Reviews by k-dot-r

Very very long, but also very good. Sounds like a compilation album, which I suppose it is - all good bands evolve a ton over 20+ years! I might have preferred a single album, but then I wouldn't have heard all these songs (yet). An absolute joy, from a band I would never otherwise have heard of! ¡Gracias!

Really solid, I enjoyed the extended version with bonus tracks and demos too. Not quite as good as The Lioness, which I had a few weeks ago, but still a cracking voice and beautiful songs, and still easily five stars for me. Thanks for the pointer!

Genius. Always nice to see more Aussie representation too

Very short, but that just meant I got to listen more times! I really liked the way it tried to do something different with hip-hop influences, rather than just being derivative of what came before. Vocals were a bit odd, but I suspect they were meant to be!

Pleasant enough folksy chilled country-ish Americana, dulled only slightly by the unshakeable feeling that there are about 3,000 albums the same on the list already. The cover version at the end came out of the blue, but every other song sounds like everything else.

Prog-psych-indie-folk - maybe the only album hitting all four of those! Beautifully written, sung and produced, but drags a little towards the end and feels a bit one-paced on repeated listening. A really good collection of songs, which (for me) falls just short of greatness.

Very Rolling Stones, unsurprisingly, but it genuinely sounds at least 30 years older than it is. Not a bad thing, the Stones are clearly decent, but it's unusual to so deliberately and obviously rip-off another band, especially one so well-known. Decent enough as a collection of songs, but it is still odd that it exists

Not for me thanks, maybe more of an American tradition? At face value, the music is bland piano ballads, some of which have a vaguely festive feel.

Punky gothy jazzy and weird. Not for me, but potentially interesting to some.

Really weird, in the best possible way. I was already into it before Nick Cave turned up, but he improved it immensely (as he always does) and made sure it gets full marks from me. All their other albums are on my after-the-list list; if we ever run out of user albums!

No need for live albums, or dance albums, so this fails on a couple of counts for me. It's not bad, just not good.

Bizarre, with cool guest appearances. Doesn't sound Danish at all - was a shock to find out where they're from Legoland!

Psych folk; decent but not essential

Genius insanity, with Werewolves of London not even the best track!

French electro, not really my tasse de thé, nor my confiture, but decent enough as background music.

Ethiopian jazz meets Dutch punk, makes an album the sounds like neither (and somehow both). An absolute blast, and one I would definitely never have heard otherwise! Thanks for the pointer!

A wee cracker of an album, showing more maturity than their first couple, but without losing the energy and intensity that makes them great. A band I have listened to a lot in recent times, thanks to my kid, and I have enjoyed every phase of their work - but this might be their most rounded and complete effort. An easy five for me!

Decent, but too long. Also, I'm not sure why she's shouting all the titles - maybe she's worried people wouldn't pay attention otherwise!

Yes! One of my favourite albums, by the band who mean the most to me. For a second album, it sounds so polished and mature, but still with the madness and energy of their early years. Not the Muse album I would have picked (I'll always love Showbiz a wee bit more, and probably listen to Drones most at the moment) but a solid choice which I would fully support for a place in the list.

There was no need for Electric Callboy to show up. Not really metal, definitely not pop, but an interesting mix. Too much auto-tune for my liking. Not sure it's a necessary inclusion, but not terrible.