Rate Albums

Reviews by k-dot-r

Rip It OffTimes New Viking

4/10

Someone should let them know that the pre-demo first draft, before the words were finished, and before the songs were properly recorded, has ended up on Spotify somehow. I'm sure they'll be super embarrassed. Hopefully other providers don't have the same issue.

I'm not sure if a less noise-damaged version of the album exists anywhere, but I'd be interested to hear what it sounds like recorded properly, and maybe even with a music producer nearby.

There's some decent ideas here, I think, behind the noise and pop and hiss and fizz and rumble and feedback and crackle and (seemingly) broken microphones and lack of care taken to make sure the songs could be heard at their best.

Quite annoyingly badly produced and recorded, but not actively offensively bad, and a potentially interesting collection of almost-songs.

Take to the SkiesEnter Shikari

4/10

One of the inventors of nu-rave - possibly the least important and least influential genre in popular music. Like someone playing a guitar near a terrible rave, but somehow (sometimes) less fun than that sounds.

I'm also docking a star for being an influence on the dubstep dreck that followed - and this wasn't going to score highly before that!

In the Aeroplane Over the SeaNeutral Milk Hotel

2/10

*potentially heretical opinions follow*

possibly the biggest disappointment on the list - i had heard it was good, maybe even great, but it is absolutely rubbish.
the guy can't sing and, to make it even worse, keeps putting on these stupid voices and weird accents.
the lyrics are terrible, the melodies boring and uninspired, and the instrumentation choices make no sense.
for such an "influential" album, i was definitely expecting better. not just bad, actively offensive - i didn't even make it through a second listen, possibly because i knew what rubbish was still to come.

this probably deserves a place in the list, and maybe even in the book, on reputation alone, but not on quality.
the only positive of it being included would be that more people would see through the online praise - and see that the emperor's clothes are invisible.

From this day forth, I will announce loudly and repeatedly, whenever this album (or this band) is discussed, that this is one of the worst few albums i have ever had the misfortune to endure.

0 stars

*heresy complete*

Join UsThey Might Be Giants

8/10

18 songs in 47 minutes! A really eclectic mix of songs, with odd instrumentation (which really works!) and off-beat lyrics.

Year of the CatAl Stewart

6/10

Sounds even older than it is; catchy songs, well sung; the wee "story of the songs" interview at the end (of the remaster) was cool, even if he sounded like an old school transatlantic 'Smashie & Nicey' style radio DJ; contains possibly the only song about an Elizabethan privateer

Fear InoculumTool

10/10

Absolute genius, from one of the most interesting and innovative bands around