Reviews by meemesker

Some bona fide Jams. Especially when the string sections are woven into them. Amazing dynamics along the way within each of these 4 musical journeys. Love his long spoken word set up in "By The Time I Get To Arizona." Brave long form soul.

I may be a closet goth, and I'm all for minimalism, but this one falls a little flat. Perhaps intentionally so, but still. The cover kinda cracks me up. Almost looks like a parody of a goth rock album from a sketch comedy show or something. It screams: Yes, I'm the mysterious and moody genius behind the creation of this record... and this other person behind me in the shadows kinda helped too...

There are plenty of things I like about this album: the multiple singer approach, the jazz and soul inflected rock, the guitar playing... They definitely have a very distinct, identifiable sound that I enjoy... but it's simply too long...far, far too long...

I have soft spot for the organ sound but man my ears really perk up when I hear Steve Cropper's guitar. So bright and twangy. Some real jams here. All elements balanced so nicely. Really miss the days when instrumentals could still be hits.

I can't give Kraftwerk anything less than 5 stars for their pioneering contributions to the evolution of electronic music (and music in general). This album seems to have the least amount of overarching concept of the albums in their prime, and is more of a collection of songs - but it definitely has some of their most memorable and catchiest singles. This is where they went from being showroom dummies to full fledged robots, with more danceable rhythms. I like this album because Ralf and Florian finally let Karl Bartos in on the songwriting and rather than too many cooks making it too busy, it actually made them tighten things up and refine their formula. A well oiled machine.

Reminds me of a much more soulful Joni Mitchell. Can't believe I've never heard this album before, but that's what I'm here for.

Heard "Blue Flowers" on a CMJ CD sampler and was captivated at 15. Bought the album on CD and it was a cult hit amongst me and my friends in high school. I put these songs on more than a few mix tapes. It was a perfect blend of elements for me at that time in my life. The absurd and often immature sense of humor had a lot to do with it, but really, the main things that appealed to me were Kool Keith's sheer willingness to embrace his eccentricity, and Dan The Automator's gorgeous genre bending beats. Both of them dared to defy the mainstream sound of the time, both sonically and lyrically. Their bravery in willing to be themselves paid off, and inspired more to follow, not the least of which was MF Doom.

Every bit as good as Kid A and perhaps more enjoyable. Amnesiac doesn't have the same dense overarching structure to wade through, but still maintains a richly textured atmosphere. Almost like something between OK Computer and Kid A. Best of both worlds if you ask me.

I don't dislike these songs but they don't really gain anything from being on a live album.

More familiar with her later material but I really enjoy this rawer/punkier debut. I'm a closet goth.

I love the mood of this record. It feels loose but also builds some really compelling atmospheres and structures. Very cinematic, especially with the sound effects on LA Woman and Riders on the Storm. Some real nice production touches to smooth out the jams and make it punch in all the right places. Channeled their raw energy into something really well crafted. A personal favorite of mine has always been "Hyacinth House," where I feel you can hear the weight of Jim and the band living a lifetime's worth within their 5 short years together. He sounds world-weary and grizzled throughout most of the record, and he was only 27! Wish they could have kept going with him, but at least they went out on top here.

Damo's glorious Swan Song with Can. His era was their best, and he left on a beautiful high note. There's nothing else quite like this album, except maybe some of Miles Davis' fusion material? I used to listen to this album to go to sleep to all the time. It has this completely intoxicating, hypnotic sound that just transports me to another place. The atmosphere is exquisite on headphones. I could also see it working well at a chill social gathering. It has such a tranquil and pleasant mood, yet it is far from fluff. In a word: sublime.

Nothing against Cheap Trick, but I prefer the studio versions of these songs...by far.

Destroy rock and roll? With this? Bwahahahahahahehehehohohoahhurgh... *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*

McCartney detractors can take a flying fuck. This album is better than half of John Lennon's erratic solo career. People act like John was the true genius behind The Beatles just because he was the most outspoken prick of the bunch. People can't help but love a good quick witted, silver tongued asshole who lives out their fantasies of being an unfiltered bully and getting away with it. Don't get me wrong, I do too... And Lennon reached some unbelievable heights in his solo work - some really intense and profound music to be sure. But he also had some periods of really sloppy floundering. And just because Lennon went on this deep, soul-searching musical journey half the time he went into the studio, doesn't mean McCartney should be expected to do the same thing, nor does it detract from McCartney's brilliance as a songwriter. Yes, Paul McCartney has a softer, more light-hearted approach in his solo material. It reflects him as a person and where he was in his life at the time. He was a dad, and not a largely absent one like his former songwriting partner. So yeah, I get that he wanted to put out something more fun and playful into the world, rather than introspectively crawling further up his own asshole.

Absolutely ubiquitous in the 90s. So ubiquitous that I have a hard time judging it. It's like judging bottled water. It does make me feel nostalgic though, and it really captures the mainstream zeitgeist of its time very well. The fact that she was 21 when she made this amazes me. She is definitely getting some real shit off her chest and her vocal style is intense - like a human bagpipe. I'm gonna say I absolutely respect this, but ultimately, I never felt compelled to go out and buy this back in the day, and despite a fun nostalgia detour, it doesn't grab me on a deeper level than that.

If Bob Dylan could play guitar and sing like this, he might have never gone electric.

A mixture of songs I find just okay, and, as the album goes on, songs that I actively dislike. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and call it a 3.

I prefer the folky Leonard Cohen to this by far. This sounds like a satire of late 80s production values. Almost painful hearing him trying to reinvent himself. I don't think it's the songs themselves that are bad necessarily, it's the arrangements (and how they were recorded). I take that back, "Jazz Police" is just plain bad all around. Is it intentionally ironically bad? "Guys like me are mad for turtle meat?" WTF? It's like something from Tim and Eric's Awesome Show... If I want to listen to some deep voiced 60s/70s icon reinventing themselves in the 80s, I'd much rather listen to Scott Walker's "Climate of Hunter."

Not familiar with this album and didn't really know what to expect. Lots of surprises throughout: the strong disco feel of the first track, the atmospheric police sirens and brief quoting of West Side Story on "Pedro Navaja," the chanting during "Maria Lionza"... It's hard to resist these rhythms.