Reviews by heavymetal

Depeche Mode are a band I’ve overlooked because I always thought they were just another soulless 80s pop group, but I was clearly wrong; wrong about both Depeche Mode and a lot of 80s music in general. I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It’s maybe a bit too brooding for my tastes, but it sounds a bit like an earlier, more pop-y version of Nine Inch Nails. I’m looking forward to checking out some of their other work now.

This was not an album I needed to hear before I died. There were elements I liked, but they were repeated ad nauseam. Every single song went on several minutes too long and they used the same beat in every song. It literally just reminds me of the music that the goth kids in Letterkenny dance to.

I thought I knew Steely Dan, but I was not prepared for such smooth, funky, jazz rock when I first listened to this album. It really makes you want to sit back and relax on a yacht with a nice glass of whiskey.

This is a really solid album front-to-back, the production and the playing are all next level. I Got the News is the track that really stood out to me; I absolutely loved the staccato, off-kilter piano line.

Surprised I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than I was expecting. I actually really enjoyed the "ugly" beats and samples; the backing tracks almost remind me of industrial music at times. Ice Cube's rapping is definitely angry, but I dug it. The political songs are still relevant and important, but the misogyny has aged incredibly poorly. Also, I've said it before, but I can't stand Flavor Flav.

Station to Station is in my top 5 Bowie albums. It might even be in top 3.

It’s still got some funk and plastic soul from Young Americans, but we’re also starting to see some of the Krautrock influences and electronic experimentation that drove a lot of the Berlin Trilogy.

There really isn’t a bad song on this album. Mind you there are only 6 songs, and at 38 minutes it doesn’t overstay its welcome at all either.

Honestly, I feel the exact same way about this album as I did the Funeral. It's a perfectly good indie rock record, it just doesn't really do anything for me personally.

I’m of half a mind to rip on this album for basically sounding like a cliched meme at this point, but there’s a reason modern pop culture has made these songs prevalent just about everywhere and I honestly had a great time listening to this album. That said, I cannot fucking stand More Than a Feeling at this point.

Also it’s absolutely wild that this was recorded in a basement while they were running an elaborate ruse to convince the record label that it was being recorded in LA.

I was expecting a much more corny 80s production on this one, but was surprised that wasn’t really the case and I actually enjoyed a few tracks. That said, it’s still not for me and I was honestly just wishing it would end for at least half the album.

Rehab is tragically a bit too ironic now, isn't it?

Overall, I liked this album a lot more than Frank. It's still jazzy, bluesy, and soulful and her singing is still great, but this album feels much more grown up all around. Better production, better songwriting, more introspective and less shallow.

My only real complaint is that at times this sounded like the Talking Heads got drunk and tried their hands at David Bowie impressions. Seriously, that singing voice does not match a single face on that album cover.

Other than that, I surprisingly had a really good time with this album. A Million Pleading Faces and Hokoyo are probably the stand out tracks for me, but the sax solo on I Can't Help Myself absolutely rips.

This music wasn't really grabbing me on the first listen until we got to Attack! El Robot! Attack! Something about that song made everything click for me and I had to go back for a second listen. I really, really enjoyed it on the second listen; not sure what I was missing the first time through, but the fusion of indie rock / alt country with mariachi music and jazz is unexpected and amazing!

I got really into Big Black (and most of the other bands featured) after reading Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad many years ago, but at some point this abrasive, atonal, industrial noise fell out of my regular listening rotation. I am so happy to be diving back in today and I might need to re-read the book and dive back into more of these bands.

I had a similar thought while listening to Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen, who were surprisingly one of the few bands in the book that didn't fully resonate with me at the time. I absolutely loved listening to them for this project though, which also led me to think I should revisit the book and the bands it covered.

Damn, this is a great album! Zappa is such a unique and weird guitar player and a phenomenal composer! Also Captain Beefheart is a perfect addition to this album. I ended up listening to this a few times today and then branched out and gave Safe as Milk a spin for good measure!

Some proper old timey country music full of heart break and murder. Definitely not something I would normally listen to, but I actually enjoyed this quite a bit.

Cheap Trick and Alice Cooper was the first real concert I ever attended in 2005 when I was 14. Honestly not sure why my dad got us tickets because I don’t think either of us were massive fans of either band, but it was still an incredible experience.

Listening to Cheap Trick at Budokan now immediately took me back to that show. 27 years after Budokan and I’m pretty sure they had a very similar set in Toronto at the Docks. I wonder if they already had the 5-neck guitar in 1978.

Overall, this was an enjoyable listen, but I still don't think Cheap Trick are going to be my favourite band or anything.

I fully understand why this album is included on the list, it’s a solid hard rock record with great playing all around, but damn, the singles are overplayed to death, the songwriting is shallow and basic, and I can’t stand Axl Rose’s singing. This is another one that I loved as an early teen, that just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

This and the Joshua Tree are the two U2 albums that I remember listening to growing up. Listening to All That You Can't Leave Behind now, there are definitely some pretty solid tracks like Beautiful Day, Elevation, Walk On, and New York, but I really don't remember the rest of the album; it’s kind of just forgettable. It's not bad, just nothing really stands out to me.

Honestly, I think U2 are just a solid greatest hits band for me. Great singles, but forgettable albums; just give me an album of the singles.

I’m sure tons of bands have done it, but I’ve always found it kind of weird that they named their album after a Bob Dylan cover. Almost feels inauthentic, like they’re trying to ride Dylan’s coattails. It doesn’t help that this album actually does sound a bit like they’re trying to sound like the Beatles and Bob Dylan at the same time. I would honestly prefer listening to either of the others, but overall this was still an enjoyable listen. I think I actually liked this one a bit more than the last Byrds album I got from the list.

Not sure if there really needs to be this many Byrds albums on the list, though.

Sadly this is just as relevant now as it was when it was released. It's angry, aggressive, and important. Excellent turntablism and use of samples. Honestly, Chuck D's rapping isn't my favourite, but it's still pretty good. Flavor Flav on the other hand I find incredibly annoying. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not quite for me.

I didn’t realize how much I actually like reggae, but I’ve yet to get a reggae album from the list that I’ve disliked and this is another solid reggae album. I really enjoy the dub aspects to it and the saxophone parts too.