Reviews by krill_42

Hehe. This (whatever genre thingy) is great. Granted, not everything hits as hard as the opening couplet, Non-Alignment Pact (this abrasive little record, btw, is the exact opposite of that) & Modern Dance (this, on the other hand, fits quite well as a descriptor). Oh, but it's FUN to listen to! Throw away your bougie, snobby attitude towards music that can accompany an evening of fine dining and immerse yourselves into The Modern Dance. It smells like beer and sewers, but it sure isn't as gnarly as it pretends to be at first sight. You might even give it a hug to say goodbye once your ways part after a night spent roaming the darkest corners of your city together. Stil have no clue, however, how to dance to songs like Laughing or Sentimental Journey. But I guess, that's not the point at all.

Off-topic: The Louvin Brothers released a record in 1959 called Satan Is Real. The cover art slaps - it's absolutely brilliant. So I'm going to listen to that one instead.

I don't like the idea of "Best of" or "Greatest Hits" compilations. Ripping songs from their context usually seems like a cheap attempt to satisfy people who prioritize quick melodic payoffs over coherent artistic statements. But in the case of Simon & Garfunkel, the concept kinda makes sense. They have so many immortal songs, but - regrettably - not one perfect album. But if one album at least comes close to that category, it would be Bookends. It finds Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel at their most musically playful, inventive and outwardly "joyful" execution of their artistic vision. Just my two cents. Also, that black & white photo makes for an iconic cover artwork.

In the liner notes of one of the reissues of this album, there is one highlighted quote: "We all have been working hard for this." It made me stop in my tracks. If you're like me, born before the turn of the millennium, you have probably heard this bullshit-y phrase, "I prefer my music handmade," more than a bazillion times. I hate it when people came up with this nonsense. Of course, creating electronic music is a different artistic practice from, let's say, the way Deep Purple write their songs. So what… "handmade" music as opposed to electronic music has always been always a pointless couplet (the resurgence of AI-generated content changes that, but of course, this applies to any genre). What I liked about the quote is that it outwardly denounces the notion that electronic music somehow creates itself or is created by machines and whatnot; like every piece of great art, a lot of work has gone into this. And you can tell.

I love how the Undertones combined their knack for earworm melodies with the predominant punk aesthetics of the late '70s and thereby gifted us classics such as Teenage Kicks. But I must admit that the formula starts to wear thin quickly when you spin the debut in full (even if it's not even 40 minutes long). They hit the ground running but reached the limits of their punk formula so quickly that you have songs like Here Comes the Summer, where punk is merely an afterthought. This must have been the conclusion the band themselves came to, because they strayed far from their core sound already on their sophomore outing. Still, what a brilliantly angsty and simultaneously fun album.

Aaaaaah, there's some truly towering, majestic work on this record. A handful of songs here are absolute immortals. Is it even legal to give an album featuring "Go Your Own Way," "Don't Stop," and "Dreams" "only" four stars? Honestly, I have to admit that, aside from "You Make Loving Fun," I couldn't name many of the tracks on the B-side - even though my parents had this album on constant repeat in my childhood days. Could you?

Back in the days when I was travelling a lot, I was browsing the second-hand CD stacks of nearly every thrift store that crossed my path. After a couple of years, I found myself with a considerable collection of Lambchop records. Alas, I have never been a fan. I bought a record of Kurt Wagner's outfit now and then because a) they were cheap and b) the critics were always fond of their mellow soul-infused alternative country blend (so there had to be something to it, right?). Plus, every album had its share of tracks that I at least enjoyed.

Fast forward a couple of years that included the (temporary) decline of physical media, a number of boxes of CDs lost while moving houses and a crashed hard drive with all my music files, and I was left with nothing but a faint memory of my previous Lambchop collection. Cannot say that I was mourning the loss back then… But times have changed.

Now living in a whole different city, it was a brutishly rainy autumn day and I was riding my bike, soaking wet and freezing. The traffic light jumped to red and I had to stop at a big crossroads. On my right there were these huge walls where promoters would have their events glued on them with larger-than-life posters. Among them was the announcement of a concert by a band whose name I hadn't given much thought (if any) to over the previous years: Lambchop.

Then the magic happened. The melody of "Ohio" popped up in my brain (why Ohio…? Honestly, I don't have a clue…) only to never leave again, it seems. That was the moment when Lambchop finally "clicked", I began missing my stack of their records on CD and I began to seriously deep dive into their catalog again. The first one to be re-visited was Nixon and ever since I gave this one my full attention, there aren't many albums that I've spun more often. I fell in love with its knotty lyrics, the lush sound design, the intricate arrangements, and Kurt Wagner's idiosyncratic vocal delivery. It might seem like a meandering alternative country recording at first, but there are layers upon layers of details waiting to be unravelled; the soul elements coming more clearly into sight, the more you listen to the album. Honestly, it's a marvel. And even though I don't think this is a perfect album, it holds a special place in my heart by now. And I'm so glad it does. May we never part again, Nixon.

This is a holy grail for me, even though I have to admit that I find bananas (as in the fruit) a tad overrated. Their taste and texture are rather meh if you don’t eat them at the perfect stage of your preferred ripeness. In my humble opinion, this is the only even remotely controversial point one could raise when it comes to this ever-stunning piece of musical history. Glad that you can peel the skin off the cover…

Just a quick note, because everyone already knows this is as brilliant as a record can possibly be: It is indeed a wise decision to list the US Version. The sequencing is so much sharper than the UK/ROW version; it's way more cohesive and gives Are You Experienced? its legendary and wildly imaginative status as a legendary document of musical history.

I found this way, way more enjoyable than more than 95% of the hard rock-adjacent albums I’ve heard before. Over the years and decades, I’ve come to terms with this simply not being my genre at all… Urgh, the phallic, white male attitude and mostly subpar (or, simply put, garbage) lyrics. Thankfully, Rush don’t succumb to these off-putting specifica.

But oddly, I have the feeling that 2112 rarely lives up to its full potential - especially in the centrepiece / opener / first-side-consuming prog rock behemoth. Often, just before the band goes all in, there are passages that meander. Also, some changes feel abrupt and disrupt the flow (around the 14:30 mark, just before the song delivers a beautiful but all-too-brief Genesis-like intermezzo, before turning back to their Led Zeppelin imitation game).

The meandering and the abundance of ideas smashed together for the sake of it is something I would normally approve of, but in the case of 2112, these passages rather make me lose focus and track than feel intrigued.

The second side if the record is made up of a loose collection of apparently quickly thrown-together songs; it’s certainly fun, but the songs don’t do much for me either.

If I had to guess, there will be at least one other Rush record on this list. If so, I will gladly give that one a spin and see whether they managed to refine their songwriting approach.

I'm not a Swiftie, but I know this much: it's not Taylor's best record (even though "Champagne Problems" is a beast of a track). But I guess it's the one old white men would choose if they had to pick one of her albums and say, "Evermore was produced by Aaron Dessner and features Matt Berninger and Bon Iver."

Aaaahh, the subtle poetics of erotica, where you cannot tell whether a line such as “had to cool me down to take another round” (You Shook Me All Night Long) is the narrator’s stance on his libido in full swing or whether he is just a 60-year-old dude with chronic back pain trying to navigate his first yoga class. Haha, I guess that makes the lyrics of Back in Black so… relatable for everyone?

But seriously, is this music successful despite the lyrics either being misogynistic crap or hedonistic male shit? Or was Back in Black successful precisely because of that? Gives me a headache to think about it. Gives me a headache to listen to this album… a shame, because the production is great and some of the riffs and performances (excluding the vox, ofc) are kinda ace. I mean, as far as (hard) rock albums go, this is probably one of the catchiest?? Now imagine that with lyrics that do not read like the diary of a 15-year-old musing about his wet dreams…

Too bad, missed opportunity.

The older I get, the less tolerant I seem to be of this overplayed heartland country rock sound; it often feels like a cliché of a cliché. But much to my surprise, this one actually strikes a chord or two with me (I especially enjoyed “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left,” “Hillbilly Highway,” “Good Ol’ Boy,” and the standout track for me, “Someday”).

Guitar Town (ugh, stupid title, but then my previous wordplay is not much better) actually features some tasteful lead guitar melodies, and the songwriting is pretty catchy. Now, I’m not a big connoisseur of country, so I might be off here - but I do find myself questioning whether this was really that impactful or truly an outstanding record. But I’ll happily leave that to others to judge. From what I’ve read, though, Steve Earle seems like someone with decent political views and that might already be something.

Addendum: Back in the day, I used to listen to Ryan Adams a lot (rightfully cancelled, by the way), and it only now strikes me how much his sound and songwriting feel like a near one-to-one copy of Steve Earle.

This one from the golden canon of the formative punk dynasty had honestly slipped past me before. Glad this list tipped me to it. I don’t quite (yet?) agree with Trouser Press and AllMusic that it stands on the same level as The Clash or Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols… maybe I just need to spend more time with it.

Yes, there are the undeniable bangers such as “Bored Teenagers,” “New Church,” and “Drowning Men.” On the first couple of listens, I’d say it also has a few potential skips that don’t really bring much to the table aside from being “good” punk tunes (“Newboys” and, oddly, the successful single “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes,” which was included on later editions but left off the initial release—which makes total sense to me, because it doesn’t quite fit the flow).

But overall, Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts definitely has the same intense energy and addictive hooks as those debuts by The Clash and the Sex Pistols. What sets it apart is how it occasionally drifts into much eerier territory (such as the early standout “On the Roof,” as well as “New Day Dawns” and “On Wheels”), and that suits the album perfectly. At the apex of punk, already pointing toward the nihilistic post-punk era, but always just as things are about to tip over, The Adverts shift back into high-octane mode and deliver a killer chorus (“Safety in Numbers”).

One to behold - essential listening indeed.

PJ Harvey is such an amazing songwriter and performer. Even her "weaker" recordings are at least good, which makes it especially hard — and somehow pointless — to attach a plain number to Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea. This album is often hailed by critics as one of her very best, but I'm not entirely sure I agree. The second half falls a little behind in terms of melodies and instantly memorable songwriting. Sure, the album has many brilliant moments (like Good Fortune — what a tune!), but does Stories... truly reach the heights of Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love, Is This Desire?, or Let England Shake? Hmmm. It might be a matter of personal preference in the end. I'd say it's on par with the equally stunning White Chalk (second tier, but nonetheless essential listening).

My best guess is that this album marks PJ Harvey becoming more accessible to a wider audience, smoothing out some of the rough edges that made Stories... a great fit for its era. The eerie, strumming Beautiful Feeling with its dual vocals perfectly captures the collective sense of unease around the turn of the century, which is why it might have resonated so strongly with critics. Much like Kate Bush, it's hard to overstate the genius of PJ Harvey. I'll repeat what I said when rating The Sensual World: This would be a clear 5, if PJ Harvey hadn't already created even more towering works. In the bigger picture, Stories... serves as a transitional work between PJ Harvey's early masterpieces and the more understated, melodic approach to songwriting that she perfected on later albums like Let England Shake.

This is a wee little album! It’s at its best when the band sticks to the punk rulebook and adds flourishes of addictive melodies (the obvious highlights like the opener, “Private Affair”). When the tempo slows down, the songs should, in theory, feel like welcome breathers, but oddly this reveals some repetitiveness that doesn’t work in the band’s favour (“A Minor Aversion”). There’s some neat Stooges worship here and there, but it’s the Saints’ knack for memorable songs that lets them stand on their own. With this, the Saints created something really fun and worth revisiting. I’m actually surprised that you don’t see their name pop up more often—maybe I’m overrating this a bit, but I’m having a great time spinning it.

Man, I really have a soft spot for this album. And (dare I say it?) this might just be the one true great concept album where the music doesn’t suffer in the name of making the storyline cohesive. Every track is a banger, and the scenes it creates are so relatable.

Wow, I’m almost impressed by how terrible this is.

There’s good fast food, and then there’s bad fast food. The latter doesn’t just leave you with a guilty conscience about the garbage you’ve just shoved into your digestive system - it doesn’t even deliver the sweet, saccharine rush that makes you turn to junk food for comfort in the first place. If Bon Jovi were food, they’d fall squarely into that latter category.

The best thing I can say about Slippery When Wet is that Bon Jovi managed a not insignificant feat: they created a cliché version of a genre that is already a cliché - and somehow made it sound sterile in the process. This is toothless, risk-free music dressed up as something edgier than it really is.

Really doubt that the editors of this list even spun Slippery When Wet from front to back; I’d even go so far as to claim that doing so is impossible without risking to loose one’s faith in artistic integrity.

This is one of those records where the achievement might seem minor at first glance. I mean, sure - a collection great (and successful) tunes. But make no mistake, that’s not what this is really about. There is so much more to it: Tapestry is bursting at the seams with songwriting brilliance - and ideas. Wow, wow, wow. It never grows stale, does it? On the contrary, it gets better with every spin. And that still holds true even after hundreds of listens.

Ahhhh, this hits a lot of the sweet spots for me. I used to appreciate the Byrds more for the seeds they planted - out of which some of my favorite bands sprang (Big Star, The Replacements, GBV) - than I actually enjoyed listening to them. But man, they really have the tunes and the melodies to suck you in - big time. Took me a while to realize.

Might be because I was approaching them through their classic tunes. And after spending more time with this critically hyped ad band, I started to realize that, for me, the “weaker” spots on this beautiful record are actually the most beautiful ones (aka the more obvious Beatles worship and the country-infused parts).

The more the Byrds eschew classic songwriting traditions and lean into weirdness, the harder their music hits.