Reviews by j-bizzle

I'm disappointed by this. I thought it would be more dynamic, but outside of a few tracks or interesting pieces of production, and a few good rhymes, it's kind of flat. The whole album is weirdly murky.

I'm being generous here. 2.5 rounded up.

It's alright, but it's nowhere near their best in my opinion. There's something a bit disjointed and murky with the songs. I'm finding it hard to get into the actual groove of them. They're all sitting at a level, and there's nothing elevating them beyond that - be it a killer hook or chorus, or something a bit brighter or more engaging.

There's something very Ramones about this. It's overall good fun and quite knockabout. Plenty of energy and tempo. It's slightly more melodic in the guitars, but nonetheless very direct and with plenty of hooks.

Teenage Kicks is a perfect pop-rock song. There's something to be said for a song that's this simple, direct and earnest. It wears its heart on its sleeve, and distils a real feeling into 2 1/2 minutes.

3.5 rounded up.

This is quirky, and weird, and kind of delightful in places, but it's not something I would come back to and actively listen to. It's musically interesting, and obviously quite experimental, but there's a lightness of touch and it's kind of fun with it.

The album is ok. I guess it's kind of interesting incorporating elements of Indian music into a more typical indie rock kind of approach, and there's some other quirky elements in here, but it's not really hitting for me overall. It's pretty dull in a lot of places.

The original Brimful of Asha doesn't hit anywhere near the level of the Norman Cook remix version. It sounds like a demo in comparison, although it does have its own charms with nice bits of violin in there.

2.5 rounded up.

This is a nice one! And it stands out for having a good amount of variance in styles and approaches, and all done pretty well.

3.5 rounded down.

I kind of breezed through this album without bothering it too much with my full attention. It's alright I guess, musically on-point, but kind of boring with it. I take some issue with the sheer number of covers on here.

2.5 rounded up.

I strongly suspect that this band have been labelled as one that you're not supposed to like if you're a 'proper' muso - in a similar vein to a band like Coldplay - and the reviews are being a bit over-zealous as a result.

I would have assumed ahead of time that this album would contain the big smash-hit single, and then a lot of uninspiring filler, but it's way more musical than I thought it would be. There's some great melodic guitar in here, some funk grooves, chill backdrops, harmonica, brass... I think it's really interesting musically.

I think this is really good. Forget the haters. And it IS fun.

This is more slight than I was expecting. It's funky and with a positive energy, but it's not quite as energetic as I thought it might be. It's still quite a good listen for most of the runtime. Groove Is in the Heart is a certified banger.

Ps: Good album cover!

Well this one was quite a pleasant surprise. Definitely lots of energy and personality in here. I like the mad trumpet and the dirty bassline in some of these songs. There's lots going on, but it's cohesive, and quite varied throughout.

3.5 rounded down.

I got through nearly the whole album without writing any notes. I guess it's that kind of album - just a nice, 60's, floaty kind of time. I didn't recognise a lot of the covers. The Hey Joe one I appreciate on the basis that it's a genuine different take on a classic, rather than just doing the same thing.

This is a bit different. It's quite quirky, but a lot of the tracks land. Good production in general, and it's quite varied across the runtime. I really like the more upbeat tracks with heavier drums. They seem like fun dudes.

3.5 rounded down.

It's full of good, upbeat rock numbers, and it's a reminder that I should check out more Cheap Trick. I'd prefer to hear an actual studio album though so I can check out the songs properly. It's always a bit strange listening to a live album for a band you don't really know that well. I only knew Surrender on this album (which I love) and that hit well as a result. Overall... it was a good gig.

3.5 rounded down.

It very much feels like low-level prog. It's not grabbing me. It's just a bit mediocre.

I was expecting something way more harsh and dissonant, but this is incredibly minimalist. It's kind of nothing really, just breathy vocals over the top of some veeeery stripped back, basic synths, and a bit of fuzz sitting in the background at all times. All the songs sound exactly the same. It's genuinely shit and shows no skill or ambition at all. Absolutely bizarre.

Frankie Teardrop has to be competing for the single worst song I've heard out of all 742 albums I've listened to so far, and that is IMPRESSIVE.

I quite like a bit of electronica, but this one feels a bit empty to me to be honest. It's not bad, there are some nice tracks in here, but even the best of them are never getting elevated beyond general 'quite nice to listen to' status. Maybe it's the production, it's just a bit weak.

2.5 rounded up.

I like that this is a bit experimental, a bit unique. It's quite a nice listen, maybe one I appreciate more than I love. It fell into the background a little bit, but it's done well enough. Macbeth was a fun, upbeat track, full of instruments and stuff going on. That would be my pick of the bunch.

I’m delighted to say that this is better than the other album of theirs that I reviewed, but given that I gave that album 1 star and called it “depressing droney bullshit” it’s hardly a high bar to clear. This is still kind of indistinct and boring, but at least there’s some melodies in there and some interesting soundscapes at times.

2.5 rounded down.

I quite like his vocal delivery and general (musical) vibes, but the actual content is awful, and the skits are fucking tedious.

This was a good time. Funky (naturally) with good instrumentation. He has a real nice voice.

3.5 rounded up