Reviews by jkegz

4/5 - This might be one of those that could be a 5 if I was more familiar with it the whole thing, but given limited time to stew with it, I'll hold back and give it a 4. Young's songwriting generally ranges from really good to amazing, and this is no exception. The whole record sounds beautiful to me, so I'm bookmarking it for more listening.

5/5 - This was a really exciting release when it came out. The production was so different and a big step away from where they had been headed with Rattle and Hum. I probably hadn't listened to this all the way through in 20 years. Still knew every song, and it's just great. I'll probably listen to it again today.

3/5 - 3 for audaciousness, not accessibility. Paper Planes is obviously great. Enjoyed Boyz and 20 Dollar. Overall, not my thing, but glad to listen through.

4/5 - Springsteen is out of fashion, but fuck the haters; this is a solid album. The title track got popular for all the wrong reasons, but what are you gonna do. I like the songwriting. I like the hits. Sue me.

3/5 - If someone does a remix of this that isn't intentionally annoying, I'd probably give it a 4. As it is, it's a pain in the ass to listen to and keep adjusting the volume to actually hear the tracks. I like the noise and attitude here a lot.

4/5 - This is a fun britpop album with a genuine sense of humor. It kinda feels like Fountains of Wayne + Bowie to me. Lots of different sound textures, satirical lyrics, and some excellent pop hooks. Singer has a really good voice to boot. Lyrics to Presidential Suite and Run! Christian, Run! are great.

Repeat listen for me.

4/5 - Probably not a truer 4 on this list yet for me. I enjoy it. It belongs on this list. It had a huge cultural impact on radio music for mostly worse, but impact nonetheless. It just lacks any personal connection or emotion where I'm psyched to hear any of these songs anymore. That said, there's hardly a weak spot on the whole album til the very end, and it's 38 minutes. Take notes, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

5/5 - The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Not enough albums on this list have that quality, so I'll give it high marks for that. This has all the qualities of a PIxies album you'd expect along with a few tracks you can take home with you. It's a big comfy chair of loud-soft-loud and offbeat lyrics. Yes, please.

4/5 - Your Emotions, Holiday in Cambodia, Let's Lynch the Landlord are my favorites on this album. The lyrics are the real statement here; reading along is essential for the full effect, since Biafra's delivery escapes me at times. Not an everyday listen, but a worth inclusion on the list.

3/5 - The front half of this album is pretty good, especially when they turn up the volume like on Rolling People. Bittersweet Symphony is a sweeping classic, and I can’t fault it just because I’ve heard hundreds of times. The back half has some boring filler, but all around this is inoffensive, if generally unexciting 90s Britpop/rock.

3/5 - So it turns out that while I'm really averse to the Santana songs that have been played a bazillion times on classic rock radio, I don't mind the ones I'm not familiar with. No surprise to say that the guitar work throughout is top notch. I really liked the instrumental track, Samba Pa Ti.

4/5 - If I could just make one mixtape, Birthday would be on it. I love that song. Bjork's howling is otherworldly and her range makes my head spin. I could do with far less of the guy singer on this album who sounds like Icelandic Fred Schnieder to me, but the songwriting is different and the rhythms are really cool. I far prefer the post-punk sounds here than the more experimental things Bjork did later. Fun album; definitely worthy of the list.

4/5 - Untitled and You Are the Everything are two of my favorite REM songs. Orange Crush is also great. Green was their first album with a clear intent to be more radio friendly, and yet it's still full of mandolins, accordions, and typically meandering lyrics. That's REM for you. I've listened to this dozens of times and was happy to spend another 45 minutes hearing the whole thing through. It's a mid-tier REM album, so I'll reserve the 5s for my favorites.

4.5 - This is a good example of something I wouldn't have given 2 minutes to in the early 90s, but 30 years later, I'm here for the relaxed, downtempo sound. The bass lines, the dreamy vocals, the samples -- all of it. I favorited at least 3 or 4 tracks on my way through. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (thanks, Neil Young), Girl VII, People Get Real were standouts for me. Rounding down to 4, because I might change my mind on it.

4/5 - This is the exact mix of overly earnest sweetness and funk that I'd expect from Stevie Wonder. Definitely some filler here, but I enjoyed this, and any album with Superstition on it has to be on the list.

4/5 - When I think of MBV, I think of Loveless and Kevin Shields doing the score to Lost in Translation. I didn't know this decades-later follow-up existed and was surprised to read that it was entirely self paid for and released. The sound here was what I expected from Shields, and I'm pretty much always up for this type of guitar -- ambient distortion or whatever it is. It's like being in a soft noise cocoon with the mood washing over your ears. Obviously, if this is on the list, Loveless will be too, so I'll reserve my MBV 5 for that.

2/5 - Didn’t care for this at all. Production was monotonous, and the songs were boring. It finally ended.

5/5 - Hell, yes. This is a jam. I should have listened to this years ago.

3/5 - if I need bongos and horns, now I know the genre to turn to. Giving the benefit of the doubt that this represents the style well, so I’ll give it a 3. This is background music for me, and I won’t be returning for more.

5/5 - This music exists out of time and place for me. I first heard it in high school and have relistened now and then over the years. The whole sound of it is unlike anything else. Sweet Thing, Madame George, Astral Weeks are all great. I’m thankful this exists.