Reviews by john

First impression was that this is the Wario to Talking Heads Mario. A lot of talk about this album being intentionally performed "bad", and I think that's selling it a bit short. There's lot's of wild expressionism in the manic, disjointed delivery of lyrics.

There's a clear and intentional devolution in the tracklisting, with the last two songs feeling like hallucinations as much as they feel like music.

Not much to say because it's not my jam. But this certainly has it's place as thought-provoking art. 2/5

Let there be no doubt: MC5 is on some sort of drug that gets you fired up. I admire a few things about this record. The short snippets of them speaking at the end of some songs is a perfect amount of speaking for a live album ("Motor City Is Burning"). I also respect how ahead of it's time their sound is. This has huge punk energy before punk was a thing.

But, if we zoom out, do we really need this album? This probably smacked live but the singing and some of the guitar playing flattens out when limited to headphones. It's like watching your food in the microwave. It sure is hot in there, I'm kinda glad I'm not getting all that energy out here.

2/5

The line between brilliance and buffoonery is thin and hard to locate. At first, I was irritable about this record. But the longer it went on, the more moments of tact and variation helped me settle in.

“2 Towers” got my ears to perk up after a first few loathsome tracks. Very cool guitar tone, both melodic and noisy.

“Crown Of Storms” will be the most memorable for obvious reasons. The 16th note guitar melody interrupted by the chunky rhythym guitar, all over some hefty drums - it all made sense of the chaos.

“Wonderful Rainbow” affirmed that these guys did know what they were doing, with a tender interlude that filters a very sweet melodic progression through some nice sounding amps/filters.

I think the moments of greatness here are why I like lyricless music so much - no guy here to tell me how I feel. There’s just enough to be left up to interpretation. I wish there was a little more method to the madness, but I’m not in a bunch about it. And to those that are, sorry Thom Yorke isn’t here to tickle your nutz about a girl you saw in passing once.

3/5 I respect the shredding

The vocalist sits somewhere between Kurt Cobain and Isaac Brook of Modest Mouse. Speaking of Washington musicians, I know these guys are from California, but this album probably did numbers in the PNW.

It's got a sound that is still referenced to this day with its blunt lyricism and wandering, hazy guitars, I have to respect this thing on a fundamental album. But I don't think I've got much more than a tacit respect for it. My personal preferences had me feeling like this was a slog until the guitar solo on "Cut Your Hair". The songs were sitting in that uncomfortable middle ground between intentionally experimental and pop-leaning. The musicianship is there, but it's not my idea of a captivating listen. What's more, this feels like the umpteenth guitar-based album on this list.

"Gold Soundz" had a nice composition, it was wistful and innocent. But by "Range Life" I was good and done, wholly uninterested. Strong 2/5

Very fun album! I enjoyed this a good bit. I think the group showed a clear competency for pop hooks and how to arrange catchy rock-leaning music.

The “Comfortably Numb” cover was hilarious though. Sounded a bit like jamiroquai meets Jimmy Fallon doing an impression of the BeeGees, all over a surprisingly forward-thinking instrumental.

“Mary” had a great chorus and a sublime key section, especially towards the end of the song. Great choice to sprinkle some different sonic textures with those keys.

“It Can’t Come Quickly Enough” had some sweet downtempo electronic production swooping in to add even more variety and keep me engaged. Not once did I feel like I wanted to just get this album over with already.

Is it a 3/5? A 4/5? Hard to tell.

Life-affirming!

It's wild how you could call this like his 4th best effort and not only be justified, but you could also argue that his 4th best record is better than so many artists very best. So I'm not sure how to grade this, on the Stevie Wonder scale? Or on the general music scale? I think that, by the end of this record, I was left with the infectious glow you get when listening to Wonder's music, so I have no choice but to give this a 4/5.

He's just so expressive and personal. No one has a mind-to-mouth connection like Stevie Wonder. "Dont You Worry Bout A Thing" and "Higher Ground" are amongst the most warm, invigorating songs. That vocal run at the end of the former track? You could cure disease with it. Meanwhile, the back half of "Living For The City" and "He's Misstra Know It All" have such clear, observant eyes for the societal chasms that separated black america from their fair chances in the 70's.

I am once again so glad to go through a Stevie Wonder album and exclaim 'hey I know this song too!' and happily sing along. Stevie Wonder doesnt just lead with his emotions, he embodies the many emotions every human will feel in a lifetime. His talents are a gift unto this world

Sometimes, I come away from an album thinking “that should’ve been an EP”. Just a few songs worth my while. I came away from this album thinking “that should’ve been a single”. And that single is, of course, “The Look Of Love”. The masses got it right, thats the only song worth your time. I will say, the album got markedly better after this song.

“Date Stamp” was almost good, certainly a very textured track. “4 Ever 2 Gether” was the right amount of dramatic and showy.

Man I don’t know what to give this it’s like the 50th album on the list that sounds like this. Strong 2/5? Light 3? It probably deserves more but I’m tired boss.
Once again, file under: probably sampled in a lot of vaporwave

Uh oh we've got a premier beer-chugging album on our hands.

"Detroit Rock City" is most memorable for it's placement in the bad guy montage in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" imo.

Little fun fact, the beginning of "God Of Thunder" is sampled as is to begin Avicii's "Shame On Me". I think I like the Avicii track more. God of Thunder is so clunky, the singing is horrifying at points. I know it all makes sense with the visuals and the live show, but the audio alone is hackish at best. "Great Expectations" continues that dreadful, campy delivery - this time with eye-rolling lyrics. I get it, this music isn't to be taken more than gimmicky party music, but damn. A clever composition on the outro can't save this one.

Now "Beth", that's an interesting one. Dramatic and tender if only for a moment. Still a goofy lyrical subject matter, but a unique one at that. But to deny oneself of a Beth singalong is to deny oneself of a little joy.

Album that are so ambitious-yet-soulless make me grasp the roots and appeal of punk music a lot more. Just go listen to Meatloaf 2/5

It’s not an album to be listened to, it’s a revolution to be experienced. These guys single-handedly invented a new sound with Cross, a sound that is still being referenced and straight up imitated to this day (see: Victory by Madeon). I need you to understand how upright and artificial all electronic dance music sounded in 2007. Then this thing comes along. It’s got lungs that breathe French cigarette smoke. It’s got distorted saw synths for teeth. It’s got a heartbeat that thumps at 125 bpm. It’s got a black leather jacket on in the middle of the dancefloor. This record has so much personality and *swagger*. This album sounds so *real*. Their sound is a result of a process Justice is reported to have taken a painstakingly long time to cultivate in fucking GarageBand of all softwares - being very granular about the sampling and sonic textures to ensure they'd sound so ‘human’.

Surely this is one of the best album openers of all time. Grandiose horn sample that nosedives into gritty, energetic, angular dancefloor bliss. Smooth transition into “Let There Be Light” that's followed up by the generational “DANCE”? Perfect. I don’t have many words for “DANCE” that haven't already been said about it, I just remember specifically hearing it for the first time and being totally captivated and fascinated by it. A candy-sweet hook with that time-stretched, wobbly kids chorus ran circles around my ears.

The melodic ideas that "Phantom Pt 1" holds back on are incredible, it makes the disco-infused part 2 hit that much harder. It's structural decisions like this that make it clear the duo knew they had something special on their hands, their sense of timing and feel for how to heighten the suspenseful sensations is unmatched (I'm talking about you, "Stressed"). They match that sand-paper suspense with just as many tender, playful sounds, like the horn/synth melody on "Valentine".

I'm not quite sure I understand the hate for "TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY". The sleazy nonchalant vocals are absolutely apart of the package here. Stuttery, slightly broken English babbling about going out and getting drunk? Sounds like the scene Justice came from. This song also has one of the most measured, punchy drops. I adore the way the bass stabs and synths are chopped in a more minimalist, repetitive way on this one - it creates a spectacular pocket for the beat to sit in.

"One Minute To Midnight" feels like a credits roll heroes montage to wrap things up. Like there's another nightmarish, leather-studded dancefloor to go tear apart. One of the highest praises I can give this album is how instantaneously replayable it is. Your could loop the tracklisting to start again right as it ends, and it still makes total sense. Cross is such a tightly-woven, insular experience. It strong-arms together a pure love for cathartic 4-to-the-floor energy with the visceral, humane nature of a real rock'n'roll project.

An improbably perfect album, likely the best (and most obvious) this list has to offer for electronic music. I'd give it 10 stars out of 5 if I could.

It’s wild that I didn’t even remember his album Safe As Milk was listened to at the beginning of this year. Doesn’t sound like the same person at all.

Admirably frantic stream-of-consciousness is what it sounds like, but under the chaos I understand there’s a technical complexity to many of these songs. It’s like if Tom Waits and Frank Zappa (who produced this album) had a deranged offspring together.

80 minutes is far too long for something this fragmented and unstable, but I can’t say I was tempted to skip a song at any point either. There’s some compelling vocal deliveries of lyrics that have to be heard to be believed.

Just some standout extra crazy moments worth remembering:
The beginning of “Pachuco Cadaver”.
“Neon Meate Dream” is its own beast.
“Pena” feeling like I was watching cartoons on many, many psychedelics.

Hmmm. A studious close listen may yield some moments of genuine enjoyment, or at least appreciation for this project. It’s pretty neat that weve made it to the point where something this discordant resonates with many as an evocative work of art.

Ive done this before with controversial, boundary-pushing records, but I’m gonna give this one a 3/5. It does chaos very well, it’s just that this type of chaos isn’t particularly appetizing very often

Sometimes are work I have to listen with one headphone in -- that would be impossible to do with this record. What's even more impossible is the idea that THIS record, of all Beatles records, is included on this list. Do they have a glimmer of that X factor which eventually made the Beatles great? Yeah sure. Both Paul and John are endearing as ever, like the hummed outro of "All I've Got To Do."

But then there are other wince-inducing songs that are best left in the early 60's, namely "Little Child" and the rigid cover of "Roll Over Beethoven".

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" is by far the best track on here. John's crooning, sometimes howly performance actually conveys a depth of emotion we'd only hear in later Beatles albums.

It will never not be funny that Ringo's floating head is below the other three on the cover art 2/5

“The album was nominated for the 2003 Mercury Prize but lost to Dizzee Rascal's Boy in da Corner“
THANK GOD!

Here’s a comp for ya, the lead singer sounds like Dashboard Confessional. Very forcibly airy in his vocal delivery. Not saying it’s good or bad, just how it sounds.

This project is innocuous to a fault. They all sound like they’re having a good time but damn is everything so twee and wandering. I surely won’t remember a single song either, none of this was impactful or captivating. “Hollywood Kids” was interesting enough for the slide guitar, but that’s about it.

Another sleepy, questionable pick. 2/5

It’s all been heard before. I know that in 1968 this was cutting-edge, and there are songs on here where I can hear a lot of quality work. But this isn’t essential. It’s a fun deep dive album where you learn that Steve Winwood was apart if this groups before his solo career took off. It’s an album where you go “oh! I know that song” when “Feeling Alright” comes on. Those novelties won’t carry you anywhere significant.

“Dont Be Sad” and “No Time To Live” we’re both really enjoyable. Everything else can get tossed.

2/5

This was super solid! There would be 2-3 alright punk songs then WHAM an absolute banger.

"Bored Teenagers" had to hit like a truck if you were in fact a bored teenager at the time. Anthemic and punchy and super well-played, especially for punk music.

"Gary Gilmore's Eyes" was solid and clearly made with the aim of a wider audience in mind, but the following "Bombsite Boy" was the best track on the album. A little theater of the mind intro that breaks into a ruckus, unhinged track with a fantastic chorus. The way they bookend the choruses with the "bombsite boy! bombiste boy!" line is lovely.

Substantive punk with one of the first women to breakthrough in the scene its a firm 3/5 probably higher on repeated listens

I am very hesitant to use this word, but this is a bit cringe imo. The musicianship is there, on a technical level I’m impressed. But the singing and overly-dramatic instrumentation makes it all feel a bit cheap.

“Epic” can have its props for being nu-metal before that was a thing. But by the time “Surprise! You’re Dead!” came around, I felt like I was watching a little child play pretend skeletons and monster truck wars.

I suppose the chorus of “The Real Thing” wasn’t horrible, but the vocal intonations even in that track were hard to get through.

2/5

This is tough. i lack the capacity and context to judge this one with total fairness. I hear the greatness, I really do. But I can't say I connected with it completely on first listen. It's all there, "The Killing Moon" is a condensed example of how these guys know how to write a pop-leaning song. It's a classic.

I can't say a single bad thing about it, but it doesn't hit home for me. 850ish albums in, this may be a symptom of post-punk fatigue.

3/5 nothing against it

This is it man I swear. The classic rock from America (and by proxy) about America doesn’t get much better than this. Springsteen finds the sweet spot between the scuzzy, machismo nature of rock-for-radio, and the candy-sweet, theatrical ballads of artistic anomalies like Meatloaf.

“Thunder Road” is a boastful, soaring opener which feels like the most purely hopeful of all the songs here. No tricks are hidden, you can prepare yourself to hear 40 minutes of this in many variations over the rest of the album. Luckily, it’s all greatness.

“Tenth Avenue” is solid, “Night” is a passable lowlight but oh my god the beginning of “Backstreets” for the first minute and a half. I got chills on my way into work. I think I forgot how sleek this track starts out because the chorus is so gristly and memorable. That proto-rockabilly vocal reverb over a barren instrumental is *electric*. I’m sure this was recorded to a click-track, but it’s played with some much heart that is almost seems as though the tempo slows a bit for the more intimate verse moments, then speeds up towards its big crescendo at the end. I can’t say enough good things about this song.

“Born To Run” is totally deserving of its gigantic popularity. Such a pristine pop melody. Shoutable, memorable, danceable. Hopeful and desperate all in one.

“She’s The One” always seems like a moment to breathe before the epic story of “Meeting Across The River” folds into the opus that is “Jungleland”. The latter shouldn’t be talked about, it should just be experienced.

Born In The USA is for the arenas, Nebraska is for moments of solidarity. Born To Run is for the heart.

If you're a white man getting impatient about if you're gonna have grandkids, there's a chance you point to this record as your justification for live albums being a necessity.

Speaking of the dad rock musical zeitgeist, does "Doobie Wah" just coincidentally share the opening riff of the Doobie Brother's "Listen To Te Music"? Does anyone else hear that? I'm not seeing any comment sections talking about it, no whosampled references. Surely I'm not the only one?

The rest is all just fine. Earnest performances, a few household hits. Varied but normal instrumentation until he brings out the talkbox on the closing track, which was a revered, mythologized track in the house I grew up in. He might as well have been using magic to make the guitar speak like that.

Though this listening experience bumped the record down a few pegs, there's nothing overtly bad about it. Decent writing that dries up after a bit, innovative guitar playing. Soft 3/5

George Michael yesterday Madonna today thats a lot of keyboards and programmed drums. There are some excellent pop moments on here, delivered with just the right amount of drama and flare.

It’s so funny to hear “Love Song” for the first time. It’s so easy to tell RIGHT away thats a Prince song. Then he starts singing too! The ultimate bit of humor is when she starts speaking French momentarily and Prince audibly goes “wut?”

I think “Till Death Do Us Part” is a bit ahead of its time. It’s very sped-up and tight with lots of syncopated instrumentation. I hear bits of what would become y2k ballads in how this song is written.

But the best song BY FAR is “Dear Jessie”. Oozing whimsy and sincerity, it’s a candy sweet chorus hook that doesn’t need drums to stay in your head.

File under the subcategory “albums that surely helped birth vaporwave” strong 3/5, maybe 4/5

He’s very in tune with how to write and perform pop music. With plenty of gospel/soul inspiration, this set of songs clearly comes from a genuine place in his heart.

Some tracks have a sound palette that age better than others. “Father Figure” takes a minimalist approach that makes the 80’s soundfonts feel tasteful, clearly a reference track for every pop artist pulling from 80’s sounds today. Other songs? Not so much. “I Want Your Sex” is written well enough but my goodness the whirls and wobbly synths, the upright electric drumming. It’s like a Prince song without the charisma to break through its sonics. This sort of dichotomy will remain through the entirety of the project: the louder and more electronic, the more grading it is on the ears. The more subtle and quiet the song is, the more you can feel Michael’s tender intentions and brilliant penmanship.

“One More Try” soars with a longing that feels heightened with the knowledge that he was still in the closet at the time. Those high notes are equal parts despair and desire. Very pretty song, probably my favorite in the album.

“Monkey” being a term for drug addiction and not another man’s dick was quite disappointing to learn. I might keep that in my head cannon.

Outside of the swanky “Kissing A Fool” these songs stick on their rails, with no real instrumental or compositional surprises. That’s not to say theyre bad. Theyre just aired out, long-play pop songs.

3/5 soft monkeys