Reviews by j-bizzle

It's not my usual go-to, but this isn't too bad. I like the mad guitars. It's a bit too much guttural screaming for me and got a bit much after a while. "Walk" brings back memories of attending "Freak Night" night club when I was a kid. Lovely stuff.

It's not my thing, but I appreciate some of the orchestral bits. There were also some nice little funky bits in there. For the most part it wasn't a bad listen, and I was happy enough with it playing in the background. I really can't get on-board with the wailing singing though.

2.5 rounded down.

What an excellent album. It's maybe more classic, early rock 'n' roll than I thought it would be (eg. Before You Accuse Me, Ooby Dooby) but there's so much to like here, with some real standout tracks. My foot got a really good workout with all the toe-tapping going on. I love the prolonged jams! The 11 minute runtime on I Heard It Through The Grapevine is entirely necessary and I won't hear otherwise.

4.5 rounded down.

Uh man, this is so fucking dour. It's such a slog.

This, weirdly, was my first route into the Pixies because I loved Velouria so much (and it remains a firm favourite of mine). It's not as loaded with hits as something like Doolittle, but I really love the majority of tracks on here. The music is on-point. I love the opening track so much with those driving guitars.

I like their attitude. I like the harmonies. I like how short and sweet so many of the tracks are. I like their weird, quite basic, sometimes non-sensical lyrics. They're doing their own thing and they're owning it.

4.5 rounded up.

Well I wasn't expecting this - I think this is really good! I really like all the layers to the songs. It's got surprising depth to it, despite being quite heavy on synths. I like how it's upbeat but also quite melodic. It's 80's, and it has some trappings of the 80's, but it doesn't sound dated to me, or at least it's held up way better than some other bands from the era.

Surprised by this one, as New Order were never on my radar as being a band I might like.

I'm sure this is influential enough, it's just kind of boring. I don't always necessarily mind the mix and the dissonance of it, but it does get to you a bit. It's so sludgy and dirgy at times. Ultimately, it's fine, but not that engaging or exciting. It doesn't really deserve a 3, but I don't want to give it a 2.

2.5 rounded up.

I was somewhat hopeful for this after reading some positive reviews. I know there's good lyrical content in there, but it still sits within the framework of standard, "well shucks" country. All the hallmarks of country music, with the twangy guitars, and especially his drawling, country twang of a voice. I'm not a fan.

This is similar to the other album I had by him. It's obviously mad and all over the place, but I dig it. I like that he's putting this kind of thing out there.

It's such a strange album - a real experience - a real mood. The vocals put me off at first, but they work with it. I like the spacey synths. I really like the 'Little Red' tracks. There's a mad, awkward cacophony of trumpets, but it creates such an interesting soundscape. There's all sorts of other shit going on in there.

Music preferences are weird aren't they? An album like this by another artist might make me roll my eyes - or I'll be put off by another album doing quite similar things, and sitting in the same kind of space.

I understand if other people hate it. I think it's delightfully weird and I celebrate it.

3.5 rounded up.

Street Life is an absolute banger. It's a shame the rest of the album is devoid of vocals, because they clearly have it. That said, the rest of the album is a chilled and groovy time.

3.5 rounded down.

Part of the challenge of reviewing this is that it's such a grimy, discordant and angry album. Some songs are incredibly abrasive and others are actively unpleasant to listen to. However! It's a great album overall, and I really appreciate it. I think the production is incredible. Obviously very industrial, but there's some super interesting synths and soundscapes in there that really work. It feels like a complete thing, like one big mood. You can almost imagine this whole album being the backdrop to a disgusting, grimy, post-apocalyptic world.

I had this album on CD when I was younger, and my opinion on it (and the band) has changed somewhat over time. I've come to appreciate the weirder, slower tracks a lot more, whereas I was all about the upbeat, rockier, in-your-face tracks before.

There's some great tracks on here, but it really works as an overall.

This is alright enough. It's quite upbeat, quite 90's! But it's not a bad listen. I do wonder why this makes the list though - unless I'm missing something, I fail to see how this helped push things forwards or was otherwise influential. I doubt it's actually that celebrated these days.

It feels really kind of samey throughout the whole of the first 18 minute track. I guess there's some nice themes running throughout? Kind of? But there's really very little to grasp onto. The second track is so fucking boring. And why is the recording so bad? There's so much background hiss. I get that it's hardly a studio session, but still.

This is a generous 2/5.

This sounds so far removed from what I understand a Beach Boys record should be. It feels way more expansive, and kind of weird and unusual. A much darker tone, with typical Beach Boys notes punctuating it at times. The production is quite interesting as well. There's some good tracks in here, but the overall to me is merely 'quite good'. The album cover is badass.

RIP Brian Wilson.

My first reaction to this was annoyance at how long it was. But you know, it's a pretty enjoyable album. It's pretty funky with some nice rhymes in there. I'm not a hip-hop guy, but I much prefer these kind of vibes compared to some of the more modern stuff.

It's not really my thing, but I can recognise that this is pretty solid for what it is. At first I wasn't really sure, but I warmed to it more as it went on, and particularly to his voice. Southern Man is the real stand-out on here.

I do like Röyksopp, and I do like this album, but it's not their most engaging in my opinion. It's a chill time, and it's put together well enough, but it seems to lack a little bit of oomph for me. I way prefer something like 'Junior', which has a lot more about it. There's some good tracks in here, but not sure there's any actual stand-outs.

3.5 rounded down.

I’m not sure what to make of this one as it’s somewhat inconsistent. There’s moments in this where I found it a bit droney and uninteresting, but other times it just seems to explode into life and is really quite something.

I was quite glad to receive this as I’d heard of him before, but had literally no idea what he actually sounded like. Now I can say that I think there’s a lot to admire. He seems like a truly accomplished artist – I just may admire this more than I like it.

I really love the moments in this where it swells with a real sense of feeling. I like it when bands or artists go BIG, I just do. In a genuine, heart on sleeve kind of way, not an anaemic, pop, punch it up an octave for extra feels kind of way. And this isn’t afraid to go there, with sudden explosions of brass, belted out vocals, and a whole range of interesting instrumentation. At other times the music is really lush. The backing vocals are superb and deserve a special shout-out, as I think they add so much at times, and in interesting ways as well. There’s definite Radiohead vibes at times too, and that’s no bad thing.

I’m going generous with this, as I suspect this may grow on me with repeat listens. It’s definitely bold and really unique – and that has to be admired.

The greatest discovery on this album was playing the track ''Mr. Wendal', and immediately remembering the time an old school-friend had played the intro to me in his house one time, and how he loved the 'WaaAAahhH' bit. I'd wondered on that track a few times over the years, and now I know what it's from. A nice little slice of nostalgia there.

Anyway! Broadly I think this is pretty fun, and it's quite a nice listen. I like how upbeat it is. Lots of funky grooves, and interesting music.

3.5 rounded down.

The majority of criticisms for this album seem to be that it's too safe and middle of the road - perfectly pleasant to listen to in the background, and that's about it. I'm afraid I can't even afford it that. Right out of the gate it's just so bland. It's perfectly well made, but it's so safe and boring that it just lacks any kind of soul. There are precisely zero edges to this.

2.5 rounded up.