Reviews by kitch82

I really struggle with Brian Eno’s solo work. I love Roxy Music, Talking Heads and pretty much anything else he has been involved with, but for some reason his own material has never really clicked with me. So I wasn’t expecting a huge amount from Another Green World today.

Unfortunately, this did very little to change my mind. I listened to the album twice and found large parts of it dull and a little pretentious. There are some nice sounds and interesting moments scattered throughout, and I can appreciate the atmosphere Eno is trying to create, but nothing ever really grabbed me.

I think my biggest problem is that so much of the album just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. There are lots of short instrumental pieces and experiments, but very few actual songs that stuck with me once they finished. I kept waiting for a melody, hook or moment that would pull me in, but it never really arrived.

It’s strange because I can hear Eno’s brilliance in so much of the music he has produced or helped create for other artists. With his solo work, though, I often feel like I appreciate the ideas behind it far more than I actually enjoy listening to it.

Another Green World clearly has a huge reputation, but it’s just not for me. Two listens were enough, and I can’t imagine choosing to put this album on again.

Favourite track: I’m genuinely not sure! There were some nice moments throughout, but nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to single out a particular track.

Least favourite track: Nothing specifically. My problem was more with the album as a whole. Too much of it felt dull and seemed to go nowhere.

Album artwork: I really like it. Simple, unusual and probably my favourite thing about the album.

SZA’s Ctrl is an album built around oversharing, messy relationships and insecurity and, somewhat surprisingly, I actually liked parts of it.

Modern R&B generally isn’t for me. I often find the production too repetitive, with similar beats running through track after track, and some of the language and lyrics can really put me off. There are definitely moments on Ctrl where I had exactly those problems, but there’s also much more storytelling here than I was expecting.

SZA is incredibly open throughout the album. She writes about relationships, jealousy, sex, insecurity and getting older in a way that feels very personal, almost like you’re listening to someone’s diary. I didn’t always enjoy the way those stories were told, but at least there was something interesting going on beneath the music.

“20 Something” was probably the track I connected with most. There’s something very relatable about that first point in your life when you suddenly realise you’re getting older and perhaps haven’t got everything figured out quite as much as you thought you would.
Overall, this still isn’t really my type of music and there were plenty of tracks I struggled with, but I definitely enjoyed parts of Ctrl more than I expected to.

Favourite track: “20 Something”. A decent track with a theme I could actually connect with.

Least favourite track: “Doves in the Wind”. I really didn’t enjoy this one. The lyrics and language completely put me off, although there were several tracks I could have picked here.

Album artwork: Lots of old TVs! I actually quite like it. It’s unusual and memorable.

Today's listen is Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan. You would think I would remember a 2021 release, especially one good enough to make a list like this, but I had no idea who Jazmine Sullivan was and had never heard of this album before today.

On reflection, I think I was probably better off not knowing about it. There are some nice moments, particularly “Lost One,” and I can understand why the album was socially relevant and resonated with people at the time. Its themes of relationships, sexuality and female empowerment are clear, and there are moments where the humour works well.

Unfortunately, it just isn't my genre of music. A lot of it felt quite naff to me, and I found the album a real struggle to get through. I can appreciate what Sullivan is trying to do without particularly enjoying listening to it.

Favourite track: “Lost One” – easily the highlight for me.

Least favourite track: Rather than a particular song, the spoken interludes. I found them really irritating and didn't feel they added anything to the album. Removing them would make the record shorter and, for me, much more enjoyable. I could definitely have done without the “tales” in Heaux Tales.

Album artwork: Fairly standard. Nothing particularly memorable.

Today’s listen is Porcupine by one of my favourite bands, Echo & the Bunnymen. I’ve always thought Ocean Rain was their best work, so let’s see how this compares.

I absolutely love the Bunnymen sound. They’re one of those bands that are instantly recognisable. The guitars have their own distinctive style, Ian McCulloch’s vocals are superb and the lyrics are often strange and difficult to work out, but somehow that just adds to the appeal.

Porcupine definitely feels like a darker and more psychedelic side of the band. There’s still that brilliant post-punk sound, but it’s more experimental in places, with some unusual influences and sounds running through it. At times you can even hear elements of what would later become shoegaze.

Most importantly, though, there are some brilliant songs. “The Cutter”, “The Back of Love” and “Heads Will Roll” are all superb, and the whole album has this urgent, slightly aggressive energy that I really enjoy. It’s strange and atmospheric without forgetting to actually have great tunes underneath it all.

Favourite tracks: What a great song “The Cutter” is. I have absolutely no idea what it’s about, like most Bunnymen songs, but it’s brilliant. “Porcupine” is also superb, although there are so many songs I could pick from this album.

Least favourite track: Every song is worth a listen, although I admit I’m very biased when it comes to Echo & the Bunnymen.

Album artwork: Brilliant album cover. One of those covers that perfectly fits the sound and mood of the record.

Aerosmith’s Pump is today’s listen. I wasn’t much of a fan of Toys in the Attic, so I went into this hoping it might change my opinion of Aerosmith.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t. If anything, Pump has only reinforced what I already thought about them. I find their sound incredibly one dimensional. The songs all seem to follow the same formula, with big guitar riffs, over the top vocals and sleazy lyrics. After a few tracks, everything starts to blend into one.

There’s something incredibly cheesy about this whole album as well. This is the side of 80s rock that does absolutely nothing for me. It’s loud, polished and full of swagger, but underneath all of that I just don’t find the songs particularly interesting.

I actually enjoyed this less than Toys in the Attic. At least that album has “Walk This Way”. There’s nothing on Pump that grabbed me in the same way. Two Aerosmith albums into the challenge and I think it’s safe to say they’re just not for me.

Favourite track: I couldn’t pick one. They all sound too similar and seem to do the same thing.

Least favourite track: Pretty much the whole album.

Album artwork: Easily the best thing about the album. Great cover.

Garbage’s self-titled debut has quite a few songs that take me straight back to my teenage years, so it was great to finally give the whole album a proper listen today.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this, but it didn’t take long for me to realise just how many great songs Garbage had. It actually made me think I should have given them a lot more time back in the 90s.

There are some cracking tunes on here. “Queer”, “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Stupid Girl” are all brilliant, while “Milk” is such a great way to finish the album. Shirley Manson’s vocals are superb throughout and there’s a really good mixture of alternative rock, pop and electronic sounds. It feels very much of its time, but in a good way.

What impressed me most was the consistency. I knew some of the bigger songs already, but there’s much more to the album than the singles. Great vocals, great music and plenty of melody. There really isn’t a weak track.

A brilliant 90s album that I should have listened to properly years ago. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.

Favourite track: “Milk”. Brilliant song.

Least favourite track: Not a weak song on the album.

Album artwork: Cool album cover. Simple but instantly recognisable.

My Bloody Valentine and I haven’t exactly got on so far in this challenge. I found m b v absolutely miserable and gave it a 1, while Isn’t Anything was an improvement at 2, with a few genuinely good songs. Even then, I still struggled with their monotonous, droning wall of sound.

So Loveless comes into today with a lot of work to do. I know this is the album they’re most famous for and is considered a classic, so I was interested to see whether this would finally be the one that made My Bloody Valentine click for me.

Unfortunately, it absolutely wasn’t.

This is definitely noise pop, with layers and layers of distorted guitars, but I just don’t enjoy the sound at all. There’s barely any recognisable singing, just vocals buried underneath everything that sound more like mumbles and moans. I know that’s part of their style, but I find it incredibly unpleasant to listen to.

It also sounds very rooted in the early 90s to me and, personally, I don’t think it has aged particularly well. Everything blends into one big wall of noise with very little melody or anything for me to grab onto. I can appreciate that My Bloody Valentine have a distinctive sound and that plenty of people love this album, but after three albums I think I can safely say this band is just not for me.

Favourite track: I couldn’t pick one. I thought this was awful.

Least favourite track: Take your pick. I struggled with the entire album.

Album artwork: Nothing particularly interesting to say about this one. Much like the music, it does very little for me.

Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope is an album that has completely passed me by, as has Julian Cope himself. I know very little about him or his music, so I’m going into this one completely blind. Let’s give him a listen.

Listening to anything that runs for over an hour is a big ask. For me, no album needs to be this long, and it’s almost impossible to maintain the quality and hold my attention across that sort of running time.

There are definitely parts of Peggy Suicide that I enjoyed, but there are also plenty that didn’t do much for me. It’s OK overall, but the sheer length works against it. There are some interesting moments and good songs buried in here, but it’s far too inconsistent to justify the length and another listen.

Favourite track: East easy rider
Least favourite track: So much of the album was dull and unnecessary
Album artwork: Love the album cover. It’s bold, strange and immediately grabs your attention.

Going into today’s listen, I’ve always enjoyed Talk Talk, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually sat down and listened to one of their albums all the way through. “It’s My Life” is such a great tune, and as someone who really enjoys new wave, I was looking forward to giving The Colour of Spring a proper listen.

I really enjoyed this. It’s a beautiful sounding album, full of fantastic melodies and these slightly dream-like songs that just wash over you. It still has elements of the new wave sound I love, but there’s so much more going on musically. It feels more mature and adventurous without losing the melodies and hooks that make Talk Talk so good.

“Happiness Is Easy” is a great tune and probably my favourite on the album, while “I Don’t Believe in You” is another brilliant song. The whole album flows really well and there wasn’t anything that I didn’t enjoy.

Definitely an album I’ll come back to, and it’s made me want to listen to more Talk Talk properly rather than just the songs I already know.

Favourite tracks: “Happiness Is Easy” and “I Don’t Believe in You”.

Least favourite track: Nothing really. Everything was worth a listen.

Album artwork: I love it. Really eye-catching and a very cool cover.

On my first listen to Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly, I thought it was okay, maybe even quite good, but I couldn’t really work out why. So I gave it another listen to try and form a proper opinion.

There’s no doubt this is a well-made album. In fact, it might be a little too well made for me. Everything is incredibly polished and slick, but there’s absolutely nothing raw about it. It feels overproduced and almost too clean, as though it’s trying to appeal to everyone without ever really landing with me. It gives me the same sort of feeling I get from modern Coldplay. Technically there’s very little wrong with it, but it all feels a bit safe and generic.

I’m also not a massive fan of mixing jazz with polished pop like this. Rather than making the music more interesting, for me it gives the album a sound that has dated quite quickly. There are nice melodies and some excellent musicianship, but very little that makes me want to come back for another listen.

That said, I didn’t dislike The Nightfly. It’s perfectly enjoyable while it’s playing and there isn’t a bad song here. I can understand why people love it, but it’s just a little too polished and clinical for my tastes.

Favourite track: “New Frontier” was probably the track that stood out most for me.

Least favourite track: Nothing was horrible. Every track was worth a listen, even if nothing really blew me away.

Album artwork: Cool album cover. Simple, stylish and probably more memorable to me than the music.

When I saw the album cover, the artist’s name and the album title, I was worried about today’s listen. I had absolutely no expectations going into it. My guess was that I was about to get some sort of 90s country or cheesy pop country album and, I must admit, I was dreading it.

Against all odds, not to quote Phil Collins, I absolutely loved this album!

This was nothing like I expected. There’s so much variety throughout, with great musicianship, catchy melodies and songs that immediately grabbed me. It never settles into one predictable sound, and that variety kept me interested from start to finish.

“Fuzzy” and “Grace” were particular highlights, but there genuinely wasn’t a track I wanted to skip. Everything on the album is worth a listen, and this has gone from something I expected to struggle through to an album I’ll definitely be coming back to.

One of the great things about this challenge is stumbling across albums like this. I went in expecting absolutely nothing and came away with a brilliant new discovery.

Favourite tracks: “Fuzzy” and “Grace” were both great tracks.

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. Every song is worth a listen.

Album artwork: Cheesy and definitely not a reflection of how good the music is. One to forget!.

I love Dexys, so I was really looking forward to giving Searching for the Young Soul Rebels a proper listen today.

The first thing that stands out is just how brilliantly put together this album is. The brass is superb throughout and gives the whole record so much energy and personality. Kevin Rowland’s vocals are instantly recognisable as well. They’re raw and passionate and work perfectly with that mixture of soul, pop and punk running through the album.

There are some cracking tunes on here. “Seven Days Too Long”, “Burn It Down” and “I Couldn’t Help It If I Tried” are all great, but the showstopper has to be “Geno”. What a brilliant song. That brass opening is instantly recognisable and the whole track is an absolute classic.

What I really like about this album is how much energy it has. It takes the sound of classic soul and mixes it with something much rougher and more British. There’s loads going on musically, but underneath it all are simply some really well written and catchy songs.

I really enjoyed this today. Dexys are such a distinctive band and Searching for the Young Soul Rebels captures everything I love about them. Great songs, brilliant brass and loads of character. Definitely one I’ll be listening to again.

Favourite tracks: “Geno” is the obvious standout and an absolute classic. I also loved “Seven Days Too Long”, “Burn It Down” and “I Couldn’t Help It If I Tried”.

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. It’s a really consistent album and everything is worth a listen.

Album artwork: Love it. A great photograph and a really distinctive cover that suits the album perfectly.

Van Halen is today’s listen, and I must admit I was really surprised by this album. I went into it expecting fairly generic late 70s dad rock, but what I actually got was loads of variety, great songs and some absolutely superb musicianship.

Obviously, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing is the star of the show. It’s aggressive, inventive and ridiculously good throughout, but the album isn’t just an excuse for endless guitar solos. There are proper songs underneath it all, with great riffs, catchy melodies and David Lee Roth’s powerful, slightly dirty vocals giving the band loads of personality.

I was also surprised by how much variation there is. “Ice Cream Man”, for example, starts off sounding nothing like the Van Halen I was expecting before exploding into something completely different. Their cover of “You Really Got Me” was another great surprise. It takes an already brilliant Kinks song and completely makes it their own.

Then you have tracks like “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” and “Jamie’s Cryin’”. There are so many recognisable songs here that it almost feels like a greatest hits album rather than a debut.

I expected this to be exactly the sort of rock album I normally struggle with, but I was completely wrong. It’s loud and full of swagger, but there’s also melody, variety and some fantastic songwriting. A superb album and a very welcome surprise.

Favourite tracks: “I’m the One” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love”. Honourable mention to their brilliant cover of “You Really Got Me”. I really wasn’t expecting that!

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. Everything on the album was superb and worth a listen.

Album artwork: Great album cover. Simple, energetic and perfectly captures the band.Van Halen is today’s listen, and I must admit I was really surprised by this album. I went into it expecting fairly generic late 70s dad rock, but what I actually got was loads of variety, great songs and some absolutely superb musicianship.

I’ve always loved “Dear God” and I’ve actually owned Skylarking by XTC for some time, but somehow I’d never sat down and listened to the whole album properly. So I was really looking forward to finally giving it the attention it deserved today.

My main thought afterwards was, why on earth did I wait so long? I really enjoyed this album. There’s loads of variety, but it still feels like a complete record that flows beautifully from one song to the next. It’s full of clever songwriting, great melodies and wonderfully catchy pop songs.

There are so many good tracks here. “Season Cycle”, “Grass”, “The Meeting Place” and “Mermaid Smiled” are all great, while “Summer’s Cauldron” is a brilliant way to start the album. There’s a slightly psychedelic feel running through parts of it, but it never gets in the way of the melodies and songwriting.

Then there’s “Dear God”. I’ve loved this song for years and it remains the highlight for me. It’s a perfect pop song with a fantastic melody, but it also tackles religion and belief with some genuinely interesting and thought provoking lyrics. It’s one of XTC’s greatest songs and easily one of the most memorable on the album.

Skylarking is just a really consistent, beautifully put together album. There isn’t a weak track, it never becomes boring and there’s always something interesting happening. I’m slightly annoyed with myself that I’ve owned it for so long without properly listening to it! I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.

Favourite tracks: “Dear God” is a perfect pop song. I also really enjoyed “Summer’s Cauldron”, “The Meeting Place”, “Season Cycle” and “Grass”.

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. There isn’t a weak track on the album.

Album artwork: Cool album cover. Simple, distinctive and suits the slightly psychedelic feel of the music.

Ahead of today’s listen to The Beach Boys Today!, my experience with The Beach Boys and the Wilson brothers has been pretty mixed. Pet Sounds is easily my favourite Beach Boys album so far. I gave it 4/5 and loved the beautiful melodies, harmonies and songwriting. On the other hand, Surf’s Up only got 2/5. I found its moodier, more introspective sound pretty dull and really missed the energy and memorable hooks of their earlier music.

So I think I know what I want from The Beach Boys. Give me the gorgeous harmonies, strong melodies and beautifully crafted pop songs, but lose some of the experimentation and self indulgence. The Beach Boys Today! is from 1965, so I was hoping this would be much closer to the Beach Boys I love.

Thankfully, it was exactly what I wanted. Short and sweet, packed with brilliant two and three minute pop songs, fantastic melodies and those unmistakable Beach Boys harmonies. There’s something so effortless about this sound when they get it right. The songs are catchy, beautifully arranged and instantly recognisable as The Beach Boys.

It’s not quite on the level of Pet Sounds for me, but you can certainly hear the band moving towards that sound. In places, this album is absolutely superb. There’s a simplicity to the songs, but underneath that there’s some brilliant songwriting and musicianship.

This is definitely my kind of Beach Boys. Keep the songs short, give me a great melody and pile on those harmonies. A really enjoyable album from start to finish and one I’d happily listen to again.

Favourite track: “Do You Wanna Dance?” Great tune and everything I want from The Beach Boys.

Least favourite tracks: None. Every track was enjoyable and worth its place.

Album artwork: Very much of its time! A classic mid 60s band cover.

When I read the preview and saw that Faust were a German krautrock band, I was absolutely dreading this listen. Based on some of the more experimental albums I’ve encountered during this challenge, I was expecting something difficult, strange and probably not for me at all.

How wrong I was! Faust IV might genuinely be one of the biggest surprises I’ve had during this entire challenge. I enjoyed it so much that I left it on repeat and must have listened to the whole album two or three times today.

There’s obviously plenty of experimentation going on, but unlike a lot of experimental music, there are melodies and great songs underneath it all. There’s also far more variety than I expected. At times I even picked up a ska feel, particularly in the rhythm and bounce of some of the tracks. It’s weird in places, but it’s the good kind of weird and never feels like experimentation just for the sake of it.

“Jennifer” is a brilliant track and probably my favourite, while “The Sad Skinhead” was another standout. Even more surprisingly for me, I really enjoyed the instrumental “Just a Second”. Instrumentals aren't normally what I gravitate towards, but this one really worked.

There genuinely isn’t a bad track on the album. I went into Faust IV expecting a struggle and came away wanting to hear it again immediately. This is exactly why I love doing this challenge. Every now and then an album you expect to hate comes completely out of nowhere and surprises you.

Favourite tracks: “Jennifer” and “The Sad Skinhead”. I also really enjoyed “Just a Second”.

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. There isn’t a bad track on the album.

Album artwork: I have absolutely no idea what it is supposed to be, but I really like it. Simple, unusual and very stylish.

Ahead of today’s listen to Wish You Were Here, it’s fair to say my relationship with Pink Floyd has not been a happy one. I’ve never really been able to get on with them. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was a 1/5 for me. I described it as “wanky middle class pop music” and struggled with the odd lyrics, lack of storytelling and general weirdness.

More recently, I listened to The Wall, hoping it might finally be the Pink Floyd album that changed my opinion. It didn’t! Again, I found it overblown, overly experimental and far too pleased with its own cleverness. At more than 80 minutes, it felt incredibly self indulgent, although there were flashes of brilliance, particularly “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”.

I think the problem is that what Pink Floyd do well just isn’t what I want from music. I love strong songs, melody, hooks and storytelling, whereas their long experimental sections and sprawling concepts just aren’t my thing.

So today we have Wish You Were Here. It’s one of their most celebrated albums and only five tracks long, so perhaps this would finally be the one to change my mind. Based on my history with Pink Floyd, though, I wasn’t holding my breath!

Unfortunately, it hasn’t changed my opinion. There are two genuinely great moments in “Have a Cigar” and “Wish You Were Here”, but outside of those I found myself having exactly the same problems. The longer tracks are drawn out, overly indulgent and, for me, just boring. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” might be regarded as a masterpiece by many, but long instrumental passages like this are precisely where Pink Floyd lose me.

The frustrating thing is that when Pink Floyd actually give me a straightforward song, I can really enjoy them. “Wish You Were Here” is beautiful, “Have a Cigar” is a great tune, and I already know I like “Comfortably Numb” and “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”. Maybe I’ve finally worked it out. Pink Floyd’s greatest hits might be the Pink Floyd album for me!

Favourite track: “Wish You Were Here”. A genuinely beautiful song and easily the highlight.

Least favourite tracks: The long, drawn out sections of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. Exactly the sort of Pink Floyd I struggle with.

Album artwork: I love it. Iconic, strange and brilliantly executed. Possibly another example of me liking Pink Floyd’s artwork more than their albums!

American Gothic by David Ackles is awful. I genuinely think this might be one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard.

The biggest problem for me is that the whole thing sounds like a horrendous musical. Everything is overly theatrical and dramatic, with these grand arrangements and storytelling lyrics that should probably be right up my street, but I found them unbearable. Rather than feeling emotional or moving, it all feels ridiculously overblown.

There’s also so much religion running through the album. God, faith and biblical imagery seem to appear constantly, and combined with the theatrical music it made the whole thing feel even more like some strange stage production I desperately wanted to leave!

“Montana Song” was the absolute low point. At nearly ten minutes long, it feels endless and takes everything I disliked about the album and turns it up another level. By that point I was just waiting for the whole experience to be over.

Favourite track: “Waiting for the Moving Van” was actually quite sweet in a way. It’s probably the only song I came remotely close to enjoying and I think it might also be one of the few that doesn’t mention God!

Least favourite tracks: All of them! “Montana Song” is probably the worst offender, though. Nearly ten minutes of everything I hated about the album.

Album artwork: I actually quite like the cover. It portrays a lovely, idyllic-looking life. Unfortunately, I’d rather live in that house than ever listen to this album again.

Today’s album completely passed me by in 2003. I’d never heard of Wonderful Rainbow by Lightning Bolt and had absolutely no idea what to expect going into it.

After a quick Google, I discovered it was described as noise rock. Until doing this challenge, I’m not sure I even knew noise rock was a genre, but I’ve certainly discovered that it’s not for me! Melody, songwriting and storytelling are so much more important to me than simply making as much noise as possible. I suspected this was going to be a tough listen, although thankfully it’s a relatively short one.

In the 1001 Albums book, Wonderful Rainbow is described as “a mix of sheer abuse and welcome diversity, for a truly challenging listening experience”. I definitely agree with the challenging part! Unfortunately, nothing I heard today gave me any desire to ever listen to it again.

For me, this is largely just noise without enough of a point. The songs rarely seem to go anywhere, there’s very little melody to grab onto and I didn’t find enough variation in the sound to keep me interested. I know the relentless drums, distorted bass and sheer intensity are exactly what some people will love about Lightning Bolt, but to me it often just sounds like a few power chords being repeatedly battered into submission.

Favourite track: “Dracula Mountain” was OK. It at least had plenty of pace and energy and was probably the moment I came closest to enjoying the album.

Least favourite tracks: So much of this just comes across as noise and does absolutely nothing for me. “Hello Morning” and “Assassins” were particularly poor.

Album artwork: Cool album cover. Very colourful, strange and arty — considerably more enjoyable than the music!

Like Water for Chocolate by Common looked like it might be a challenge for me today. Rap has always been a genre I struggle with. I often find it difficult to connect with the culture and lyrics, and on some albums the beats can become repetitive. So I went into this wondering whether I’d have the same problems.

I’d never really listened to Common before, but almost immediately I thought this was going to be better than I expected. Musically, there’s far more going on than on a lot of the rap albums I’ve struggled with during this challenge. The production is warm and varied, with plenty of jazz, soul and funk coming through, and there are some genuinely great beats.

Lyrically, though, this is still where I struggle. There are clearly more thoughtful and socially conscious ideas running through the album than I initially gave it credit for, and Common is regarded as a strong storyteller, but there are still lyrics and language that I find difficult to connect with. At times it feels confrontational or unnecessarily offensive, and that takes away from the music for me.

Overall, though, this was a pleasant surprise. I’m never going to be the natural audience for an album like Like Water for Chocolate, but musically there was enough variety and creativity to keep me interested. The jazz and soul influences particularly helped make this feel much more interesting than I expected.

Favourite track: “The 6th Sense” was a standout for me. “The Light” was another track I enjoyed and probably one of the album’s most accessible moments.

Least favourite track: Nothing was terrible, but some of the more lyrically aggressive tracks were harder for me to enjoy.

Album artwork: I really like it. Classy, striking and quite different for a rap album. There’s something about the black-and-white photography and typography that gives me a bit of a Smiths vibe.