Reviews by henry-winchester

Very of its time, but this actually hasn't dated too badly. A more aggressive and dance-oriented take on the chill genre.

I actually enjoyed the radio jingles more than the songs themselves.

I always thought of the Bee Gees as a late-70s band, but it turns out they actually formed in 1642.
This sounds like modern indie in places, but very dated and weirdly patriotic in others.

A great texture, interesting arrangements, and it's always nice to hear music from different cultures.

Suddenly Nick Cave makes sense for me! A proper album, Old Testament-thumping American Gothic that peaks and troughs perfectly, with "Where the Wild Roses Grow" as its tenderly beating heart.

I'm not sure I've ever heard any album with this much energy before. Riding the glam wave but very much in their own way.

Just different enough to be interesting but just commercial enough to be successful.

Jackson's immaculate vocals contrast with crunchy, aggressive electronic pop to amazing effect. The complete opposite of the rather bland and unchallenging pop of the 70s and 80s. And you can just feel how this was produced from the ground up to sound great on a CD hifi.

Halfway between Def Jam and De La Soul.

TIL Soft Cell didn't write "Tainted Love." TIL Soft Cell made a one of the best and goofiest albums of the 80s and it's stupidly brilliant.

Not the most challenging listen, but this really opens up once it gets going. Graceful and tender.

I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that I was completely wrong to hate Paul Weller with his stupid hair. The Style Council is not what you'd expect from Paul Weller with his stupid hair: it's much more soul-oriented and it doesn't sound anything like The Jam; in fact, I thought "You're The Best Thing" was a Lenny Kravitz number. And then Paul Weller with his stupid hair did Wild Wood, which successfully veered into singer-songwriter territory.
You have to be both brave and sure-footed to pull such career u-turns off, but Paul Weller with his stupid hair is one of the few who can do it.

Taylor Swift has a lot to answer for and none of it is good.

I remember my flatmates hating Kravitz as a kind of faux-Hendrix, but he's really not is he? He's just doing his own thing, and I really like it. Lyrics are occasionally a little cheesy but all good otherwise.

Their good songs got better, but their annoying songs became more annoying.

Was not expecting to like this as much as I did. It really rocks out in places. A nice reminder of what folk music was before it became a pastiche of itself (fucking Mumford!).

Definite mummy issues here! But also surprisingly solid, it's interesting that Lennon went inwards while McCartney went ... wherever he went.

A novelty cover album that actually works and does its own thing.

The soundtrack of my teens. I remember listening to the line "Talking to my girlfriend, waiting for something to happen," and thinking I'll never have a girlfriend. Now all I do is talk to my girlfriend and wait for something to happen.

Radiohead were the band for the weird kids who didn't dig Oasis. A little trite in places, but the crazy arrangements hide so much. "Just," "My Iron Lung," and "Street Spirit" are still incredible, and not quite like anything else at the time, almost grunge, semi-Britpop, 90s prog, but something else also. Better than OK Computer in terms of consistency.

This didn't catch my attention, but it sounded like Springsteen when it did.