Reviews by j-bizzle

She's got a nice voice, and I like a bunch of the arrangements and instruments. There's some gentle vibraphone running through some tracks that's really nice, along with various strings. The more upbeat numbers also tend to hit a bit better.

I'm sad to say that the nicer elements of this get overshadowed by the overall slog though. The songs are long, and it really lags a lot. I thought I was coming up to the end, before realising I was only half-way through. At its worst, it's boring, and it feels like a chore.

2.5 rounded up.

I thought I would have heard about this, but it apparently completely passed me by. It's quite subdued in general, and there's no real hooky elements to it, but it has a nice enough vibe. I quite like some of the quirkier elements of the production. It's not bad. It's ok. I won't be revisiting any of the songs or the album as a whole though.

This is pretty nice. It's not obnoxious in a way I thought it might have been. Good instrumentation, nice singing, nice melodies. I had a pretty good time with it.

I like a lot of John Lennon's solo career. He has some great stand-out tracks, but there's not really many in here. Working Class Hero is a particular standout, but there's also plenty of average, nothing tracks. It's not bad as an overall album.

I mean, it's classic country, so it's not going to get me going, but this is pretty nice across the board. He's got a nice voice, full of emotion. This is unapologetic, heart on the sleeve kind of stuff. Some of the earlier tracks I found quite effective, especially with the big swells in music.

2.5 rounded up.

I've had to recalibrate a bit for this, because I always thought "The The" were some kind of 70's noodly guitar group or something. Apparently I was way off!

I kind of admire what they're doing here. It's got an interesting mood to it, and the songs are varied with different instruments and synths coming through. I even like the harmonica for crying out loud! Overall I quite like this, it's a nice vibe.

3.5 rounded down.

This is one I appreciate more than I actually connect with. It's quite floaty and quirky and unusual. They have some interesting instrumentation and chorusey swells and saxophone and all sorts. I really do like the moments when it goes grand and operatic, and that's when it's at its best for me. It's well put together and I appreciate the skill and how they stand out in the scene. I get it, it's just a bit too indie quirk for me in general.

It's a really solid debut album with a sprinkling of really great tunes in there. The opening trio of This is a Call, I'll Stick Around and Big Me is just great. There's proper riffs and melodies in here, and good variation. I quite like the grungy, raw production, as it adds to the overall vibe. It's pretty accomplished overall.

This album hasn't made an impression on me at all. It's overall "fine", but the songs aren't very dynamic, and there's not really much that's making them stand apart from each other. It feels quite basic, and it's really murky.

2.5 rounded up.

It's quite an interesting and moody record. I like a lot of these tracks, and I like the whole of it. It doesn't sound dated at all and has plenty of depth and feeling to it. I think a lot of that is conveyed via her singing which I'm really impressed with. Nothing Compares 2 U is obviously brilliant, but that song more than any other highlights just how incredible her voice is. So raw and full of emotion, but also incredibly powerful.

3.5 rounded up.

This is an overall good album. A lot of the songs are quite catchy and approachable. A number of tracks do tend to descend into generic Morrissey warblings, but thankfully it's not too many. First of the Gang to Die is a tune!

3.5 rounded up.

Am I done with him yet? Am I done? What is this now, like 5 albums...? They're all shit. All of them. I do understand why people like him. I'm sure they can tune into his dad-rock, gentle fist-pump slice of Americana. For me, it makes my whole body slump in boredom. I seriously don't like his voice. It sounds like he's smoked way, waaaay too much weed and he's trying to drag himself off the floor and sing at the same time. The music, everything, it's just mediocre across the board. The most consistently 2/5 artist of all time.

I'd never even heard of these guys before, which is strange because this is good. It's new wave, but way funkier and way more more upbeat, with some great driving basslines, percussion and sax. I had a nice time with this.

3.5 rounded up.

I may seem to have a bit of a beef with King Crimson. At time of writing, my review for Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the top rated one, where I essentially rip into prog, call the whole thing shit and accuse them of just mucking about. I was CORRECT.

However, I'm delighted to say that this album is much better! Not the first track, which is all a bit weird and frantic, but the rest demonstrates some actual musical skill and even nuance, which was crucially missing from that other album. Parts of it are very listenable, varying from softer ballad tracks, and balancing those with bigger, more vibrant moments.

Over the course of this project I've come to soften on prog as a whole, understanding that it's only certain parts of it that really grate with me. There's still elements of them pissing about and making random noises here, and I'd point to that as evidence that they still think they're more clever than they are (hello most of 'Moonchild'). But you can hear the more expansive bits coming in, and clearly laying some kind of template and influence for bands to come.

A mixed bag. I actually enjoyed bits of this, and King Crimson can now come (a little way) out of musical jail.

I thought I might like this more. I was quite aware of 'Mechanical Animals' which has got a lot of great tracks on, but this one is messier and noisier, with an emphasis on messier. There's still elements that I like here. I like how some of the tracks flow together. I like the big fat guitars which crop up in places, and I like the clear Trent Reznor influence with the industrial background vibes.

The problem is that there's nowhere near enough standout tracks, particularly as there's 17 to choose from. It's a big messy mix that all bleeds together. And for something so noisy, you wouldn't expect it to be this boring. Really disappointing.

This isn't really my thing, but it's not too bad. I like the production in general, and there's some good flowing, vibey songs in here. It's more chill than I thought it might be, and more singing than rapping which I didn't expect. It was quite listenable.

It's quite quirky in the composition and delivery, with a lot more experimentation compared to her earlier stuff. It's not bad.. a good number of songs are really nicely put together musically and have something about them. There ARE some good songs in here, but I'm not feeling the overall vibe, or I'm just not tuned into the energy of it enough. I did find myself liking it more and more as it went on though, so maybe it's a grower.

3.5 rounded down.

I’ve been aware of this record for most of my life, but I’m only just realising now that I’ve never actually heard any of it before. I assumed it was straight down the middle house music, but this has a lot of interesting layers and moods within it, and a real ebb and flow between the tracks.

This is exactly my kind of jam as it turns out. I like the overall mood of the thing, but more importantly it still kicks some arse when the beat kicks in.

The Velvet Underground are properly arty and weird, particularly on this album, but I do dig it. I’m tuned into the energy of it, even when it's chucking out frenetic drums at you and weird screeching guitars. Or a whole short story set to a grungy jam track.

I know songs like “I Heard Her Call My Name” are obnoxious and noisy, but something about it works for me still. I'm still tapping my foot a good deal. The last track is a jam, until it does actually get a bit much.

I like this, and I like their style, man.

3.5 rounded up.

When I hear the jams on this, I just instinctively picture a whole crowd of white middle-aged dudes, watching on and nodding slowly while stroking their massive beards. I guess this was the 60’s, so I need to slightly re-calibrate and make the crowd a bit more hippy-ish, but it’s the same thing.

There’s an enormous amount of noodling here though. Is this what this band is all about? The first track is 23 minutes of gratuitous, over-indulgent wanking on guitars. I can’t imagine how boring that would have been to watch live, and with the first track! Christ.

When the band do kick in and sing, it’s really muddy sounding. And boring. And repetitive. ‘Turn on Your Love Light’ was a slog and a half.

I do actually like some of the music, and some of the jams. I think they have some skill, despite what a bunch of other prominent reviews here say. When they kick in with that nice solo guitar and electric organ I’m all for it. But you’re talking a few sprinkles in amongst a massive bloated whole.

Not that impressed with this one.