Reviews by meemesker

I love Jonathan Richman's heart on his sleeve honesty and directness. He is like an anti-rockstar and yet things like Roadrunner epitomize rock and roll to me. He's so comfortable with who he is and just putting it out there. Really brave, and to me, relatable. Some of these tracks were recorded in 1971! They're like The Stooges' sensitive, goofier little brothers. Ahead of their time. 5 stars for Roadrunner alone but 5 stars for all of it.

I wish Donald Fagen would have laid some sarcastic vocals on these smooth ass grooves.

I have really only heard Liege and Lief before. I like that album and this one quite a bit. I love Sandy Denny's voice and Richard Thompson's guitar playing. I also like the bass playing and drumming quite a bit as well. The fiddle is not typically an instrument I am partial to but it is balanced well in the mix and really adds to the intensity when they start jamming out like on "A Sailor's Life" - holy sheeeit...

I like some later Sebadoh but I find much of this album annoying (and it seems intentionally so). Says it was their first album recorded entirely in a professional studio. Sure doesn't sound like it to my ear.

Had "Mighty Joe Moon" back in the day but never really listened to any of their other albums. Like their sound. Sort of like Jangle Pop with a little more punch.

Never heard this one before. I would have liked it more at the time of it's release had I been aware of it. Like the atmospheres created.

Not a huge fan of the big band sound. I can appreciate it but don't necessarily enjoy it.

Discovered this one in college and was a favorite among friends and roommates. Wish punk on the whole sounded more like this than say The Ramones or The Sex Pistols. So many ideas crammed into such a tight space. Love the way it moves along. So efficient and refined in it's execution. No fat to be trimmed here. Many songs are short but all completely satisfy. Art-punk at its finest. The song "Strange" is in my musical spank bank. The album leaves me wanting more.

Probably my favorite "neo-soul" artist. Regret sleeping on this album in the past. Like the atmosphere throughout. Very earthy and organic. Really flows. Perhaps a bit too long.

Fun stuff. Very animated and playful. Only heard "passing me by" back in the day and love that track. Think it's a standout. Like the interplay of emcees and their different voices/styles.

Wow. What a downer. Guess that's the point though, right? Well, fuck that. Not only is the mood consistently dour, it's consistently boring as well.

I like Pet Shop Boys' earlier work and was excited to see Harold Faltermeyer as producer. I'm a big synth wave fan in general, and I normally stick up for this sort of thing, but I just can't get into this one. I find the singing style and lyrics mildly irritating to cringe worthy throughout. And the production is simply too clean for my taste. They claim to have been inspired by Depeche Mode's Violator, which I think is a five star album, but I don't hear any of that album's depth or richness reflected here. There are moments of cheese on this album that I find almost unbearable and I have a huge threshold (and even an appreciation) for cheese (Orchestra Hit!!!).

Really miss hip hop like this. Love it's eccentricity and humanity. So inviting and warm.

Kinda falls between the sounds of the 70s and 80s. I like the songs that lean towards more of the 80s sound with the funkier bass and synths like on "Secrets" and "Stand Up."

I like about half of this album. Songs like "Heart attack and Vine" and "Downtown" are great but I really don't like the songs with the string arrangements.

Some of this fun but some is so ridiculous like "Gutter cat vs the Jets" that I can't take it seriously as an album.

Love Roxy Music with or without Eno. The godfathers of art-rock. So ahead of their time.

Don't love the dramatizations and skits throughout. Particularly at the beginning -wish it just went straight into the music. I really like "Juicy" alot but the album is CD-era bloated. I also don't love Puff Daddy's weak backup vocals throughout. Can't ignore the misogyny and the graphic sex stuff is a pretty big turn off. I like his voice alot and I like the beats/samples but as an album it doesn't gel for me.

Love their voices. Especially Mama Cass's. Their best album by far. Sweet spot in pop music progression.

Our second Dexys Midnight Runners album. Seriously? I'm definitely starting to see the UK bent the list has that others have mentioned in reviews. It's not bad I guess but did I really have to hear this before I die? Strangely enough my favorite track is the last one Reminisce with all the talking.