Reviews by h3lios

Beats are kinda tuff and fresh. Can't and won't relate to the gangsta life though (3-3.5).

A legendary punk album! Didn't like it first time I listened to it, found the voices kinda irritating. A few months later, I got around to it and I was vibing with the production. Now I have London Calling on vinyl!

I love how both punk and pop it is. I love how it pays homage to different kinds of music from reggae to 50s rock and roll. It's also quite cheerful despite the lyrics meaning otherwise. London Calling is a nice transition for pop listeners looking to learn more about punk and want something accessible and catchy. It definitely hooked me in for sure!

Polished like an antique table. Nothing really stood out. Put this in an 80s mix and it'll blend so well.

Here for the original sample from "Fantasy"! The disco-funk vibes are zany and fun, keeping the Talking Heads spirit I guess. I only learned about that on my latest Wikipedia rabbit hole dive. Without this cool butterfly effect, we wouldn't have one of Mariah's most well known hits (3.5-4).

Ooh a Sonic Youth album! If I had this earlier I would've recoiled a lot. Turns out I can tolerate and maybe enjoy some noise rock if you put it while cooking. The minutes of fuzzy guitar feedback pass by so slowly that I need to do something to make good use of it.

This isn't my first time listening to them anyways. I do appreciate how tight the songs are while still keeping their edge. I really want to bump this album to a 4 just to look like I do love experimental acts. Guess I can't help but have pop in my veins (3.5).

Oh it's Biggie!

The beats are fire and the rhymes are flawlessly slick, but each track sounds the same with each boom bap. The momentum stays pretty strong in the first half, but loses it in the latter half. "Big Poppa" will always be my jam (3.5-4).

Wow, who am I going to finish first. Bob or Stevie?

Sounds a lot like Talking Book but with more of those funky clavinets (which I now know what they sound like). "Living For The City" stood out to me on this album. A groovy social consciousness piece? Sounds a lot like the start of hip hop to me! I'm always looking forward to what Stevie is cooking during this period! Keep giving me more!

God this cover is SO dated. Is that supposed to be a digital condom? That looks like an NFT 🥲.

So on their Spotify bio they say this rap group uses Parliament-Funkadelic samples. This was before G-funk perfected the recipe. Add to that they don't know how to cut a rap short. Even on "Doowutchyalike" someone tells the DJ to start their fade out lol. There's only so much you can "pack" on one song till it gets annoyingly repetitive.

All that to say the last four tracks seem to be the most consistent with the album's vision. With a rap group name like that though they could have leaned into the "digital" sound more. The production on "Sex Packets" has aged the least; sounds like a 2000s or mid-2010s alt-R&B song. Quality control could have helped this album so much (2.5-3).

(Also I don't get their vibe. Are the Digital Underground supposed to be zany but also gangsta? Like an in between De La Soul and NWA?)

Transition point from grungy songs to more acoustic, introspective ones. Thom almost sounds like his OK Computer-self here, like he's trying out Jeff Buckley's style.

I was pretty harsh when I listened to this for the first time a few years ago. Didn't have the musical experience to appreciate the alt-rock sounds here. Now I do and it pays dividends to enjoy things I once didn't enjoy (also probably cause I was on the bus listening to this, again). (3.5-4)

Reggae trip hop? Never heard of that combination before but I wouldn't have been surprised since they both have a chill, hypnotic vibe to them. This is most definitely background music, something to put on while you study rather than intently listen.

Seems that there are different avenues of listening to music "the right way" even though objectively there aren't any. Using it to study is just one of the more common ways we'd listen to this, but it doesn't make it any better than listening to each track intently (2.5-3).

There seems to be a strong social consciousness to this record. Uplifting African Americans while highlighting contemporary social issues. It's celebratory, hopeful, and a powerful reminder to not let go of your roots because they give you your foundation. Do prefer their other contemporaries though like ATCQ and De La Soul.

Abrasive, glitchy dance with a lot of cut and scratching. Not my kind of dance but there are some personal good moments (3.5)

If Britain were an album - part like 56.

I do like how it sticks to being Anglocentric across different genres. It's a pretty cheeky record so the ballads that are sprinkled sour the vibe a bit. I remember not liking the songs "Bank Holiday" and "This Is A Low" when I listened to it a year and a half ago but they sound tame now with a bit more musical experience. I don't mind most of the songs, the satire just doesn't cut it for me.

Not in the mood for storytelling and retro country unfortunately. My ears have gotten used to modern country-rap/rock that older music feels like being in a time I could never comprehend. A time where folk instruments did not have the hard hitting rock elements I prefer.

The harmonies are nice though. Though I guess I was expecting something like Kacey Musgraves (2.5)

I don’t really like this. Very atmospheric but doesn’t have a lot of substance to it. It’s giving a trustafarian sound: surface-level exploration of world music and philosophical themes. Not to mention the voice, reminds me of Public Image Ltd.’s vocalist, kinda adds a B-movie soundtrack vibe for this album.

Despite having dance beats, it’s quite tiring listening to this. Not sure if this is a sign of burnout in this challenge but I find it more difficult embracing an open mind with albums I’m not familiar with.

Electronic influenced rock. Sounds politically charged.

For a creepy album cover my first impression was that this was another metal album... that's not the case here.

Unlike the last few dance/electronic albums, this one is beat-heavy with a sprinkle of some random side effects. And for 78 minutes it goes on far too long. I’m more partial to recent dance music like Underscores and Ninajirachi since they condense it into less than 5 minutes per track (2.5-3).

My first Smiths album, and it's the last...

My reference point here is listening to "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" on repeat, so I'm surprised that it has a different sound to it. It's reminiscent of R.E.M. and the Pixies, which makes sense given how they probably inspired each other during the 80s. Morrissey is still as theatrical as ever.

It's a nice listen but not much stood out to me. One of those perfect 3-star albums where they are no peaks, just long drives and vibes.

I thought the Pink Flag was floating lol 🫪

How do they make 2 min songs sound so long? Maybe it's just punk's repetitive chord and chorus structure. Thanks to some recent post-punk albums I can sort of hear that genre here in the 3+ minute songs like "Strange". The rest though does sound similar to the Ramones debut though (3.5).

I find this album from Alanis sounding like an in-between of two similar singers: A subdued and poetic Avril Lavigne, but a more pop-rock Fiona Apple with anger to boot. Her voice also has some interesting changes in timbre: from yodels, rough-scratching shouts, to softer vocals. Really adds to why the singles are iconic, or should I say "ironic"?

With an album cover like this, I thought it would sound more intense. It's almost ballad-like if not for the harder-hitting instruments. Kind of like Garbage's debut cause there's some bits of dance-pop here (3.5-4).