Reviews by j-bizzle

Well I definitely wasn't expecting this of a 'rock' record. This has way more in common with freeform jazz than it does rock in my opinion, but I quite dig it. It's quite a chill time, with some nice playing. Moonshake was the standout track for me, which sadly was the shortest by some distance. The rest is quite experimental and strange, but nonetheless interesting.

I had NO idea this is what Turbonegro sounded like, but I like it. Super high energy, and with heaps of wailing guitars across most of the record, which is very my scene.

It's incredibly silly in places, but fuck it, I love that they're singing about pizza. I'm hearing parallels with bands like AC/DC and Kiss, but a bit punkier. They have that kind of fun edge to them. Maybe a hint of Ramones as others have said. All melted together in one high-octane, glam-punk-rock melting pot.

It's maybe a BIT much all in one sitting, but I'll definitely check out more of these guys. Most likely this'll be an album I save, but won't return to much outside of a few tracks, but that's ok.

I bet these guys were/are excellent live.

I don't really have that many strong opinions about this one. It's a bit more musical than some other punk-rock bands, but it still feels a bit samey in my opinion. It's just ok.

As with his other album I reviewed, it started off very easy going and breezy, but after a short while it seemed to slow waaay down, and I just found it so dull.

It doesn't bode well for an album when the only thing mentioned in the write-up is that it was included in the 1001 albums book, but this actually isn't that bad. It's maybe a bit inconsistent in terms of style, as it flits in and out of different approaches: Sometimes more down-tempo, other times kind of hip-hoppy, other times kind of weird electro.. but it mostly delivers for me. Certainly not something I'll return to, but hey, very few albums on here fit that criteria.

This is a nice time, but in a quite unassuming way. My main criticism, if it even is one, is that it doesn’t feel immediate and engaging. It plays more like pleasant, soulful background music, with just a touch of jazz and funk. But you know, everything has its place, and in circumstances where you just want to play something casual, which will sit nicely in the background, this is perfect.

3.5 rounded down.

Christ this is so fucking boring. And it's just so bad.

I like how theatrical and idiosyncratic this is. I can only commend them for doing something so artsy and out there, and to really own it. For the most part I enjoyed this and had a nice time, but it did seem to bleed into one a little bit, especially the longer it went on.

The Beatles are a very good band, and they're iconic, and a lot of their songs are completely timeless. However, I initially had this scored lower and it was only repeat listens that helped me to appreciate the approach and execution a lot more.

You still have the kind of classic Beatles sound with jangly guitars and nice harmonies. They really know how to beautifully craft a song, and the song writing in general is seriously on-point. I like how bold it is, with lots of approaches and instruments, and its left-field decisions. A song like Eleanor Rigby is brilliant, and it has an entirely string backing. It's maybe a bit less successful with something like Yellow Submarine, but hey, you still have to admire the ambition and personality of it.

I don’t know why I was holding off from giving this a 5 before. It’s excellent and pretty much the whole album holds up to serious scrutiny. Very well made, and a very good listen. And yes, it is timeless and iconic.

You know this was a perfectly nice album. I preferred the first half, which was a bit more upbeat and had me tapping along with it a lot more. The second half felt more sombre, and was less engaging, but still fine enough. Overall it was quite easy going.

3.5 rounded down.

I had such a good time with this. There's a real drive and propulsion to it, and it's packed with tons of personality. The musicality is absolutely on-point. I was maybe expecting it to be a bit one-note, and for that to drag over a long runtime, but there's tons of variation here and it whizzed by. It's kind of weird listening to Fairytale of New York in May, but whatever.

I enjoyed it so much, I'm going to have to revisit 'Rum Sodomy & The Lash' which I only gave a 3 before. It's funny how these albums can completely change dependent on the mood they find you in - maybe it was one of those.

4.5 rounded down.

I thought this would be more interesting, given I'd heard (and liked) a bunch of their songs before. The sad reality is it's just a bit boring. I'd feel harsh going 2.5, but this is a low 3.

This was actually pretty good. It's got some genuinely interesting beats in there. I thought I would struggle to work while listening, but it's on the more chill side of DnB. Some of the songs are very long, but they didn't feel like they dragged particularly. I like the bassy jazzy beats in particular.

3.5 rounded down.

I'm quite on-board with the garage-rock sound. There's a kind of blasé, casual quality to it. I like his vocal delivery as well pretty much. There's some good tracks in here that stand out, but also plenty of middling ones that kind of merge into one.

3.5 rounded down.

It's not really for me. It's not bad, but it's very murky, and it's kind of silly.

2.5 rounded up.

I can't really complain about all the people who hate this. It's so quintessentially working-class British that the Americans on here must be fuming. But even within the UK, it's still quite an acquired taste, particularly as so much is quite monotone and delivered in such a specific way.

I'm somewhere in the middle. The Streets were very much part of the cultural zeitgeist back in the day, but I was never really into the scene or particularly up on it. In fact we'd take the mick out of the delivery and content, being alternative kids and all that - "I'm going down to the chippy to grab some tea - I'm 'avin a can or two and knockin out some mad bantz with Gaz and the boys - and we're off our 'eads and we're giving it large'. Etc etc.

But you know what, over time I came to appreciate them / Mike Skinner more. It's got a lot of personality, and personality goes a long way. And I'm absolutely bopping my head to Fit but You Know It - it's a genuine tune!

It's absolutely dreadful, but also kind of funny with it. They at least seem self-aware. If this were more earnest then it'd be intolerable.

1.5 rounded up.

I'm not a Joni fan, and this isn't helping to win me over. She still has a tendency to shove way too many lyrics into each song, and for the most part it's just really boring. The music is at least a little weird and interesting on one or two songs, but the overall impression is just a bit meh.

I come into this as a casual Suede fan, having only really dug into their singles before. There's things about this I really like - the expansive sound and the variance in instruments and approach. There's a few tracks that sit in the 'meh' category for me, but others grew on me with a repeat listen. It's a really strong ending to the album. The Asphalt World is real nice. It develops into a really lush, drawn-out proggy affair. 'Still Life' is an absolute banger to end on. I love the bombast there with all the violins and brass. We Are The Pigs is also top notch, what a tune. I originally went 3.5 rounded down, but it's grown on me and I've re-assessed.

Best review section ever. Reading this right at the top...

"Expect to find music that is written for the sake of music, that breaks boundaries, that forces the listener to think and experience concepts outside of the easy boundaries of culture and social norms that are forced on us by the media."

Saying "fuck off" out loud as I scroll down to the next review, which simply says "Fuck off". Just absolute... *chef's kiss*.

Ok I'm going to actually listen to it now... and you know what, it's good! It did, and does stand out from the pack. It's super frenetic. It's doing its own thing. Musically it's really quite accomplished. I'm way more up on this than I thought I would be. There are some genuinely great tracks on here and it's a cohesive whole. Something I would genuinely return to.

I've actually seen the Mars Volta live before. I reckon maybe 98% of the audience were middle-aged men. Then maybe 80% of those middle-aged men had middling to impressive beardery going on. Then I'm going to say at least 60% of those impressively bearded middle-aged men spent the whole gig stroking them rhythmically. I make that about 47% of the total audience, which you have to say is pretty impressive.

I couldn't get into these guys before, but as a now middle-aged man, I guess I finally fit the mould. I'm not yet ready to fully join their ranks and go full-beard wanker, but I'll salute them from slightly afar with my generic stubble.