Reviews by henry-winchester

2010: the year everyone lost the ability to sing in tune.

So fucking annoying. The "Billie Jean" cover was the final straw on this camel of fucking annoyingness.

He never lost his touch, did he? He must have been worth a fortune at this point, but it feels like he's still got an ear to the ground and he knows what's going on. I guess some of the attitude might seem a bit dated and offensive now, but he was laying the foundations of progress.

Love the artwork as well! 1989 was the single best year for album art.

Not quite the Leonard Cohen tribute I was expecting, but unique and interesting nonetheless. Lyrics a bit trite and on the nose in places though.

Fun fact: I'm exactly the same age as Sum 41's bassist, which may explain why I always had a bit of a soft spot for them.

Definitely prefer them to the other bands of this era/genre, they're fun and likeable but also really good songwriters who know how to do punk without it becoming offensive or stupid.

I had no idea what to expect from this, and to be honest having listened to it I still have no idea what, exactly, it is. But it's great! Taking dubstep (I think) and using it as a vehicle to explore a multitude of genres. Those choppy bass sounds have dated a bit (I'm old and I know something has dated, woohoo!) but it's so nice to hear something that's positive and doesn't make me want to slash my wrists.

Wait, this is the guy who did "Lady in Red?" The most godawful pop song of the 80s? That guy? Did an album that flits between dreamy prog and Dickensian tablature? The "Lady in Red" guy?

Maybe I was just getting warmed up or something, but I found the first disc so-so and the second disc borderline miraculous (especially "Dirty Boy").

O

K

It's like Jive Bunny lying on his back, naked, and pissing all over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A crass, tasteless, but admittedly very impressive achievement.

50/50: good and genius/annoying and indulgent. The fact that it sounds like nothing else of this era nudges it up to three.

Sorry, I don't remember a single thing about this.

This is my addition! And seeing the three-to-zero star reviews pour in has made me question my choice; I wish I'd included Underworld's "Beaucoup Fish" or Etienne de Crecy's "Super Discount 2" or Corenlius' "Point" or Pharoah Overlord's "#1".

But listening to it again, I think I made the right choice. I was 17 when this came out; I caught the band at Glastonbury, got second-hand high, and it was like a gateway into another world. It was like dance music but dirtier and nastier, more powerful than labelmates Fatboy Slim, epic sonic voyages that take their time to get going but really capture you.

It's always hard to divorce yourself from something you love (as anyone who's been married will know), but I completely understand why people might not get this: the vocalist's sub-Mark E Smith's meanderings can be a bit grating, and the mix is, well, lo-fi (I'd love to hear a remaster of this). But it still stirs something deep within me, a reminder of a time when I suddenly understood that music could be so much more than a few bored blokes standing around with guitars.

Also, the Spotify edition is missing "Battleflag," which adds a natural crescendo to the album and became big in the USA. You can listen here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5Q8TJJf4X18GRemriCEUs2?si=a14d676acb2b46db

I really fucking hated this. Overwrought and needy. Music like this died in 2010 for a reason.

There's obviously a horrifically sad story attached to this record, but that doesn't mean it's not shit.

As much as I find Daft Punk kind of annoying, at least they had a sense of humour and wit, but this is kind of just Crazy Frog over and over again with better production values, the worst kind of Eurodisco techno, meaningless "feel-good" lyrics and one-finger keyboard riffs. Yes, it's very shiny and exciting and technically well-produced, but so are nuclear weapons.

Listened to this twice. Enjoyed the soaring orchestral moments and the crazy vocals, but that one loop did get a bit repetitive.

I was always a bit of an indie kid, but this kind of music was so much better than the utter garbage of this time. It was like metal reflected post-millennial and 9/11 angst better than witless bands. And this is great.

A total bridge between 80s and 90s metal, and stuff like Slipknot. Never heard an album that reminded me of so many things at once. Great fun.

This guy needs help.

I had a lot going on yesterday, so I didn't really take this in at all, but what I paid attention to sounded pretty good?