Reviews by j-bizzle

Boring droney bullshit. There's just not enough energy to it. I think this is my 4th album of theirs now, and I understand that they can be real hit and miss - or at least vary greatly between albums in terms of their approach. This one is a miss unfortunately.

I mean... yeah... it is what it is. It's a bit weird and experimental. An easy enough listen though. There's some fun elements to this, but it's not really the kind of thing I'd come back to. It's an awkward 3, because I liked it enough and kind of appreciate the intent, but it's not something I'll ever think about again.

Ok this is actually pretty good, and I'm surprised by that, because this is usually the exact kind of music that I dislike. I also always hated Sledgehammer, but listening now on the album alone it's a good song! So many people talk about how it's one of the best music videos ever, but I actually think the opposite is true. Yes it's technically impressive, but it's so disjointed and stuttering that I don't think it actually vibes with the song at all. It kind of pulls that awkward vibe into the song itself and actively put me off it. I know I'm in the extreme minority on this.

To the rest of the album, I think it's made with some skill, and you get the sense of an artist at work. I like the soundscapes and use of synths. It's a really nice listen.

3.5 rounded down.

This is a real mood this album, underpinned by that incredible voice of pure gravel. It's deliberate, and it really takes its time, but there's a confidence in that. I particularly like the little interjections of strings or mandolin in places. There's really good acoustics and backing singing as well. But it IS slow and quite heavy and it's not going to be an obvious go-to most days.

3.5 rounded down.

This is a really nice album. He's got such a lovely voice, and he imparts some real feeling and soul into the songs. I like the big band stuff, but the second half is just lovely.

3.5 rounded up.

A solid 3/5. There's plenty to like in here, but it is a bit rough around the edges.

At time of listening, their biggest hit by far (Connection) is inexplicably missing from this album on Spotify and is instead replaced with a karaoke version with no vocals. Just a heads up to anyone who may be confused!

On the album as a whole, this is good! I really like the punky energy. There’s lots of nice grooves in here, and the guitars have plenty of punch. Lots of short songs, but with some impact.

3.5 rounded down.

Straight down the middle, kind of nice, kind of generic. Non-offensive. A bit bland.

This is a fun album with plenty of energy. I like the fiddles and I like the brass. Come On Eileen is an epic-tier bop, and should be judged as such, rather than on the basis that people are now tired of it because it's been way over-played.

My opinions on this changed a bit as it went on. I do like chill, downtempo stuff like this, but the more it went on the more I got tired of it. While it still remained of a certain quality, it just became very repetitive by the end and was just way too long.

I’d only been aware of this guy via a ‘LateNightTales’ compilation, so I’m glad I got to listen to a whole album at least. It’s not one to reach out and grab you, and it is overlong and kind of samey, but it’s also a nice listen for the most part.

I know it shouldn’t be the metric for judging a good album, but this is great to work to! I am genuinely enjoying it, but it’s not something you really have to concentrate on or listen to with a keen ear. I like how completely chill it is despite obviously having those DnB breakbeats running through the whole thing. It is insanely long, but again, because it’s so chill and kind of background, that’s not an issue.

I enjoyed this one.

3.5 rounded down.

I’m not sure what to make of this album. I couldn’t quite figure out if I was listening to the right thing as there seemed to be tons of different track listings online – and then loads of songs were also missing. Add to that, there’s multiple covers on here so I couldn’t be sure how much was original.

Anyway I’m pretty up on this, particularly as I’d never heard of them before. I like their style. There’s lots of interesting arrangements and weird bits of instrumentation, and a bit of an experimental approach. The first track turns into a bit of a cacophony, with loads of stuff going on, and an explosion of keys – but I dig it.

The slower tracks work slightly less well in my opinion but there’s still something about them. And the covers? Generally good covers!

3.5 rounded down.

I was put off right off the bat as his soft, indie voice floated onto the first track… but I was quite quickly won over actually. That first track has something about it – and basically all later tracks have some kind of thing about them, be it a good melody or an interesting use of instrumentation or something else. The second track brings in violins and trumpets, but there’s also great use of synths as well. The whole thing is upbeat and fun. Part of my brain is worried about being outed as a ‘twee’ indie-rock enjoyer, but screw it. I have to give this some real credit for being such a diverse, creative album, and also a very listenable one.

3.5 rounded up.

I'm glad to have listened to it, as this was a band I'd heard a lot about but never approached before in any real way. However I'm not really digging it that much. There's some good propulsive beats in there, but the overall style isn't really my thing. It's fine, but it's not stirring much in me.

It’s a fun album. Upbeat, and with a punky energy. I quite like the shifts in tempo that occasionally occur, and the instrumentation is good in general. I always like brass, and this has that ska energy in there. Generally it’s just a pretty solid, fun time.

It's pretty good. Plenty of decent tracks, but never elevated to anything more. Quite nice. Kind of upbeat and pretty fun. Some interesting instrumentation in places. A solid 3/5.

I'm not into this at all. It's so boring, and it really drags despite being just 36 minutes. At best it's 'vaguely nice'.

It’s totally naff, but also kind of fun? Very cheesy. Ridiculously dated, particularly with the terrible use of samples, scratching and rapping. It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be though. It is overlong, but it was actually quite a fun, upbeat listen. It never lets up, it’s relentless.

2.5 rounded up.

There's stuff to like in here. I'm definitely tapping away to this, but I'm not massively feeling it. I much prefer more defined riffs than wall of noise shredding. I'm also not a huge fan of the singing. I'm glad I got to give this a chance though.

I’m not massive on rap, so I don’t know too much about your Icey T’s or your Scoopy Scoopy Dog Dog’s… but this was alright. It feels more 80’s rap than that ‘gangsta shit’ that became massive in the 90’s, and I kind of dig that. I like the tracks that are a bit funky, and parts of this were pretty funny too. But man, why are rap albums always so long? There’s not enough variance across this album to justify the runtime, I’m sorry. Even with the rock track. And anyone who disagrees with that can, you know, suck my dick.