Reviews by john

An obvious 5 but a frustratingly frontloaded one. I’m not sure if I’d feel and more or less strongly about the record if the hits were a little more spaced out evenly in the tracklisting. After all, most of the first six songs on here are generational, standing their own ground no matter the place or time.

No need to do a deep dive into this one, it’s ubiquitous, especially having lived all my life in the greater seattle area. 5/5 I can’t remember who said it, but Kurt’s voice was like a beautiful harmonic chainsaw

I went back through my current 5/5 albums recently. There’s a noticeable subgroup that are American protest records, or at the very least contain songs with commentary on struggle in America. Obvious ones like Winter In America by Gil Scott Herron or American Idiot by Green Day, and more subtle ones like songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Stevie Wonder.

This one falls a little short of that 5/5 protest album mark for me. It’s not without merit, there’s a point to be taken from how this album has an intentionally chaotic sound to mirror the late 60’s civil and sociopolitical landscape in America. But it’s a bit on the nose at times. It was a similar listening experience that I had with Mothers Of Invention - sometimes delightfully quirky, sometimes taking the crazy too far.

“Where Is Yesterday” kinda sounds like if Brian Wilson took one of his mental breakdowns and put it right into a song. Fairly powerful track compared to a lot of the other noisy stuff.

2/5 I respect it but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Even in its more experimental form, psych rock is just too upright for me. I wish for more concise focus on rhythm and groove, less focus on the sonic aesthetics of being ‘trippy’

Mehhhhh. I am whelmed. The good is that it’s hard to be offended or anything close. There’s a lot of soothing, cyclical instrumentation that washes over the listener. The not so good is that there isn’t anything closer to a wow moment, or really too many melodies to latch onto.

When the song “Hero” comes on, it’s hard not to be distracted by the tonal switch. Everything was once krautrocky, soft electronica. Now theyre reaching for something a bit punk inspired, with some lackluster vocals added in. The group would go on to attempt this a couple times on the back half of the record, making for a harsh contrast in sound.

I was a big fan of “E-Musik” towards the end of the record though. It’s the most successful at being a placid, looping song that induces some sense of musical hypnosis.

I’m thinking this is a drei von fünf

This list has done a good job of helping me understand Bobby. Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks. I get it! He writes fantastic, simple songs.
Let’s not push our luck with the inclusion of this album. He has his moments, though, which save this record from being a totally lost cause.

“Standing in the Doorway” takes a little doowop and adds it into the bluesy tones of this album. The song also includes the lyric “I’m strumming on my gay guitar”, because Bob Dylan just can’t help himself - he has to add at least one line that makes me go ???????????

“Make You Feel My Love” is the obvious highlight, and is deserving of the millions of covers it’s left in its wake. It’s been stuck in my head the whole day, and I haven’t heard the Adele or Garth brooks cover enough to have this songs sheer beauty ruined. Pretty song.

Bobby sure is busted up over somebody for the entirety of this record. Not sure if it follows recent life experience for him though, he could just be writing out of his ass for all I know. I never know.

I think this albums reputation precedes the actual quality of the music. For some dumb reason, the recording academy gave this a grammy for album of the year (what’s new). Additionally, Dylan apparently almost died due to infection around this albums release. Not knowing that, I wasn’t all that wowed with the music, and that’s all I had to go off of.

2/5, this thing is all too long to hold my interest

A very aptly-named album, as many songs seem to fit perfectly into the coffeehouse singer-songwriter box. Very unoffensive, mostly laid-back. Songs about being in bars, about traveling, about love, about bad men, about moving on.

The last half of “We Do What We Can” was pretty exciting compared to the rest of the record, so that’s my favorite part of this album.

Soft 3/5

The opening "Time Travelin" gave the impression that this record was content to take up it's fair share of space with its mellow atmosphere and transition between one beat to the next.

"Dooinit" into "The Light" was a nice one-two punch, but by this point I felt the impending reality of how long this record would be.

"Time Travelin Reprise" wfelt like the other end of the honymoon phase for this album, that an interlude this far into an album was further telling of how long it all felt.

Second Cocteau Twins album on here proves they were truly 1 of 1 in their hazy vocal deliveries and heavenly soundscapes.

"Lorelei" was the first dose of hypnotic euphoria, with its head-nodding rhythm. But "Pandora (for Cindy)" was the real treat. A galivanting set of vocal melodies hanging overhead, acting as a blissed-out lullaby.

The choral voices on the closing "Donimo" really caught my attention too. A great way to drive home the otherworldly feeling this whole record wields.

A strong 3 that will probably jump to a 4 on repeated listens. I've really come to appreciate this group. While this isn’t their best record to my ears, I love their sound regardless

This album holds a similar space that Billy Joel's "The Stranger" does for me. Both are evergreen examples of some of the best songwriting 20th century America had to offer. I'd argue that Carole King has more recognizable songs on this record than any Billy Joel album though. And it doesn't even need to be argued that her singing voice is more powerful by orders of magnitude. Few artists can sing with such simplicity and instantly command your attention.

This one doesn't need a song by song deep dive, I feel like that goes against the ease with which this record plays out. But I will say "Home Again" into "Beautiful" goes under the radar, for fair reasons.

It's an easy 5/5 no need to think too much about it

The context and baggage with this one made it hard to give this a pure, nonjudgmental listen. Randy Newman is another instance of a white guy intentionally sounding a little too much like a black guy to just ignore it. He’s also impossible to extrapolate from his role as the Toy Story guy now. Like, “Lonely at the Top” is a solid song, but it seems like something that was lifted from Tom Waits, then rinsed until there’s no sign of grit or character.

There is one huge praise I can give this album: it’s method for examining American culture! “Political Science” is the obvious one, riding that line where it can be read as a third-person criticism as much as a red-blooded patriot could lovingly take it at face value - especially when it’s followed up by the even more sweet-sounding “Burn On”.

Lastly, “Dayton Ohio” has a little melody that got lifted by John Mayer many years later on his “You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me” song. Both very Disney-friendly.

This would be a true 5/10 in a better scoring system. It does some things really well and falls short in other categories.

Probably, hopefully the last Eno album on this list. I adore the guy but I don’t think he needs THAT many records on this list. Music For Airports and Another Green World are probably enough, none of his Roxy Music stuff is necessary. Still, he’s as forward-thinking and quirky as ever. It shows as early as the first song, with those sudden stops in all sounds in “Needles In The Camels Eye”.

He’s absolutely running the door down to pave the way for the art rockers of this time, many of whom he’d work with after this. I wouldn’t blame you for skipping so many songs on rock records of this time once you get bored, but boredom isn’t to be found on Here Come The Warm Jets. Eno’s mind is far too active, his penchant for exaggerated deliveries and seemingly random instrumental switch-ups is ever-present.

“Driving Me Backwards” is so intentionally macabre and I loved its placement on the record. Such a fun way to mix things up.

“On Some Far Away Beach” I can hear you in there, Another Green World. A little bit with “Some Of Them Are Old” too. That peculiar fusion of electronic guitars, wistful lyrics and a whimsical delivery. You can’t fool me, I hear future Eno in there. I could only be lulled into bliss for so long though, that beginning of “Blank Frank” sure is startling.

The title track as a closer is just a cherry on top. Melancholy, crunchy guitar melody filtered through a very interesting song structure. I’d expect nothing less.

Not necessary or even great, but I can’t possibly be mad listening to an Eno album. 3/5

Is there some passable quality music? Yeah. Is this deserving of a spot? As is often the case, no. It’s very forgettable, you can just keep one Rod Stewart record on this list and be fine.

I am thankful to build a mental library of all these old records, even if they’re repetitive, even if it’s a grind. I can confidently work past the “music was better in X decade” argument, with the data of having listened to all these albums. It definitely wasn’t better - just a different time when you were likely younger/more impressionable.

I yearn for something more modern and impressive. So I will suggest the new album “?” by Bassvictim. It’s short, quirky, just as raw as any classic rock album, but not nearly as woefully masculine and cliche.
2/5

Hey this is pretty sleek especially for its time. So many records from this time sound so brutally *2008*, but this one has some evergreen production elements and instrumental decisions that hold up. Most of the bars hold up well enough too. Nothing life-changing, unless you’re Anderson.Paak who clearly took this sound and ran with it. But solid flows front to back.

“Gettin Up” rides the nice line of being pleasant to listen to and also being Grammy fodder. Love that simple bassline. The same can be said for “Official”.

“Move” is my pick of the album for some forward-thinking sampling, this is the best beat by far.

Lastly, you know I love a shoutout record, so of course “Life Is Better” was another highlight.

I’ll give this a light 4. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any way, but it’s fairly sleek, it’s aged really well.

I don't care how good the guitar is on here ("Hideaway"). It's got some disgusting songs on here ("Little Girl") from a lump of a man in Clapton. Spotify lists out who many of these songs were originally by, which gets to the heart of the issues with this inclusion - why are we including a covers album of a white man doing black music. Again, the playing on here is good to great at times, but this misses the bigger picture.

2/5 I can't and won't get past the context of Eric Clapton the person and the inclusion of this album instead of more black soul/rock artists

The definition of a sleeper find. This is a HOOK FACTORY. Song after song I'm amazed!

I wasn't all too impressed with "Faron Young" out the gate, but "Bonny" came in with what would be one of so many sweet hooks paired with perfect 80's production. Also the first of many times they'd use that airy female vocal call and response. The reverb effect on that vocal reminds me of "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc. The following "Appetite" is a JAM with even more of that female vocal. I'm learning that's Wendy Smith.

The chorus of "When Love Breaks Down" - how have I not heard this before?? It's flawless. Even "Moving The River", which has some really strange lyrics, manages a memorable chorus out of nothing! Wow.

A much needed tonal switch with the bossa nova inspired "Horsin' Around" lands as a setup for arguably the best hook on the album with that 'desire as a self-figured creature who changes her mind' on "Desire As". Like, who thinks of that line, let alone writes it in perfectly to a pop song? So cool.

I'm ignoring the acoustic versions tacked onto the spotify version of this record. I'm just so happy with this find. I was SLOGGING through a lot of 2/5's the past few weeks. I wish I could encapsulate these moments of awestruck discovery and save them for later. My meter is refilled and I'm ready to take on another 20 bullshit albums if it means there's another gem like this one at the end. What's even more impressive is that this list is capable of producing a relatively unknown 80's english pop-rock album that isnt completely dismissible. This is the one.

About the strongest 4/5 I can give. The highlights are 5/5 material for sure. I can't sing the praises of this albums high points enough. Some songs have stuck with me throughout this list, and there's like 3 new songs that'll stick with me form this record

“Somebody To Love” is such an iconic track, I feel like house music has recycled and rinsed this one so many times and no matter how strange the sampling/rendition is, the highlight is always Grace Slick’s sharp vocals. That’s true for all of this album. Shes a powerhouse that brings this San Francisco sound together.

“Comin Back To Me” was a nice acoustic ballad that oscillates between sweet in tone and contemplative for little moments. “Embryonic Journey” feels like a b-side to Comin Back To Me’s a-side.

A majority of the songs blend in with all the other psych rock of the late 60’s, but that doesn’t take away from this being a well-made project. “How Do You Feel” is a good example, with its typical chorus vocal being executed really well.

Let’s go firm 3/5. I’m all good with it being scored higher though

First impression: is this not the black keys? Luckily, it got much more nuanced and pleasing than that.

"Burnished" had some nice, galivanting guitar passages that sorta reminded me of "Green Grass and High Tides". It rolled perfectly into the following "Back At The Farm" too, which was a needed bit of space from the vocals

"Anvil Everything" is a huge highlight for me. Normal time signatures but almost a bit math-rocky in it's nature. Very playful, like hearing a tinkering mind unfold in real time.

"Drug", "Is and Is and Is", and "Keys" all had their catchy moments, especially with the last song being a tender little sendoff.

Soft 4/5 the slog has been broken. I'm still tired of white man with guitar though. In desperate need of a generational banger

In a vacuum, I love the concept of how this album is structured. Songs shaved down to only their hooks in pure, unpolished form. The sad reality of this album is that these guys failed to deliver anything of impact in their passing snippets.

“Game Of Pricks” isn’t bad, but if I have to look to the bands most popular song as their sole memorable track, then this album has a problem. “Motor Away” was good too, which brings me to the sad realization that if these guys put their efforts into 10 fully realized songs they could’ve had something really sweet. It’s a really frustrating notion knowing what this group is capable of.

I can tell these guys are good vibes, but this record has no place in here. Breezy but benign. Softest 2/5

IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT UNTRUE BY BURIAL IS NOT ON THIS LIST. I HAVE GONE 860+ ALBUMS WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT WAS SO UNAVOIDABLY GOOD THAT EVEN ROBERT DIMERY COULDNT AVOID IT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT HAS AN INHERENTLY UK SOUND TO IT. I WAS WRONG AND THIS HAS RUINED MY DAY. YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO IT IN PLACE OF THIS ALBUM, AND CONSIDER BURIALS “TUNES 2011-2019” IF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE FOR A MAJESTIC 2 HOUR AMBIENT JOURNEY. I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE “TUNES” IS JUST AS GOOD AS “UNTRUE”, BUT DUE TO UNTRUE’S MASSIVE STATUS IT WILL FOREVER LIVE UNFAIRLY IN A SHADOW. THAT IS MY SLIGHTLY HOT TAKE AND ANGRY RANT.

Anyways.

Being provocative is one of the many important cornerstones of art. This album has run a marathons distance past the line where provocation ends and empty edginess begins. We can leave the pop culture phenomena that was Manson and leave it in the 90's. We should replace this spot on the list with a different pop culture phenomena that's missing: early 2010's EDM!

I genuinely don't have a lot to say for the substance of this album because there isn't much substance at all. The drums often sound terrible like on "Angel With The Scabbed Wings" or "Tourniquet" with that nasally snare. What does this record do that NIN or Slipknot doesn't do better? Genuinely.

It's not even that his lyrics have me clutching me pearls like some did when Manson had his moment in the 90's. It's that I find myself constantly rolling my eyes. There are so many better voices for the damned, especially given what we know now about this guy.

Cryptorchid has passable electronic production for it's time, "Mister Superstar" had a good chorus, but everything else about this project is so bleh. 1/5

Sinatra uses the laid back aesthetics of bossa nova as an excuse to totally phone it in. I don’t need every one of his efforts to crescendo like “My Way” did, but man show some signs of life at least. “Change Partners” was the point of no return, with an eye-roller of a topic to sing about.

Soft, lifeless 2/5

Not a song. Not one song will be remotely remembered from this album. This is a record full of attempts to make popular, catchy, memorable music. Every attempt is a failure. A bad case of Pink Floyd influence translated into 2000’s pop rock on “Troubles” and “Out-Side” sealed the deal for me.

I would never wish anyone such struggles, but this band having disbanded due to owing their label money after lack of success makes all the sense in the world to me. There isn’t an admirable or even notable quality to this project. It’s just a shortcoming. 1/5