Reviews by lancia037

There is more method to the madness here than the Residents album I had 2 days ago. It sure sounds industrial because half the album sounds like the construction site next door. But in like, a cool way. The drills and drums make for a pretty good album to listen to. It does lull a bit more at the end, but only relatively. I really like how bizarre this is.

Starts off really well, with the brass section going full send in the first song. This came out at an interesting time for Jazz, at the crossroads of Big Band and Latin music being at their cultural peak of relevance before the introduction of crazy experimentation in the genre by the likes of Davis and Coltrane. It's very much an album of the time and a fun listen. Interest in world music was very much present at the time and Afro-Cuban blends both sides of the Atlantic well. It doesn't really push the envelope, but it's a solid album worth listening.

Not really my favorite Residents album so far. This album consists of two different albums and the latter side is easily superior imo. That one has some nice grooves and better audio quality, more of what I'd expect from the Residents. I don't really like it all that much, but I guess it's somewhat of an underdog on this site and its a trailblazer for sure.

Can't say much that hasn't been said about it before. Besides being a trailblazer for every alternative band from later, it is also just a really solid album on it's own. There's a lot of variety and the Velvet Underground show their proficiency in each of these types of songs. Ragging jams switched with soft songs and it all works well together. It sounds dirty and less professional than contemporaries and that's what makes it so unique.

You can hear the improvement from their two earlier albums, but relistening to this, you can still they aren't quite there yet. It's a nice flowing album but I don't care for a number of swathes on it all that much. The opener and I've seen all good people are the highlights for me, especially the bass playing on the latter. It's still Yes and it is still a great listen, but it's not quite their peak.

I liked the more uptempo songs in the beginning quite a bit, but when the pace slowed down it kind of lost me. The slow songs at the end are too long and Thom Yorke really didn't need to be featured on here. Still, the regular alt rock is nice enough to warrant it from being bad.

Listening to this made me go into an entire deep dive on this man and the Qawwali genre in general, so thanks for giving me something to spend my evening on. The way this genre has been around since the 12th century and how songs come to be is incredibly interesting. There's certain structures and traditionals that come back in every Qawwali song and the way that they are built up differs a lot from Western music. Due to this more free form structure, they can last for a really long time as well. Qawwali songs really have a hypnotic vibe to them, on purpose. Actively listening to the percussions, usually done by one man, in combination with Nusrat's bellowing voice and the multitude of background singers makes for a wonderful listen. Sometimes this list throws some unexpected curveballs that really reward you for deep diving into them.

A lot of the same textures of his earlier albums are here as well, don't fix what it broken I guess. I enjoyed it, Michael Kiwanuka can make good songs that sound timeless. The entire album works well as an album too. Can't find much fault with it, other than it seems that Michael Kiwanuka doesn't relaly push himself much.

Really neat surprise. The first track starts off right away with a ton of interesting samples, goofy and not, that make for a wonderful opener. Lyricism and rapping style is pleasant to listen to as well. I feel it does get a bit less interesting by the latter half, but the album is short enough as to where that doesn't really matter.

Baffling that this is one of only a handful of real Reggae albums on this list. Bit too long and the end didn't really have many noteworthy songs for me. Some songs were pretty decent IMO. There were some groovy instrumentals and I have a soft spot for the very cliché sounding 90's pop songs on here. Not really one I'd come back to though.

Nice to see more Grime on here, I found Dizzee Rascal to be a pleasant surprise. This amps it up to 11 but with even stronger beats and harding punching deliveries. It's the angriest parts of N.W.A. and Public Enemy rolled in a 40 minute barrage. Don't really like the skits but they aren't intrusive here. I feel the album does get a bit repetitive at times and not everything hits quite as hard here.

Butthole surfers became a more normal band as they grew, eventually making pretty regular alternative rock by the 90's. By the time of Locust Abortion Technician they were still really fucking weird though. They can easily make a good conventional song, but they never choose to. The album just sounds like fucking about and doesn't really take itself seriously. Has influences from all over the world too, such as the Indian chants on Kuntz. Fun listen.

This is entirely vocally produced album by Björk. Kind of a problem, because Björks vocals are a big part of what keeps me from liking her albums. It's impressive what she can achieve and sure makes for an interesting one. At the same time it was a really unpleasant and often boring listen. The list of co-performers is impressive and it had some nice moments, such as the ones that reminded me of medieval music. Really not something I'd want to listen again.

I really like Public Enemy, and this is just more of them. Lots of great beats here, some very strong verses and hooks and a fun album in general. I feel it's a bit too self-referential though. There are a lot of throwbacks to older songs here, making it feel less like it's own thing and more like a greatest hits. I also don't think it's quite as sharp as their previous 2 albums.

Rocks starts with the very best track on the album and doesn't really reach that level again. It's quite an influential album for sure, but not really one of the best or most interesting ones. I like a few of the songs but some are just a bit mediocre or forgettable to me. The musicianship here is pretty simple, so if there isn't a great riff to keep the track going it kind of loses my interest. Still fun to listen to.

Beautiful album, full of great songs and memorable hooks. Morrissey sings at his best here and Johnny Marr made some brilliant hypnotic tunes. There's perhaps a bit of a lull on the start of the second side, but the album starts and ends great. Quite a bit of variety between calm and uptempo songs, ballads and rockers. Great album.

I thought this album was a bit of a mess production wise, very busy and unfocused. The amount of genres on here hint at that. To the point where it kind of starts to drown out the quality of the songs. I still quite enjoyed it and thought it was decent, but I expected better based on Todd Rundgren's reputation and the previous album I listened to by him.

Banger after banger after banger on here. Really sharp songwriting and music that caught on with the regular public surprisingly well for how heavy it is. Dead Kennedys are one of the best Hardcore bands to ever do it and left a great influence. I really like Jello Biafra's silly and simoultaniously dark lyrics and his wacky delivery. If not for the rest of the band and the lyricism he wouldn't really sound Punk-ish. Having a bunch of great short songs in a row is something more bands should strive for.

Atmosphere on this one is great and unlike anything else. It leans into the mysterious voodoo vibe really well and gives this album a really unique sound. I love all the percussion on here, the background singers and Dr. Johns ominous half singing half whispering voice. Best promotion material New Orleans could wish for.

Shame the versions on Deezer and Spotify are a complete mess, this is a great album. Really upbeat and ahead of the curve in the blend of Psychedelic, Folk and shades of Hard Rock in there. I'm big on this era of music but never got around to Moby Grape. The album is perhaps a bit short and doesn't have any stand out hit singles, but the whole album is just a pleasant listen that switches between uptempo and calmer songs well.