mkaddour2001

When I first laid ears on this thing back in 2023, I labelled it my second favourite album of that year. But it's been a while since I've listened to it in its entirety, so I wasn't sure if I'd still feel that way. But nope, this still completely slaps, and it's a shame that it doesn't get talked about more. Sure, it's very "behind" its time; it very much has that early '2000s Prodigy-esque plunderphonics feel to it without putting too much effort into trying to incorporate any of the new "hip" electronic music sounds of the 2020s. But The Chemical Brothers are pioneers of this sound, and they still prove here that they can do it exceptionally well, so I'll let their "can't get with the times" attitude slide for this album at least.

The loops here are just as great as ever, simple, repetitive and danceable, not really "Big Beat" in that traditional sense, but it still has that chaotic live DJ set feel, with quick, earwormy vocal loops at the center of a lot of these songs. 'Live Again' and 'No Reason' are among the group's best tracks. 'Goodbye' and those resonant, bit-crushed square waves over this driving drum loop will always be magical to me. 'The Weight' sounds like it was lifted straight from their debut, that is, until those suffocating dense pads come in. And 'Skipping like A Stone' with Beck has been on repeat since this record came out, an unskippable feel-good anthem that's one of the best tracks of this decade yet. There's nothing quite like when that kick hits. And just like The Avalanches with their 2020s stuff, The Chemical Brothers manage to do very well with incorporating non-sampled vocals into their dance tracks.

Admittedly, this album really has no right being on this list, especially considering some of the classics it's replaced in this newest edition. But I think I'll be one of the last people to complain.

Before this re-listen, I would've been quick to tag this as my least favourite of D'Angelo's three (masterpiece) records. But I'm maybe not so sure anymore. I think I still like 'Voodoo' a bit more, but this record, oddly enough, feels like it takes the spacey and slow atmosphere of that Neo-soul classic and adds a much more poppy and accessible tint to it. I still think 'Black Messiah' is his undeniable masterpiece, but if you want something easier to digest, a Neo-Soul record you can just throw on and drift along to for nearly an hour, this more than fits the bill. This is about as good as debut albums come.

Again, it's intimate and spacey, but still just very busy, with repetitive but densely layered tracks, harmonies, and melodies that move with such an addicting subtlety. The bass here is incredible as well; an impeccably tight rhythm section all around that really elevates a lot of these psych-bordering jams. And the standalone tracks here are some of D'Angelo's most memorable. 'Brown Sugar' kicks the album off with a bang, just a super catchy tone-setter; his falsetto counter-melody is THE earworm of the album. 'Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine' has one of my all-time favourite D'Angelo choruses, absolute bliss, especially when those strings come in. The vocal-layering and harmonies here are second to none. And 'Lady' is this album's hypnotic classic, containing one of the best guitar licks you'll find in all of '90s RnB.

About as perfect as you can get with Neo Soul, really. I do still think D'Angelo's follow-ups push the genre in more "interesting" directions. But for something more straightforward and enjoyable, I think I'll take this record any day. Rest in Peace to this absolute legend.

Kind of amazing. I don't know why I've neglected to check out John Cale's solo work in the past, given the fact that I love pretty much all his involvement with The Velvet Underground and his one record with Brian Eno, 'Wrong Way Up,' is fantastic and super underrated.

And yeah, this record was everything I love about early '70s art-rock music. It has that pop-rock experimentalism of Eno and Roxy Music, no surprise, especially 'Half Past France' with these slow, dramatic chord progressions. And the very abstract, referential, and character-driven lyricism of this song, and the rest of the record, also reminded me of what I love so much about Brian Eno.

But the record on its own just has such a uniquely magical vibe, a mixture of warm, introspective, like with 'Hanky Panky Nahow' or 'Andalucia' (which, oddly enough, reminds me of Sufjan Stevens with that falsetto bit in the chorus), and more upbeat pop-rock bangers like some of my favourites, 'Child's Christmas in Wales', 'Macbeth', and 'Paris 1919'. And as a vocalist, Cale's really compelling; he doesn't stick to one style, and he's not afraid to throw out a cheesy, albeit sticky and catchy, chorus melody here and there; just listen to the one in 'Paris 1919'. And instrumentally, it just feels like you're staring at the most detailed piece of Renaissance art you can find, so colourful and beaming with life.

It's also short, punchy, and almost every single song brought me great joy to some degree. Incredible.

Some honestly pretty great early 90s pop-rock, bordering on emo; I can easily draw a line between this record and a lot of mid-2000s emo-pop acts, especially an artist like Avril Lavigne. There were some pretty fantastic cuts in the mix; 'Say Anything' felt a bit more progressive and dynamic than you'd expect out of your typical alternative cut, and 'Fifty Years After The Fair' was just a straightforward banger that I really enjoyed.

And vocally, Aimee Mann is pretty convincing in this alley; she delivers a pretty well-rounded performance all things considered, with that very much necessary emotional teenage cadence. Very much of its time album still, despite its more visionary "attitude", but I was shocked at how many of the songs I enjoyed here. Nothing too, too special, but definitely a hidden gem in this list for me.

The guy from Crosby, Stills, and Nash that I didn't really know too much about. It's a pretty ambitious country-rock record, pretty dirty and based in the grittier roots of rock ' n ' roll at times, with songs like 'Right Now' or 'Jet Set' which has a pretty out-of-left-field but honestly great psychedelic jam switch-up. But also this record's not afraid to get on the softer side of things with a good chunk of the songs near the middle. It's a cool record, I suppose; it tackles many different country-adjacent sounds with varying degrees of success. The highlights were there: 'Both Of Us (Bound To Lose' and 'Colorado' are about as perfect as you can get with early '70s soft country-rock music. I love the quaint folksiness of a track like 'Jesus Gave Love Away For Free' as well.

Admittedly, Stills I find doesn't grab me as a vocalist, especially when compared to a guy like Crosby or Neil Young, but he gets the job done. And he has a knack for melody at the end of the day. Given how massive this record is, I found it very difficult to digest on a first go-through, especially given the fact that there's just so much thrown at you. But it definitely piqued my interest, and I'll likely be revisiting it in the future. Good album