Reviews by john

In a conversation separate to any awareness that I was listening to this album, my coworkers today mentioned how much they loved this album. My problem is, a lot of people have felt or do feel about Coldplay (derogatory) the way I do about R.E.M.
Every R.E.M. album has nearly been a nonstarter for me, especially given the peaks of popularity they reached.

But the opening song “Drive” gave me some sense of hope that there’d be some acute substance to this record. The song had a memorable melody and unique sound for once.

I was shot back down to doldrums and disappointment soon after. What in the world is going on with “Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight”? People just tolerated him singing like that on the intro, with nothing of significance to follow for the rest of the song? Man.

I don’t think I’d remember “Everybody Hurts” if it wasn’t beaten over my head by radio stations as a kid - the song doesn’t have any stickiness to it.

If I had to pick a song I liked, maybe the aforementioned intro song, or maybe “Nightswimming”. I enjoyed the string arrangement, which upon looking, isn’t even the work of the band - it’s arranged by John Paul Jones. Unsurprising.

Iterative improvements but I cannot get over the hump with this band and how popular they became off the back of records like this. 2/5

I love when a well-established artists goes for a specific, unusual sound or concept on their album. When it’s done well, it pays off in being a memorable, thoughtful album. Kate Bush has it in spades here. She takes her always-theatrical style and filters it through sometimes middle-eastern / sometimes African soundscapes.

What a killer opener and title track! She knew what she had here and how effective this song would be.

I really enjoyed the string section specifically on “The Fog” about 1:40 in.

“Heads Were Dancing” is a more poppy, beat-driven song with those huge 80’s echoey drums.

“Deeper Understanding” is a slightly more mellow, late 80’s slow jam if ever Ive heard one.

Lastly, the female vocal chorus on the beginning of “Rockets Tail” is incredible. So dramatic that it’s nearly haunting. Really like this one.

What’s most impressive to me about Sensual World is how Bush pairs the at-times grand scope of the instrumentation with some very tender, sensual (for lack of a better word) moments. She eases in and out of these mood changes with such fluidity. 4/5

I believe this is the last album on the most recent edition of this list!!

Her honesty and sense of self-awareness is cathartic. We get that self-awareness right away on the opening track, the dive into a very autobiographical set of songs ranging from hyper-sexual fantasies to personable life stories.

I’m not as huge on Anderson.Paak as every Grammy voter seems to be, but he did great additive work with Jazmine on “Price Tags”. Fantastic storytelling!

“Lost One” is a heartbreaking tale of coming to terms with one’s bad decisions.

Lastly, there are many spoken word moments on here, and “Amanda’s Tale” was one of the most striking. Jazmine once again approaches the topics of her songs with a really balanced perspective that I think we can all hope to have.

Though nothing dropped my jaw, this is a very thorough album worth your time. Somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars for me. I wish to see more albums from this year added in, but this one deserves its spot. And the many people saying it doesn’t probably can’t handle the fact that good music can be made by women that use vivid lyricism to talk about themselves and their experiences

While it’s not something I’ll go back to, I feel accomplished in having understood this albums appeal on first listen. Industrial and noisy but still melodic and meaningful. I can see how this could’ve captivated some subset of young people with its relatively new sound and aesthetics.

“Cut Dead” was my obvious favorite, it seems like when they want to tone things down they go back to the same tried-and-true songs structure and performance style of this song specifically.

I can see how this album filled a niche and blazed the trail for shoegaze to come. I also hear a strange amount of yung lean’s side project, Jonatan Leandoer96, in this group. 3/5

Such a wonderful, thoughtful album that showcases just how musically diverse hiphop was getting at this time. Of the many forks in the rap world, Lupe took the lyrical, often-story-based, picture-painting route. Outside of occasionally being heavy-handed with the 'spiritual lyrical miracle' angle (which all backpack rap was) this album is a great debut.

All those sound effects in "Just Might Be OK" and "Daydreamin" give the illusion that Lupe is the puppet master of this whole seen.

"Kick, Push" is a classic so catchy it makes me wish i was younger and into skating when this came out - I love an honest ode to a hobby that consumes ones youth.

"I Gotcha" is the most Chicago backpack rap thing to not come from Kanye and its as fun as anything!

I think a lot of people needed to hear a song like "He Say She Say" and this era of rap was famous for breaking stereotypes and emotional barriers like stories about excelling in school or absent fathers.

"Hurts Me Soul" shows that Lupe has an ear for a catchy melody too (which we'd hear more in future albums).

Lupe establishes his unique voice with a colorful book of lyrics, varied-enough rhyme schemes, and some really fun beats. His Tetsuo & Youth album and his House EP are very worth listens, all coming at different points in his career

Please save yourself the time and go listen to something of more substance & innovation from a similar time period - try Chicane's "Far From The Maddening Crowds" a much better debut electronica album that's elysian and full of dramatic melodies, bright textures, better breakbeats, and REALLY good buildups/breakdowns.

Much like the grammys, it seems like the chem bros have made an album therefore it should be celebrated. All other electronic music can go out the window!!
Only partially kidding.

This albums inclusion on here induced a lot of thoughts about this lists relationship to what it calls 'electronica'; The genre wouldnt be one of the lowest rated if the list had some electronic albums with actual teeth or innovation to them. Instead, albums like this sit in an uncomfortable sonic no-mans-land, stuck between the vitality of something like The Prodigy's "Fat Of The Land" and the monotony of Moby's "Play". Are there quality moments of life on "Exit Planet Dust"? Sure, the looped roland saw synth on "Three Little Birdies Down Beats" is solid. The thumping, saturated low end kick on "Fuck Up Beats" is especially impressive for it's time. This album features many instances of buildup into beat drop techniques that wouldnt become popular until later. "One Too Many Mornings" even gives a great downbeat moment to breathe.

But nothing truly unique lasts long on this album. I feel like everybody loved or loves the Chemical Bros for how clean and accessible their production is. Its gets too squeaky clean for me, there's often no edge, angle, or teeth to this project. I am left in a melodic fugue state, remembering almost nothing from this record. I feel lulled out. I dont feel lulled into a blissful 4-to-the-floor trance, I dont feel lulled into a bass-induced euphoria, I dont feel lulled into a scifi universe, I dont feel lulled into a warehouse rave even. Just lulled out.

I felt the funk.

"P-Funk" sets a great tone for just how zany the lyrics could be all while the music does some incredible, forward-thinking things.

The title track kinda feels like one big party with amazing one liners like "If you hear any noise it's just me and the boys" or "doing it in 3D".

"Give Up The Funk" is so memorable and timeless that I cant imagine too many people have lived their lives without hearing this track.

"Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples" is so goofy that you have to meet it where it's at and just have fun with it.

Kinda sneaks up on you considering Maggot Brain has potentially even more historical cult praise but this is a 5/5. Innovative, extremely fun, with songs that are memorable, songs that are a bit experimental, and a perfect run time!

I think I mentioned something similar before when we had her “Dry” debut album, but goddamn PJ Harvey has such a strong connection between her heart and her singing voice. She is once again masterfully expressive on this album, it’s so hard to believe this was performed in front of a recording microphone - it feels much more ‘real’ than that!

“Man-Size Sextet” is for sure my standout pick for this album. The arrangement is so haunting and on-edge. I felt forced to be just as tense as the song was!

“50ft Queenie” was fantastic, much more of a traditional, chaotic, clangy rocker. The many ways she uses her voice in different registers and intensities on this song alone astounds me. Outside of Björk, I’ve never heard anyone do all that in the span of a few minutes and still put it into a song that jams.

The end of “Me-Jane” was very catchy with the way she sang “dont LOOOAD it on me”.

It’s just crazy to me that this can all exist in a persons head and heart, and even crazier that she vocally can perform it in such an emotive, yet intricate manner. Just an awesome listen, STRONG 4/5, could absolutely be a 5/5 if it’s your jam

Grand in its sonic scake which is what I appreciate most. I feel like some of the earlier post-punk / gothic stuff didn’t sound as massive - which isn’t a knock on the albums that came before this one, they just weren’t working with the technology to make their stuff sound as cinematic as this album does at times.

Great opening track in “Dominion / Mother Russia” thats clearly meant to get stuck in your head.
Also a fan of the dramatic piano ballad “1959”.

All this being said, nothing about this project had me head over heels. I feel like we’ve been on a run of these albums lately - all good, nothing amazing.
Could be a 3, I’m feeling a 2 today

A very interesting vocal delivery that I can only compare to Sufjan Stevens, I have no other reference for this group.

Nothing was really grabbing my attention until “Electronic Renaissance”. Thats an amazing song and I wish there was more on this album that sounded like it.
I also enjoyed the vocal melody of “We Rule The School”.

Outside of that, there wasn’t much for me here. Didn’t hate it, just wasn’t for me

An admittedly very mellow experience on first listen - which is reflective of the criticism this album got upon its release. At the same time, there isn’t a bad song on the track list, which puts this album in such a strange light for me. Is it good? Absolutely. Is it ahead of its time? Lou Reed always was. Does it hold up today? Depends on who you talk to.

“Femme Fatale” is my pick from this debut. I think the music is just a jumping off platform to the crazy context and historical significance TVU&N carries with it. I don’t feel qualified to elaborate any more, therefore I won’t!

More like who are the Zutons??

“You Will You Won’t” was the first song to grab my attention after a few snoozers. The album picked up from this point on. The lead singer had a bit more personality from this point on, the band peppered in some cool things like the horn/woodwind on “Confusion”.

“Havana Gang Brawl” had a cool progression and some playing that reminded me a bit of the y2k trend of blending surf rock, ska punk influence, and pop-rock influences into one thing.

“Nightmare Part 2” was spunky, fun, vivid, and had a great pocket. I pick this as my highlight of the project, easily. Right after, “Not A Lot To Do” also impressed me with that slide guitar at the end.

The last few songs aren’t as impactful, ending the album on a bit more of a hazy note.

Not sure if I loved this project. I loved moments of it in the middle, which is strange, usually more pop-leaning albums are front loaded with the good stuff.
Some JAMS, some snoozers, maybe not quite unique enough for me to remember in the long run - soft 3/5.

Really big fan of the sounds on the opener, as they sound like a precursor to the sounds of the Xbox 360 menu. For that to be done in the mid 90’s is impressive. Fantastic transition into the second song as well, early on I had high hopes for this record.

“Cash & Carry” has the markings of an early techno track with its 5 to the floor kick and repetitive, echoey synth loops.

“Science Fiction” was an awesome instrumental, nothing more to say than it was a good beat.

I’m a big fan of the piano layering and melody of “Kein Trink Wasser”. This song had such a sweet sense of forward momentum, especially when the strings kicked in subtly.

“Quality Seconds” was the obvious lowlight that stuck out like a sore thumb - too noisy for no reason.

But that’s ok, “Are We Here?” Was a great return to form, nice little breakbeat, continues to explore the idea of human population and purpose through some simple samples. The second half of this song is my favorite on the album, they go back to using some vocal vowel sampling and blissful synth sounds a la “Halcyon & On & On” to great effect. Whatever divine powers go through Orbital to make such serene songs, they found it again on this track.

I think Snivilisation is functionally good if you want to throw something electronic on from the 90’s that is calm, easy on the ears, but sometimes dancey. Not trailblazing or monumental, but holds up on its own. I’d personally rate it a bit higher, I like this stuff a lot, but recognize that none of this is super duper amazingly groundbreaking, especially as it follows up an album that did pretty much everything this one does in a better, heavier-hitting way. STRONG 3, I’ll listen again!

Sounds like it was at the early end of the Britpop wave.

I really like the pop writing of the opening song "The Concept" but didnt love the performance of it. But then again a lot of people were saying the same thing about grunge at the time, so I had to be patient and open-minded with this listen. This song also reminded me of Guns n Roses "Patience" towards it's tail end, a slow jam where the band just let it ride out.

The next few songs were a bit of a blend to my ears. Nothing stood out and the singing actually got a bit worse. They do manage to achieve the "shoegaze effect" though, where all the music sort of sits in this harmonic/melodic range that creates a good listening vibe.

"Star Sign" had a very 90's, Friends TV show type of chord pattern and rhythm guitar section. Probably one of my favorites along with the opener.

"Alcoholiday" had some particularly bad singing. Bad enough to make me reconsider my rating on this one.

Oscilated between a 2 and a 3 for this project. Points for a few highlights and for being one of the first of its genre, but that's about it. STRONG 2, if ever there was a thing

This album has the energy of a dj set! It’s just nonstop one song after another. It’s stated that Brian Wilson had a hard time going back to this stuff because of the conditions surrounding it as well as his deteriorating mental state at the time. I hope he overcame that in some capacity through the realization that he still had it upon recording this album.

It was more of a marionette circus up in that head of his than I realized, at least based on the music I heard here. I heard that a lot on “Roll Plymouth Rock”, one of my favorites on the project.

But “In Blue Hawaii” into “Good Vibrations takes the cake. Must’ve been nice for Brian to reach back and still find the fastball.

While this album isn’t perfect, it’s a wonderful, joyous example of how music can alter one’s sense of time - this came straight out of the late 60’s and stuck the landing, with Brian Wilson as the pilot. RIP

A bit too twee and clunky for me, even though it actually pulls itself together a bit in the second half. Favorite song is “Stillness Is The Move”, specifically featuring the girl on the left of the album cover, Amber Coffman. I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere, shes featured on Rusko’s “Hold On” and Major Lazers “Get Free”. If you haven’t heard the latter, you should listen to it - one of the better, more meaningful, left-of-field songs to ever come from and edm group.

I don’t know if there are many comparisons made between Willie Nelson and Neil Young. To me, their voices both come through in the same register, both are all-American storytellers. But man, Willie Nelson is to me what Neil Young is to seemingly everyone else. There’s more conviction in Willie’s stories, more firm deliveries. A very recognizable voice that isn’t shrill half the time.

The “Medley: Blue Rock Montana” song is one of the many songs that feel like restful pit stops on a long highway journey. This album didn’t give me the same WOW factor that stardust did, but I don’t think that’s the point. These songs seem to be more like short, quick portraits or companion stories. If that was the goal here, “Redheaded Stranger” is a success.

Incredibly charged-up, diverse performances with social messaging abound.

The second track is just bounding with creativity, is that a talk box, an electric guitar, or just a man’s voice filtered through a bunch of saturation??
Or the emphatic delivery of the “do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do” female vocal in “Sing a Simple Song”.

Such beautiful, lively expressions with some much random inflection in the first few songs, all for that to come together in a tight pop hit in “Everyday People”. It feels like they made this song and placed it halfway through the track list just to show that they could also do a mass-appealing hit.

“Sex Machine” is all I need to hear to declare that this album follows no rules other than pure expressionism. I’m just really impressed at the long drawn out ideas or what seems to be a lack thereof sometimes, just playing like crazy on the fly.

You can tell this is later end of his career Elvis because the drum break style drumming pattern on the opening song practically hadn’t been invented or adapted by non-black musicians just yet. Then you can hear the late-stage Elvis in the grandiose, sparkly, belty, sweaty delivery of “Only The Strong Survive”.
His voice has seen some miles, as evidenced by the breathy, hefty sound of “I’ll Hold You In My Heart”.
I could go on and on about how past-his-peak Elvis sounds on each song. I’m just not sure all of it is a bad thing.

“Gentle On My Mind” gave me a psychosis of WHO WROTE THIS SONG FIRST - and who did it best? This version is good, not the best, but good.

“In the Ghetto” is the obvious highlight here, a serious tone shift with a nice instrumental. If you haven’t heard “Suspicious Minds” by now I don’t know what you’re doing.

The highs are high and the lows are pretty dull. 3/5

“Tyler” is a commanding opening song and a worthy cause to make it the debut song of a debut album. I think that’s a fantastic way for UB40 to use their voices. As far as their sound goes, what you hear on “Tyler” is why you get for the whole thing, I don’t think anyone was expecting a lot of surprises or massive sonic switch-ups (“Burden Of Shame” did have a nice tempo increase though halfway through).
Some great sax work on “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”.

“Madam Medusa” is the big, lengthy exception to all these songs - a different vocalist and delivery was super welcomed towards the end of the album.

A lot of these songs are just instrumental vibes, and my personal favorite was “25%”. More good saxophone, fun sub-bass line. Aquatic-sounding reverb/delay effects.

I also loved the vocal inflection when they sing ‘Ivory Madonna!’ In “Food For Thought”. I think I can sum my listening experience up with that in mind - a handful of nice vibes with some little gems here and there. Some worthy causes to sing about that I hope opened up lots of listeners like myself to learn about whatever the song subject may be.

I don’t have enough context to say much about white men in a raggae band. It seems like at least early on the band was very multi-cultural and so I hope it informed their consistent authenticity and hope it helped the casual listener to get into the history of Jamaican & African American music of this sound. This was a fun and thorough listen! Soft 4