Rate Albums

Reviews by gregorsmith

Strange Cargo IIIWilliam Orbit

4/10

Whats with all these so-called "super producers" making bland as fuck albums? Eno does it too...

I can kinda hear the sounds Madonna must have heard when she wanted Orbit to do Ray Of Light with her, but on its own it just sounds so.... I hate to say bland again, but definitely dated

MaskBauhaus

6/10

Wanna feel like being trapped in a smoke filled crypt. We got mad vampiric delivery there that cuts through the band’s jagged, abrasive noise. While occasionally leaning into dated art school posturing, it remains a slab of cold-wave gloom.

Darkness on the Edge of TownBruce Springsteen

10/10

Absolutely perfect, 10 songs, under 45 minutes, ranges from moody personal stories to sweeping epics, and contains an amazing amount of Bruce live show staples like "Badlands", "Racing in the Street", "The Promised Land" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town".

The Boss at his best, and, by this point, the classic E Street Band line up were just clicking

GorillazGorillaz

6/10

I like the singles, but the rest is just kinda .... I dunno, there. I applaud Damon Albarn pivoting far away from the jangly guitars of Blur to try something absolutely different.

FrankAmy Winehouse

6/10

If you come looking for Back To Black style stuff, you'll be disappointed. There are hints of the future, but its all oversexed, after party vibes

Opus DeiLaibach

4/10

Opus Dei is a bold, militaristic experiment. While its avant-garde sound is initially interesting, somewhat, the experimental (experimetal?) vibe quickly becomes a repetitive, patience testing slog. Love it or hate it, it is certainly not forgettable.

American IdiotGreen Day

8/10

Had Rock Opera, so why not a Punk Rock Opera. Simultaneously too short and yet some songs feel too long. 20 years later and I'm still surprised Green Day had this in them

TenPearl Jam

10/10

My favourite album of 1991, one of the most important years in music history that included (but not limited to) the following albums:
Nevermind by Nirvana
Achtung Baby by U2
Screamadelica by Primal Scream
Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
Blue Lines by Massive Attack
Foxbase Alpha by Saint Etienne
Apocalypse 91 by Public Enemy
Dangerous by Michael Jackson
Black Album by Metallica
Out of Time by R.E.M
Use Your Illusion I and II by Guns N’ Roses

Its just that good. Every song is utterly timeless.

AbraxasSantana

8/10

Abraxas is more than just its hits. Beyond the legendary classics like "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Cómo Va", the deep cuts shine with a rhythmic conversation between percussion, guitar, and organ. It’s an expertly crafted, timeless masterclass in Latin fusion rather than a simple jam session.

Killing JokeKilling Joke

4/10

So the Killing Joke is an iconic Alan Moore/Brian Bolland Batman graphic novel that explores the origins of the Joker, how Batman wrought him onto the world, and how a cycle of systematic revenge, physiological torture, and, basically, man's inhumanity to man, is really just an ouroboros and those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

It's a 3½ to 4 star Batman story and a 2½ to 3 star animation adaptation.

This has nothing to do with anything I just said, but I hope you find what I said more enjoyable than this album.

Chelsea GirlNico

4/10

Nico thought of herself as a bit of a chanteuse, many others did too. Warhol liked her, she was a bit of a muse of sorts, so he insisted she sing for The Velvet Underground, but she'd still go solo and the Velvet Underground were along for the ride but this would not be anything like a follow up to that album.

We're in for avant-garde shit here, that's to say we're in for some shit here. Shit production. Shit voice. Shit everything. Not 1 star level shit, but not far off...