Reviews by magsmusic

Nothing makes this stand out from the pack of mod, punk rock music of the time. I enjoyed it, and they had some good guitar drum moments but I am nothing really hit me as worthy to be saved for another listen.

I was 9 and living in a Catholic household when Sinead ripped up the picture of the pope. My parents were not as strict as most, but I remember people saying things and just sort of thinking Sinead was 'bad' and I shouldn't listen to her so this was the first time I listened to her album.
30 some years later, wow the world hated her because she sang of the truth and shattered the perfect world so many upper/middle class white Christians built. Divorce, abortions, miscarriage, female empowerment, female mental health, social injustice...all in this album alone. Her haunting emotional beautiful voice just makes it even more beautiful.. She also has some beautiful musical backing that changes enough to make each song unique and different. All together they draw you in and help you really immerse yourself in her songs and messages.

She has a really beautiful voice. The earlier songs I really enjoyed, I feel they were better for her voice and really showcased her well. I get wanting to add the songs in English but I feel like they weren't as interesting or enjoyable. (what was the laughing in One More Dance). I really like The Click Song. Her voice and the music had enough emotion that even without knowing the meaning I could feel the energy.

Street Life felt like it wouldn't end, and then the rest flew by and I didn't even realize they were done. The sound wasn't bad but it really didn't make any impact.

Made me think 80's emo.
I just didn't get into this one. Maybe it was my attitude that day but it just was so somber and whiny. It was the typical 80's over the type vibe but it was just so whiny and depressing. His voice really started to get to me and I just didn't connect to what he was trying to say. Really left me feeling meh

I don't know what it was exactly but this album really touched me...maybe its the fact he is from the midwest, maybe that he uses the name Loretta, or that he referenced Reader's Digest or the puns just make me think of clever dad jokes. All in all it was so pastoral in its language but so deep in its meaning. Never have I heard lyrics that used such simple pedestrian language that made such deep and big impact. What was also beautiful to me personally is the country western feel but the lyrics that felt so liberal and anti-establishment. Your flag decal won't get you into heaven was just as timely when it was written as it is today. Growing up in a rural America and loving so much of it and connecting with 95% of it I have always struggled to completely embrace that identity because the other 5% is associated with loud, obnoxious, conservative hate. So maybe that is the real reason I connect with this, John Prine took that 95% of me and mixed it with 5% of quiet, kind, sincere love for others that I believe in. This album is just beauty to me.

I feel like this was the only Beatles album needed on this list. It really gives a good mix of the band when I feel like they were at their best. It is a little pop, a little deep and a little psychedelic. It also seemed to highlight all of the members pretty well. It also had some deep lyrics and some more just fun playful ones.
On the flip side this album does kind of go everywhere. I am not sure where it was in their list of albums but it felt like it might be falling between different musical eras for them. Leaving it slightly lacking in terms of a cohesive album.

I don't usually listen to albums multiple times but I did here leaving me a much longer review...
First listen I was super confused...this album was all over the place and it felt completely disjointed. The first two (Kizza Me and Thank you Friends) weren't bad but then we went in weird directions with (Holocaust).
So I did some research to figure out why this album was included and it gave some context (but I am not sure it was enough to save it). So there first two albums were failures and they blamed their record company and this one was shelved for not being commercial (not a shock). They were trying to be sarcastic but it sounded so sincere. They were breaking up as a band, fighting with each other, and breaking up with a girlfriend (and they removed a lot of her vocals from the album). It felt like maybe this was a dumpster fire that they tried to fix by giving the remaining people more creative control which just kind of made it worse.
Second and third listen...sure, there were some bits that were nice and I can see the creativity behind it. I can see how this album set in motion more room for more alt type sounds that were not mainstream pop or rock. It also really captured some emotional intensity behind a band breaking up and feelings of failure and anger with a melancholy dissonant sound.
However it ultimately left me confused on and unfulfilled as an album. It left this album to sound like a bunch of half finished songs they were workshopping to try and find the band's sound.

Good lyrics, good rhymes, good beats. I have never heard of Jeru so it was cool to be exposed to a new artist. I did appreciate that his lyrics were deeper and not just talking about how amazing he was (sometimes that is all rappers focus on). Instead it was more about culture and oppression, some deeper topics.

I don't know....I don't hate yacht rock, it has its place and it is nice for a simple day to just listen and chill too. He also has some interesting lyrics and it is nice to hear about his future and where he is headed. But where it sort of falls away for me is that I don't think the yacht rock tune really always meshes with the lyrics. I have never really thought of the genre overall and how melodies and tunes fit with the lyrics. Everything is so mellow and chill, and I don't think I want someone to write me a mellow chill love song. I want a little fire and a little emotion. Maybe I will just go back and forget the lyric and music connection and say, this is fine, chill for a chill day (as long as you don't think about it)

The Flaming Lips are this perfect mix of crazy and wonderful. For me a lot of bands try to do what they do, be ridiculous, cerebral and different but no one pulls it off quite like they do. They have this aethereal astro-plan sound but then the songs are called Buggin' or Spiderbite Song. I think what is really great about them is they don't seem to take themselves too seriously but somehow sing songs that are really deep and meaningful. They also have a very unique special sound that just makes you smile but also makes you think.

Is it generic 90's rock that all starts to sound the same. But I don't mind it. As an album they all work together, they all show what the band is about and are pretty easy with a little simpler background. They took the melancholy attitude of the 90's and moved it into a more mainstream rock (then grunge) with some blues influence. She talks to Angels is an obvious stand out, but some of the others (Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Struttin blues) were all good and I wouldn't be mad if they came on the radio.

It was interesting to see American rap moved into a different cultural. This was a little less hard and had an electronic background feel.

I rocked along to this and enjoyed it. I didn't know the trombone could be so good, I always thought of it as more of a side instrument with the trumpet taking center stage so it was cool to see the trumpet shine. The music all had the same Samba beat but each was different and unique. I don't know what he was saying but it was all enjoyable and different. Maria Lionza and Ojos were my favorite.

Basically this is modern psychedelic music. They took some rock, indie and techno vibes but made a 70's psychedelic album in the early 2000's. I am not really sure they did anything new and interesting with it. I don't think it was as disjointed as a 70's trip, like maybe they micro dosed their way through the album so it could stay coherent and connected. Not sure they are going to be a band I search out but it wasn't bad.

So I listened yesterday and I thought meh and I listened today and I though well I kind of like it. So I am not really sure how to rate it. Nothing was overly special or different, but it was pleasant and had sort of a folky vibe that I enjoy. I think some days I could bump it up but other days I would bump it down so the middle seems good.

Wow, Tom you are all over the place...also why the heck are so many of his albums on this list!
I don't hate the concept of the album and pulling together death, chaos, lost love, earth destruction...and at times its not horrible. It has elements of difference that do make it stand out. But I just wish he would sing in a normal voice that you could understand. I get this is all part of his character but it would be so much more effective and less of a joke if he didn't sound like Kermit on crack (Who are You). Also some of the lyrics were just so chaotic the message felt lost because it was so all over the place. Better than one of the albums we had but not as good as another.

The music was cool (harmonica, drums, guitar) and it all really worked together. But the lyrics just sounded like a 18 year old boy that had sex for the first time and that was all he thought about. For the music i really enjoying it and hoping the lyrics would catch up, but honestly they were just stupid and something any 18-22 year old could write.

Its smooth, simple and complex. I enjoyed that I could follow along with the songs and didn't feel scattered. Was it mind blowing, no but it was nice to have a jazz album I could simply listen to and enjoy.

This album was fun and enjoyable. It was a little pop, a little electric, a lot 80's The cover of Comfortably Numb was so different but kind of cool they put a totally different spin on it.