Reviews by jf01

I’m not sure when I last listened all the way through this one (if ever). I usually stick to a handful of songs I know and love.

And after listening, I know why I stick with those. The gap between the four songs I love (rock and roll star, live forever, supersonic, and slide away) and the rest is large.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, but with that cover, we’re already in 2-star range.

Other bands have eponymous songs (e.g., the song “Black Sabbath” by the band Black Sabbath, off the album Black Sabbath), but something about adding “theme” to it really irritates me. Like it’s this classic motif we’re all supposed to know already. “Oh is that the Dee-Lite Theme?” I ask. “Yes,” you reply testily, as if I’d just bugged you to explain, yet again, which animal the flute represents in Peter and the Wolf.

In fifth grade—probably around the time I learned about Peter and the wolf, honestly—one of my classmates gave a speech on “how to give a good speech.” And it was fine, but with that topic, you really have to nail the speech, which is what my teacher told my classmate. This memory comes floating back to me as I hear someone intone “I just wanna hear a good beat” repeatedly over a pretty bland beat. Beat-wanter, heal thyself.

Pros: I love steel guitar. Totally underrated instrument.

Cons: literally everything else

A lot of totally fine albums lately. I’ll say for this one, I used to think he really did shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Turns out, no, just a song.

Before: This album has a reputation on the subreddit as one of the gems of this project that people discover through this and immediately love, so I’m pretty excited.

After: very much enjoyed this. I think four stars for now and then a few months from now I’ll kick myself for not giving it five.

Also, after yesterday’s album from 1956, pretty incredible to get this leap in production value.

Funny to think millions went crazy for this.

Meh album from a meh band

I was introduced to Eels in high school when, I swear, even though this seems implausible to me, “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues” got radio airplay. I have been a fan ever since, albeit an inattentive, not at all completist fan. Still, I’m thankful I worked my way backwards, because “Electro-Shock Blues” is a five star, stone cold classic album.

This album is good. It will not replace ESB at the top of my Eels list. But it definitely has the same dark sense of humor and vibe that I love from this band.

This was ok

This is my third-favorite album by her, but it’s the one most beloved by critics and the fanbase. I think she’s the best lyricist working today.

Emily: a chorus? Weird.

M&B: Monkey’s speech reminds me of Donald Trump. His love for his followers is just and earnest. They just need to unlearn their allegiance to this life of service and follow him. And as long as they keep their fancy clothes on for a little while longer and dance appropriately, the reward of the bountiful hills will be theirs.

S&D: The idea of a lost baby (miscarriage? abortion?) waiting for you in the afterlife is heartbreaking.

The “I wasn’t born of a thistle” part, so good. “Enough of this terror, we deserve to know light.”

Only Skin: I know it’s not the point of the song, I know it’s not a love song (or at least not an unambiguous love song like we’re used to in pop music), but “I’m starving and freezing in my measly old bed / I’ll crawl cross the salt flats to stroke your sweet head” is a lovely phrase. Actually the whole part with Bill Callahan is amazing.

Cosmia: the one I’ve spent the least time with, this just means it’ll be my favorite five years from now.

An album that rewards repeat listens. Instrumentation and lyrics on point. Some people don’t like her voice but they are wrong.

I needed this. I needed this album generator to tell me, “You know you like Curtis Mayfield, yet you’ve never listened to a second album by him. Why is that?” Thank you, Daddy Album Generator.

It’s fine

Not my favorite.

I would like to like this album more. Then I could justify wearing the t shirt or owning the record, with some of the coolest artwork ever. But I just think it’s good, not great.

I’ve listened to this fairly recently—maybe within the last year?—because it was always one of those albums you hear about as important, but I had never before listened to it. Then, as now, it was fine. Goddess on a hiway is my highlight, and it seems Spotify users agree.

Senior year of college, my job involved a significant commute 2-3 days a week. This was the soundtrack to that commute (at least for the second half of that school year, since the album came out in January at the start of my final college semester). Didn’t have to listen today, because I know it pretty well. Dancefloor and Fake Tales are indie classics.

In the late 90s, we all fell under the spell of a long, rambling British pop song that felt vaguely spiritual and uplifting. Champagne Supernova. Tender. The Universal. All You Good Good People. And yes, Bitter Sweet Symphony.

This album dares to ask the question, “What if we made the whole plane out of those songs?” And let me tell you, unless you’re Blur, you just don’t have two of them in you. Two great ones, at least. (I did kind of like Lucky Man, I’ll admit, but it’s under 5 minutes, so I’m not even sure it counts, and it’s certainly not at the level required to justify this experiment.) So it’s a pretty disappointing album all told.

Hated this so much I searched the list to see how much more LC we have to endure. Two down, two to go.

Meh

I hadn’t heard this until Summer of Bowie and it immediately leapt onto my favorite albums list. It’s so good.