Reviews by mkaddour2001

Of all the big hard rock bands that came out in the 60s and 70s, Led Zeppelin is one that I've been mildly on the fence about. While I love their 4th installment in the self-titled series, and admittedly I do love many of Page's riffs here, many of the songs on this album end up falling flat for me.

This album is at its best during the punchier moments when the drums, bass, and riffs are driving these thunderous and relentless grooves. The muddiness, grit, loudness in the mix, and sheer stickiness of the riffs have always been what made LZ so iconic to me. The perfect example of this is the entire song "Heartbreaker", which especially during its final minutes, goes disgustingly hard with these noisy layers of guitar crashing against one another in the mix. It's such a great moment. I just wish the rest of the album was this thunderous and powerful. Rather, it's dominated by slower moments that are redundant, and uninteresting. I never understood the purpose nor placement of the percussion-driven interlude on "Whole Lotta Love" for example, it just bogs the song down. I'd say the worst part about the slower moments is that Plant's powerful vocals tend to shine better when he's being complimented by equally powerful instrumentation. This album meanders a lot and I think Plant's vocals, at least here, run a bit dry when he's just waffling. An example of this is in the quieter interlude of "The Lemon Song". I generally don't enjoy LZ's music for Plant's vocals; I even find them quite grating at times like on "Ramble On". Funnily enough, I sort of like "Moby Dick" a lot because it doesn't feature Plant's vocals, even the strange percussion interlude I find moderately charming.

My thoughts on this album aren't all negative. Again when the riffs DO hit (usually at the beginning of most of these tracks), they sound great, rough, and dirty. I think that's what I generally like about these guys' albums. I also like the organ-backed love ballad "Thank You". I generally enjoy it when LZ switches up their songs with lighter acoustic instrumentation in the middle of their harsher albums. I enjoy the serenity of the synth-driven closing minute of this song, both lyrically and instrumentally.

Overall, there are still many great *moments* here, but when looking for songs that I can say I enjoyed from front to back as just songs, I find they're few and far between.

A pretty solid '60s country rock and folk release. Easily the highlight here is the instrumentation and the gorgeous vocal layering on many of these songs. Immediately, "Hickory Wind" sticks out in this way, with gorgeous harmonized vocals and guitar layering that I enjoy quite a bit. "One Hundred Years from Now" leans in a more pop direction but I also really enjoy this song. I love the closer "Nothing Was Delivered", it sticks out by being the punchiest thing here. I think I just really enjoy how soft everything is here, all the music is so pillowy and soothing, and even the so-called "punchier" tracks are relatively mild and reserved.

Lyrically speaking, themes of love and religion are at the forefront here. I'm generally fine with this, but it doesn't go over so well on a song like "The Christian Life" that's far too blunt for my liking. Not to say the song itself is terrible; I do find it quite catchy. My biggest gripe here is that most of the tracks do tend to blend in with one another, which isn't particularly bad because, again, I do enjoy the harmonization in the vocals and guitars generally. The obvious standout here is the song "Life in Prison", only because this song's subject matter is far more unsettling and eerie when compared to everything else.

Not much to say about this, it's short and sweet, albeit sort of uninteresting and boilerplate at the same time.

My first solo Syd Barrett record. I never really heard any of Pink Floyd's earlier records that featured him before he left. I just know "Wish You Were Here" was in part dedicated to him. I know Syd's mental health issues (rumored to be related to schizophrenia) are often projected onto his works, so this is something I tried to avoid doing when listening to this album.

This album feels like an uneasy 60s or early-70s Beatles-esq pop record if it were recorded in some sort of uncanny alternate dimension. There's just something so off about so many of these songs, be that the strange stuttering instrumentals or the off-key singing. This album is also highly intimate with many of the stripped-back, skeletal, and rudimentary cuts here consisting of nothing but acoustic guitar and Syd's vocals. This folkier style works in the album's favor on a song like "Here I Go" which I like quite a bit, lyrically and melodically. The simplicity of these songs doesn't go over so well on a song like "Love You" which borders parody. The dronier track "No Good Trying" was probably my favorite track here. I wish there were more songs like it. The series of acoustic tracks nearing the end bog the album down generally, although I enjoy the songwriting on certain tracks. "Octopus" has pure imagery-based storytelling relating to a trip to an amusement park. It's a very jovial and partially surreal cut with Syd's all-over-the-place vocal style working in its favour. I also really enjoy "Feel" with a longing sense of loneliness being portrayed in the lyrics.

Overall, I'm relatively indifferent towards this album. There were a few interesting psychedelic moments here, but I can't say I was too fond of Syd's approach to the more folkier tracks. If there's anything I can praise endlessly though, it's Syd's standout personality that's put on full display here. His songwriting, whether simplistic or abstract, was the undeniable highlight.

I've never considered myself to be a particularly "over the top" person, but rather a restrictive person who's more content with flying under the radar. So I find it strange that one of my favorite albums ever is probably one of the most "over the top" albums I've ever heard. I mean everything about this The Mars Volta debut is bombastic and overblown; be that the vocals, lyrics, production, length, and even the album's title itself.

The advent of The Mars Volta was preceded by the break-up of the incredible El Paso post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, of which the two core members of The Mars Volta, Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, were a part of. I mean the afro-guys more than stuck out in that band, most evident in the live recordings you can find scattered all across the internet. On one side you've got Omar who's more concerned with hitting his spaghetti leg moves than he is with hitting the right notes. On the other you've got Cedric, forgetting lyrics and jumping off speakers. Must've been hell to play with these guys but holy shit was it fun to watch. While some might hate this, it drew me in and was a gold standard I set for stage presence. It was a relentless live energy only rivaled by previous hardcore and post-hardcore groups like Fugazi.

I say this because the two afro guys would go on to match that exact energy on this massive cinematic debut. I say cinematic because the band has talked at length about how they were more inspired by the movies they would watch rather than the music they would listen to. Maybe that's why their music sounds so unique. They had the fundamentals down from their previous band, but rather than carry over the noisier hardcore noises of ATDI, they moved in a more progressive direction. With Rick Rubin assisting (alongside Omar) on production, the mix is allowed to thrive and flourish with every instrument occupying a space here, allowing a perfect blend with no one instrument overpowering the others. Jon Theodore's drumming is incredible all across this thing, with machine gun rapid-fire passages and fills to match Omar's many incredible riffs, like on the closing minutes of "Drunkship of Lanterns". Isaiah "Ikey" Owens does the incredible keyboard work here, comprising mostly of organs that add so much to every single song.

With an incredible backing set of players, this album was always set up to be something genuinely great, almost pristine, and easily digestible for prog fans generally. At least that's what I would say if it weren't for the biggest, likely negative for many, factor here and that's vocalist and lyricist Cedric. I mean on the surface, the guy lands somewhere between an emo vocalist and a pop-punk vocalist with lyrics that are almost laughably cryptic at times. And I love everything about it. The guy's range in the studio is undoubtedly amazing. It's what makes this band and this album so special to me. The first full track "Inertiatic Esp" absolutely demands the attention of the listener when it first starts, whether it yields a prominently negative reaction or one that's similar to mine which is pure joy, it forces a strong reaction. It's a litmus test for the rest of this album and I attribute that to Cedric's lead vocals.

I've talked a lot abstractly because I genuinely just love every second of this album and can't think of the best way to describe the music here. The full opening track is the band's most notable because of its catchy and memorable chorus, but also its staccato drum and guitar. It also goes the distance in terms of length and goes through a couple of facets and phases. Cedric's vocals truly shine on the following "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" with some truly incredible moments (like on the bridge). It also has one of the hardest grooves in the opening seconds. "Cicatriz Esp" certainly still has Cedric shining in the beginning, but this is undoubtedly Omar's track with incredible guitar layers in the song's long instrumental mid-section. It plateaus into pure ambiance for a little bit before being bought back for an explosive finale. I say Omar because he handles the guitar and bass directly on this album, but he is also credited with being the musical genius behind and composer of all these tracks. "Televators" is a slower ballad-type track, sounding almost like something that appears on their next album, and is an incredible breather before the band brings it back for a grand finale on "Take The Veil Cerpin Text". This closer has one of the most winner choruses that showcases Cedric's poppier tendencies. Even with saying all that, it's hard to capture how the music sounds in words. It's unlike any other prog album and certainly is one of the most idiosyncratic releases within the genre.

I've neglected to talk about the lyrics here. I find it hard as hell to remember the lyrics to this thing because of Cedric's affinity for the thesaurus. The lyrics are super cryptic and take some looking into. It's a staple in their discography and an acquired taste. This album, just like their follow-up, is highly conceptual. It's based on a short story written by Cedric relating to an overdose sending a man into a coma. After the man wakes up, he takes his own life. The entire story is inspired by the life of Cedric's late friend, Julio Venegas. This is all accompanied by strange and surreal imagery and writing like the doctor with dog hands on "Eritarka". Televators is likely the most obvious eulogy to their late friend, even painting the image of his final moments through the protagonist Cerpin. Honestly, there's a lot to dig into here and whether you take the time to match the lyrics with Cedric's story or not shouldn't matter too much. I don't blame anyone for wanting to just enjoy this album on the surface level but its conceptual nature is always interesting to dive into on subsequent listens.

If there's one word I hate that is so commonly used to describe music it's "pretentious". It's such a dismissive word with an ugly connotation attached to it. It's a way of describing something you don't get or don't want to bother getting while simultaneously bringing down the people who do get it. People may listen to this thing and laugh at just how over the top it is and I'd honestly laugh along. But I hold this album so near and dear to me, it's one of the biggest staples in my life, and these songs and this band will always have a place in my heart. The Mars Volta is a band that understands how "over the top" their sound is and they use it to their advantage. If this is what being pretentious sounds like then I guess I'm a sucker for pretentious music because this thing is just perfect.

Ah yes, the bucket hat-wearing, hip-hop golden age rapper who I've always revered and respected, but never went out of my way to check out. Can't say I found this album to be standout in any way though. LL Cool J is certainly a talented lyricist, and at the turn of the decade, he managed to capture both the simplistic, clunk of the 80s flows and the complexity of the up-and-coming 90s styles.

The instrumentals are good here generally with most of it being produced by legend Marly Marl. I love the punchier nature of a song like "Eat Em Up L Chill" and this particular song showcases some of L's best rhyme patterns. Can't say I'm too big a fan of this hook though. I honestly really liked "Murdergram" which had an almost throwback sound. It's one of the songs with one of those obvious "80s" flows and the ambient audience noises in the background help nail that raw "in the moment" feel. I like the short transitional moments on "Farmers Blvd". Can't say I was a huge fan of the title track here though, I just found the instrumental far too clunky and L's flow even clunkier. His yelpier style doesn't work for me.

There are some interesting lyrical moments, here like "Cheesy Rat Blues" where L tackles the double-faced nature of his associates in a hypothetical situation where he lost everything. "Milky Cereal" was sorta funny too.

Overall though, yeah this album is too long, and can't say it's entirely interesting front to back. That's not to say it's bad, honestly aside from a few outright irritating moments (I'm looking at you "Jingling Baby" hook), I enjoyed this thing front to end. I just don't think it's doing anything special or distinct, it's just solid early 90s hip-hop.

Rock rarely sounds this good, I mean it, like RARELY. There's nothing clean about it, it's just an absolute cacophony of varied guitar tones, highly complementary backing players, and dizzyingly abstract and hazy lyrics (that are very much reflective of the time). Calling Hendrix a great guitar player is useless, you can't describe this shit, you just have to listen to it. The thing is I've listened to this before, and maybe I was just an idiot, but I didn't get it. Actually, I can say for a fact I was an idiot. Maybe it was because Jimi Hendrix was hyped up to be such an incredible guitar player that when I heard this (And the equally incredible "Are you Experienced") initially, I didn't get the aficionado, lightning-speed guitar playing my naive ears expected. Instead what I get here is pure electricity, numbing and fuzzy guitar tones that are so sharp and piercing. Distortion and feedback are the name of the game here with chords and sounds that blend seamlessly.

The entire album has this insatiable live energy to it. I can't stress enough how much the dustiness of the rougher recording here works to this album's benefit. The song "Voodoo Chile" is this album's early masterpiece. The organ is so absolutely piercing and the drums pack such a deep punch. The song goes the distance in terms of length. It's like the band is trying to start a fire by solely using the friction between their instruments. It's like throughout its runtime, the fire blazes and then calms and goes out only to be ignited again. It's this up-and-down sequencing that makes this one track such a masterpiece.

While this monster of a track is more than worth a mention, the shorter and more immediate tracks bring all the same fire. "Crosstown Traffic" is insanely hard. I love the syncopated singing and guitar line. At least that's what it sounds like and if that's not the case, then paint me even more impressed. "Little Miss Strange" has one of the most loveable basslines by Noel Redding. It's just worth mentioning that with each one of these "small" tracks, Hendrix's guitar playing takes on a new form. "Long Hot Summer" is laid back to the core and it's these songs that shine a light on the more psychedelic, pot-smoking, sounds of this album. I enjoy the vocal effects on Hendrix's vocals in the latter part of the drug-induced love song "Gypsy Eyes". This is one of my favorite-sounding songs, the strange panning and cutting must've been mind-blowing for the time (and kind of still is). The following "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" manages to sound like a horrifying inebriated fever dream while also sounding utterly serene. I love the chord progression on the organs during the little rifts in sound. The bassline and psychedelic guitar pairing in the middle of "1983..." perfectly capture the feelings of escape that Hendrix yearns for on this track. It also subtly matches the sub-aquatic theme the song hints at. "House Burning Down" is probably the most immediate and catchy song here.

I have to mention "All Along the Watchtower", the Bob Dylan cover that introduced me to Hendrix. I always found the song's apocalyptic depictions of uncertainty to be mesmerizing. I always pictured the two characters here standing on a rampart (or watchtower I guess) of a large castle gazing into the oncoming danger in the distance while bickering about it rather than taking any sort of action. Hendrix does this song more than justice, with an incredible psychedelic passage nearing the end and an explosive finish. It's one of the greatest songs ever.

I can't put into words how much I just adore the sounds of this album. Hendrix's talk-sing vocals complement the noisier moments here. The way his vocals get drowned out on a song like "Voodoo Chile" only makes everything seem more explosive. I think this album's cover perfectly sums up what you get here; a grainy, blurred, skin-peeling fire-red experience that you'll never forget.

The opening track is quite incredible honestly. It follows a medley structure (given the name) and I love the drum beat and subsequent horns that blare in the second part (of the first part). The harmonizing between Louis and the backing vocals is also very pleasant. I also love Louis' vocals on this track and many others. He has some hilarious tongue-in-cheek passages and isn't afraid to strain his voice in overly performative and playful ways like on "Oh Marie" and the break on the second medley.

This album honestly doesn't even sound all that dated or anything. I mean don't get me wrong, it sounds like a late 50s record, but the dust that is typically associated with these types of records is nowhere to be heard. I can chalk it up to solid remastering with the digital release I used but I still thought it was worth mentioning. The second duet track featuring Keely Smith genuinely sounds great and Keely's vocals shine in the mix. Makes me wish she was featured more in the second half.

There are some interesting instrumental moments here, like the strange breaks on "The Lip"; honestly this entire song is pretty strange and probably one of my favorites. I also really like the tempo switch-up and trumpet solo on "Body and Soul". Overall though, there's nothing standout about the instrumentation, it's nicely done and the solos soar nicely whenever they do appear. The playing is very good, if a bit repetitive.

Side one is really good but it's right after the second medley where this album loses me almost entirely. It just sort of sounds like I'm listening to side one again. This album is relatively short, yet its sonic pallet is very limited which gives it little room for the development of interesting ideas. Not to say it's bad, just sort of uninteresting. I wasn't a fan of "Night Train" as an instrumental when compared to the standard "Body and Soul" for example.

When it comes to these 50s and records that are very much "of the time", their age either irks me or does well enough to draw me into the era in which they were recorded. I'd group this album with the latter with the heavy caveat being that I do wish the second side worked as well for me as the first. Still a pleasant listen though.

This is another absolute first. It's probably my first bluegrass record period. So when I saw that this thing was around 2 hours in length, I was a bit taken aback but still intrigued. "Grand Ole Opry Song" was a very enjoyable start to this album. I love the little chatter at the beginning of many of these songs. It's quite a funny-sounding song, it almost sounds like the manifestation of the stereotypes surrounding this type of music; with the yelped and twangy vocals and that finger-picked banjo. It's still quite enjoyable, I also enjoy the more mellow acoustic-driven follow-up "Keep On the Sunny Side" featuring Maybelle Carter.

With an album this long, it's difficult to dissect it in its entirety but below I'll jot down some of my other favorite moments.
- I love the instrumental track "Nashville Blues". There's something so relentlessly fiery about the performances here. Earl Scruggs' banjo playing is great here. It also made me realize how cool of an instrument the washboard is. This is probably my favorite song here.
- I love Roy Acuff's deeper and almost slurred vocals on "The Precious Jewel".
- I enjoy the storytelling on the song "The Tennessee Stud". I can't honestly begin to decipher what this story is even about, it seems to be a story about a cunning Tennessee man that's also being likened to a horse or something. No idea but it's certainly standout.
- A song called "The End of the World" having such a bright instrumental is pretty funny but also unsettling.
- After a series of slower tracks, the more upbeat, catchy, and immediate nature of "My Walkin' Shoes" is a nice change-up, nicely closing out the first disc.
- It leads nicely to the first track of the second disc, "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" which is a highly enjoyable guitar and violin-backed instrumental track. "Cannonball Rag" is another short and sweet acoustic cut that sounds familiar, probably because it's a standard in this genre. In general, I liked the series of shorter instrumental cuts here.
- "Honky Tonk Blues" is another one of the more immediate tracks, likely due to its shorter nature and simple yet prominent drum beat.
- I love the main instrumental melody on "Wildwood Flower" at the beginning that gives off a tiny music box feel. This entire song is one of my favorites overall, there's something so hypnotic about the acoustic guitar here. Maybelle's vocals here are so subdued and a much-needed breather nearing the end of this album. I know this song is a cover of another song but it's still a really good cover.
- The mournful title track (which is another cover) is another favorite of mine with the exchange between two vocalists detailing the passing of the protagonist's mother and how it's affected them. I love the mantra on the chorus and they bid their loved one farewell.
- I love the soothing acoustic-driven closing instrumental track, fits nicely after the previous somber track.

Lengthy records like this always give off this monolithic feeling to me and this album is no exception; it feels almost like a classic country epic. Yet, there is nothing conventionally "epic" about it; it's very laid back. It sounds like sizzling outside on an August afternoon, for better or worse, or maybe taking a walk in a smaller village. It certainly evokes a positive feeling in me and takes me to a happier and more simple place. The slew of guest vocalists and players also contributes to this compilation-esque attitude the album adapts. The diverse set of vocalists makes this feel like a collection of short stories, almost like you're taking a peek into the lives of many different men and women. Can't say every song here was incredible or anything and on the surface, a lot of the songs sound very similar. But I think that's fine and this is an album to be enjoyed in its entirety by soaking in all these textured instrumentals, anecdotal lyrics, and shiny twangy vocals. As a whole, it's pretty great but I can also see how some people would 100% despise everything about it.

This is my first Harry Nilsson album, an artist who I know very little about.

I like the opening track. Nilsson's vocals are so expressive, sporadic, and all over the place melodically. I think it works well with the sorta clunky horn-backed instrumentation. This is certainly an unorthodox pop album for the time, there's something so strange about the varied and inconsistent style of each track. Like the quiet keyboard backing "Early in the Morning" which has Harry taking an almost soul approach to his delivery. The melancholy image of waking up in the morning to an uneventful day pairs well with this instrumental. I love the piano ballad "Without You" and it's probably my favorite song here as Harry details a tragic breakup with an incredible vocal melody in the verses. The instrumentation here is gorgeous too.

Harry's certainly a talented vocalist and he showcases his range by taking on different styles all throughout this album. It keeps the album from getting stale or repetitive. I love the whispered vocals and the harmonies in the slower "The Moonbeam Song" and how it contrasts the following rock-inspired and organ-backed "Down". It's clear Harry takes a lot from the music around him and this album almost feels like a celebration of a lot of the popular music at the time; from RnB to folk to pop. Even tracks that are painfully standard like "Let the Good Times Roll" are still enjoyable to certain degrees. I think it just stands as a testament to how great of a songwriter Harry was. I love the pop-rock epic "Jump into the Fire" which has an incredible groove and is the most ambitious track here; it almost sounds like a Can song near the end.

While I do like this album's eccentricity at times, the song "Coconut" was a low for me. It was fun to listen to at first but I think it overstays its welcome. With that said, I do think it still contributes to this album's overall charm. I loved this record's eclectic nature. It doesn't offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking for the time and I think that's fine; sometimes an album can just have really good songs.

Black Sabbath is a band I know very little about; I know Ozzy Osbourne bit off a bird's head on stage once and also something about guitarist Lommi's missing fingertips inventing heavy metal. I mean they get a rep that very few bands back in the day do and it's not hard to see why when listening to this and their other stuff. Their genre of "hard rock" was more discernable than other hard rock at the time. It wasn't just loud, fast, or noisy like much of the music that would eventually lead to punk rock, but rather more seismic, crushing, and monstrous. They do all this while still sounding of their time and I think that's primarily due to Ozzy's high-pitched shriek-styled vocals which is a style seldom seen with more contemporary metal vocalists.

As for this album, I didn't even know it existed. I've heard of their first three but never this guy. The opening track is huge, with an incredible outro blending highspeed guitar riffs with these flourishing synth keys. This is after, of course, a heavy bout of guitar distortion in the first leg. This album oddly switches it up with the song "Changes" which is a gorgeous ballad detailing a breakup. The piano-driven instrumental alongside the backing melotron (I think) has an unsettling and eerie aura to it which is only amplified when considering how out of place this ballad is here. I still love it. Another strange piece is the following ambient and noise interlude "FX". Aside from those two tracks though, most of the other songs are standard Black Sabbath with all their heaviness.

I love the opening riff on "Supernaut" with Ozzy singing about a sort of freedom he yearns for in life. I love the solo and the strange percussion and acoustic piece at the end. Cocaine, which the band was doing a lot of at the time, is the topic of the incredible hard-rock track "Snowblind". I like this particular chorus paired with the riff here, there's almost something tragic about it. I love the drumming on this album a lot, especially the switch-up on "Snowblind" and on the entire song of "Cornucopia". The closer is just a non-stop barrage of rhythm and riff switch-ups and is the track where I see the most parallels with modern metal.

For as little as I've listened to this band overall, I'll make the uneducated claim that this is one of their more experimental ones. Most, if not all of these songs have little bits that stray from their traditional sound. I love the occasional soft switch-ups here. Dug this album a lot and until my inevitable relistens of their other stuff, I'd call this my favourite Black Sabbath album.

I wouldn't hesitate to call this a surrealist post-punk record. It feels like dancing while everything around you crumbles. The stems that make up these songs are skeletal and the album is less concerned with filling up the sonic space and more concerned with building rudimentary grooves that sound almost like repetitive sound bites layered on top of one another. To say it's danceable would be an understatement, I mean just listen to that bassline and distorted strumming on "Damaged Goods". Rarely do I hear basslines so clear to the point where it's practically driving the melody. "Natural's Not It" works just as well. While the instrumentals' simplistic, discernable, and punchy characteristics are the ingredients to this album's addictiveness, the vocals themselves work just as well to that effect. The melodies are stripped back, repetitive, and very basic but because the instrumentals leave a lot of room, the vocals are never drowned out and work in conjunction with the instrumentals in an undeniably visceral way. Both vocalists Jon King and Andy Gill (on "Natural's Not It") are very talented in this way and their subtle sarcasm contributes heavily to this album's overall theme (Given the already sarcastic title).

Certain songs here contain almost annoyingly catchy choruses like "Return the Gift", "I Found That Essence Rare" and "Glass". I say annoyingly because I tend to get them stuck in my head, not to knock them in any way. There's almost a nursery rhyme-esque charm to some of these choruses, which when paired up against the distortion on a song like "Return the Gift", works wonders. I love the way the instrumental builds at the end of this song too, it's one of the most fiery moments on this record. Synths pop in every once in a while like on the track "5.45" which is effective in establishing that song's ominous mood given the subject matter.

Now the Gang of Four is relentlessly political on this album. Taking their name from a CCP faction, it's quite clear what their leanings are; leftist and Marxist. Now I've never been good at writing about politics or dissecting political art in particularly creative ways, but I'll still give it a shot. "Natural's Not It" deals particularly with consumerism culture and has probably my favorite lyrics overall. "Damaged Goods" describes a relationship and the protagonists' shallow engagement with the other party, often interpreted as a critique of capitalism. "I Found That Essence Rare" describes the shallow and almost naive nature of the media's portrayal of life; criticizing their obsession with blissful ignorance. "Glass" to me just seems like a description of a monochromatic life under capitalism, filled with headaches, cigarettes, and a perpetual longing for meaning. The matter of unrealistic sex expectations also crops up in the song "Contract". The song "5.45" might be the most direct track here. Gill doesn't bother sugarcoating the media's desire to resell death, violence, and division as entertainment, nicely tying back to the title of the album. It raises an interesting question about what this album itself is trying to achieve, given the title "Entertainment!". The song's sentiment has unfortunately aged very well, as did most of the sentiments on this album.

I ramble and ramble like I know what I'm talking about at all. One thing I do know is that this album rules. It's damn near flawless. I mentioned it was surrealist and I still stand by that. It depicts all aspects of life under capitalism as unfulfilling, empty, and shallow over these catchy-as-all-hell songs. It's this incredible combination of two very different moods and sounds that makes this album so unique.

When it comes to Culture Club, I've only ever heard the song "Karma Chameleon" before listening to this album. It's a pretty smooth new romantic track that I always found mildly catchy and is easily the best song here. Not sure why, but the harmonica always seemed out of place and sort of soured the mix. But I do like the chorus and the harmonies; they're very light and cleanly performed. Digging into it lyrically, the sentiment here stands out. Boy uses the imagery of a chameleon to describe the desire to blend in and conform to avoid alienation and scrutiny.

Clean and light are probably the two best adjectives I can use to describe this album's overall aesthetic. Boy George is a solid vocalist, taking influences from RnB vocalists which I find somewhat unique for this genre of music and adds some enjoyability and life to many of the performances. The vocals are the highlight here and generally carry (like on the song Black Money). I'll also acknowledge his good writing here, like on the closer "Victims" a song whose meaning is difficult to pin down, but the imagery is evocative and almost tragic.

The instrumentation is dull and dry to me for the most part. The harmonica and saxophone that occasionally crop up act as blemishes rather than enhancements and only serve to age this album. There are some cool moments, like the guitar solo on "Miss Me Blind", a song where I think the instrumentation's smooth, minimal, and reserved yet well-composed nature works in the track's favor.

Ultimately though, my issues with this record boil down to just lackluster songs that are neither memorable nor interesting. It seems to be a recurring issue for me with New Romantic.

New Wave as a genre has always been very hit or miss with me. Japan's album "Quiet Life" is on the earlier side of the genre's inception (being released in the late 70s), and it certainly sounds like it.

I hadn't heard of Japan but their aesthetic is pretty solid (at least on this album). There's something foggy and hazy about the synth work here. Maybe it's me projecting this cover's vibe onto the album itself, but it feels like an intoxicated night out in the city. This is the vibe I get off most of the tracks; subtly somberful and dramatic. The washed-out mixes on the vocals and instrumentation are likely contributors to this aesthetic, which when it comes to looking at each song in a vacuum, is probably my biggest flaw with this album. "Despair" is hauntingly gorgeous, with saxophone and sorrowful piano leads driving a heartbreaking ballad. The lyrics are in French, but from what I gather, they're referencing the destruction of some sort of art medium. It's easily my favorite song here.

Aside from that though, with the more direct tracks, there's an interesting mood that's evoked overall, but nothing happens that excels these songs past that basic pre-established mood. Can't say I'm too fond of the vocals here either, especially on the song "In Vogue" where there's so much sub that it's just irritating. In general, though, I just find the vocals to be forgetful and sleepy and not in a way that particularly compliments this album's style. There are moments where it works, like on "Aliens" where I think the vocalist comes off more emotive and I think the song is particularly ear-wormy.

My overall conclusion after hearing this is that I find the instrumentation itself cool and effective, but the songs themselves leave a lot to be desired. Can't say I really dug this one.

Where to begin with soul legend Stevie Wonder's album "Talking Book". The opening track "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" is so joyful and stands as one of the greatest fusions of soul and pop of the 70s. Short and sweet, the song's reserved instrumentation and subtle conga-driven percussion ease the listener into this album with one of Wonder's most approachable songs.

Stevie Wonder has a very solid and unique grasp of soul music. His smooth, almost boyish, vocals and effective use of guest vocalists to form memorable choruses are just as present here as on later albums like "Innervisions" and of course "Songs in The Key of Life". When compared to those albums, the mixes, especially on the instrumental side are a bit more washed out, but still pack a colorful punch with various genre fusions laced throughout. The best example of this is the always killer and iconic "Superstition". I mean this is one of the greatest grooves ever with an explosive mesh of horns, clavinet, and that bassline. On top of all that, Wonder rides this groove effortlessly. I enjoyed the juxtaposition between the somewhat abstract lyrics, which paint an eerie image of mindless belief, and the upbeat funky instrumentation.

Funk aside, the balladry demonstrated on the gorgeous synth-backed "You and I" is another highlight. More than anything, it showcases Wonder's talents as a vocalist. He's able to be emotive, while not straying too far from his comfortable range, yielding a vocal performance that comes off as subtle and humble rather than overblown or bombastic.

Instrumentally, there are some great moments here. I like the fuzzy bass and warm synth contrast on "You've Got It Bad Girl". It's certainly one of the smoothest songs here. I enjoy the folk twist on "Big Brother" detailing the empty promises made by politicians to try and win over African-American voters. "Blame it on the Sun", is another song that references the sun, with ethereal instrumentation feeling like a heat ray beaming through a skylight in an isolated cave. The album closes off with yet another incredible love song with one of the catchiest choruses here.

This here is the blueprint. Stevie Wonder's capabilities as a musician, singer, and songwriter are all showcased in a tightly-packed experience that effectively captures the evolutions in soul fusion seen in the 70s.

This is as "early '60s R&B and Soul" as an album can get honestly. Dirty recording, howling or crooning vocals expressing feelings of endless love (or longing for love), and those typical backing vocal harmonies. It's certainly a trip to the past and the songs do remain enjoyable throughout.

Solomon Burke is immensely talented. I was not familiar with his music but the man is expressive as all hell. Parts of his vocals remind me a lot of Otis Redding and I can see why this album was massively influential for 60s R&B. I can't think of any *actual* flaws with this album; it does exactly what it wants to do and what it needs to do. Overall, even though it's relatively short, this type of "of-the-time" music works better in single form as showcased with the opening "Cry for Me". Weirdly enough "Cry For Me" sounds way more lively and full than most other songs here. It has an incredible lead melody, backing vocals, and bassline. I also really enjoy the other single "Can't Nobody Love You" with the more aggressive delivery nearing the end. Once you've heard those two songs, you've heard everything this album has to offer and from there on out, it's a matter of how much more you want of it. The song structures aren't particularly interesting in that sense.

That being said, another favorite for me is "Won't You Give Me (One More Chance)" with its cutesy guitar melody and catchy backing vocal. "You Can't Love Em All" is also a fun little song with an enjoyable call-and-response chorus.

Me not enjoying this album in its entirety doesn't take away from my respect for this Soul legend. He is a really really amazing singer and this album still works as a means to showcase that.

The general cycle of my enjoyment of this album is enjoying the first few seconds when the punchiness is at its max and most visceral. Then when the vocals come in, my enjoyment plateaus. I don't mind the vocals typically but to me, they contrast the instrumentals in a way that's less than stellar. Then when the distorted, bluesy guitar takes the forefront again, my enjoyment goes up once more before one last steady decline. "Sharp Dressed Man" is an exception here and it's a song where I think every aspect blends particularly well with one another. Not a fan of how it just fades out though. "TV Dinners" is another favorite of mine because it, ever so slightly, reminds me of a The Doors song.

I sort of already mentioned this but easily my least favorite part of any of these songs is the vocals. They're not bad per se (unless we're talking songs like "I Need You Tonight") just very one-dimensional. The song structures aren't very interesting either and neither are the lyrics. The only thing this album has going for it is its hard rock instrumentation which I will say, does sound great and Billy Gibbons is a very talented guitarist, taking notes for 60s legends and blues styles. Those moments when the drums and guitars hit are firey and the highlight of this album.

Overall not a terrible album, just not one I found particularly interesting. Still found stuff I enjoyed here though.

George Clinton's opening lines on the title track here have always haunted me, in both their delivery and placement within this song. Without any context, Clinton gives you an ultimatum of sorts, either accept the filth exuded by humans or rise above it all and see through it. Clinton seems to take the latter route with Hazel's ascending piece of serene and minimalistic psychedelic guitar that goes through several different phases and facets. I don't understand "Maggot Brain", as a descriptor, song, or album (although it was supposedly the nickname of guitarist Eddie Hazel). This opening title track certainly stands out here because there's no other song like it on this album.

"Can You Get to That" is an insanely catchy funk track. I love how deep the vocals get on the refrain (I assume Clinton's?). The drumming done by Tiki (who also plays them on the entire album) is superb here. "Hit It and Quit It" is equally as catchy and musically dense with more psychedelic elements mixed with typical funk organ and synth passages. I love the way the instrumentation builds and hits on the refrain to fill the sound.

I don't think I can express enough how amazing the production is on this album. Entering the new decade, Funkadelic knows how to merge all the most impressive, forward-thinking sounds of the '60s and elevate them to another level. The instrumentation is so lush and just builds on so many of these tracks. "You and Your Folks..." with Billy Nelson on vocals and "Super Stupid" both show the album going in a more funk-rock direction when compared to the previous two songs. I love that subtle evolution this album has. I also love the slightly humorous, yet tragic tone the lyrics take on "Super Stupid" recounting a supposedly real story regarding Hazel's coke and heroin mixup.

"Wars of Armageddon" has one of the most killer drum beats on this album, and eventually builds to this incredible groove. The organ and bass are complemented by what sounds like a diverse set of samples and eventually an incredible guitar passage. This is like an incredible plunderphonics track from the past and the mere fact that something this insanely hard, punchy, and chaotic exists in '71 is beyond me.

I don't get this album. I don't know whether it takes itself seriously or not. There's always been a sort of mystique around this thing for me. It just sounds so far ahead in the future and so far above its time in so many ways it's surreal, and I love it for it. This album rests alone in a soundscape so far above and ahead of anything.

Had no time for a review today, but obviously great album: highlight of course is “Hallelujah” and "Lover You Should Have Come Over" - just so much emotion in one voice..

Adele has been a staple in my childhood and teenage life, and with her latest, my adult life. There's always a song she's dropping every few years that dominates the radio and, by extension, my head. I remember hearing many of the songs off this album when it came out back in 2015. If there's anything that allows Adele to stand out among the crowd of contemporary pop vocalists is her powerful, soul-inspired vocal style. Her voice is the standout without a question. I mean the song "Hello" has instrumentation that is so lowkey that it only makes Adele's vocals stick out. It's almost like some sort of glorified acapella song. Yet, the song still sounds huge and theatrical which is quite a feat and speaks to Adele's enormous vocal talents.

For me, my enjoyment of this album came primarily from those nostalgic moments from when I was in high school and this album first dropped and I couldn't avoid those singles. I mentioned "Hello" but "Send My Love" has probably the catchiest chorus here. Adele's vocals here are reminiscent of her contemporaries as opposed to sticking to her unique power ballad style. "When We Were Young" has to be my favorite song here though. I just really enjoy the chorus here and I think the minimal production works especially well. The nostalgic lyrics here are almost tragic as Adele romanticizes her relationship's past while yearning to leave her barren and monochromatic present. At least that's what I get out of it.

Lyrically speaking Adele may not be particularly special across this thing but she's capable of depicting breakups in interesting ways like on "Million Years Ago" and "Water under the Bridge" which I like despite it probably sounding the most 2015-poppy here (with those vocal cries in the chorus). I think the mixture of these intimate, heartbroken lyrics and the powerful delivery adds only to the message like "Love in the Dark" which is my favorite production here with strings and piano that complement Adele's vocals very well and I enjoy the harmonies here. "All I Ask" works to the same effect.

This is a very intimate and personal album for Adele I'm sure. A lot of slow piano ballads and when the songs get faster, the instruments remain very underspoken (to the point where I think it's almost washed out on certain songs like "River Lea"). I think the ballad-type songs are the strongest.

Can't say I enjoyed every single song here as much as the more popular ones, but it's still a very good listen.

It's a very tightly packed and delightful 70s Afrobeat album. The funk elements certainly stick out more I'd say with groovy bass and horn lines dominating the entire forefront of the mix. Fela's vocals on this album alongside his share of backing vocals work only to add to this album's firey pace. The title track is likely the best example of this with an almost call-and-response chorus, utilizing the imagery of zombies to describe the Nigerian military at the time. They're also just insanely catchy. This album is filled with politically charged commentary (primarily relating to Nigeria), as indicated by this album cover.

The following two songs on here establish two other fantastic grooves. The layers of horns at the beginning of "Mr. Follow Follow" are pleasant and I appreciate the slower pace this track takes in particular. Even the closer "Observation No Crime" is a slower track. A small thing, but I like the grandiose closing seconds of this song. While I do think the funk and jazz elements of this album stand in the foreground, with solos and brassy horn sections taking the lead, the afro-inspired percussion is certainly noticeable when establishing these standout tribal grooves.

It is a solid record overall if a bit boilerplate and repetitive at times. The fundamentals, lyrical themes, and overall mood established here are still top-tier and the performances are great.