Reviews by gromit

It's good and the highs are some of the great tracks but I think this is where the different styles/interests of each Beatle start to show as a weakness rather than a strength, this stops it being particularly cohesive. Same on Revolver, Sgt Peppers, White Album to be fair but I think this is more of a strength there. They battle for attention on the first two and on the White Album they give all the different styles room to breathe over the length of a double album. Now it just feels jarring especially on the a-side where each song doesn't flow at all. Despite this the tracks themselves are pretty fantastic.

For what this is, this is great - it's a solid pop record with fantastic songwriting and performances from Bonnie Raitt. As a Brit I'd never heard of her before today, but I enjoyed this enough to listen again and check out another album by her. Only real negative for me is that the production and overall sound feels dated even for the time period - there was some really good pop from this period which stood the test of time and this one is definitely a record from 1989.

Kind of boring... No original takes here and nothing special

Pretty strong record - top-notch performances by everyone here. Lots of variety and doesn't surprise me that everybody here picks up different instruments on each track. It is a musician's album through and through but also strong song craft. Super rootsy and organic, even pulls off a Confederate track without really stepping in it. Doesn't always keep my full interest but it's regularly very good throughout.

It's not really my favourite sound - both funky and punky should appeal but I find it sounds very rehearsed and the energy that should be there is focused in David Byrne's vocal performance rather than the instrumentals.
Have heard some of their later stuff where Byrne either reigns it in a bit or the instrumentals get a bit crazier and I think either of those work better than here where Byrne sounds like a drunk offbeat wedding singer and not in a cool Tom Waits way but in an uncomfortable way

I'd never heard of Solomon Burke but I came to really appreciate him over the course of an album - he has a great variety of sounds and strengths across the album. I'm glad this album was on the list!!

Gorgeous record - structured in a way which doesn't make much sense but reveals itself over time. So moving on the a-side and the b-side is so innovative. Can hear this from goth to post-rock, ambient, rhythmic electronic music, vaporwave (James Ferraro must have studied this) - the production is so beautiful and it all comes together so well.

Moments of brilliance but left me scratching my head a bit. I liked the strange keys, drums. I thought there were a few moments of genuine vulnerability that made me want to understand this a bit more.

I wasn't a big fan of the last track and I think that swings me into 5/10 territory, but there's definitely moments to salvage or replay from this and I may be revisiting.

An event album by an elusive and beloved 90s singer/songwriter, this was bound to get rave reviews but that 10/10 by Pitchfork brought out the contrarians. Is It worth the hype? I think it is. Don't think it's quite 10/10, but it is a damn fine record and I would give Fiona Apple some grace considering her previous 2012 effort WAS a 10/10 record and a contender for best album of the whole decade.

Here she has a full band and she is using them in a way you wouldn't necessarily expect. You can imagine them marching around the room, hitting random percussion on walls on some of these tracks.

The energy on the record pulses and expands outwards, it feels almost cramped like it was recorded in a cell with the musicians struggling for freedom. The fact that it was recorded on GarageBand is really something but you can definitely hear it at times.

You'd think all the chaos and slight amateuristic nature of the record (especially the a-side) would maybe be overwhelming at times. And for some it clearly is - the 1/5 reviews are testament that some people cannot handle the chaos present here. But it's no Trout Mask Replica or even Tom Waits, it has a pop core which makes these reviews baffling - can they not handle a slightly unconventional pop record?

I wonder if any of those reviewers got to the b-side, the emotional anchor of the album. The instrumentation is more conventional for a run while Fiona sings of heartbreak and loss. Her voice becomes the main focus of the record and she has the voice of one of the great jazz or blues singers (I am not being hyperbolic). This culminates for me in the heartbreaking release at the end of Cosmonauts, and the chilling a cappella of For Her.

If I have one complaint, the record doesn't quite sink the landing after this. It's not a victory lap but rather a thematically relevant mantra about resilience in the face of trauma.

Fiona Apple may never release another record (a reality I hope will not be true... though she is not very prolific and it is hard to truly know) but this is a true thesis statement and a beautiful way to end things if she does stay away from music.

This felt like a step up compared to the first one which was awfully dull. Instrumentation is more interesting and dynamic in places, the singles (including the biggest ballad - The Scientist) work a lot more for me than those on the debut as well. I still can't shake my dislike of Chris Martin's vocals but I appreciate they work a bit better here, would prefer more charisma (Robert Smith, Siouxie Soux, someone who has more angst rather than sorrow) would be great on a track like A Whisper. It's a decent 3 I think!

First half has great tracks on it, second half has more of a theme and is definitely good but was a bit less engaging for me. Definitely a 7/10 record (and can see it growing!) but maybe a slightly weaker 7 for now.

Began to wonder if I even liked music while listening to this. Had a headache and thought it was just annoying me but listened to something else after and no it just sucked.

It kinda has the ingredients of a slowcore/emo record but instead it's like grungy and super angsty in a way that felt like the opposite of that style. Really almost felt uncanny how it just didn't work for me despite it seeming right up my alley...

It's quite good but just doesn't feel right

Genius sound (the bass is unbelievable) and a few great tracks here including the signature Blister in the Sun. Works quite well as a full record and fascinated by some of the stylistic choices here (the track where they slip into an almost reggae style was out of the blue), but about half of this wasn't for me as much. Still can't believe the year this came out and I do like a lot of folk punk that follows so have to pay my respects here.

Dusty's voice is so powerful and there are a great variety of tracks here that show how great she is. I had never heard her before (and truthfully I thought that a debut of covers from the early 60s wouldn't be so interesting) but I adored this one.

Liked this but felt it dragged on the b-side. Can see how it influenced every band in the 90s and onwards in one of my favourite genres (slacker indie), I have to give it a lot of credit for that but I also don't feel as connected to this as I do to the bands that ripped it off.

Never been a fan of REM, just don't find them compelling. I assume there are a bunch of REM records on here and maybe one will change my mind. Until then, it's catchy but it just doesn't click at all for me - it's like a 5/10 as a 'not for me' rating.

Honestly could have sucked and I was expecting it to be pretty mediocre after the first two tracks where the most redeeming elements were the nice guitar parts. It actually gets quite a lot better after that, at its best it is great Starbucks soft rock so that's a decent 6-7/10 for me!

Awesome record - has a great voice and helps to see the feeling from when punk started. The playing is just fine, but it has hints of where they go next and it has enough going on to be engaging beyond just the lyrics.

Fun record, country rock jams that have a feel of americana future to them.