Reviews by j-bizzle

I love the energy on this record. Lots of driving, catchy rhythms. There's some other interesting things going on instrumentally, with some nice organ keys and so on. Take Me Out is obviously a big hit. I'm definitely going to re-visit.

Ehh. I'm not a fan. I like some of their singles, but a lot of this just melds together as one big noise, and a bunch of tracks also annoyed me.

Not a fan of metal albums where it's just guttural screaming. The Brazilian influence in the music is interesting, and there's a few good heavy riffs, but... ehh.

I like this. Lots of driving energy throughout. Some of the guitars in this are greeeeat, both bass and jangly lead guitar.

I obviously have no idea what they're singing about, but they clearly have some serious lived experience to draw upon. I'm sure it's quite profound.

The more 'world' sounding tracks I didn't enjoy as much.

I'm not really a massive Elton John fan. He does have a pretty great backlog of classics, but a lot of other songs feel quite similar to me, at least in a structural sense.

On this album I think that kind of holds true. Tiny Dancer is a great song. I (obviously) love the bit where it all kicks off, and you get all the strings coming in along with the piano and the rest of it. A lot of the other tracks are very well done, and are good in themselves, with plenty of decent hooks and melodies... it's just I started to lose a bit of interest after a while.

There's some really good experimentation and variety of instrumentation on this album though. Holiday Inn has some cracking mandolin playing through it for example. Other than that there's violins, keys (obviously) and even some soul backing vocals. So, overall good, just not entirely my jam all in one sitting.

3.5 rounded down.

I feel like I say this about a lot of albums lately, but it's generally a nice time. It's not my go-to genre or type of music, but it's gentle and easy and well made.

Sounds very 90's alt-singer-songwriter. I guess because it is. It's alright, but I'm not really into it that much.

It's a nice time. Real upbeat and full of energy.

This man has ENERGY. A lot of the songs sound very similar in the beats and delivery, but they're still great.

3.5 rounded down.

It's utterly bombastic from the off, and I kind of love that. It's unapologetic, leaning heavily into the grandiose rock opera thing. Lots of foot tapping happening across a lot of these songs, but there's a lovely ballad in 'Heaven Can Wait' too.

I quite like some of the older hip-hop stylings from this era. This one feels a bit underwhelming in terms of the beats though, and the mix is really murky. It feels like it should be way funkier. And it's way too long.

What "U" Waitin' "4"? is a good track, despite the MAD punctuation. Good Newz Comin' has something interesting going on. But it's not enough.

2.5 rounded down

Take on Me is a belter of a tune!

Some of the other songs are a bit generic and ehh. Others pop (like The Sun Always Shines on T.V). Overall it's quite nice, but it's only Take on Me that's worth revisiting.

It's got plenty of catchy songs, but also a bunch that are just quite samey. I really like the addition of rock guitars with rapping over the top. There's a lot of similarities with people like the Beastie Boys, only their voices aren't quite as grating. I wouldn't listen to the whole thing again, but there's definitely stand-outs that raise the bar overall.

Walk This Way is iconic. Tricky has tons of energy. I had flashbacks to SSX Tricky on PS2. Tricky Tricky Tricky Tricky!

It's such a weird, bold, arty album. It has some similar DNA to something like Sheer Heart Attack, but the songs aren't anywhere near as compelling or succinct. It's all a bit chaotic.

Who could have guessed that a band named "The Band" would be incredibly boring and middle-of-the-road dad rock? I mean... it's alright. It's competent. It's just not exciting in any way shape or form.

2.5 rounded up

I love the energy and vibe of this. A lot of it is pretty iconic. I like the vocals. I like the artiness. I love the droning violins, the weird jangly guitars, the heart-attack inducing, thumping drums. They add to this kind of weird oppressive atmosphere on it. Heroin, jeez what a stressful time, but it's so good. It's not their best album in my opinion (I prefer the more accessible Loaded) but it's still great.

It's real nice. Lovely song-writing. Good instrumentation. It's quite inventive and with varied songs.

I don't really do reggae, but this is a super chill time.

I like that there's a consistent mood on this. It's just that, for me, that mood is quite oppressive for most of the album. A lot of it is quite lo-fi, and there's not many stand-out songs that particularly grab me.

I love David Bowie's back-catalogue of songs and hits, but this project has taught me that a lot of his albums are wildly inconsistent. This album however is actually consistent and good throughout. The context of the album definitely elevates it I think, making a concept album out of his looming death. A true artist to the end. It's bold, and artsy, and kind of wonderful.