Reviews by meemesker

Some nice moments here and there, but overall this ends up leaving me exhausted. Their sound absolutely matches the album cover's aesthetic though; a high contrast pop collage.

This is THE Hole album. Such deep and genuine emotion here. There is a tragic ache that runs through it, but a righteous feeling of triumph as well. The songs are all anthems and make me want to sing along.

Right from that opening bass line and drum fill on "Love Song" you can hear how this is moving towards hardcore. I definitely prefer more omnivorous punk like this that draws from a wider range of influences.

A fusion experiment that sounds very dated now.

This is pretty painful. Country flavored indie is one of my least favorite musical subgenres, particularly when it's more cerebral than soulful.

I absolutely love this album and have listened to it regularly since its release. What I love about it, above all, is simply the balance of electronic and rock elements and structures. That and the honest and dryly humorous lyrics hit me just right. I find it imminently relatable. And that's perhaps because of where I am in life, and James Murphy's own unconventional trajectory, plus his ability to make the most of being self deprecating. I find it very inspiring.

Easily his best album. So much more focused and articulate than "Astral Weeks." Every one of these tracks could be a single. Not an ounce of filler. He has a natural soulfulness that feels completely worn in and authentic. Flows gracefully from song to song. Arrangements are so well balanced, with nice touches throughout, but nothing is overdone. Goldilocks zone. I consider this a perfect album. Watch him perform "Caravan" with The Band in "The Last Waltz" to see what he is capable of as a performer.

I can take Tim Buckley for a song or two but an album drags for me. Starts feeling a bit melodramatic.

I hate this album so much I'm not even going to talk about the music. Instead I'd like ask a few questions about the album cover. First of all, who stands like that? Were they deliberately trying to capture the most awkward, unnatural stance possible? Also, look at his skin. I would think someone with such a rootsy sound would get a little more sun that that. Is he some kind of weird substrain of folksy Americana Goth?

As Matt Berry says, "I know it’s kind of fashionable to think the Doors are naff, but I don’t give a fuck about that."

The Doors have a very distinct sound: a sort of dark and moody psychedelia, with organ as their melodic centerpiece. The guitar and drums give the perfect amounts of accent and space to frame everything up and complete the atmosphere. Finally, they have one of the most captivating lyricists and performers of the era as the frontman. And that's where many people probably take issue. I get the feeling that Jim Morrison is often perceived as some kind of pretentious egomaniacal dilettante for some reason. But if you watch interviews with him, he always comes across surprisingly down to earth to me. I think it's just a matter of separating the stage persona from the person.

Outside of things like "The End," which kind of hints at where they are going to go next, and a couple genre excursions like "The Alabama Song" and "Back Door Man," this is largely a pop record. I find it quite impressive that they were always able to balance these different modes of operation on their albums. I suppose that is what made this era immediately after the Beatles/Dylan songwriting revolution so special; that bands were still expected to create these catchy hooky singles, but to also push boundaries while they were at it. Best of both worlds in my opinion. I think The Doors were one of the most original and talented bands of their all too brief era, and like Matt Berry, I don't give a fuck if you think otherwise.

I generally like the mood and atmosphere of this. The dialogue samples on "Deus Ex Machina" kinda break the vibe a bit, but other than that, a pretty smooth ride. Nice headphone music.

This is about where I get off the train with Kanye, but man, what a sound. Some of the most intricately structured hip hop you'll ever hear. He omnivorously draws from everything he can get his hands on to make something beyond genres. And yet, despite its complexity, which might come across as the hip hop equivalent of showboating prog rock, the album has an irresistible manic energy that just sweeps you up in its audacious scope. Powerful stuff. Perfect balance of id and ego. Yes, Kanye is insane, but you have to be to have this type of boundaryless vision.

There was a time when I would've given this album a 5, but listening to it now, it sounds a bit overproduced. Still, the power of their songwriting shines through, especially on anthems like "One." Perhaps their last truly great album.

Saw so many similar bands during this era, riding that wave of rock revival, that I honestly can't remember if I saw them live or not. I was a fan of the sound in general but not necessarily The Hives specifically. I guess the lead singer's voice cracking all the time is a feature not a flaw, right?

Not something I'd put on myself but this works. Holds up surprisingly well - the beats moreso than the lyrics. Peak CD era length is exhausting though.

Pop slog.

I don't mind ABBA for a song or two, but a whole album starts to wear me down. It's like eating a whole store-bought birthday cake for dinner, all slathered in buttercream frosting and artificial dyes.

I know many say "A Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" is their masterpiece with Peter Gabriel, but I'd argue that album is too long and sprawling. While being prog, and naturally having long individual songs, this album is a much more refined culmination of their talents, with more memorable hooks amongst their complex structures.

Crazy... I had just put this album on the turntable earlier this evening! Marvin's working through some real shit here and I respect him for being so candid. Yes, this is a sprawling mess of an album, but in the best and weirdest way. Something like "A Funky Space Reincarnation" doesn't even seem to fit the concept of the album, but it's so batshit bonkers that I'm tickled he sandwiched it in there. Just shows you how off the rails he must have been at that point in his life. I think recording in your own studio tends to lend itself to this type of wild self indulgence. I'm glad Marvin had the opportunity to make such an artful and thorough public catharsis.

The sons of AC/DC. I found this harder and harder to listen to as the album wore on. The cover looks like it was designed by a 13 year old boy, which makes sense, as that's probably the target demographic for this music.