Reviews by magsmusic

This was kind of meh...it wasn't bad but it was also so melancholy but also not melancholy enough. It felt like a group with a lot of talent but that weren't really putting in effort to make me see it.

I was really into it at first, but as time went on it was really one note and similar. By Last Night I dreamt I wasn't into the sound anymore. It got a little grating and one note. Really similar to their last album...

Bjork is different, we all know this and we understand that she is performance pieceish not straight up listening. I think the hardest piece for me is that her voice is so drawn out and breathy that sometimes I have a hard time to listen to the lyrics. If I could just listen to her music in an empty room with some art installations moving around me I think I could appreciate it much more, but its just hard for me to hear it. Also they are all slightly longer, making it drawn out a little.
This one is a little more 'consumer friendly' so I did like some of them like It's Not up to You or Pagan Poetry. Some are just really lost on me because they are so drawn out and so dramatic, focusing so much on a vibe instead of a song.

Songs are short, quick and happy tropical vibe.

I was familiar with Breaking the Law but don't have a lot of other Judas Priest in my background. It was much chiller then I was expecting. It has some really good guitar riffs (The Rage).
On a lyrical side I had to go back and listen again. At first I thought, wow not a fan could be a little too right/conservative for me. Looking at the song United and thinking through the typical Metal fan, I was a little bothered. The songs aren't super deep, lyrics are pretty obvious and seem to be lacking substance. But doing a little research, Rob Halford is gay and not a fan of uber conservatives...he does say the band members disagree on political things but it gives me a little hope that he signs these songs with his personal background and feelings in mind. That maybe Red, White and Blue means something different to him (and maybe it is tongue and cheek because he is British, but wants to become an American citizen). Knowing this raises it a bit, because maybe they are simplistic but he is the key to the deepness they lack on the surface.
They are not my favorite, but a good reminder to not judge music or people without digging a little deeper

There is something very homey and comforting about this music on the surface. It embodies the rural, agrarian lifestyle of days gone by. But as I really listen it sort of gets under my skin. Yeah she left you and you can mope about it but what did you do to her. For example, Whatever Happened to Me, at first it seemed sad and heartbreaking, but then I thought, but what did you do for her, why did she not want to stay? I don't know....I give it a 3 for the time frame, but would really like Merle to do a little self-reflecting but doubt he ever will.

I remembered them from last time and decided I would listen on YouTube music so I didn't add them to my Spotify algorithm. I hate metal, so this is bias against the genre in general.
If you just read the lyrics they are good. Last time I mentioned they repeat themselves a lot and I didn't notice it this time. Lyrics felt deeper and more thought out. Some songs have solid guitar and some killer guitar riffs. But then there is just this one drum they keep beating over and over in Arise, Desperate Cry and Infected Voice. It is grating and just one sound over and over that gets to me. The voice is still graveling and screaming. It is just so loud all the time.
As far as metal goes this is a 4 for me, it actually has some moments of decent sound but its still metal and I just can't with it.

It started off really interesting and a good mix of mainstream but guitar rock. As the album went on though, they sort of mellowed and it still was good but not the edge I felt they had in the beginning. Solid and enjoyable but nothing life changing.

This was way more dramatic and depressing then I was expecting. I was thinking the Bee Gees were a little more upbeat then this, but I guess everyone has their Blue Period. None of it was bad, just felt really heavy for a Monday morning.

I just couldn't get into this one at all. It was just like one long string of random thought that just kept going and going. The music had a very medieval aethereal feel that I could enjoy. Her lyrics and voice were just so off and out of place.

Its bluesy and vibey, very relevant even to today's world and time. Sometimes a little to spoken and not signing for my taste.

So I don't get this one being on here...so I had to do a little researching and I am still not sure why this is on here.
First off half the songs are covers, by people that did them better. The reviews and Spotify call them punk and hard rock n'roll, maybe I am missing it but they really just did Beatles Pop for 60's Rn'B songs...musical appropriation much... The singer yells "Yooowwww" on every song so we call it pop and pushing rock, for me that doesn't really track or mean you should be considered influential.
That being said I don't dislike the music, but I would much rather listen to the original artists sing their songs. Their original songs weren't bad, just not amazing. If I lived in Tacoma and they were playing at my local bar I would go, dance and sing along with the covers and go to the bar and bathroom during the original songs. I would enjoy the night dancing, but I wouldn't think they should have made it big.

I remember when this album came out that it received a tremendous amount of praise. I knew Killing Me Softly because it was on the radio but the rest was not something I was able to access in my small town midwest home. So it was interesting to listen to. It is interesting how Lauryn Hill became the star of this group, but Wyclef and Pras seem to do the majority of the lyrics. They are poignant, deep, feel authentic and go well with the melodies. The album tells a story connected to a world and place in time. overall it is a really well done album.
Now I can't not mention the Chinese Skit because I have included criticisms on misogyny and racism on other albums. Yes this was almost 30 years ago, but that shouldn't have been okay even then. It is also interesting that they are discussing the plight of the Haitian immigrant but also mock an Asian immigrant. I hate the human need to fight hate with more hate. If not for the Chinese Skit I think I could give this a 5, but I just don't want to overlook that portion.

The Wall Street Shuffle was an interesting start, I get it a criticism of Wall Street, but it also felt really obvious criticism and it rhymed but not that deep. Which seems like it followed all the way through on the lyrics. They were critical but not all that deep, which I don't think always worked with their more dramatic music (like in Hotel). Clockwork Creep did make me bounce a little. It is really eclectic but also palatable. Sometimes it felt really disjointed and all over the place. I don't think its worth a 2 but also not sure I want to give it a 3. It didn't hurt my ear, but there was something inherently juvenile about the album.

She reminded me of Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks. Deep emotional lyrics which speak of pain and hardship. It speaks to feelings many woman have as we age and reflect on the negative things that have made the harder parts of us and coming out stronger.

I am not sure anyone is more iconic of the 90's...I honestly think she made the butterfly popular! And this album cover, is there anything more 90's. Somewhat rightly deserved, she has pipes and epitomizes a whole persona that is hard to not be interested in even if you don't like it. But this is about the album. Whenever You Call, was the song I liked the most, it showed off her range (in a not breathy, moany, raspy kind of way) and she seemed to have some genuine emotion, but not enough. The rest of the time, I don't think she showed off her voice, it was just whispery singing that didn't really do her any favors. Then it just seemed to scream diva, I am here, I am Mariah, that is enough. You should just know I have emotion and what I am trying to convey, I don't have to do anything for it. Is it iconic yeah, but others have done it better even she did it better on other albums.

So I was reading the band explanation on Spotify and what I got was so different. They said they rose from the Blues and R&B scene, maybe the British version is very different then the American version because that is not at all what I got (except Jeff's Boogie).
I like the majority of it, but it was also a little all over the place, fitting more with pop and psychedelic.

I wish I could sometimes rate things as not impactful. So this wasn't bad, it was pretty, happening in the background. I went back to check in and I moved on to other songs that sounded so similar I just assumed it was the same album.
So rating it is hard, I didn't dislike it, but nothing grabbed me and made me love it. It was just there, pretty but not impactful.

Meh, they are just a mis mash of 80's hair metal rock. Its not bad, but I feel like they don't really stand out as anything special in this genre.

So at first I thought WTF is this on the list. So this band ripped off Duran Duran and David Bowie, why are we adding this to the list. Then I thought did David Bowie and Duran Duran team up to make a supergroup named Japan???
So I did a little searching....its not a supergroup. But he does admit to being heavily influenced by David Bowie. And Duran Duran was actually heavily influenced by this band, ala Duran Duran ripped off Japan.
With that said its still just 80's synth rock...little dramatic, little new age spacey but not awful. I will say since they had such an influence in creating the sound I will give them a solid 4. not necessarily an amazing album but they did seem to create something that took the 80's by storm. For me it is a little too dramatic and not something I can get into now, but this was a vibe in the 80's pre-grunge pre-emo era.