Reviews by linkyboy

Revolver feels like a real turning point for the Beatles toward the more complex arrangements and experimentation that would cement their final few albums as some of the most important pieces of art made in the 20th century. It is also important to remember that this album came out in 1966. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is remarkable track. So many wonderful songs. There's a reason they are the greatest band ever.

Almost any other artist could have written Revolver, and I would have given it an instant 5. The only thing that gave me pause is the knowledge that Abbey Road exists, and I already gave that 5 stars. The Beatles were just so good, that they have 5 star records that are even better than their other 5 star records.

All that to say, this is a well-deserved 5-star record from a 6-star band.

My Prog Rock Pros and Cons:

Pros:
- Experiments with unconventional song structures
- May encourage creativity
- Musicians are generally very skilled

Cons:
- Plodding
- Pretentious
- Cacophonous
- A bunch of attention-starved dorks saying, "Look what I can do!"

I feel like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer got the labels wrong on these lists, and created an entire album based on the "Cons" list. The only song I kind of liked was "Jeremy Bender," which was a necessary palate cleanser after "Tarkus."

It's amazing how fully realized the Talking Heads sound was on their debut album. Especially since they sound so one-of-a-kind, not really like anyone else before (or since) them. It always strikes me that when an artist does sound like Talking Heads (LCD Soundsystem, Adrian Belew), they never stop sounding imitative—the Talking Heads just hold a monopoly over that sound. And though they would develop their sound and groove, they never stopped sounding like the group from 1977.

This is my second favorite record of theirs (after Remain In Light)—so many great songs. Personal favorites are "Tentative Decisions," "Don't Worry About The Government," and, of course, "Psycho Killer."

Man, I really had no expectations going into this, but this was fucking great. I've never heard of John Martyn. As the album progressed, I found myself really appreciating his laid back, almost slurred style of singing, along with the eclectic and chill tracks. It feels inventive, but also catchy. Listening to "Certain Surprise," he almost has a Nick Drake-esque quality to his voice. These are the discoveries I love having from this project.

I'm not surprised to see the negative reviews on this site for it, but I am disappointed that people seem to have dismissed "One World" simply for being British. The Brits are good at music. Sorry!

Aretha Franklin was such a powerhouse vocalist, and this record shows that again and again and again. In 30 minutes, you get 10 top-notch songs that showcase her vocal and emotional range. My only criticism might be that it feels rather old fashioned for its time, given the incredible innovations happening in pop music in 1968. Actually, it's not so much a critique—not everything needs to be groundbreaking. It just is the thing that puts it in a different class from, say, "The White Album," "Bookends," or "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession".

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this feels like it’s on the list to prove that The Bee Gees were not always a disco pop group. I’ll confess that this was my first time being aware of it!

So we have a baroque pop record from the 60s. It’s nice, but when I hold it up against its contemporaries (The Zombies, The Millennium), it doesn’t do much for new. Perhaps it’s in their already-annoying nasality, or simply that the songs themselves didn’t stick with me.

My roommates in college were both massive fans of Red Hot Chili Peppers—they would talk about their favorite guitarists, and refer to the band members by their first names, as if they were friends. They had a reverence for their musicianship, their songwriting, their ethos. Of course, I've always known RHCP, and have always liked them, but despite being in a prime demographic for loving Red Hot Chili Peppers, I've never been able to QUITE get into them. That remains true after listening to Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

I think it really comes down to Anthony Kiedis. Flea is an iconic bassist, John Frusciante's melodic guitar writing is stellar, and Chad Smith's such a skilled and charming drummer, that I can't help but like him. But Anthony Kiedis doesn't really bring anything to the table for me. At his best, he's a serviceable singer with a limited range. At his worst, he's a fuck boy rapper without the flow or charisma to pull it off convincingly.

But, all this said, there's no denying that there is a lot to love about this record, even if I don't personally love it. Rick Rubin is at his best as a producer here, and the band were really pushing their own creativity, sometimes to great effect.

There's no denying the excellence of this album. Some of Elton John's greatest tracks are here: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Candle In The Wind," "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". Others might add "Bennie & The Jets," though I've always found that song irritating. Yes, there are some tracks that don't hold up well (I'm looking at you, "Jamaica Jerk-Off"), but regardless, this truly is a showcase of what made Elton John and Bernie Taupin one of the greatest songwriting duos of their generation.

Now that my praise is out of the way, one somewhat unflattering observation. Years ago, there was a video floating around the internet of Elton John writing music on the spot set to "lyrics" that were actually the manual for a toaster oven. It's an amusing video, light fun, and at the time, I found it impressive—but over the years, I've noticed that the reason Elton John was able to write that "song" so rapidly was because he was relying on certain musical tropes that he's used countless times throughout his songbook. You hear them constantly on this album, and frankly, nothing he writes sounds new or innovative, even if it's great. I can't help but feel that he wasn't much of a crafter, but a gifted musician steeped in songwriting tradition. This does not discount his skill or talent, but I think it does make him less crucial to pop history compared to some of his contemporaries.

Competently made, but offered nothing to interest, excite, or inspire me. Sounds like a retread of music that predates it. Their soulful take on Talking Heads’ “Heaven” is a good example of how much the arrangement matters in making songwriting shine: it’s one of my favorite TH songs, but was an absolute snoozer here.

You can hear the influence of earlier electronic bands, like Kraftwerk, and earlier new wave bands, like Tears for Fears, but Depeche Mode clearly had their own thing going for them. “Enjoy the Silence” is an excellent synth-pop track and makes the whole album worth the price of admission, though there’s plenty more to enjoy throughout the record.

I met a composer of jingles once, who complained that a client once asked for a jingle in the style of Depeche Mode—a band he HATED. He played the track for us, and it sucked. You could hear the disdain in the notes he played. It’s a shame he couldn’t hear what was great about them beyond the bloops and bleeps he so reviled.

1966. Wild. It's incredible this album came out in 1966. So transgressive for its time, and so punk. Other than the organ, which does root it firmly to its decade, parts of it feel like a record that could have come out ten years later. Not only that, but it sounds like the band was having fun, not taking themselves too seriously. I suppose that's a prerequisite to wearing your hair like that though...

There's nothing wrong with this, per se. I just don't really get the unending appeal of blues. My dad used to talk about how he didn't like The Rolling Stones, "except for some of their early stuff, which was kind of bluesy." He also talked about how he didn't like Sting, "except some of his stuff with The Police, which was kind of bluesy" (which... was it?). He'd play Stevie Ray Vaughan, and I'd listen and think, "Okay."

I think that's kind of my position with blues. It's okay, but it's so formulaic that I find it rather droll. In a way, it makes me think of Bach: foundational music that follows too many rules and conventions to really spark my excitement.

It irritates me to read that Eric Clapton was sick of the "bubblegum" pop he was making with Yardbirds (!?), and jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with The Bluesbreakers on a true blues album. If ever there was an artist guilty of appropriating Black culture, it's probably Eric "Keep Britain White" Clapton. Fuck that guy.

Such a fantastic album—the greatest punk album of all time! There's so much to love about it. It's playful, political, full of catchy songs, fun musical ideas. They play so well, which does set them apart from many of their contemporaries. I can hit play anywhere on the album, and enjoy whatever is given to me. So much has been said and written about London Calling already—what more can I say?

I so admire Madonna for the roads she paved, and "Ray of Light" is one of her most significant contributions to pop.

The star of the album (other than the Queen of Pop herself) is the complex production and experimental choices made by Madonna and William Orbit. Just listen to “Drowned World / Substitute for Love” and notice the lush, intricate orchestration with Madonna’s lovely vocal performance nestled delicately within the mix. She sounds great throughout the album, and the songs are enhanced by all the imaginative choices they've made.

People say entertainment is so violent these days, as if people haven’t always lusted for violence in their media.

There’s so much to love about this record. Robbins’s gorgeous crooning, the 1950s backing vocals, the effective performances from the band. It strikes me how much I enjoy old school country compared to modern country. So glad I listened!

I thought this was a lot of fun—pop punk, catchy hooks, fun interplay between instruments, and a compelling vocalist. I also like that they don't take themselves too seriously. I great discovery!

I like it, it’s music of a particular time and place, but it doesn’t particularly wow me. Perhaps it’s because I’m partial to Lesley Gore’s rendition of “You Don’t Own Me”. She does have a bit of a rock and roll voice for someone who didn’t sing rock and roll music, which is cool.

I first became aware of De La Soul through their iconic contributions to "Feel Good Inc." and "Superfast Jellyfish" by Gorillaz. And then it was in discovering Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest through this project that I became familiar with the Native Tongues. At some point during all of that, I listened to 3 Feet High and Rising.

The beats are wonderful, such a creative and cohesive use of sampling. In fact, I think it's that cohesion that is so impressive about this album—where Public Enemy uses samples that feel thrown together and disjunct, De La Soul seamlessly mixes samples from disparate artists, like Sly Stone, Steely Dan, and Otis Redding. The rapping, though rudimentary by today's standards, is fun and fresh, and offers a different perspective on what hip hop can be. I love the dynamic and interplay between Trugoy, Maseo, and Posdnous. They have a good sense of humor and don't take themselves too seriously—it really feels like a few good kids goofing around and creating a landmark record in the process.

This album's influence was immense. Their use of sampling was groundbreaking, and (for better or for worse) they introduced the idea of hiphop skits (which I think they do better than most groups do). Some of my favorite hiphop artists were inspired by this album and the work of the Native Tongues. Also, I know the band wasn't crazy about it, but I love the album cover. It's a classic album, and an important piece of music history, and for all these reasons, it deserves a 5!

During the summer before eighth grade, I got involved in my first social media site, the now defunct Quizilla. You could make quizzes, write stories, collaboratively create "choose your own adventure" stories, and engage in other writing-based activities. I started writing a serialized detective story called "Detective Faineant" and amassed a dedicated fanbase of one person. Her screen name was ILoveVampires123, and we struck up a correspondence on the website's chat feature. I don't remember that much about her, except for the following facts: she lived in Florida, her real name started with an M, she loved vampires (presumably), and her favorite song was "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers. She asked me to be her boyfriend, but I turned her down—I didn't want my first girlfriend to be over the computer. I kind of had a crush on her, but I think really, I just liked her adoration. From time to time, I wonder about her—where is she now? Does she still write? Love vampires? Enjoy "Mr. Brightside"? I think I can comfortably say the answer to the last question is yes.

Hot Fuss is a solid, fun rock album that I've never listened to, aside from the iconic aforementioned "Mr. Brightside," which is practically the millennial "Don't Stop Believing." And I've heard "Somebody Told Me," though it's never grabbed me in quite the same way.

The album is sleekly produced. Packed with catchy melodies, memorable riffs, glittering synths. It lags a bit in the second half, but overall, it's a great album of the mid-2000s, and contains one of the most important songs for my generation. And it will forever be associated with my almost first online girlfriend. The review goes out to you, ILoveVampires123. I hope you're doing well.

Some albums that came out within a year of "I See You" by The xx that were not included on this list, and are much more deserving:

22, A Million - Bon Iver
Lemonade - Beyonce
Blonde - Frank Ocean
Damn - Kendrick Lamar
Flower Boy - Tyler, the Creator

Obviously, it's hard to get a sense of what music is important or worthwhile in the moment, but this album sounds dated now, and it hasn't even been 10 years since its release. I believe music like "I See You" will be the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" of the 2010s—doomed to be remembered as an apt representative of the tackiest of its era.