Reviews by meemesker

I can go for a fair amount of EDM but I found this album to be grating and obnoxious. There always seems to be at least one repetitive element in each song that is placed there simply to be so annoying that when they remove it, you get this rush of relief. And the way some things are processed is so over the top it throws off the balance of the mix completely. Absolutely fatiguing. I'd honestly prefer to listen to the more "linear, close minded, shiny, robotic, superficial" electronic music they disparaged in interviews than have to sit through this high contrast carnival ride again.

A worthy follow up to "Born To Run." More refined and down to earth, but every bit as powerful and dramatic. This is where he really seems to start embracing the reality of blue collar life in a more direct way, rather than using it as an evocative backdrop for fantastical poetic imagery and escapism. An underrated sweet spot in his catalog. Pair this with "The Promise" to hear how absolutely on fire he was as a songwriter at this point in his career.

This is a very special album to me. It reminds me of my father more than any other album. I have a somewhat complex relationship with my father so having this as a positive association with him is a rare and bittersweet treasure. I remember listening to this and "Willie and Family Live" on many road trips with him as a kid. I would go so far as to say that this is the best narrative driven concept album of all time. The fact that it is also a country album makes it all that much more spectacular an achievement. Country has always been more of a singles driven market, but Willie bravely constructed an amazing outlier of an album that had more in common with the AOR of its time, weaving an enchanting tale of betrayal and tragedy. It has recurring musical themes that tie it all together and many instrumental pieces to allow it to breath. In fact, I think it is those instrumental pieces that are the reason this album is so effective. It forces the listener to have to emotionally engage with the music itself, rather than through being fed more narrative in the lyrics. The listener has to connect the dots in their mind. Willie doesn't overdo it or spoonfeed you. He gives you just the right amount of story to set the scene and no more. I feel that this is not only a stroke of genius, but it shows that Willie has faith in, and respect for, his audience. Listening to this as a kid in the passenger seat while my dad drive through the night, I found this absolutely spellbinding. Still do.

Like some kind of British Anti-Doors on heroin instead of LSD. Keyboard punk is a rare sound, but I think it works well. Very tuneful, especially with that snarling bass. Singer is verging on The Fall type territory with the intentional flatness, but it has a little more menace to it, which I like. They make cynicism sound so catchy and seductive.

I prefer this to the Folsom Prison concert, and Johnny is certainly in top form here, but unfortunately I am just not a huge fan of live recordings.

Up there with Wire as far as post punk pioneers go. I enjoy everything about their sound.

I can't help but enjoy this. It managed to surprise and delight me at nearly every turn. I can see why people would be annoyed by the vocal style, but I think it's funny and entertaining. Has a nice layer of texture and atmosphere throughout. Underlying it all there is a true playfulness I find endlessly compelling. It's experimental but still manages to be fun. I'm a sucker for iconoclasts doing their own thing. So far ahead of their time I'm not sure we've even caught up yet. I kept wanting to listen to this over and over again, and it just kept growing on me.

I'm a pretty big fan of The Boss in general, and I love many of his albums, but I think this may be his best. It's one of those instances where an artist's creative and commercial zenith were one and the same. He had refined the sound of his band to a well oiled machine by this point, and also honed his songwriting to a fine edge - losing his initial flowery Dylanesque poetics almost completely, trading it in for an incredibly refined and nuanced directness. Every song is an anthem of one kind or another, often misinterpreted as some kind of patriotic chest thumping heartland rock. I implore you to read the lyrics to "Born In The USA." It is one of the most emotionally complex pop songs you will ever hear. The music does such an incredible job of sweeping you up in these catchy sing alongs, that you often don't even notice that the lyrics are often telling a very different story. This album covers such an incredibly rich emotional territory, like a book of short stories about the contemporary blue collar life of its time. Capturing the essence of that experience in what I believe to be an honest, or at least authentic, way.

A buffet of genres and moods. They really started to branch out musically here and show that they were far more than just punk rock (while remaining punk all the same).

Second album by The Pogues on the list, and I'm guessing it won't be the last. From here on out all Pogues albums will be getting a one from me. I'm not big on Irish folk music to begin with, but Shane MacGowan's drunken wailing makes it absolutely insufferable.

Funky as all hell.

That first track past the intro is an absolute stunner. But it sets the bar so high the rest of the album has a hard time staying up at that level. I'm intrigued by the spacey, atmospheric sound, but the vocals usually break me out of the hypnotic spell, with the exception of that first track, where the vocals are handled differently than on the rest of the album. Definitely one of the better albums that came in the wake of "OK Computer." I'd give "Svefn-g-englar" 5 stars but as an album it's just a 3 for me.

Undeniably influential and ahead of its time. The first proto punk band that basically sounds like early NYC punk... or a strung out Rolling Stones. Good sleazy fun.

One of my favorite mixes I ever made started off with "White Winter Hymnal" from this album and went into "My Girls" by Animal Collective. It was probably around February 2009, and in retrospect it was a pretty great time for music.
I don't usually go for most folky things but Fleet Foxes come across original enough that I enjoy it. Timeless in a way that really grabs you emotionally. Their arrangements and harmonies have a great balance of quiet beauty and bombastic joy. At once pleasant and haunting.

Probably my second favorite of Zappa's next to "Absolutely Free." I like him in this manic kitchen sink mode best. Though it's a real wooden rollercoaster of an album and there are all these bizarre interludes throughout, he's still keeping it relatively tight. If you don't like something, he's shortly onto the next idea. Whereas on something like "Uncle Meat" it just gets too self indulgent and becomes a mess. Always appreciate his bravery in experimentation, total embrace of humor, and willingness to call things as he sees them.

I find Yeah Yeah Yeahs imminently fun and irresistibly charming. The way they balance more catchy electronic elements into the mix on this album sees them expand their sound and make it poppier. They are an interesting band that kind of float back and forth between flirting with mainstream accessibility and more challenging tendencies. I enjoy both modes.

I find shoegaze to be fairly boring but I at least prefer this album to their supposed masterpiece "Loveless." I guess I should say I prefer them as an actual band rather than a monomaniacal vanity project. They at least have a slightly more dynamic sound and variety of emotion while in full band form. Considering the year, this was definitely ahead of its time, and I can hear how it influenced things to come.

I find the concept generally repellent, and the execution just seems like some kind of half assed inside joke. Put this on the stereo and I'd be out the door before the first song was over.

Love's masterpiece. I'd say this is up there with "Pet Sounds" in terms of its gorgeous production. A pleasure from beginning to end. And God bless Arthur Lee for keeping it real during the flower power era.

Elliott Smith he ain't.