Reviews by meemesker

Love his voice and the way he spans genres. I think it's hilarious when he name checks Sam Cooke and Ray Charles on "Can't nobody love you."

Love the drum machines on this. Despite being a big step towards "hardcore" rap their tone is largely positive. In this way it sounds very balanced and refreshing.

Like the combination of influences/genres here and nostalgic for alot of the synth tones but somehow it doesn't coalesce as an album for me.

I'm a sucker for this kind of monochromatic music.

I'm a big fan of everything Sabbath did between Paranoid and Sabotage. This album marks a slight change in their sound, expanding their range a bit. I especially love "Supernaut" on this album for it's unexpected sudden turn into an acoustic/percussion jam like a miniature parade going right through the middle of the song. Sabbath always entertains.

Discovered this one in college through a friend and it really floored me the first time I heard it in a way that only a handful of albums ever have. I was a little obsessed with it for awhile and tried to spread the love for it to anyone I came in contact with. Of course, like many intensely emotional albums, I associate this one pretty strongly with an equally intense relationship I was in at the time which has long since ended. So, I don't revisit this one often for that reason because it calls up some fairly painful memories, but it doesn't diminish this album's power for me in the least. I enjoy the first few songs for their strong dynamics but the first song on the album to really gives me goosebumps is "Lilac Wine." His voice is so powerfully emotive that I find it is more effective in a sparer arrangement. It's funny, normally with most singers I wouldn't enjoy the way the vocals are so intimately recorded with nearly every breath audible and presented so front and center in the mix but his voice is such a marvel that I enjoy soaking up every detail.

Then of course you get to his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" which is one of those rare songs where his interpretation is so masterful that it has become the definitive version in my eyes, in the same way that something like Jimi Hendrix's version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" eclipses its original. His ability to see the power inside that song and draw every last ounce of emotion out of it is not only a stroke of genius but also an amazing feat of talent in its flawless execution. It left me nearly breathless the first time I heard it.

This is the Smashing Pumpkins album I'm most familiar with. Not that I've ever owned it, but it was on the radio, MTV, etc. To be honest my friends and I used to mock this one a bit because of lines like "despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage" and Billy Corgan's melodramatic and whiny vocals. Only ever heard the singles before, but listening to it as an album it feels bloated and oddly paced. The first song on the album seems to be entirely ornamental and placed there in an effort to dress up this collection of songs with something that seems more serious and higher minded, posing as a concept album - which I absolutely do not think this is. The comparisons to "The Wall" are completely daft. It's not the size that counts. Not that I would enjoy it that much more but I wish they would have shown a little more discretion in their track selections. I couldn't make it all the way through. Honestly I'm sort of baffled that this was as big as it was.

I know Beth Orton mostly from her vocals on Chemical Brothers albums. I like the way they use her voice in a more ethereal way. I don't particularly enjoy the combination of folk and electronic music on this album. It's too heavy on the folk side for my taste.

Two Steely Dan albums in a row! And in chronological order no less. This is where they really start to refine their sound. Not a dud in the bunch here. I see some people disparagingly calling this "dad rock" but I think that's a pretty big misnomer. Cheese this ain't.

I consider Steely Dan to be one of the most exquisite pleasures in all of music. Some of the most intelligent and sophisticated songs you will ever hear. They are in a category of their own. I could listen to their entire discography on an endless loop. Though purists of the Aja/Gaucho camp may scoff at this, I really enjoy this enjoy this early incarnation of the band.

Quite an achievement. Very brave and adventurous but still pretty listenable for the most part. Brought together an incredible crew of voices here. Makes sense that a singer would want to more fully explore the possibilities of the human voice.

Sounds like some mainstream pop rockers trying their damnedest to sound like Radiohead (and mostly succeeding due to Nigel Godrich's production). Still, a pale imitation which seems to lack depth.

A hypnotizing cinematic sound and a masterpiece of reinvention by way of ingenious layering. Amazing dynamics along the way on this head-bobbing ride. I could stay inside this postmodern collage all night.

This was one of the first CDs I owned but I don't particularly have a ton of nostalgia for it. Kinda surprised it's on this list.

AC/DC are like C average students in the school of rock to me. They understand the assignment well enough to pass but that's about it. I mean, yeah, it's rock and roll and all, their formula works, but I just can't take it seriously. I guess that's not the point, right? Should I just lighten up? The last song on the album says it all: "Rock and Roll is just Rock and Roll"

Saying your favorite band was AC/DC to me would be like saying your favorite restaurant was McDonald's. They both make a very reliable product but I absolutely guarantee you can find something 10 times better and more interesting elsewhere.

What a fucking bonkers album. Forgot how completely insane this is. I totally respect his efforts to make a big intricate piece of music with unconventional arrangements. However, although I own this on vinyl myself, I must admit I hardly ever put it on, except maybe for people who haven't ever heard it before, just to take them on the wild ride. I prefer the following album "Hergest Ridge" and feel it is a much more cohesive statement. Blows me away that this was accepted by popular culture in the 70s. Speaks to the open mindedness of the era.

Love her voice. So emotive. Really enjoy the arrangements and the mix too. Stripped down to the essentials so you can hear each element distinctly with the perfect amount of reverb and doubling thrown on the voice. It's so well balanced. A very warm and comfortable sound. Plus, she is a total badass. Nothing but respect for the brutal honesty being conveyed here.

Though they are still not at the height of their powers here, this early, more stripped down version of the band may be my favorite incarnation in many ways. I think it's because you can focus so clearly on the songwriting itself, rather than it being somewhat buried in the dazzle of the production and arrangements as would start to happen on later albums. Love it all.

Never had this one back in the day but it was in the air. They have a very recognizable and consistent sound. Brings me back to that era but that's about it.

Developed an affinity for Iron Maiden after a particularly good My One Track Mind episode. I like this earlier, more raw incarnation of the band.