Reviews by kuvien

Hip hop sucks in every country.

A video game version of dark folk. "You have entered Creepy Forest!"

As beautiful, melodic, pastoral sweetness, complete with nature sounds like chirping birds, this is independent creativity expressed outside the massive commercial machine of Brazilian music. Excellent fingerpicking work on guitar, great flutes and horns, too, alternately whimsical and lonely.

Though many regard side A as the better offering, I, being a prog idiot, prefer side B in all its sprawling messiness. It’s like the band just decided to try a bunch of styles, throw them all together, and see what comes out. The song starts off going all bluesy with its sexy harmonica, then meandering into some kind of oriental-ish guitar jam with nostrils-flared, on-the-verge-of-vomiting vocals. Throw in some festive, jazzy trumpets just for fun.

Oh good. Another tasty addition to my scanty 80s collection. Anything that sounds "80s" I usually hate: like cheesy synths and voluptuous, big-haired background singers. Another thing about the 80s is how older artists bowed to that shitty 80s sound and tried to stay relevant. But then there are albums like this, not giving a single fuck, not caring that it's the 80s, and just doing its own wild, eclectic thing. Not trying to be smooth, synthy, or cheesy. The tracks are short, (not) sweet, and clearly more interested in experimenting with sound and rhythm than making something that sounds pleasing to the easy-listening 80s ear. Like trying to walk on a rug someone keeps pulling out from under you. Maybe it's that NYC punk scene influence?

Great Value TayTay.

What the fuck kind of album cover is this?

This is the modern woman fantasy writ large: you're too much for everyone, no one understands or appreciates how awesome and full and deep you are, so you're gonna go your own way and love yourself the way you deserve to be loved! And you're gonna imagine that people are watching you ride off into the sunset, imagine that they're all distraught by your show of strength and independence, when in fact the truth is that no one gives a shit about you. Sorry, but them's the breaks. Life sucks in the 21st century, and most of the reason for that is because you suck.

An incredible album of high-energy, high-creativity Argentine jazz that indulges in big band explosions punctuated by stark spoken-word interludes. This roars and jigs like a bonfire.

Smooth-jazz sax improvisations and soft flutes weave together this singer-songwriter happy gypsy music, but lyrically it’s very dark, with excellent rhetorical repetition exploring the seemingly inescapable ills of modern man.

When your bullshit leftwing philosophy fails you.

Since I watch the 1973 film every Holy Week, it’s nice to also have the 1970 concept album on vinyl to spin. There are subtle differences between the two. I greatly prefer Herod’s mocking song in the film, for example, more than the one on the record, but almost all the other songs, though different in tiny ways, are neither better nor worse. This rock opera is a family favorite, so when this one came up in this random list project, I saved it until I could spin it for all the kids. The songwriting here is fantastic, and yes, it’s quite kitschy in spots, and I love that, too. Showtunes are my thing, so I take them on their own terms. This album isn’t exactly showtunes, though, with its symphonic prog and art rock elements to it.

I love every moment of this album. It’s so beautiful, fun, and immersive. The storytelling is epic and fresh. “Try not to get worried, try not to turn on to problems that upset you.” Wisdom of the ages. The brilliance of this rock opera is how they took the source material and treated it merely as a narrative, drawing from it all its inherent artistic expression as well as its tragedy. The story of Jesus of Nazareth stands strong even when you take religion out of the picture, focusing only on the betrayal of a man by those he thought were his friends. Oh, and Pilate’s first song gives me chills. So powerful in its understatement.

I don't have many live albums in rotation, but this one stands out as one of the ones where I wish I'd been there. The atmosphere is so warm and mellow, and I can feel the appreciation and the chill vibes of the crowd. Jarrett and DeJohnette slay on the piano and drums, respectively, and Lloyd's tenor sax is the bridge between them, as they all three answer and expound upon one another's energy. I feel like they, along with Cecil McBee on bass, understand one another. Side A, containing "Forest Flower - Sunrise" and "-Sunset" is 18 minutes of some of the best jazz I've ever heard.

This album perfectly mirrors a typical drinking session: starts off all boisterous and ends in maudlin, drunken tears.

Sinner, get ready for one of the best live albums you'll ever hear.

The Way of the Cross is the most harrowing suffering you'll ever endure, but at the end, the suffering is over, right? Right? You can comfort yourself with that thought, right? Actually, no. The Way of the Cross ends in crucifixion.

Hey, guys, have you ever made a wonderful dinner for your loved ones, and when they came into the dining room and saw all your beautiful efforts, you just smashed the table setting and overturned all the plates, destroying everything before their weeping eyes?

I wonder why she has "little boots" tattooed across her chest.

Bruce would love this shit.

We can talk about this album when you put your fidget spinner down.