Reviews by j-bizzle

It's not really my thing, but I can appreciate it well enough. The content and lyrics are pretty weird, and it does sound quite 80's, but he's got a great voice and it's produced and put together well enough. I like 'Kissing a Fool' the most as it was nice and chilled.

This feels like lower-tier REM for me. They've got the nice jangly guitars and rhythms, and the usual backing 'ooh' vocals. It's all perfectly nice, it just feels a bit bland and samey to me.

So much of this album is really slow and laboured, and there's nowhere near enough oomph. I don't like his vocals or singing style at all. It's so high pitched and floaty. There's a few tracks with a bit more about them, including the likes of 'So in Love'. The last few tracks also pick up a bit. Mostly though, no thank you.

This really isn't for me. He gets credit for some of the music, or perhaps the ambition of some of the music, but I find the whole thing really annoying. The conversational delivery of the singing winds me up, and the more dramatic moments are weird and disjointed. And I wrote the above BEFORE he laid down the overt Jesus track. Maybe this didn't find it's audience because it's simply shit.

It's not massively my thing, but there's some good upbeat tracks in here that I like, bringing a little bit of funk. It's not on the level of some other hip hop albums I've listened to on this project, and the beats don't deliver as those other albums do. Some of this sounds like it's still carrying over some of the influence and style of the 80's. It's ok, just ok.

2.5 rounded up.

It's full of quality as you'd expect and well put together, but it doesn't have a lot of stand-out tracks. A number of the tracks I wasn't particularly taken with, especially those that lean towards country.

3.5 rounded down.

It's a real smooth, chill time, sitting nicely in the background. The sax is soft as butter, and I like the nuanced guitar in there. It is what it is.

3.5 rounded up.

It's quite nice. It doesn't have a lot of bite to it, but there is some interesting and varied music, with lots of different instruments. There's some nice soundscapes and general production.

It's a really good album, with plenty of great songs. I like how they're not afraid to go really big with it at times, with driving guitars and drums, orchestral surges, great big power vocals... they also have plenty of softer moments with sweeter vocals. Some of the music is sublime, notably on tracks like Secretly or You'll Follow Me Down.

It's slightly surprising that this album of theirs would make the list as there's none of their big hits in here, but this one does play well as a whole album experience.

I mean, fucking hell, kicking straight off with Smells Like Teen Spirit, it can only go downhill from there... right?

Wrong! Because In Bloom kicks in and veritably smacks you round the chops with that great, fat riff and those big, big drums. And it's another banger. Followed by another, and another. The flow of this album is so good. You have a lot of big hitters merging into more laid back tracks. You've got songs you can lose yourself in and belt out at the top of your lungs, like Lithium - YeeeeEEEeeeeaaaAAH! And just when you think it's taken a step back with something like Polly, Territorial Pissings comes in and smacks you about the face once again.

How much fat is on this album? Very little. How many absolute bangers are lined up in a row? A lot. It's got so much energy to it. It (still) feels so vital. This truly is an album of a generation, and it's SO good.

It's all a bit generic alternative rock. I can't say there was much that jumped out and got me excited. The odd track has a bit more about it, but most of it just completely passed me by.

2.5 rounded up.

It's a dark, interesting album. I'm glad this kind of stuff is out there, as it's so different. Plenty of atmosphere and mood. The music and vocals are quite effective.

3.5 rounded up.

It's alright. I knew quite a lot of tracks already, and some of them are a good upbeat time, but I was expecting to like this more. It's just ok. The Comfortably Numb cover surprisingly isn't all that obnoxious, and kind of works. The best thing about this album is the album cover.

Ehhh... it's just a bit weird innit? I don't really get on with this kind of random, post-punk style. It's all a bit haphazard, and lacking real substance. Gut Feeling makes me nostalgic for 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' but that's about it.

This album is a lot of fun. It's just a total bop from start to finish, and my foot was in a constant state of tapping. I like the groovy beats. I like the attitude. It's refreshing. This album will be making an appearance at some summer barbecues this year for sure.

I have an unbroken record of giving Springsteen records 2/5 stars, so to say I wasn't exactly optimistic about this is an understatement.

I started out tolerating this one, genuinely, but it didn't take long to start to grate. I don't like his voice. I don't like his vibe. And if we can banish the fucking harmonica to the annals of history then I'd actually be delighted.

I'm sure he's a lovely bloke, but I don't want to listen to anymore of his music. I get the idea.

You guessed it... 2/5

This is pretty solid throughout. The production and beats are excellent. It's quite a chill time, and I like the flow of it.

3.5 rounded up.

This is definitely a whole-album experience. It's weird and wonderful in places. It's very atmospheric. There's not really any hooks or strong melodies, but it's not about that. It's all about the overall. There's definitely moments where it tested me a bit, where it was just a bit much, a bit too formless. Overall I think it works. It's layered and atmospheric, and doing its own thing, which can only be commended.

3.5 rounded up.

There's seemingly lots of big fans on here. Either I don't get it, or maybe it's a cultural thing, or perhaps it plays hard into nostalgia for some?

For me it's just quite easy-going, generic rock 'n' roll. Heavy emphasis on 'generic'. I mean, it's fine. The first half was better. There's some Led-Zep sounding moments, just without the Led-Zep ooomph. And there's some nice enough ballads that aren't offensive. The second half, slower acoustic stuff, again, is nice enough to listen to, but it's all a bit bland and ponderous.

A generous 3 out of 5

This is better than I was expecting based on the reviews and commentary. It is 80's, but it doesn't have the hollow production that a lot of other 80's albums suffer from. There's driving, funky bass, and lots of interesting instrumentation with strings and brass. The songs are dramatic. It's got plenty of catchy grooves and a lot of energy. It's still not really my thing, but I can see why it has it's place in this list.