Reviews by mikey_nc

A titanic album that (briefly) established the Clash as a huge and important band. It’s probably a little too big for its own good, and a couple of the genre experiments don’t really work, but it’s a great album that still sounds fresh and raw.

Best song: Spanish Bombs

Very classic-style country album. Not the most variety, but great consistency, melody, and concept. I enjoyed it.

Best song: The Wild Side of Life

A singular experience. This sounds like an alien or an AI model who’s been fed 69 random love songs and has tried to recreate 69 of its own, realizing the form but feeling distinctly soulless and unnerving in the actual content. But it seems that was the exact vibe they wanted?

There’s a lot I could say about this, much of it bad, some of it good. There are some horrible songs, a few legitimately good ones, and a ton of experimental oddities swimming around in the difference. It’s difficult to evaluate that last group, because so many tracks feel more like goofy proofs-of-concept or stabs at a new genre rather than actual songs. The experience of listening to it is full of novelty, but at the end you’re going “what?” more than any feeling of admiration.

So I have no desire to ever listen to this again, but I can’t keep myself from appreciating the extreme ambition as well as the bizarre humility of this album. It did exactly what it set out to do in an incredibly weird way, and so I can’t help but judge it to be a success.

Disc 1’s best song: The Book of Love
Disc 2’s best song: Papa Was a Rodeo
Disc 3’s best song: I Can’t Touch You Anymore

Strange, offbeat, and quite a lot of fun. Never would have thought an organ could work in punk music, but here’s some compelling evidence to the contrary.

Best song: Get a Grip on Yourself

It’s white reggae, so I get why people would dislike this, but honestly that’s pretty good. A little too slick at times, but a nice listen.

Best song: Burden of Shame

Kind of lame, but quite well-done with a realized sound and some good musicianship. I’m cool with it.

Best song: Glad

This is certainly better than his 70s “funk” music. It’s still not very good, but it’s at least trying some stuff alongside a bunch of self-indulgent hippie crap. Nice vibraphone.

Best song: Buzzin’ Fly

Sharp, heavy, consistent, and fun. A treat to listen to, even if it is a little dated.

Best song: Epic

Overdone? Sure, maybe. Incredible? Absolutely.

Best song: Back to Black

I’ve long thought that critics of the arts can often become so familiar with their chosen medium that they become desperate for originality, and that desperation leads them to develop some really bizarre taste. There are few better examples of my idea than the fact that so many music critics seem to love Roxy Music.

Best song: The Bob (Medley)

Lots of mewling and moaning over echoing soundscapes. Fairly unique, but not very impressive.

Pretty solid background music with one or two interesting moments. Way too long.

Best song: Banstyle / Sappys Curry

I’m into a lot of the big dad rock bands, but I have never liked Aerosmith. On paper this is something I’d be down for, but the whole product does not come together at all. I can’t pinpoint why, either. I’m not really into sleaze and I find Steven Tyler highly annoying, so I guess there’s two factors.

Best song: Janie’s Got a Gun

I gave them a couple flowers for their other album but no, hell no. Who actually likes this and what is wrong with them?

A unique album, bouncing between languages and vibes while staying rooted in a laid-back Latin-reggae sound. I really enjoyed the continent-hopping feel of this, and it helps that it’s a fun listen.

Best song: Desaparecido

More muted and even than Superfuzz Bigmuff. Probably not as memorable, but a stronger collection more suited to my taste.

Best song: Into the Drink

Minimal, clean, creative, and brilliant live jazz. Requires a little focused listening, but very rewarding. Evans might be my favorite pianist ever.

Best song: Alice in Wonderland

That was pretty much what I expected: well-produced, nauseatingly 80s, kind of lame. The one unexpected factor was that I kinda liked it. You do you Steve.

Best song: Arc of a Diver

I think this is our last Pixies album, and I come away kind of unimpressed by this band even though this was a decent album. This has a claim to being my favorite of the three, but I think it also has a good claim to being the most boring. Not sure what that says about my taste.

Best song: Havalina

This one has a pretty big reputation. I can’t really say I’m too impressed by it. I’m not a big fan of Jeff Tweedy’s scratchy hipster singing voice, and the sound is pretty mopey and verging on monotonous. But there are some good songs here, and it is very well-produced, and there is clearly a vision. So I can’t love it, but I definitely can’t hate it. In the end I think the story behind the album (and its ominous release on 9/11, with that cover??) are a little more interesting than the actual album.

Best song: Pot Kettle Black