Reviews by mkaddour2001

Another lush, soulful entry from this Celtic band. And though it's less obviously "punk" than the follow-up, the imagery, storytelling, vocals, and unbelievably layered instrumentals are still top-notch. It's admittedly sort of streamlined, and exactly how you'd expect a Celtic folk-rock to sound like - especially 'Sally Maclennane,' which is maybe my favourite song here; it feels like something you'd hear at some worse-for-wear sing-along Irish pub. It's also far less varied than their follow-up, but you still get the sort of slow, marching longing of a song like 'A Pair of Brown Eyes' or the sort of sorrowful dirge of the closing 'The Band Played Waltzing Matilda', another undeniable highlight.

Good stuff; always enjoy a good Pogues record.

Always really liked this album despite never really being a huge fan of this style of music. Especially in the 2010s, there was this oversaturation of slow, reverby, spacey music which didn't click with me. They just all felt sort of bland and lifeless. The thing I love about Beach House is that they don't sacrifice good melody and songwriting by hiding behind those very vibey, ethereal elements of their music. In fact, I'd argue that Victoria's lead vocals are at the forefront here, not unlike the group Cocteau Twins. The music is still incredible; the guitars are warm and fuzzy, and the synth loops are generally pleasant and ear-grabbing, but they all just serve as a backdrop to the real highlight, which is the vocals and harmonies. I mean, the first three tracks here are all top-tier dream pop songs that I've been listening to for as long as I can remember - 'Sliver Soul' especially is so mind-blowing every time: the really emotive vocals, the sort of twisted, uneasy guitar lead, the way those harmonies come in at the final go of the chorus - really one of the most incredible songs in this lane. I also really liked 'Used To Be'; it felt more lighthearted and upbeat when compared to everything else here, and '10 Mile Stereo' is another track with a fantastic vocal and instrumental build, just shimmering and swelling leads in that chorus as Victoria's vocals reach a euphoric peak.

The thing about Victoria that I love is her deeper and more restrained delivery; it's not very traditional in this lane, and she's objectively not the greatest vocalist or anything, but the conviction in her voice is there, and her deeper vocals so perfectly juxtapose the music on this album. And I'll always respect Beach House for not drenching their lead vocalist in shitty effects.

I think the thing still holding this record back is that it really is a one-trick pony - Beach House in general I think are. But I won't knock it too much for that; it's one incredibly executed trick that draws you in and refuses to let go, sucking you into this serene, beautiful world.

I mean, it's okay, and while I don't fully understand its place on this list, the consistent, gloomy, run-down country-rock sound is at least semi-enjoyable. I do wish the songs were more fleshed out; I can't really recall a single memorable track. Semi-memorable moments, yes, but everything just blends into one another, especially near the middle. The main issue for me is the monotonous vocals that sit somewhere between Lou Reed and Bill Callahan, but without the character that makes those two so great. And this thing just feels so slow and spacey, which is usually fine, but the sonic palette and instrumentation here weren't super engaging. That's just a roundabout way of saying this was definitely too long and boring; it makes me not want to dive into the lyrics as much as maybe I should. If I had to name a favourite track, it'd be 'Shiver'; it feels like the most singular track here, a decent acoustic-driven alt rock cut with some solid vocals.

I just don't understand the placement here; it's a sort of an energy killer with very little to latch on to. The worst part is there were so many better indie acts that were completely left off this list.

Pretty solid, not as good as her later album 'Dusty In Memphis', but still good. Definitely far more rudimentary and steeped in the sounds of mid-'60s pop and soul, which is far from a bad thing - it's a pretty great sound, especially on songs like 'Mama Said' and the sort of ominous cover of 'You Don't Own Me', which felt like a darker and moodier sound for Dusty, and is easily the best-sounding song here.

Unfortunately, the record does peak really early on with those tracks; everything that follows was nice, but didn't immediately stick with me.

Really liked this one; it has a very krautrock feel with its unpredictable fusions of experimental electronic with these groovier, jammier bits. It starts with the massive opener 'Djed', which feels like an experimental electronic odyssey, constantly stuttering and switching haphazardly between its many movements, with gear that sounds modern but also has the dirty, grainy vintage feel of stuff like '70s Cluster and Tangerine Dream. My favourite part was the second-to-last ambient bit with this simple but gorgeous chord progression.

The rest of the record is comprised of a bunch of much smaller, but still very enjoyable forays into the worlds of krautrock, occasionally dabbling in the melancholia of post-rock. 'Glass Museum' especially feels like it could've inspired every GYBE song under the sun with those gorgeous arpeggios and that dreary, twangy lead. 'The Taut and Time' was also great, just super funky kraut feel to this one with these syncopated drums, a very scratchy guitar, and a run-down-sounding organ driving it. 'Along the Banks of Rivers' has this rundown noir feel to it, with these sharp guitars; it reminds me of the guitar tone used on 'Sour Times' by Portishead.

Great album, been meaning to check out Tortoise for a while now, so glad it appeared here.

I mean, it's about as run-of-the-mill as you can get when it comes to late '60s singer-songwriters, but it wasn't awful or anything, just largely uninteresting. The softer, lulling songs were the clear highlights here for me, songs like 'Sweet Baby James' and 'Blossom'. Everything else was alright, but too derivative and lacking any personality. The album jumps around too much, like the (too loud) big band on 'Steamroller Blues' or the almost comically stereotypical soft-rock country track 'Country Road', which were absolute pace-breakers and completely out of place on this otherwise intimate, warm record.

An album that certainly ages itself in a lot of its worst moments, but the couple of great songs are at least partially worth the price of admission alone, I'd say. It's also relatively short, so I can't knock it too much. Just wish it had a more distinctive personality and sound.

Yooo, it's the monkey biopic guy. I don't know anything about this him aside from that, but I feel like I'd like him; he seems like a genuine, down-to-earth guy, even through his lyrics. All that just to say that I didn't actually enjoy this album.

This is one of the most derivative records I've heard in a long time; Williams really isn't bringing anything new to the table. And the fact that he's taking from '90s Britpop of all genres, a sound I'm generally not fond of, didn't help. I will admit that a lot of the similar-sounding Britpop albums from this list were far more underground than this, so I guess Robbie can be credited with bringing this sound up to the mainstream? Doesn't make it any more interesting but still worth mentioning. The massive song on this album, 'Angel', is probably my favourite, a sort of power ballad and, again, showcases William's pretty sincere edge.

I get this guy's a big deal in the UK, but again this thing just lacks any sort of unique identity. It is admittedly a debut, so it could just be him trying to find his sound. Wouldn't be surprised if he appears on this list again, but for now, not a huge fan.

Pretty good, not unlike The Doors in a lot of ways, with its moodier and organ-driven take on Psychadelic. Though Iron Butterfly are notably less bluesy and more openly poppy. Because a good chunk of this album is made up of short, pretty standard, but also pretty good pop tunes, like the opener 'Most Anything You Want' and 'Flowers and Beads'.

Otherwise, the album is built around its massive, jammy closing "centerpiece" 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', which is honestly pretty great, especially that first half with the keyboard and psychedelic guitar soloing forming this really entrancing and hypnotizing groove (straight out of "Light My Fire"). It loses a bit of steam near the end with that meandering organ and noise bit, but still a pretty chilling and rather enjoyable monster song.

Really neat darker '60s psych record. Again, I'm reminded a lot of The Doors with it, but I do think that while there are similarities there, the band certainly carves out an at least semi-unique sound.

Not that much to say about this record; pretty good background listening Jazz music, blending those more traditional (and sorta dated by this point) Big Band and swing sounds with the slicker playing of late '50s jazz, with some nice soloing contrasting those typically ear-blowing, brassy sections. It was fun, and I really liked the song 'Flight of the Foo Birds' in particular.

Actually really enjoyed this, believe it or not, even though I didn't fully grasp a lot on the first listen. First and foremost, the whole thing feels insanely satirical. The music here jumps between big, anthemic and very cinematic, like with 'Leben HeiBt Leben', the title track, or the closer 'The Great Seal', and also dark and industrial, like with 'Leben-Tod' or 'How The West Was Won'. It's such a strange sonic palette, but it elicits a pretty sinking feeling like you're being emotionally manipulated by some super government, and you're helpless as you just fall for propaganda film after propaganda film. A gross feeling only accentuated by this gnarly cover art, which so perfectly captures the sound of this thing. It's not exactly something I see myself revisiting super often per se, but the initial experience was pretty unsettling and sort of menacing, especially with those deep, bellowing vocals on a bunch of these songs. Well, I did actually unironically like 'Opus Dei'; it was pretty catchy and enjoyable in its own right, all while still fitting pretty well into this album's aesthetic.

This is the type of music you'd hear out of your TV 24/7 in some overpopulated, fascist-ruled Central European country in the '50s. So I'm not really sure why I liked it so much; maybe that's exactly why - it was a strange experience, and it'll certainly stick with me for the near future. Good pick.

I listened to half of this thing while falling in and out of an afternoon nap, and I quite enjoyed it in that context. Because the whole thing feels like a fever dream, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it, even after finishing it while being fully conscious. On the surface, it's sort of trip-hop, with a heavy emphasis on snappy drum-kit loops and sound collages with songs like 'What is Happening?', 'Butter The Soul', and 'Funky Days Are Back Again'. Also, with the really raunchy and unsettling 'When the Light Appears Boy'... this album has its fair share of weird moments. But also there's a Britpop feel to the more traditional tracks on here; 'Brimful of Asha', for instance, was pretty catchy and maybe the most easily enjoyable cut here, with bright instrumentation and a goofy but catchy chorus. 'Good Shit' was pretty good too, another one of the better funky drum rhythms here. The vocals on the record are generally solid, but I honestly really enjoyed the female vocals on 'Good to Be on the Road Back Home', which felt like country-rock through this band's really odd lens. You also get a couple of odd Indian-inspired cuts as well; they weren't my favourites here, but I did enjoy the shorter interlude-y 'Coming Up'. Their inclusion makes sense, given the heritage of some of the members, but whether they worked or not, I'm not sure.

Again, really weird album; it feels like it's mostly composed of strange one-off interludes, and it's largely unfocused. But I didn't hate it, and I felt strangely fulfilled by the end of it. It was neat, at least.

Fuck I gotta stop accidentally wiping the reviews I write for these albums. Gist of my thoughts was that this was a great funk and soul album, first and foremost, and clearly much less disco than whatever album ‘September’ is on, a song I’m not a huge fan of and what I expected this album would sound like.

Very similar to a group like Parliament with its clean and glitzy production, with giant soulful love ballads and tight, percussive funk tracks making up a majority of the record. ‘Happy Feelin’ is my favourite song and it balances both these sounds, and I love when the whole thing just pulls-back to make way for this really melancholic sax melody. Great song and great album honestly.

Pretty gorgeous, sort-of folksy record. What sticks out is how dense and lush the production can be, especially on the first side; I mean, just listening to the song 'Pass In Time,' it feels just so grand, like a ginormous tree growing and evolving before your eyes. It has that lively, nature feel, in a Joanna Newsom sort of way. This lush acoustic and rustic quality makes the album remarkably easy to listen to. And Beth just has the gentlest voice, and whether she's singing over a trip-hop beat like on 'Stars All Seem to Weep' (an out-of-place very '90s track here, but still one of my personal favourites on here), or some moody, brooding acoustic playing like on 'Blood Red River' or 'Devil Song', she manages to just absolutely entrance me; her vocals are the highlight here. And I can't not mention the opener 'Stolen Car' here; just an absolute bop. Those strings just sound so rich, and they're used so tastefully as well.

So yeah, this is an easy listen, but as a trade-off, it's not really doing much bold, rather just doing this sound exceptionally well. Can't knock it for that; especially when I really enjoyed my time with it.

I am a little sick of this guy; I don't think he needed this many entries on this list. But this was definitely one of the albums by him that I enjoyed the most. I feel like it being a debut and more rudimentary actually benefitted the record more than anything; it feels less dizzying, exhausting, and gimmicky when compared to his later records. You get some really great early new-wave pop rock songs here - 'No Dancing', 'Alison', and 'Sneaky Feelings' were all great, and short as well, feeling very direct while still being interesting takes on traditional pop-rock, which is what I generally like about Costello.

Vocally, though, Costello still throws out note after note with little space between when building his melodies, but at least it's not atrocious on here; I guess he just has a lot to say. But sometimes I just wish he'd take a breather, especially on 'Less Than Zero'. Still, his melodies on here are some of his best; I'll mention "Alison" again, which was great and maybe the best song I've heard from him yet.

A pretty engaging and enjoyable garage rock record that fits pretty snugly alongside a bunch of its '60s contemporaries - and it's pretty damn good. There's a proto-punk feel to this record, just the strained and disjointed vocals, the upbeat and faster playing, and occasionally politically charged lyricism. Though admittedly it doesn't take itself as seriously as your typical punk record or anything, you get some really goofy songs here like 'That's My Girl' or'Cuckoo,' which I still really liked, honestly. And while they're not as aggressive as a group like The Sonics, they still have some high-octane, blood-pumping tracks here.

More than anything, I adore this proto-punk sound of the mid '60s; it feels like some twisted form of punk that's still very much trapped in rock ' n' Roll song structures and instrumental palettes, but the idea is very much there...it's just sort of struggling to break out of the sounds of its time. 'I Can't Get Over You' is maybe the best example of this. Ominous and feedback-drenched guitar tones up against these more cheery, yet still very unsettling-sounding organ bits that threaten to hop into these directionless and cacophonous solos out of nowhere - how can you not love it?

Great album; do wish it was more easily available, though.

Some honestly really well-executed post-hardcore and emo here, musically at least. Just super heavy and driving, noisy but with beaming melodies in the guitar and bass work that evoke feelings of despair, lowliness or desolation - with weeping trebly bits paired against these heavy riffs to form some really layered instrumentals. 'Debonair' has an absolutely infectious, scratchy guitar and bass groove, while still capturing that heavy nocturnal sound in the chorus. And 'Fountains and Fairfax' at the halfway mark especially had this burst of strings of guitars that had no right to be as gorgeous as it was. 'Closing Prayer' and that instrumental outro are right up my post-hardcore alley, and are moderately hopeful after such a bleak record. Ultimately it's nothing new, but the execution was great, and really digestible for a post-hardcore record.

But I do agree with the general sentiment that the lyrics here bog this thing down. They're definitely too angsty for my liking, and too direct, and linger on the same topic of a bitter dead-end love for far too long. But it was the early '90s, and awful and edgy emo-boy lyrics weren't exactly anything new. I wouldn't say they ruined my enjoyment of this thing too much, especially considering the vocals themselves are pretty solid.

I still do think the music is ultimately way too good for me to hate this, and it does outweigh the bad by the end.

I think this dude has some serious rep in the French and Québécois circles. My dad used to play that song 'Mille Temps' by him all the time, a song I found pretty goofy as a child - a long-lost memory awakened by this album appearing on this list.

Anyways, this was a pretty neat (and short) live album. The guy's singing style is certainly something; it's like he's doing too much with his choppy phrasing and delivery (especially on 'Tange funebre'), but the underlying melodies are actually really beautiful - I was sort of entranced right away with the opening 'Amsterdam'; it just sounded so massive and *important*. I haven't brushed up on my French in a while, so I'm not entirely sure what he's talking about, but I can only assume it's the most important thing ever. Everything that follows is consistent and neat, especially the intimate and subtle build-up of 'Le plat pays', but the album really does peak at that opener.

My takeaway is how much I loved how expressive and impassioned Jacques' voice is; it can be a bit much, but there's nothing out there quite like it. Also, nothing quite as French as it.

I impulsively found the title 'Legalize It' pretty funny, and I'm not sure how seriously it takes itself, even after listening to it. Regardless, this was some good-ass reggae, a genre I'm pretty unfamiliar with, but I can still confidently say that this has everything I want out of a Reggae album (it only makes sense; Peter Tosh played with Bob Marley, apparently).

There's a warm psychadelic tint to this whole thing, and the movement is very steady, very chill, sorta sparse, but undeniably melodic and beautiful, especially with songs like 'Burial' and 'No Sympathy' - songs that feel like they do so much with so little. I also really enjoyed 'Why Must I Cry'; the harmonies here felt very raw and sort of subdued, but they worked nicely on this fuzzy psychadelic heartbreak anthem. The deep rastafarian praises of 'Igziabeher' were great too; the song feels much louder and more dramatic than anything else here, channelling this sort of massive religious feel with heavy keys and dense layers of instrumentation. Otherwise, this whole record feels like a lazy afternoon in a sufficiently air-conditioned, but sort of run-down beachside house - in the best way possible, of course.

The vocals I really dig too; they feel very sincere, communicating a lot of emotion without ever going over the top. It complements the very non-flashy production on this album as well. It's an aspect of Reggae that I'll always enjoy. They're just so easy to listen to, completely warm and welcoming. Tosh also has his fair share of catchy vocal licks here, like with 'Ketchy Shuby' and that title track, of course.

Really loved this thing, honestly more than a lot of the BM & the Wailers stuff; I can just exist in this atmosphere for eternity. Definitely a gem I'll be revisiting often.

Admittedly, Wilco has flown under my radar for a long time, but this was a pretty great listen. And super dynamic for a band that I'd previously thought made the same song over and over again. You'll get your typical sad country tunes here and there, like the opener 'Misunderstood', 'Say You Miss Me', or the pretty great and sad late-album, string-backed ballad 'The Lonely 1'. But there was a surprising amount of great explosive country-rockers here; 'Outtasite' (my favourite, and much better than the second disc version) and 'I Got You' were keepers.

The second disc was nowhere near as great as the first, and the pretty one-note lyrics of this thing really start to show by then; their angst and sort of circular nature were maybe my least favourite aspects of the album. Regardless, though, it was consistently enjoyable, diverse, yet oddly cohesive, which is the highest accolade a double album can really get.

Not my cup of tea: super washed out and sort of repetitive '90s alternative psychedelic that served as nice background music, but didn't do much to grab me. I actually enjoyed the softer moments here more than anything else, like 'On Your Own' or "Drive You Home"; they felt like interesting takes on '90s alternative, and less jammy and meandering.

Just the long, washed-out, and very monotonous music that I've never really been a fan of. Execution is fine, but the music was ultimately bland and uninteresting to me.