Reviews by meemesker

Dude I'm from Cincinnati and even I don't like The Afghan Wigs.

The beginning of his Blue Period. Every bit as exciting as what he was doing creatively with The White Stripes.

It's alright but to call it an album by Malcolm McLaren seems like a bit of a stretch.

The last Roxy Music with Eno, but after listening to "Bogus Man," I think maybe it was best they parted ways. Some great songs here, but as an album it doesn't hold together as well as their others.

I think I'd rather listen to X, or The Misfits, or Pussy Galore, or Elvis for that matter...

What the fuck is this doing on the list?

Listen to it again. And again.

Is this what's become of country music?

I like this album but I think the first song is so good, and different in tone, from the rest of the record, that it sets a false precedent which the album ultimately doesn't deliver on. There are other great songs: Man Out of Time, Almost Blue, and Human Hands stick out to me, but this album doesn't feel entirely consistent. Also, it's much more piano based and I prefer Elvis when he's more centered around the guitar. An interesting experiment but EC is best with Nick Lowe behind the board.

I must admit, I missed this one when it came out, as I was losing touch with hip hop at the time, but that was a mistake. I rather enjoyed this. That outro was kind of ridiculous though. Guess you can't say he isn't grateful.

Fave track: "Pressure" w/ Jay Z
Skips: "The Instrumental" w/ Jonah Matranga

Trying to articulate what makes R.E.M. so great is as difficult as trying to deconstruct Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics. They are hard to pin down, but their sound walks a delicate line between an uplifting and heartbreaking. In a word: beautiful. Something that rock music tends to shy away from. That beauty most likely stems from a certain vulnerability they display, particularly in Michael Stipe's voice.

Like an opening band that ends up being better than the headliner.

As far as early 2000s British Indie Rock goes, I'd have to say I prefer this to almost everything else that was going on at that time. Has a nice and loose feel to it that makes it more relatable than a lot of the over produced things that were in fashion at the time. Goes down easy like a pint of lager.

How is this considered ahead of its time? To my ear it sounds about a decade behind. In fact it feels deliberately nostalgically so. For some perspective, another piece of electronica that came out in 1999 was Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker" EP. Hell, even The Chemical Brothers' "Surrender" (also 1999) makes this sound old fashioned, not to mention other 1999 releases from Autechre, Mu-ziq, Squarepusher, etc. Had this come out a decade earlier I might be slightly more impressed, but I'd still hate that weird Pepsi ad they have on the cover.

I think every studio album The Doors made with Jim Morrison is worthy of 5 stars. This might actually be my least favorite album of theirs, but it's still a 5 star record. I'm not a huge fan of "Roadhouse Blues." I know it's one of their most popular songs, but I think it's the weird scatting and the harmonica that blow it for me. It's still a very memorable song though. Once you get past the opener, my ears start to perk up more. It's a very consistent album, and serves as a sort of precursor to their masterpiece "LA Woman."

A classic example of a decent double album that could have been an amazing single album. They are prog after all, and Peter Gabriel probably knew this would be his last album with the band, so I can see why he would want to go out with a big statement. This was kinda hard to find for awhile, at least in the US, and has a certain mystique to it, but it collapses under its own weight.

Such lovable weirdos. Like a way goofier version of Queen. They maintain such a ridiculously high energy level it just puts a smile on my face. Easily their best album.

Song for song, this is probably my favorite Police album. I love their crisp yet atmospheric sound, with nice separation of the instruments. That's the beauty of a trio I guess. Their songs have these amazing internal dynamics, both in in terms of their structures, and the interplay of the parts. I especially enjoy the drumming and percussion of Stewart Copeland, but I also love Sting's melodic basslines, and the way Andy Summers is able to use his guitar to support everything with such subtle texture without overdoing anything. There are some fun rockers here, but I think it's the more subdued tracks that I gravitate towards, especially "Walking On The Moon."

The hair metal and cock rock they are emulating was garbage in the first place. So why would I go for a half ironic revival act nearly two decades later? Because they temper it with a bit of grunge? No, thankfully these guys were just lone oddballs, and this didn't spawn a whole second wave of this shit.

One star each.