Reviews by mattrickpow

Overall: 10/10

Not my absolute favourite album of all time, but certainly my favourite album from my favourite band. It's not the artiest Beatles album, nor their most fun, nor their most commercially successful (though it obviously was incredibly popular), but I think it's the most cohesive and the tracklist feels deliberate to make the pacing smooth. Listening to Help! right before this shows just how much of a leap they made in their sound. In My Life, Norweigan Wood and Michelle are three of the most beautiful songs ever written. George's compositions are cool and show emotional maturity and What Goes On is a nice little country track to show off Ringo's vocals. I could listen to this album every single day and never get bored of it.

Fav Song: In My Life
Least Fav Song: What Goes On (Sorry, Ringo)

Overall: 7/10

Chill as hell album with breathy vocals and relaxing guitar work. I like the electronic drums for this type of music, it adds to the atmosphere in the best of ways. I don't have a lot of exposure to this band but I'm gonna check it more of their stuff if it's like this!

Fav Song: Basic Space
Least Fav Song: VCR

Overall: 9/10

I would like to apologize for my previous Radiohead hate, I have no idea what I was thinking...

Jonny Greenwood has been one of my favourite film composers for a really long time so it shouldn't surprise me that I would eventually enjoy Radiohead, but this album caught me by surprise. The songs are so beautiful and make me feel happy (not sure if that was their intent but it works). I'm still never going to be a huge fan of Yorke's vocals but he's also never sounded better. To be fair, I've only listened to 2 of their albums in their entirety now but they definitely have a new fan.

Fav Song: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Least Fav Song: Nude

Overall: 7/10

Duran Duran is just a fun time, man. I used to get roasted in high school for that opinion all the time, but once we graduated everyone I knew all of a sudden loved these guys! That's why my friends always trust my music opinions now.

Anywho, there's some bangers on here. The title track alone is not only a fantastic song, but it has one of my all time favourite music videos. Hungry Like the Wolf is a classic, Last Chance On the Stairway is super underrated and overall I had a great time with this one. It isn't Tchaikovsky or anything but it makes me happy.

Fav Song: Rio
Least Fav Song: Save a Prayer

Overall: 5/10

I'm going through some stuff so I'll keep this short. Otis had an incredible voice but that's really the only element of this album that drew me in at all. I don't typically enjoy this era of music where every artist seemed to be covering the same handful of songs. A lot of talent here but nothing I feel the need to revisit.

Fav Song: Down in the Valley
Least Fav Song: Loving You Too Long

Overall: 6/10

This reggae album started off incredibly strong for me. I was really loving the political nature of the lyrics and the (obviously) chilled out atmosphere. Then the songs started to blend together and I admittedly got a little bored. Still, it was nice listening to some reggae not made by Bob Marley.

Fav Song: Marcus Garvey
Least Fav Song: Red, Gold and Green

Overall: 7/10

I would first like to point out that Slowdive's Souvlaki should have been included in this list...

This is classic shoegaze. Super distorted guitar, monotone vocals, v i b e s, it's all here. What makes this one stand out from it's peers is that there seems to be an emphasis on really great drumming, and that element is certainly a highlight here. This isn't the type of music I can listen to for an incredibly long time but small doses when you're in the right mood can really make this music feel special. Check this one out if you wanna v i b e.

Fav Song: Polar Bear
Least Fav Song: Decay

Overall: 9/10

Imagine a world where Lorde is the biggest popstar on the planet. In my mind, that world has flying cars, coffee that never gets cold and everyone is bisexual. What an awesome world to be in.

This album is so so good and Lorde deserves to be much more popular than she is. The songs are obviously very good but it's her breathy voice and incredible lyrics that draw me in. I also have to mention that while album covers don't factor in to my rating, this one is gorgeous and I love it. The album loses a bit of momentum near the end with the reprises and twin tracks but it's not enough to change my rating. I have South Park to thank for getting me into Lorde lol

Fav Song: Hard Feelings/Loveless
Least Fav Song: Sober II (Melodrama)

Overall: 9/10

Bro who plays bass on this thing??? Somehow I've never listened to this album despite being a big fan of Michael's music (I won't discuss his controversies), and Don't Stop Till' You Get Enough being my favourite Michael song. I think it's because I had a bad impression of disco in general. I wish I hadn't waited so long cause it's funky and fun and sooooo entertaining. If you can get past his eccentricities then you'll love this one.

Fav Song: Don't Stop Till' You Get Enough
Least Fav Song: It's the Falling in Love

Overall: 8/10

I love the raw, jamming atmosphere of this album! Sometimes you just want to rock out and that's exactly what this crew provides with this album. I've seen this described as Grunge, but I think calling it an inspiration is more fitting. Since there was such an emphasis on jamming during rhe recordings, that obviously leads to some lengthier tracks and a longer album overall, but I think it's fine for this one. Great album and I look forward to even more Neil! Go Canada!

Fav Song: F*!#in' Up
Least Fav Song: Love to Burn

Overall: 8/10

My exposure to Stevie Wonder's music is pretty limited. Before listening to tis I could only name 3 of his songs, none of which are on here. Of course, this made me excited when this one popped up cause I now have an excuse to listen to more of his music.

It's fantastic, filled to the brim with songs that'll make you dance, make you think and make you feel. The fact that he produced this himself astounds me, I've never heard of him described as a great producer but I feel he got everything perfect here. There's a couple songs that didn't connect with me but for the most part I loved the tracks and was excited for the next one. Now that he's on the board, I can see Stevie becoming an MVP for me.

Fav Song: They Won't Go When I Go
Least Fav Song: Creepin'

Overall: 10/10

One of those albums I never need to hear again, yet I'll always take the opportunity to do so anyway. The songs are so ingrained in my life that I couldn't even tell you where I heard most of these songs for the first time because they've always been here. I'm actually struggling to write about it for that reason.

I will, however, write about one of the coolest songs ever written: I Want You (She's So Heavy). I personally consider this song to be the closest thing to metal anyone wrote before Sabbath came along, and it never fails to astound me with it's doomy mood and incredible bass work. Plus, don't even get me started on Ringo's drumming. Anyone who disses Ringo needs to listen to this song cause they'll realize quickly how ignorant they are. He's a beast.

Anyway, the last thing I want to point out is I love the suite on side two a lot. It's just hard to listen to the individual tracks on shuffle lol Also, Maxwell's Silver Hammer SUCKS

Fav Song: I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Least Fav Song: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Overall: 6/10

Pretty good. Blues seems to be repetitive and simple to the point that you sort of wish more was going on at times. Great guitar work (of course) and great voice.

Fav Song: Crosseyed Cat
Least Fav Song: Bus Driver

Overall: 4/10

Sigh. This was bound to happen. I like to discuss my list progress with friends and I constantly make jokes about how the listmakers couldn't add Milo Goes to College because they just HAD to make room for 3 Dexys Midnight Runner albums.

This album is fine. The songs range from upbeat and danceable to incredibly annoying. I like the violins and, of course, Come On Eileen is their only truly impactful song for a reason. I hope the next two albums from them are a bit better.

Fav Song: Come On Eileen
Least Fav Song: All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)

Overall: 7/10

Every time I listen to Beck I think about the Futurama episode where he helps Bender become a folk singer. I prefer this side of Beck to the slower stuff he started doing around Sea Change. It's sometimes TOO quirky but for the most part it feels like a good mixture of folk, rock and hip hop type beats.

Fav Song: Where It's At
Least Fav Song: Hotwax

Overall: 4/10

I respect this one a lot. It's chaotic and messed up and hard to listen to, which I feel was the intention. I wasn't aware that Nick Cave was even in another band so hearing his voice was a bit of a shock. The problem is, it's so out there that, while I think it has merit, it wasn't something I enjoyed and I certainly won't be listening to it again. Shame it's not on Spotify.

Fav Song: Hamlet (pow, pow, pow)
Least Fav Song: The Dim Locator

Overall: 8/10

This is a good little dose of folk rock. Simon and Garfunkel obviously have incredible harmonies and their music can range from fun to calming for me. I think I prefer Graceland (I know its only Paul but still), but it's still a great, short album with songs worth adding to your life.

Fav Song: Fakin' It
Least Fav Song: Old Friends

Overall: 3/10

This is music for commercials.

But also RIGHT ABOUT NOW THE FUNK SOUL BROTHER CHECK IT OUT NOW

Fav Song: The Rockefeller Skank
Least Fav Song: Kalifornia

Overall: 9/10

Patti Smith for the modern age! I loved this, it rocks hard and doesn't hold back. PJ not only has an incredible voice, but her lyrics are some of the best I've ever heard about women, how they perceive the world and how they are treated. It's brave and thought provoking stuff. Definitely a favourite so far.

Fav Song: Dress
Least Fav Song: Water

Overall: 10/10

If anybody ever asks me to describe hardcore punk to them, I'm just going to take them to the nearest music store and buy them this album. The vocals are perfect, the riffs are aggressive and the drums are classic punk rock. Plus, it's an incredibly short album so you can listen to it sooooo many times in one day. In fact, you can listen to Minor Threat's entire discography in less than an hour!

Fav Song: Think Again
Least Fav Song: Sob Story