linkyboy

I love this album so much. So many of their greatest tracks: “Every Breath You Take,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Synchronicity II,” and my personal favorite, “King of Pain.” I even like “Mother” as a sort of insane 7/8 blues track.

I think The Police are often maligned for their white-reggae stylings or for Sting's heart-throbbishness (unfairly, in my opinion), but there's no denying that they wrote some absolutely essential music, and performed it so well. You can hear the band breaking up on this record, but it's not because they are failing—it's because they've grown too big to contain themselves.

No one writes a melody like Elvis Costello. Because no one SHOULD write a melody like Elvis Costello.

I have little to add to the discourse. I’ve said enough in my previous 4 Elvis Costello records. Competently made, but made by someone who is far too worried about being original to be good.

Some pretty unremarkable electronic music. Totally fine, but big standard. Not sure why there are so many albums like this on the list. It just doesn’t seem to be notable or influential or good enough to merit its inclusion.

I don’t really understand the appeal of noise rock. Is experimental worth listening to, or is it just worth thinking about? I feel like some experiments create interesting results. This mostly just feels… well, noisy. I think I liked it more than I would have because I listened on Halloween. Definitely would suit a spooky soundscape. But I’m not really sure I “get” it.

Trevor Rabin, characteristically, produced it well, despite how dated it sounds in today’s context. I was enjoying the album, even the longer songs. But when they started fucking on “The Ballad of 32,” I consoled myself with the belief that the album was coming to a close, just to discover there were 5 more tracks.