" is pretty great, but there's too much to sift through now to get any deeper enjoyment from it, in my opinion.

Perhaps one of the few times when I'm purposefully listening to a version of an album with multiple bonus and re-arranged tracks, as it seems that is the intended album layout not only according to the original artists, but also what Robert Dimery has me listening to with the 1001 Albums list. I'm not complaining, as even if the bonus tracks are weaker than the meat and potatoes of the album, tracks like Nature Boy are fantastic covers, and earn their place. The main bulk of the album, though, is utterly fantastic! It's wonky, production and tone is all over the pace, and it is just plain a mess, but within that chaos is perhaps some of the best pop to bless music. It starts strong enough with Kizza Me sounding nothing like the band's prior power pop, but it's the variation that allows it to stand out all the more. Alex Chilton, at his most explosive, sounds very personal and vulnerable, and it almost gives his voice this feminine, glam cadence, but with all the punch of a singer who knows how to pull at the heart strings. However, it's when the album slows down that really blows me away. The back-to-back of Holocaust into Kanga Roo is mind-blowing, and nearly had me chocked up by the end, and nearly every song from then on was an emotional punch in the gut in the best of ways. Even when the pop rock roots returned, there was always this tinge of melancholia, and when this was their final run, their final record, it must have really felt like goodbye. Hell, it still does, and it truly is a great feeling to experience via music. There are a few songs that don't reach their full potential, but this album is so loaded that it doesn't matter. I mean, even on top of great song after great song, you have a wonderful Velvet Underground cover, and still a handful of power pop masterpieces to get the blood moving, but this album, despite feeling nothing like Big Star's prior two albums, feels like the perfect culmination of every emotion Big Star ever evoked, and despite the messy outcome, I think that only adds to the bittersweet emotions this album spawns, and that easily makes it my favorite of their records.

I think I like this? There was a stretch in the middle of the album where the tracks were starting to get pretty same-y, but it recovered by the final couple tracks to deliver a project with a lot of influence not only for black metal, but also thrash acts from the mid-to-late 80s. You can hear groups like Slayer a ton, and while I don't know if that's a true connection, it certainly helps a listener feel right at home in something that could've been seen as relatively new in the 80s. However, the music itself is just okay. I know that the production was a rush job, but everything feels muffled and makes it difficult to appreciate any intricate instrumentation hiding below the surface. The lyrics are also just plain goofy, which works in some areas, but for songs like Teacher's Pet, it can be plain gross. At least the singer isn't putting on that silly voice most black metal bands seem to have, otherwise this whole album would be a comedy. It's an album that deserves to be listened to because of what it helped bring into the music world, but it itself is just okay, and were I more familiar with the genres and influences I would be far more undogmatic about the whole thing. Eh... still find myself feeling that way, anyhow.

Chuck D has an amazingly powerful voice, and commands not only the room, but the ears of those that hear his booming delivery. Everyone already knows that, though, so I'd also like to praise Terminator X's DJing for being a perfect time capsule while still being immediately fresh. It's not only sick as Hell, but really charming that Public Enemy has their own catchphrases to fall back on in every beat, every chorus, and just overall fill out the tracks. Even Flavor Flav as a hype man feels less goofy here than other projects by the group, even if his track doesn't align with the tone of the rest of the album. The whole album just has a chokehold on everything it speaks on, and while some of it comes off as dated (She Watch Channel Zero?! has a fantastic beat, but the framing device feels off-putting), it's an album with purpose, with sole intent, and it'll either destroy you if it finds you in its path, or get you to join in on the destruction.

Also, just a little thing for the 1001 Generator, but that 2nd top review is laughably bad. Like, Jesus.

I mean no disrespect to other hardcore punk albums when I say that they had no reason to show up other guitarists in the genre as hard as they did with this album. Every song's riff isn't just technical thrashing, but elaborate guitar riffs that are not only extremely catchy and raw, but are just straight up nasty, and paired with Henry Rollins' "on the brink of death" vocals leads the album to perhaps one of the most earnestly aggressive and destructive punk albums of the 80s. There is no wonder in my mind how this became such a massive hit, as only as the album went on did I find myself into the style more and more, and while the vocals did take some getting used to, returning to the earlier songs after going through the whole album had me realize just how consistent this record is, and featuring fifteen tracks and still pulling that feat off is quite the achievement. It's juvenile in the most charismatic of ways, and while perhaps it can come off as a bit dumb, sometimes that's what you need to get through a day. Great record, I look forward to checking out their sludgier follow-up.

This album has a lot of pleasant instrumentals with pretty enthralling stories and world building, to the point where I'm genuinely always intrigued in the next tale, and was even getting into the non-jokes Waits was spewing that the crowd couldn't get enough of. Nothing actually gut-bustingly hilarious, but the charm got to me at about the forty-five-minute mark. However, I struggle to call this an album of music. It feels more like stand-up and poetry with instrumental backing that may be my favorite part, but feels needless, and if this album is truly not actually live, it just feels like the whole album is mocking itself. Perhaps that is the intention, I don't know, but a lot of tracks are just not songs, and so I think rating it on that same musical scale feels unfair, but if this is one of Waits' main releases, I kind of have to look at it that way. All the pieces are there for it to be a cool, albeit long, live album, but as a studio performance with lots of rambling and relatively simple songs, I know Tom Waits has a lot more in him, whether it is from this early era or not. This is a good one-and-done album, but I can't see myself returning to this, and I think if any other artist tried this same shtick, I'd be far more annoyed. It truly is worth that single listen though, mileage will just vary.

This is a light score, as I think for a debut the Echo & the Bunnymen sound is already pretty established, but you can tell they are also trying to go for that stereotypical goth rock sound established by Siouxsie and the Banshees, and it can leave this album feeling like it doesn't have a sound to call its own. Hell, if I didn't know better I'd be calling this a Cure rip-off, but obviously it is much more than that. It's cryptic, but less cold and mysterious, more chaotic and warm, and it leads to a lot of odd moments that can come off as charming, but dated, and I think that's how I would describe this whole album. It's important to see the start of an important post-punk group, and it is solid, but it does little to stand-out in a crowd, and I even think their later releases out class it in every way. However, comparisons aside, this is still a good little record, with enough there to be praised on its own merits, it's only the passage of time holding it back, truly.

I'll give it credit, this album perhaps had me the most interested in anything Springsteen had done musically that I've had the opportunity to listen to. Stripped-back production Springsteen lends itself the best to his voice, and the lyrics are easier to care about in-turn. However, this still is a pretty dull record; many tracks that go on far too long, and oddly all feel like interludes that should be a minute. Makes me wonder if perhaps the big sound usually accompanying Springsteen is to mask repetitive melodies. It's a fine enough listen for one or two tracks, and I agree that the A-side is pretty good for what it is, but by the end I was completely out of it, and I think another listen would only heighten my disdain. For now, I'll say that seemingly every album of his seems to be better than the last, but when you're on a five-star scale, the difference is miniscule enough that it really doesn't matter in the long run.

Close, but no cigar. Scott 4 feels less quirked up than the other album I've heard by Walker up to this point, Scott 2, but I think that strive to have an album that is more subdued melodically, but stronger in tone has its strengths and weaknesses. When this album is Scott with an orchestral backing and very little else, the beauty of what is presented is so strong that I'm genuinely at a loss for words when it comes to describing it, as it is truly legendary. However, when the songs start to aim for a more straightforward art rock sound, it can be more hit or miss. The Old Man's Back Again is something special, but other tracks that go for this tone, such as the final couple tracks, fall flat, and leave the album without a satisfying closer. The lyrics are top-notch throughout the whole record, but when presented under a pop-ier light it can feel more cheesy than dramatic. It's so close to something great, but I think the oddball songs that line the wax on Scott 2 allow that to be a more memorable, better experience, while this album has higher highs, but more middling lows, and it leads me to think this is a great album, but a great album with some filler. Still, it's short enough that it certainly doesn't hurt to get through to experience some fantastic singer-songwriter material, and if that first track doesn't pull you in to this man's style, it's unlikely anything will.

What is wrong with me? Alternate yet very similar question: What is wrong with YOU? This album contains a bunch of infectious grooves hidden under ten tons of sludge, with bass riffs that shut you up as soon as they start, the playing being something that will rock your ear drums out of your head, and drums that force you to listen to its racing heartbeat, Sometimes too noisy for its own sanity, Wonderful Rainbow is an album that is perfectly exemplified by its album cover: a landfill of nonsense barely blocking that rainbow you long to see, but when you do catch a glimpse, it is extraordinary. Songs make you sit and wait for the payoff. You will appreciate the purely technical instrumentation presented to you, and if you've been a good boy, you get one sick climax that makes the whole song something to just sit and be astonished of. Perhaps it is self-indulgent, and this feels like something you would kill your grandma with only a note in, but letting yourself sink into it is truly something to get pumped about. My ears are ringing and I love it.

I've officially decided that I am not a fan of the Who in any way, shape, or form. All the vocals annoys me, the instrumentals are about as generic old white guy as you can get, and frankly it just isn't impressive or enjoyable to me. I can recognize the quality of Keith Moon's drumming, but a single drummer does not make a band good, and frankly with one of the most obnoxious finales in rock history, I'm going to throw this into the "influential for the worse" pile alongside Yeezus. Congrats, Who, you made power pop. Now every single other rock band will outclass you on it. That's truly revolutionary.

I'm unsure how to feel about piano rock. I thought I liked it, not only because Elton John's hits are very deceiving for the rest of his studio output, but also because Billy Joel's output is shockingly good, or at least the album The Stranger is. I feel this album only adds to the mystery, as Meatloaf has his share of hits that I quite like, this album containing one of them: Paradise by the Dashboard Light, and I like his additions to Rocky Horror Picture Show well enough. However, I always cringed a bit when encounter the schmaltzier side of piano rock, and this album is full of that. Predictable, self-righteous chord progressions, a booming voice to make everything sound more important than it truly is, and throw in perhaps the most misleading album cover ever for good measure. Yet, I found myself liking the schmaltziest track, For Crying Out Loud, only second to Paradise, and that only adds to the befuddlement. The whole album feels too cheesy for my blood, but when it truly digs into it, with the orchestral sweeps and the climactic finish, it works pretty well, and it allows the ending of this album, all nearly twenty minutes of it, to be oddly pleasurable. Perhaps not totally my thing, but I can appreciate it in the same way I like some blatantly terrible 80s songs. Just, God forbid, do not listen if you can't stand bravado and showmanship in a musical artist. This album is 80% that, 10% music, 10% weird sex stuff.

The guitar work on this EP is fantastic! If there was one thing that kept me excited about the next song, then the next song, and so on and so forth, it was the instrumentation, as it is pure, raw energy, but still has enough melodically to be praised as something that walks the line between alternative rock and punk. I think the EP is just held back a bit by Steve Turner's vocals, as they can be rough, and not in a hardcore, "fuck the man!" sort of way, but rather in a chain-smoked two packs before rehearsal way. It can be adjusted to, but it is absolutely rough, and the release's short runtime don't give a lot of wiggle room. However, this is still a rocking release, and if you enjoy your noise rock and grunge overlords, make sure to pay due respect here.

Glam rock is such a weird genre. You either have an act like Sparks, that feels like it is entirely focused on the glamorous aspects, being more art pop at the end of the day than anything, then you have acts like the New York Dolls, that are more rock than glam (in terms of the sound of their music), and it can feel like you're just listening to if rock 'n' roll survived to the 70s. However, the more underrated aspect is the acts that fall between these two extremes. David Bowie is the most obvious example in this category, as Bowie is unequivocally rock and roll during his Ziggy era, but has just enough weird stuff thrown in to be an interesting and unique listen. Mott the Hoople, in essence, is mainly just another version of that Bowie, stretched into a band rather than the effect of Ziggy where a good deal of people give credit to just Bowie when a whole band was at play. Mott the Hoople's biggest hit is often confused for being a Bowie song, and the band even is similar line-up wise, as Mick Ronson would be in the follow-up to this album a year later. Overall, it is a band that just feels like it was meant to be "kind of famous," and this album portrays that in spades. We have two different odes to glam rock, we have some quirky things to keep the album unique, and it can be described as a good time, but I highly doubt there are many out there who consider this a defining moment in rock culture. It's solid, it has good instrumentation, the vocalist has a Bowie meets Bob Dylan impression going on, and the lyrics feel glam-y, but there just isn't that wow factor to push it past the barrier into something truly amazing. If you like Bowie, you'll like this. If you like 70s rock, you'll like this. Hell, if you like rock you'll probably like some aspect of this, but I feel you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who LOVES this, especially over so many other classic glam albums.

Is it a requirement for white guys to adore Frank Sinatra's voice? Perhaps, unfortunately, because I really adore this. It is a bit long for the repetition found in the lyrics and tone, but God, as a pioneer of the concept album, and LPs that aren't just a collection of singles in general, this album truly captures the feeling of theatrical heartbreak. Those strings are destructively sorrowful, and that harp that chimes in is dreamy and wistful in the perfect manner. All of this on top of Sinatra's powerful, booming voice that may not work when trying to do quiet tracks like I Get Along Without You Very Well, but nearly every song benefits from his contributions, and if he did truly help write some of these songs then man is the sorrow pouring out of this man's voice 100% believable and heartbreaking. I think it could just benefit from some song cuts, and I can completely see why one would find this too hammy to be trustworthy and required listening, but I think this is a great pick when it comes to important albums, and seeing that I am a white guy, I truly was smitten with this record nearly for the whole run.

I'm impressed by how much variation there is in this album, as I was expecting a situation similar to the Jerry Lee Lewis album where every single song was the exact same riff, pacing, and energy, but this album slows it down at times, and I appreciate that. However, by the end of this very short LP I was still ready to tap out, as many of the songs are not only regular ol' teenyboppers, but they've been covered to death, and while I have to give some level of credit, if I don't like the song when the Beatles do it, I'm probably not going to care here. I know about half the tracks, but I liked the deep cuts more, as Little Richard's androgynous vocal delivery was intriguing at the very least, and that shined the most on the slow paced tunes. I understand how this shaped rock 'n' roll, and that many of my favorite musicians wouldn't be here without Little Richard, but that doesn't change the fact that I just don't care for it. I can give respect, but that's about all I'm willing to muster, although I admit I think a later record from Richard could grab me more, if his sound was tweaked a little bit.

I know by now that this style of crooning baroque pop inspired by the likes of Scott Walker is right up my alley, even arguably a guilt pleasure, thanks to Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy. Hell, right before I generated this album I was checking out an album by them that I had never listened to before, so it is almost like destiny, even to the point where you can tell that a lot of the songwriting was done by Hannon himself, as if Ute Lemper's voice was used as a vessel for him and many other artists to try out cabaret, or bring themselves into a different perspective. I actually surprisingly quite enjoyed Costello's additions, as the pop-ier sound was a nice change of pace, and I wish they were a bit more spread out, because I was seeking shelter by the end from the musical theater displayed in front of me by the end of the album. I mean, Tom Waits also had some great additions, and whenever Neil was actually singing on one of his songs it was a blast, even if he felt like he was making fun of his own singing voice at times, but forty minutes in the album seemed ready to wrap up. Luckily, Scott Walker himself comes out of nowhere to deliver one of the darkest sounding songs I've heard from this subsection of music. It's repetitive, long, and droning, but God does it send shivers down my spin and feel like it is the perfect stop to the album. The first half of the album is truly amazing, though, with some pieces from everyone that are truly great, especially the Nick Cave tune that is undoubtedly, well, Nick Cave, but in the best of ways. Sure, the album can be seen as not really Lemper's, and that can cause it to feel like a fish out of water situation where I can't imagine too many who listen to this get what they want, but I feel this fits me just right, and is just as much of a force of nature as any of the albums of those who appear here alongside Lemper, and that makes me glad I got to check it out.