Reviews by mikey_nc

A pretty mellow album with a nice sense of melody. It's a weird mix of sounds since there's sort of a rustic vibe from the banjos and harmonicas that crosses semi-uncomfortably with the singer's thin whispery indie voice. Overall it's interesting and pretty pleasant, although not something that hits me hard.

Best song: Say It Ain't So [hi, Dubya]

Goes hard in the early tracks before tapering off in the second half, though there are hits and skips in both parts. Timbaland’s beats are pretty great, though it is funny to skim the 1997 takes calling them “futuristic” since I think they’re more just weird and memorable. All in all it’s good, though I don’t think it’s her best based on what else I’ve heard.

Best song: Sock It 2 Me

Chill, smooth, certain. Teetering on the edge of mushiness but I don’t think it gets there: too many good melodies and the jazzy instrumentation feels professional and organic, not saccharine. A high-quality and highly relaxing album.

Best song: Moondance

Not the strongest album from a creative perspective but well-performed and passionate. I expected Janis Joplin to have a big ballsy showstopper voice, and she does obviously do that, but I was impressed by her range and sensitivity. The band is solid too with some great blues guitar. Not an all-time great but a worthy inclusion.

Best song: Piece of My Heart

Don’t think I’m into the whole noise rock thing. They’re an OK indie pop band covered in feedback noise for no apparent reason. I guess there’s something there with the contrast between soft melody and harsh noise, but it didn’t stick for me.

Best song: The Hardest Walk

Wow that was an odd one. This album sometimes feels more interested in being quirky than it is being, well, good, but it’s a legitimately interesting brew of jazz and blues and rock with an unmistakable mood and approach. Lyrics are strange but help build the seedy old-school America atmosphere, and the same goes for Waits’ warbly roar of a voice. I didn’t enjoy it much, but I appreciate it.

Best song: Tango Till They’re Sore

The perfect mix of sleaze and sarcasm with kindness and gentleness. Embraces the cheese of glam rock and the 70s as fully as anyone (Satellite of Love) while injecting it with bites of understated darkness (Walk on the Wild Side). Lou Reed is probably one of the best examples of an extremely limited singer who succeeded by knowing exactly how to write for his voice. Love the weird mix of jazz and cabaret influences too. A fantastic album, up there with Ziggy Stardust at the peak of glam for me.

Best song: Perfect Day

Very chill, pretty smooth, sometimes aimless, sometimes weird. A nice listen that didn't inspire a lot in me.

Best song: You Make It Easy

I’ve always respected Billy Joel and his thing from a slight distance, never being a huge fan, but this album might have changed my mind. This is really clean and hook-filled pop rock, nine tight tracks with no real skips. It's still a bit on the schmaltzy side for me... but there's nothing wrong with some schmaltz every now and then. A great album either way.

Best song: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Big dark pop, still mostly in the disco era but dipping its toes into synthpop. It’s soft in the middle but makes up for it with some great top tracks. A unique vibe executed with the signature ABBA polish and hooks.

Best song: Slipping Through My Fingers

There’s clearly something going on here, I just don’t think I’m getting it. Spooky 90s dance with lots of wailing backing vocals and jungle drums. Interesting but not very exciting to me.

The hardest rock had ever rocked at the time. I’ve heard this album before and I wouldn’t say I love it, I can’t put my finger on why, but I still like it a lot. Bonham’s drumming is crazy.

Best song: Dazed and Confused

Fitting to the name, this whole album sounds very nervous, from the thin high-tempo guitars to David Byrne's panicked wail of a voice. That gives it a vibe I can't really compare to anything but which I inexplicably like. It's very fun and groovy as well as being weird and artsy, and those two things never feel like they're in conflict with each other. Definitely a band I'm excited to explore more.

Best song: Life During Wartime

Beats minimal but hard, raps way more dynamic than I expected, and actual effective fusions of rap and rock. Quite a solid album even if it’s clearly dated.

Best song: It’s Tricky

Pretty groovy. I’m not particularly struck by anything in a good or bad way, though there are a couple cool riffs and licks. Overall this one just kinda passed over me.

Best song: Freddy’s Dead

Simple, dusty, rough-cut yet weirdly tender. A country concept album executed in fittingly humble fashion. The story isn’t especially coherent and it’s got a couple too many short ditties and repetitions of the main theme, but the whole product feels very solid and authentic. Love the sound and the few central songs.

Best song: Can I Sleep In Your Arms

Kinda repetitive and not the greatest rapping I’ve ever heard, but on the same points, the production is strong and consistent, and the vibes are impeccable. Some really excellent and influential beats. Shoutouts to Busta Rhymes’s random show-stealing appearance on the final track.

Best song: Jazz (We’ve Got)

Bob Dylan has never been more Bob Dylan than this: a bunch of long songs with weird lyrics crooned in an ugly nasal whiny voice. On paper that sounds kinda terrible, yet I really really like this album. For one thing I just think Dylan’s an excellent songwriter, winning a Nobel Prize for his craft for good reason. For another thing the instrumentation and arrangements are really expert stuff, thanks in no small part to the Nashville session musicians who worked on the album. And then the last track is, for my money, one of his greatest songs and worth all 11 minutes… though it is, you know, 11 minutes, so your mileage may vary.

Best song: Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

Radiohead still coming into their own and already very good. I think the idea of them as this super grim mopey band is mostly a stereotype, but it is reinforced by this one, probably their mopiest album. (There’s literally a song called Sulk. I mean. Come on.) Beneath all the dreary moods there are some gorgeous melodies on quality songs, a great mix of rockers and ballads and mid-tempo combos with big choruses. Instrumentally they’re nothing particularly special yet, but Thom Yorke’s ghostly wail is already here and pretty powerful in my book.

Best song: Street Spirit (Fade Out)

I enjoyed this one. Lots of cool instrumentation, pretty good sense of melody, suites/sections that were memorable and easy to follow, and a really big sound that wasn’t too pretentious. I’ve never really been into prog rock or instrumental rock, but this is a good listen.