Reviews by mikey_nc

An interesting one. Sometimes melodic and breezy, sometimes prickly and unfriendly, occasionally both at once. The whole sleazy downbeat indie vibe here is not really one I can get 100% behind, but a solid album with a spirit all its own.

Best song: Gold Soundz

Stripped-down old-school rock. I like Tom Petty’s whole thing on paper but I’ve always had a hard time getting into it outside of the big hits. It’s a very decent short-and-sweet album with no particular flaws but not much that thrills me.

Best song: American Girl

I’m surprised by this considering I’m not a big fan of 80s pop or Cyndi Lauper’s voice, but this is good. Like REALLY good. All killer no filler synthpop.

Best song: All Through the Night

Ethereal, moody, dirge-y. Some good melodies and a very certain vibe. Could grow on me.

Best song: Alameda

An odd little album with some nice melodic choruses and some big booming drums. Very 80s.

Best song: Heartland

Spacey, trippy, bluesy psych rock. You can tell the genre and its conventions, and particularly its experimental elements, are still up in the air as this isn’t the most exciting album in a lot of ways, but it’s a fun and approachable listen.

Rock at it's loudest, rawest, and nastiest... well, at least by 1969 standards. That rawness is the album's main feature but it isn't completely a strength to me; there's not many coherent songs here. Super hard and passionate performances, though.

Best song: I Want You Right Now

Well I have to throw out a disclaimer that Kanye is bad and I don't feel great about giving him some pittance of streaming revenue. His decision to start openly spreading antisemitism sure turned me off of him as I think it did a lot of people. But if we're just looking at the album then I have to profess that it's very very good. A generational shift point in the genre for sure, bright bouncy production, oozing with charm and authenticity. All that talent, and look what he's done with it. It all falls down, huh?

Best song: All Falls Down

All killer no filler. Catchy, bright, happy, high-energy rock.

Best song: Foreplay/Long Time

Sounds like background music to a 60s comedy spy movie. I love it. Band is great, songs are great.

Best song: Comin’ Home Baby

Great passion and fire. Ew to Farrakhan. Beats get same-y, but a few hot tracks here.

Best song: It Was a Good Day

A lengthy downbeat album that threatens to become interesting but never really does. The bass is pretty good and the doubling of the voices is an interesting effect. Beyond that it’s a kind of a snore.

Best song: Wear You Out

Classic Stones. Not as hard-edged as their best stuff, but still a great bluesy pop album. Last song is a little excessive but everything up to that point is tight and sharp.

Best song: Paint It Black

A laid-back, bluesy, shuffle-y rock album. Fittingly unexciting but pleasant, with some interesting musical stuff.

Best song: I mean I don’t want it to be Money for Nothing bc of the slurs. But I’m sorry, it’s Money for Nothing

Good raw sound. Sort of an aimless album at times, but isn’t that kind of the point? A clear predecessor to punk, grunge, indie, etc., except for this guy it wasn’t a put-on.

Best song: Round & Round?

Album started really strong and didn’t completely hold that momentum, but overall really tuneful and enjoyable.

Best song: Natalie’s Party

I’m not gonna give it a 1 because it’s not terrible, but wow I do not like this. That version of All Tomorrow’s Parties abandons basically everything I like about the song. Limp-wristed mewling synth pop.

Best song: The Other Side of Life(?)

That was pretty sick. Wish the sound was a little bit heavier but otherwise pretty unimpeachable hard rock.

Best song: Smoke on the Water

Cool. The opening medley is a little much (is there any particular reason all the sections couldn’t have just been songs?) but I think it’s neat. Good instrumentation. Liked the dorky fantasy lyrics, not so much the libertarian stuff.

Best song: 2112 Medley

The perfect hard rock album. No notes, wouldn’t change a thing.

Best song: You Shook Me All Night Long