Reviews by john

So I’m pretty sure the last iteration of this list was made before 2023, but you should seriously replace listening to this album for “Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”. It is a sprawling, beautifully performed album where Lana is at her absolute best, singing songs about growing old and being in love — still with her signature despondent-yet-powerful vocal delivery.

As for Chemtrails? It kinda feels like a beta test for Ocean Blvd. Melodies aren’t as sticky, Lana doesn’t concern herself with reaching as many emotional highs and lows. She’s leaning into a tenderness that she developed in the late 2010’s, but doesn’t totally stick the landing. She sits in a certain register for the entirety of Chemtrails; she’s happy to be here, but not willing to dig too deep or find her next gear. You have to wait until “Wild At Heart” to hear her switch up her tambor, and by that point shes lulled you into such a relaxed state that her energy just sounds out of place.

I was listening to an Eartheater record the other day and thought to myself how many people Lana has influenced with her airy delivery. I wish Chemtrails had more than that airy delivery, but every song sounds like it’s just short of a great melody.

I really like how stark “Yosemite” is. Let’s say 3/5

Oh how I’ve grown in my years with this list. The first Bobby album that was kicked my way, I felt confused and bewildered by his lyrics. Now, over 900 albums in? I mess with some classic Bob. I’m not seeking out his music actively, but I understand his appeal, importance, and I even got a little excited when this album popped up.

So how did this one fair? Pretty well overall. I feel like there's a clear delineation I can make with the type of Dylan song i do or don't like. The more it has a melancholy melody that wraps itself up nicely over some guitar chords (She Belongs To Me, Mr. Tambourine Man, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Love Minus Zero), then the more I admire it. I'm not as big of a fan of the more upbeat rock-leaning tracks on this album like On the Road Again.

It's a very strong 3/5 for me. I could warm up to this one with a few more listens and a couple of songs cut from the tracklisting

I can’t decide if Björk makes music thats ahead of it’s time or just left of the concept of time itself. There’s no way this came from 2001. There’s an insane amount of thought out into the production and vocal arrangements. I really respect this.

“Undo” and “Harm Of Will” were highlights for me, especially how the latter track crescendos with some of the best vocal work on the album.

I think I personally like her debut a little more, but that’s completely subjective. What’s objective is how strong of an artist Björk always has been, this is one of many examples

3/5

There’s plenty to unpack lyrically, whether it’s feminist-forward themes, verbal paintings about black struggle, or songs about tension in relationships, but I think this record is best enjoyed simply as a *vibe*. Badu’s ace is her ability to create a relaxed, warm ambiance.

“…& On”, “Orange Moon”, and “Bag Lady” were all standouts for me, especially how sweet orange moon was.

Lemme get a light 4/5

It's not horrible, but when acts like 1970's ACDC or Rod Stewart exists, I can kinda see how these guys got lost in the mix.

"Gudbuy T'Jane" was one of those many classic rock songs that haven't aged well both sonically and lyrically. It didn't get noticeably better unfortunately. The singing was sometimes too shrill, a lot of the songs felt like they were missing a component or two to make them proper rock anthems. "Let The Good Times Roll / Feel So Fine" had me asking myself if I'd heard this song before or if it was just plucking every boomer radio cliche.

"Wonderin' Y" was the closest thing to a glimpse of introspection and humanity. It was so refreshing, but way too little, way too late.

These guys seem like they're having a good time, but this ain't it. Straddling the line between 1/5 & 2/5 stars. The album cover practically smells like thrift store album bin

I recall being a bit more charmed by the other kraftwerk record Ive been given from this list. It’s totally a matter of personal preference that I liked how they were a bit more whimsical and didn’t latch onto some conventional pop tropes like the consistent percussion or a few vocal hooks this record offers.

Songs like “The Model” on here are fantastic, especially for their time. Just wasn’t the favorite group of tracks I’ve heard from Kraftwerk. Solid 2/5

Every single vocal delivery finds this indescribable pocket between improvised mania and articulate passion. I am always so impressed by the emotional heights Sleater-Kinney gets to every few minutes.

On a high-level overview, so many parts of this record are executed with simplistic perfection that it’s hard to remember them all. I love the dueling vocal hooks on “Words And Guitar”, the clapping upbeat section on “Turn It On”, the doo-wop/rockabilly call back on the chorus of “Little Babies”. he slowed dissonant guitars shredding through “Jenny”. It’s all brilliant.

On a closer listen, this album is fantastic at conveying so many effeminate emotions and experiences that I’m not even qualified to talk about.

Just a total treat beginning to end. The back half of the record trades being punchy for songs that are a little more roomy and intimate, but still energetic all the same. Easy 5/5

900 albums!! I'm closing in on the end. This is a good one to celebrate.

"Cosmic American Music" is a slightly pretentious but totally awesome, and fairly accurate, term for him to give his music. But the spotlight is barely his to share alone, Emmylou Harris should be right there too. This is a duet album through and through. I'd argue that these songs wouldn't be half as sticky without her swooping in on these choruses.

"I Can't Dance" is the blueprint for country rock that would, for better or worse, come to be a mainstay for decades on end. It's got a very sensible, tight chorus. Leaning further into this notion, "Brass Buttons" might as well be an Eagles song.

This version of "Love Hurts" is slightly more tolerable than that Nazareth cover, which is nails on a chalkboard.

"In My Hour Of Darkness" is a fantastic closer, something I feel like so many of these daily albums have been missing lately. It's a very firm, resolute song whos sentiment is made stronger with the knowledge that he passed shortly before this song was released.

Sleeper good, I'm gonna say 4/5

An essential album? Probably not. But it's right up my alley. I've loved the Kruder Long Loose Bossa Edit of "Heroes" for years now. This is a jungle/DnB album that lengthens things out and utilizes silence and repetition to create a sense of space, like the halfway point of "Brown Paper Bag". So I get it if this is all too much of an ask for most. This thing is LONG long just as a base album, the 20th anniversary edition is pushing it.

I adore the bendy upright bass sound, i'm not sure if that's a synth or the real deal. It's a central figure in songs like "Mad Cat" and "Watching Windows". It’s also got to be the biggest reason this project gets labeled as jungle with some jazz fusion.

4/5 because it's my rating and I get to do what I want in this awesome free world

It’s so rare that an album on this list gets markedly better as it gets late into the tracklisting. But that’s true for this one! Bizarre Ride 2 feels like an onion that you can keep pulling back a new layer on in terms of penmanship, flows, and stories. Most of them are goofy.

“On The DL” is my favorite song on here on the whole, but “Ya Mama” and “Quintin’s On The Way (Skit)” are both hilarious fun and extremely memorable.

3/5 for the album but 5/5 for the silly/good vibes

This wasn’t as strenuous or as trying as many psych rock albums can be. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the first few songs on here were pretty captivating! But the charm goes away over time.

Is that the electric jug making that fluttering electronic voiced noise in every song? It’s kinda fun at first but using it for EVERY SONG becomes overkill.

I wish I could say I found a gem later in the tracklisting, but “Roller Coaster” was my favorite song.

3/5 this is very well done for it’s time

Right when the first song hits, I am stricken with this desire to listen to “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. I think this is because these guys are laying the blueprint for better Appalachian country music to come. They’re not performing anything poorly, there’s even some above-average stories being told, but it’s just that this is so far back and so bare-bones.

“What Is Home Without Love” was my favorite. Also “Katie Dear” is like “Rude” by Mag!c if it turned gruesome. Funny.

Strong 2/5 the music is solid but why is this on here?

White guy thinks he's figured out this one clever trick that let's him say it. But oh no! He still can't! Even if he *continually* rips it in the first song under the guise of social commentary. 1. I don't think it's that clever. 2. I don't think that sense of irony was ready to be baked into pop-adjacent listeners ears.

What's more, I don't think I'll remember much from this album. Some fine story telling here and there, Newman plays a few characters that seem interesting enough. But I can't get past the first song. A song that came on shuffle after this album got done, "For A Dancer" by Jackson Browne, kinda cleared this whole record. Soft 2/5

Sit Brian Wilson down. Have him listen to "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" by M83 in it's entirety. Tell him he now has 48 hour to recreate it. This is the result you get.

Lots of whimsy and flourishing melodic ideas dethatched from some conventional pop tropes like any sense of consistent percussion or a verse/chorus structure. But somehow with all the vocal hooks of a pop record. Some fun to be had, elite listening to some, hazy nothingburger to others. I'm not over the moon about it, but it's fun and very unique.

"Daily Routine" was my favorite. Strong 3/5

Ladies and gentlemen and all others under the sun, Happy Mondays will join Public Image Ltd. as the only other group (so far, almost 900 albums in) to land TWO 1/5 star ratings. I find the voice to be harsh and difficult. The instrumentals are on the bad side of 90’s pastiche.

There was a very specific time and place for this record and it did not live past that time and place. By the time “Grandbag’s Funeral” came on I was firmly in 1 star territory, and it never recovered from there

While trying to be a versatile voice that can flip between smooth Stevie Wonder soul and Southside ATL jargon, Cee-Lo fails to find a thru-line or any form of consistency. It all comes off as code-switching, and subsequently, a bit inauthentic.

I really liked “I’ll Be Around”, but mostly because of Timbaland’s production and feature. The same is true for anything his cousin Pharrell hopped on. I also think there’s a peak into the real Cee-Lo who sits behind all the persona switching on “I Am Selling Soul”.

But the flow in “Childz Play” is just ridiculous. It was hard not to laugh. Is this an attempt to get in on the sound Eminem was putting out with the slim shady stuff?? Between stuff like this and the cycling through of a bunch of different styles and attitudes, and knowing the person Cee-Lo is in present day, I’m not totally feeling this one. It’s carried by an incredible group of producers who rarely dropped the ball. Soft 3/5

I am astonished by the sense of honesty and am hoping that this isn’t a charecter he’s playing. I’d still be impressed if it was just a made up character from an otherwise well-off artist. But still. I’m seeing a lot of complaints saying how clunky and privileged this all sounds. Isn’t that kinda the point? Like he’s vaguely aware that he’s just a bum fumbling through his life, aware of his behavior, and even trying to get better (or at least knowing better)? The closing “Empty Cans” made that somewhat clear to me.

“Blinded By The Lights” was my favorite instrumental - thats the blueprint for dubstep right there. Melancholy and scarce bust still danceable.

“Get Out Of My House” had one of the more impactful narratives. Something about the back and forth just felt very grounded, like it wasn’t just a song, but a snippet of a real couples fight.

“Fit But You Know It” felt like a bit of a demented Gorillaz song. Full of character and a bit of whimsy, but this one’s a bit more sleazy.

I remember listening to Pirate Radio by this guy after Charli XCX shouted him out a few years ago. I also remember feeling a bit more wowed at its intentionally disruptive, focused nature than what I’m feeling here. But I still think everyone’s way too harsh on this album. It’s easily a strong 3/5 maybe a 4/5

Good songs performed with a great deal of heart and soul. They picked a handful of soft rock songs and gave each song more seasoning with some really lively instrumentation. I’d argue that the “Listen To The Music” cover is done so well that it’s just as good as the original.

I’m gonna give this a strong 4/5 but acknowledge that it’s 5/5 material

It's not just that Michael's vocals are drenched in reverb/echo, it's that his often air/whispery delivery accentuates the way reverb is use on these songs.

"Freedom 90" has to be one of the most 90’s songs I’ve ever heard, which leads to the main pitfall I hear on this record: the leap George Michael took to make this thing sound ‘current’ (for it’s time) ends up hurting him. “Soul Free” is a good example, it’s just a lightweight track with a very 90’s drum pattern that doesn’t really pack a punch. I think I prefer some of the more sweeping, dramatic arrangements of his earlier solo work. “They Won’t Go When I Go” has a little of that drama, but not enough to carry an album.

2/5

“Boxcars“ - is that a synth bending up and down to imitate a steel pedal guitar? Brilliant stuff. This was a really neat track. Sticks to a very tight composition with a sticky melody.

“West Texas Waltz” was some needed 3/4, with all the same catchy hooks the rest of the album had.

This is super solid pop songwriting functioning under a country disguise. Surprising one. Soft 4/5