Reviews by mkaddour2001

A lot of this album sort of reminds me of a more streamlined and polished version of Gene Clark's album 'No Other' with its ambitious take on country-rock fusions. And I really love that album, so, naturally, I enjoyed this. A song like 'Only You Know' is undeniably grand sounding and is one of the many tracks that takes hints from the sounds of early '70s soul musicians like Marvin Gaye. The following 'New York City Song' was this cute acoustic cut, a nice introspective breather in the mix here. Some moments here like 'Make the Women Love Me' and 'In and Out of the Shadows' reminded me of the heartland rock sounds of Springsteen. I guess Dion really loves his string arrangements...I mean they never really got old for me on this album, so I'm cool with it.

I guess this record is "generic-sounding" in almost every way possible, like the polished pop-music from the radio that I'm sure the alternatives that grew up in the late '70s got sick of. But I didn't grow up around that time so I don't care how generic this may or may not sound, I just think the music here sounds pretty damn good.

"I love this warm hug of a folk-duo" were my first thoughts when I clicked play on this, only to be greeted, after a nice music-box opening, with the cacophony that is 'Save The Life of My Child'. A song that just doesn't sound like a '60s song at all, let alone a Simon and Garfunkel song. From the strange brightened up samples to those striking vocal swells in the chorus, to the blaring saw, to the tragic lyrics - it was all just too much, but in a good way. Luckily, everything else here falls in line with exactly what I wanted, and sort of needed, out of a good ol' S&G album. 'America' was an early highlight, and the baroque aging-anthem 'Old Friends' paired with its vocal-sample predecessor provided some nice cohesion to this record - I mean from the child about to kill himself to the sorrows of the old and aging, this idea of the "Bookends" to life comes together nicely here - I'd say these ideas of fast-living also come through with the song 'A Hazy Shade of Winter'. Not saying this is a concept album or anything, but that's just my 2 cents. Either way, the songs here are all incredible, especially 'Mrs. Robinson' - it was my first time hearing this incredibly popular song, and it didn't disappoint. I guess I just really love the music these guys make.

From Pulp to Blur to now Oasis, I've realized that Britpop is just not for me. While I do think this particular record remains truer to classic acts adjacent to this sound, from The Beatles (especially with Digsy's Dinner or the closer 'Married with Children') to the Smiths, it still lacks all the variety and kick that made those bands so incredible. I just find it all kind of flat, with choruses in the first half that are borderline insufferable to me, like on 'Up In The Sky'. The longer songs really don't need to be as long as they are - they're really not that interesting lyrically or structurally. And yeah, Liam's just a very shallow vocalist to me, which may be the most disappointing thing here. I did like him on the bluesier 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' though.

For an album with a "pop" genre tag attached to it, there's not much here that's fun or sticky - say for maybe 'Slide Away' and 'Supersonic, by far and away the best songs here. And it doesn't commit to going very far in the other "experimental" direction either; the entire thing just meanders in this very safe, fuzzy guitar space and absolutely refuses to do anything remotely interesting. But I guess you could also argue that it's harmless, so I don't know. Didn't hate this thing, and I do think the second half is superior to the first, but I'd be kidding myself if I said that I didn't, at times, want to turn this thing off.

I mean, it's Megadeth; what do you expect? Cinematic, apocalyptic lyrics laced with mysticism and sci-fi, occasional melodic coasts, winding song structures, and road-burn solos. What is there not to like? This is by far and away their best release, and one where I can be certain that I'll enjoy whenever I click play. 'Hanger 18' has always been my favorite song off of this album...I just love that opening riff and closing solo. It's far from the only highlight here, though. I love the call-and-response between Mustaine and the guitar on 'Five Magics'. The sharp bass on this record is impeccable all around, but 'Poison Was The Cure' and 'Dawn Patrol' were such great (and short) showcases of how almost funk-inspired the basslines here are. I also really love the almost atomic-siren sounding guitar tone of 'My Creation', It's a short track, but such a fiery and haunting closer nevertheless. It sums up nicely the general feel of this album - it's cartoonishly bleak at times but also drenched in these feelings of paranoia that are very much real. This balance is reflected in both the music and lyrics.

Mustaine, as a vocalist, is far from my favorite in metal; I mean he's no Dickinson or Rob Halford. With that said, I've always enjoyed him more as a lyricist. The opening 'Holy Wars' is an obvious political highlight, but I always found the apocalyptic nuclear-scare 'Dawn Patrol' to be so much more spine-crawling, even more so than the more in-your-face follow-up title-track, which shares similar themes. I also really enjoyed the more personal direction taken on 'Tornado of Souls', I love how the lyrical direction churns into optimism alongside the rest of the music here.

I mean, this is thrash metal, and metal in general, in one of its finest forms. The amount of eye-widening guitar tones, heavy riffs, and switch-ups here alone make this a more sonically rounded-out metal album than many others of its time.

Nice chunky blues-rock, the type I adore (way more than anything Eric Clapton put out around this time). Everything just sounds so full, from the drums to the bass, and to the vocals - no millimeter of the sonic space here is wasted. And while this wasn't as interesting as Captain Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica', it was certainly more digestible. Certain songs, like the proto Tom Waits 'Dropout Boogie' and 'Electricity', have hints of that experimental and downright intangible sound that'd get fully fleshed-out on the band's 1969 album. And I can't help but notice many similarities to PJ Harvey's 'To Bring You My Love', one of my favorite albums ever, from their sharing similar first lines on the album to that melody on 'Dropout Boogie'. The more straightforward moments here like 'I'm Glad' and 'Yellow Brick Road' come off almost as gags and very sarcastic in the mix here. With that said, they still act as these very nice breathers. I really enjoyed 'Zig Zag Wanderer' because it blends both this album's distinct sounds and it's also the chunkiest-sounding thing here. I also love Beefheart's vocals all across this album, they're eccentric but never get to be too much. They're more satisfying than anything - I really liked him on the playful 'Abba Zaba' and his more emotive side coming out on 'Autumn's Child' was a great way to send off the record.

Super fun and an album that I'm sure will only continue to grow on me. There is just so much personality, heart, and innovation behind Beefheart's take on Garage and Blues Rock here that I couldn't help but smile when it all finished.

This album was much wilder than I had anticipated given this generic band name. 'The Band' certainly carved out a unique sound for themselves in the late '60s country-rock scene, a sound infused with a seemingly endless amount of sounds from other genres. The songs here feel almost intangible - the biggest challenge for me here was getting over just how *off* everything sounded. It's all over the place melodically and lyrically. I enjoyed the stability of a song like 'The Weight' with its classic folk structure, quaint biblical-imagery-laced story, and actual repetition. I feel the same about 'Long Black Veil', which goes in a more country direction, although its story is much darker. The whole thing has a very Rootsy/Bluesy undertone to it but, at times, like with the synthetic production on 'In A Station' or the strange psychedelic backing of 'This Wheel's On Fire', the band sounds almost '80s and somewhat proto-new wave...which was pretty cool. Many cool little production moments here, most have to do with the keys or synth. I especially love the sharp organ tone of 'Chest Fever', the organ on this record is generally enjoyable, but this track particularly does a great job at spotlighting just how full it can sound.

I'm admittedly confused by this album, it was disorienting, kind of unsettling, and puzzling but in a very subtle way. The vocals, instruments, and chord structures were all relatively standard for the genre, but just how they were arranged here threw me off. Still, this was a cool experience, I can always appreciate a band going off the rails in these otherwise very traditional-leaning genres.

On the surface, this sounds like your standard late '50s boogie-woogie piano-driven Rock N' Roll record - infused with various big band and jazz sounds. It makes sense, this was a genre Little Richard was a pioneer of. Maybe the standout here was Little Richard's vocals, they're sharp, guttural, and vicious. In the mix here, they're piercing - just listen to 'Can't Believe You Wanna Leave', 'Jenny, Jenny' or, especially, 'Ready Teddy' which may be my favorite song here. It's in many ways as cliche as this sound gets, with the breaks, repetitive melodic hook, and danceable groove, but god does it sound good. 'Slippin' And Slidin' (Peepin' and Hidin')' I feel similarly about, a fun-sounding track with this very playful core melody.

Nothing else here really gripped me musically. The songwriting wasn't very interesting and the song structures follow your typical blues style. The brass sections were relatively subdued, which I liked, but they tended to blend in with one another. But even with all that said, I'd still say it was an insightful 30-minute album, one that speaks to Little Richard's importance in the creation of rock music as we know it.

This was a very formative album for me when I was a young hip-hop fan. But it was also very formative for hip-hop in general, at a time when the genre was transitioning into its very glossy, blingy, 2000's form. I'm talking the high-pitched soul samples, a weird obsession with eastern samples, RnB-etched choruses, and, um Eminem...it's all here. The opening 'The Ruler's Back' feels almost like a starter's pistol for this new era of, not only hip-hop but popular culture in general. It's such a grand-sounding opener with this cinematic horn-backed instrumental. It's also, at its core, a Jay-Z comeback song after a very dry run in the '90s following his impeccable debut 'Reasonable Doubt'. I always preferred 'Ether' to 'Takeover' in the Nas/Jay-Z beef, but the 'The Doors' sample here, courtesy of Kanye, makes me prefer the production here generally. 'Girls Girls Girls' seems to get off on just how offensive it can be, but it admittedly gets at least a small chuckle out of me. It also has some of the best sample chopping here, and its sister Pt2 track is just as lush-sounding. Also, there's a dizzying amount of features on this song, like Q-tip and MJ are on here. It's "All of the Lights" before the fact. Other great production moments come in the form of the title track with those sweet organs, 'Heart Of The City' with its almost west-coast sounding flute and guitar-driven beat (and a very catchy chorus). And while 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' uses a very obvious 'Jackson 5' sample, it's still always been one of my favorite beats here...it speaks to Kanye's talents as a young producer at the time. Plus, Jay-Z was never one to avoid obvious samples.

And yeah Jay-Z is a great rapper. He's sort of like Tupac in many ways - he's an MC who values his choppy flow, cadence, and timing over pummeling the listener with back-to-back punchlines and wordplay. And he's in prime form here, even if he does get out-rapped by Eminem on 'Renegade' - which, unironically has my favorite Eminem performance ever, his own music included. The standout is obviously 'Song Cry' on the lyrical front. It's a precursor to "4:44" in many ways with Jay-Z tearing his ego to shreds. But he does it very subtly which is what makes this song so powerful to me. Because it's really not until the last line "I got to live with the fact I did you wrong forever" that Jay-Z takes this tough-boy mask off and admits his wrongdoing within the relationship. It's only one line but it says more than the rest of this very blame-evasive track does. I always thought this was a really important song for hip-hop.

This album feels like staring up at the Empire State Building. It's like '2000s hip-hop in its purest form. No gimmicks here (and surprisingly, for the time, no skits!!), just an enjoyable rap album. I remember loving this thing when I first heard it years ago, it opened my eyes to rap in a way I was previously oblivious to. Listening back to it now, it still sounds as great as ever.

I generally feel the same way about this Adele record as I do about her follow-up, 25. But while this younger (well I guess older now) record is more drenched in its influences, with the sounds of the late Amy Winehouse seeping into a good chunk of the songs here, it ultimately has the better crop of songs. It also beats out 25 nostalgically speaking for me. 'Rolling In the Deep' perfectly meshes those soul revival sounds of the '2000s with the incoming ferocity and punch of 2010-era pop. 'Turning Tables' is a gorgeous power ballad and while this cover of 'Lovesong' is missing that iconic 'The Cure' bassline, the magnificent string arrangements make up for it. The call-and-response chorus of the blues-rocky 'Rumor Has It' works better than it has any right to and the closing 'Someone Like You' is classic Adele and its finest. And I mean classic. And, even at 21, she's an incredible vocalist.

Probably my favorite Adele album, so many classic tunes here. Nothing mind-blowing or really all that innovative on the production end, sure, but, believe it or not, sometimes music can just be really good and that's it.

Going into this, I expected the legendary Jeff Buckley's father, Tim Buckley, to sound more or less similar to him - or at least in that same folky lane as him. It was an admittedly stupid expectation to go in with...I mean we're talking a whole generation between the two. The standout element of this album was its Jazzy fusions. I'm talking the keys on 'Get on Top' and 'Devil Eyes' or the very tribal-sounding percussion all over this thing. The song 'Nighthawkin' I'd say draws its jazz-rock fusion sounds from many of Tim's contemporaries within the genre. We also get a lot of blues, rock, and funk thrown into the mix, though I found those moments, like with the bluesy 'Hong Kong Bar', far less compelling. The almost Latin-themed 'Make It Right', while not doing much for me, was an interesting and very grandiose sounding closer.

So a lot of interesting sounds fused here but, say for a select few songs (near the beginning), I didn't find this hodgepodge of genres to be very cohesive. Tim himself is an interesting vocalist, and very dynamic as well. I swear there are times on here where it sounds like five different vocalists on the same track like on 'Sweet Surrender' - one of the more consistent songs instrumentally, sort of going in a very soulful direction. 'Devil Eyes', in many ways, reminded me of a classic Hendrix cut, and it has some of Tim's best and most consistently enjoyable vocal chops.

So yeah, not too sure how to feel about this, it didn't keep me hooked in its final few songs. But It's still a very eclectic album and one that, very clearly, exhibits Tim's many talents as a musician.

During the genre's golden era, believe it or not, Australian punk sounded very much like British punk. Like the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Not a bad thing by any means - there's plenty of great punk to be found here. 'Lost and Found', 'Private Affair', 'The Perfect Day', and 'New Centre of the Universe' are all exceptional, traditional punk tracks. But there's an almost vintage feel to this album, a Stooges edge, and a classic Rock' N Roll edge too. It's a punk record that appreciates the sounds that lead up to "punk" as we know it today. It's very diverse-sounding - it can fall into the traditional sounds of punk just as easily as it can fall out of them. There is a certain pop appeal to the songs here. From the acoustic-driven 'Untitled' to 'Run Down', a straightforward punk track that boasts an almost "country" and "soul" vibe. 'No, Your Product' is another great example of this because, unlike many other punk tracks from its time, it actually progresses when that lead guitar is introduced halfway through and it starts building alongside the vocalist. And this song, 'No, Your Product' is also a masterclass in punk writing - it evokes this itchy, claustrophobic feeling at first - one born out of a repetitive, mundane, and straight life; one that lacks any form of individualism (a common theme on this record). But when the guitar starts building with Chris' cries to break free, the track just bursts open. It's one of the most cathartic moments in a punk album I've heard. 'Orstralia' shares similar sentiments, and is one of the funnier songs here.

I also love Chris' deadpan delivery all over this album, a staple of the genre, but here it all feels particularly sarcastic. For how amazing and eclectic everything sounds, it sure does feel like it was achieved almost effortlessly. And that makes for one cool ass record.

Pulp, and 'Different Class' especially, may be the most proto-2000-indie-pop sounding thing of the '90s. This album really carries so many of the traits that the genre would boast come its 21st-century heyday. I'd say this is most apparent in the song 'Common People', with its unpredictable vocal inflections, ambitious song structure, and quirky change-ups. This one song feels like an ode to Springsteen in many ways, all the way from the very clean, uplifting music to the blue-collar-worker-themed lyrics. Also, the production on this album is peak pop production - especially in this lane. It's what kept me engaged throughout this whole thing. 'I Spy' was unbelievably grand, and definitely much larger sounding than the contents of its lyrics would lead you to believe, It sounds like it should be soundtracking the climax of an old western. That groove established on the instrumental break on 'Something Changed' was pure jangly goodness. The drumming and drum fills are incredible all throughout this album, they sound great and carry a lot of punch - just listen to those snares on 'Sorted For E's & Wizz'. 'FEELINGCALLEDLOVE' also had many heartland rock-sounding moments, especially with the strings in the chorus.

Unfortunately, and as I had anticipated given my thoughts on 'This is Hardcore', the vocals and lyrics ultimately ended up ruining the experience for me. They just didn't click. Parts of it reminded me of The Clash's Joe Strummer, especially with 'Disco 2000', but like way more irritating and tedious. 'I Spy' was a great song, vocally even. That is until this guy felt the need to go into this tacky spoken word piece that kills all the momentum the song had built up in its first half. And I just don't like the direction many of his vocal melodies went in, they were very stale, like on the song 'Something Changed'. They weigh down these incredible instrumentals. It's like, the vocals aren't TERRIBLE, but they don't, in any way, complement the music...not for me at least. And while there is some wit to be had here, I found very little of it actually quotable or funny. I did like the vocalist on the opener 'Mis-Shapes'; this song stands out here lyrically as he conveys a lot of optimism and hope for change in this very energetically youthful way. And, again, 'Common People' was at least fun to get through.

It's weird, I don't usually hate this vocal and lyrical style, but the rest of the music here was just so incredible, that it made the vocals feel so bland and flat. That is to say, these instrumentals deserved way better.

When I was first browsing through the latest iteration of this list, I was shocked to find that this was the (only) Talk Talk pick they decided to go with. But maybe it is the most fitting pick - perfectly bridging the band's earlier new-wave style and their late '80s and early '90s jazz and post-rock dabblings - with two of the greatest albums in the genre. While this album's songs are shorter, less airy, and less ambient than Talk Talk's later works, it certainly contains all the flair and beauty. The sounds are so vibrant, and the organs, acoustics, and bass are so colorful, not unlike this album cover. 'I Don't Believe in You', aside from being antithetical to their later 'I Believe in You', floored me with just how gorgeously all the various sounds blended. 'April 5th' sounds straight out of the "Laughing Stock" playbook, primarily with that soft yet restrained piano chord progression and organ. Like many of the songs here, it's filled with natural imagery and subtle nods to death and life afterward. It feels like a deep breath filled with the smells of maple and sap. While not a huge fan of 'Life's What You Make It' and its new-wave cliches, I found myself more partial towards the song 'Living in Another World', which does similar things - albeit with more pizzazz. My favorite song here has to be the closer 'Time It's Time', a perfect blend of all of Talk Talk's sounds and I love those backing vocals on the cathartic chorus.

While not my favorite Talk Talk record (I think they're a band that got better with each subsequent release), it was a nice revisit. And one that demonstrates the band's unique sounds at every step of their journey. R.I.P the genius, Mark Hollis

The Byrds are super consistent regarding '60s country rock and folk acts—especially ones with pop leanings. There is a psychedelic twist here, apparent in the lyrical themes of the opener and the instrumentals of songs like 'Natural Harmony' or 'Old John Robertson'. The offputtingly ethereal sound of 'Draft Morning' paired with those morbid lyrics and harrowing snippets made for a gripping political song. I'd go as far as to say that the vocal harmonies and instrumentation of the calmer parts of this song reminded me of the late '80s and early '90s dream-pop sound. 'Space Odyssey' might be the most mind-blowing track here - a subtly grating, clipping drone and theremin-sounding thing drive this very ominous sci-fi song. This is the type of experimentation you'd expect out of the Beatles from this time. It's a black sheep here though, most of the other songs are relatively soft and easy on the ears - 'Goin' Back' and 'Get to You' are two of the many gorgeous tracks here.

Maybe I dismissed The Byrds after enjoying Gene Clark's solo work so much more (A man who's not even on this album much, if at all - he had left by this point). But this album kicked ass - it's how I like my warm '60s music. Like a cozy hug on a cold morning.

As a huge punk rock guy, I've never been a big fan of the so-called "pioneering" bands. I'd say that mostly applies to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones as I do enjoy The Clash quite a lot (mostly their later stuff). I've always found that I'm far more interested in the proto-punk sounds of the VU and The Stooges who, while not following the short, quick, three-chord style that would later be commonly associated with punk, understood what would make the genre so incredible at the turn of the decade into the '80s. But New York's Ramones were definitively punk - with those leather jackets, fast playing, and the speedy banger that is 'Blitzkrieg Bop', a song that contains all those classic punk-associated sounds I mentioned (while also being insanely catchy). But I find this relatively short record fails to keep that 'Blitzkrieg Bob' fire lit - with some awful low points with 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' and 'Listen to My Heart'. This band is hugely influential so I won't knock them too much. I love the idea behind those 17-minute-long 1974 CBGB debut shows; with them running through all their songs at break-neck speed. So to me, The Ramones are just that...the start of an incredible idea. An idea that would get built on so heavily and in such a short amount of time. I mean by the end of the decade this sound would've already evolved many times. But when it comes to enjoying this boilerplate debut, I just can't. Some moments border on being dry and dull. There are still some kick-ass moments here like the riffs on 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue' and 'Havana Affair', a song that contains some of the more interesting political commentary here.

Very important, just not my cup of tea.

I went into this having already enjoyed the clusterfuck that is 1997's 'The Fat of the Land'. And this monster is certainly a clusterfuck in its own right but in a far less "obviously" charming way. Despite being released only 3 years before its more popular younger brother, I found this album's metal, electronic, and big-beat fusions to sound significantly more dated. It's a different thing entirely though, the songs here are longer and more repetitive, and there are barely any vocals. There's no standout banger like 'Firestarter' either. And yeah this album is fucking stupid, and I thought I was going to hate it, but no, I love it. And not even in a "it's so bad it's good" kinda way. Like the beats here are big, the sample choices are consistently interesting, and the vocal snippets with the "fuck 'em and their law" of 'Their Law' or the garbled "The Energy" on 'The Heat (The Energy)' or the "I've got the poison!" of 'Poison' are all utterly hilarious. The album is too long for its good, this album cover is atrocious, and certain switch-ups make absolutely no sense - but I was enjoying every minute of this nevertheless. Those break-neck speed drums and subtle switch-ups sound like cars blowing up beside you in a Tokyo street race, especially on 'Voodoo People', an absolute adrenaline rush with what sounds like a subtle fiddle hit guiding the track through its various phases. This song is so masterfully over the top, I love it. 'Poison' is relentlessly funky with those distorted bass hits and acid-house leanings. I love the bassline on 'No Good (Start the Dance)', maybe the most straight-up electronic cut here. '3 Kilos' is super chilled out compared to everything else here - it serves to round out the whole album experience quite nicely.

But I understand I was just in the right headspace for this. If I was annoyed or irritated this could've easily ended up being my least favorite album, like ever. Instead, it ended up being one of my favorites from this list so far. Funny how things work. It's like the music "Resident Evil 4" if anyone gets that reference...a fundamental masterpiece masked in a layer of tack that only serves to make it more enjoyable.

Bluesy and laid-back, this was certainly a strange record—one I couldn't really figure out on this first listen. It was quite unsettling at times, in a good way. I loved the mood established by 'Danse Kalinda Ba Doom,' which is very Eastern-influenced. The closer 'I Walk on Guilded Splinters' does something similar as well. It's a very tribal and spiritual-sounding closer. Everything here sets a very strong mood. It's a hypnotizing record I'll give it that, especially on the jazzy-instrumental moments like 'Croker Courtbullion'. I didn't fully get this album so I can't write much about it, but I'll most likely be revisiting it - it's a unique sound, especially for its time.

Maybe not as visceral as say 'Stand!' or some work by Funkadelic from around this time like 'Maggot Brain'. But 'There's a Riot Goin' On' is about as tight as a psychedelic funk record can get, in presentation and attitude. The songs are slow and structurally non-linear and each groove is composed of this pile of colorful noises. On 'African Talks To You' and its sister 'Thank You For Talkin' to Me, Africa' the meticulous changes to the groove are so subtle that I didn't really notice *what changed*, but I did very well feel the movement. The movement in all these tracks is strong. I love how clumped-up and bubbly the instrumental of 'Family Affair' is. The slow ballad 'Time' and the following 'Spaced Cowboy' have hat-driven beats that almost feel proto-techno given how fast they were mixed here with those kicks. 'Time' is easily the most striking track here, especially as that synth clips in and out in volume in the second half. The yodeling on 'Spaced Cowboy' was another striking moment here.

While the album as a whole has a lot of personality, no individual track stood out from the others. No one song tries to shift the vibe or mood set here, it all feels very static in that sense. It's a careful record. This, alongside the psychedelic nature of everything, created an almost hypnotic effect, one I couldn't shake, not even when I was done listening. It's an insanely consistent record. And also just really damn good.

Eminem's always been too much for me. And I vowed, after first going through his discography, to never go through it again. I actually enjoyed that first go quite a bit - it was a few years back though. I saw his records for what they were - trying too hard to be edgy but in a (mostly) fun way. Eminem's music is a listen-once-and-done type of thing for me. But here I am listening to this again. I always liked Dr. Dre's production, especially on the song 'Guilty Conscience'. And this song, despite containing all the gimickiness I've never enjoyed in Slim's music, I've always enjoyed the over-the-top nature of it. 'Brain Damage' is another high watermark in Slim's career, the guy was always great at storytelling and his recalling of why he's so messed up in this overly gorey and traumatic way was engaging to say the least. And 'Bad Meets Evil' is a genuinely great early '2000s-styled rap song. Everything else here is standard Eminem. Production is consistently lowkey, the type that you would chill out to. That is until Eminem's yelpy vocals and sound effects sort of take you out of the trance. I don't hate Eminem's voice, I certainly enjoy his old voice more than his new one. It's just different and again gimmicky and not the type I'd throw on casually. And the hooks here are awful generally, sort of a staple for this time and style of hip-hop - but the one on 'My Fault' got stuck in my head.

Eminem's a lyrical talent - he does great things with words but after a second listen to this, I feel like I've had enough Eminem for, like, the next few months. Again, I think it boils down to him being too much for me. But I'll always appreciate this dude, he was a force to be reckoned with for the time and he means a lot to a lot people.

I didn't hate this - just wish it offered more. While listening I drew plenty of 'LCD Soundsystem' and 'The KIllers' comparisons. But this album is far more consistent than any project out of those guys. It's also more rooted in its post-punk influences - filled to the brim with these staccato guitar hits, akin to groups like 'Bloc Party'. Granted it still contains the quirky, referential style of all those bands - sing-along choruses included.

While a fun listen, the sounds get old quickly - and the overly theatric vocal style doesn't help remedy this grating effect. There are riffs for days here, but not the slightest hint of a change in song structure. I'll cut the band some slack, it is a debut after all, and with that considered, it's pretty damn consistent. The big hit 'Take Me Out' is oddly enough the most interesting song here from a structural perspective with that early switch-up. 'Auf Achse' was a nice change of pace - introducing synths, and keys, and it goes in this more introspective, yet still angsty lyrical direction. It's got the most winner chorus here though - super catchy and hard-hitting. 'Come On Home' also won me over for similar reasons and the closing '40 was quite the explosive finish with that tremolo-picked guitar.

If you want pure, unfiltered, boilerplate post-punk revival music, I can't think of a better album than this one to get that fix - or just to get introduced to the genre in general. I'd say that statement sums up the best and worst things about this album pretty well.