Reviews by muse-getes

On a technical level this is a great album. It has fantastic production and innovative use of samples, but I feel like they only really found their groove on a handful of songs here. A lot of this album feels like it fades into noise for me because the Boys' abrasive and unrefined rapping drowns out the production. I feel like they got a lot better at this aspect in their later albums, but then of course those had entirely different production styles. I wonder what this album might have sounded like if all these songs had been given to them to rap over 5 years later. I think it would have turned out better, but maybe that's just me.

Favourite tracks: Egg Man, Sounds of Science, Hey Ladies

There are a lot of classic songs on this album, including some of Joel's best ballads in Just The Way You Are and She's Always a Woman. The latter is a song that's stuck with me over the years even though I'm not the hugest Billy Joel fan. I've always really loved that hummed melody after the choruses. The ballads are the exception to the overall vibe on this album, though. It's otherwise a collection catchy soft rock and some funkier jams. The stand-out for me here is Movin' Out. It's such a fun listen, both in the stories being told and in how ear wormy the verses and choruses are. I doubt I'm the only one out there who can't help but mime the final line of the chorus, regardless of where I happen to be listening to the song.

I'm a big fan of the variety in instruments used on this record. We've got an iconic sax solo, accordions, clarinets, horns, and synths, in addition to the regular rock band fixtures and Joel's trademark piano of course. How seamlessly and effectively they're all used here speaks to Joel's talent as a songwriter for sure.

The only song I really don't like on this album is Only The Good Die Young. I know 'corny' is a descriptor the gets unfairly thrown at a lot of Joel's work by his detractors, but it's the most apt word I can think of for that trite, bore of a song.

Favourite Tracks: Movin' Out, Just The Way You Are, She's Always a Woman, Get It Right The First Time

I wasn't familiar with this artist, but this is a really nice folk rock album. I'm a big fan of folk that really goes for warm, lush soundscapes, and this record has that in spades. There's a lot of great musicianship here that's very well served by main vocalist Sandy Denny's beautiful, comforting voice. I'd say she sounds like the second coming of Joni Mitchell, but they were entirely contemporary to each other as it turns out. On the subject of other artists, it's clear this band were big Dylan fans given almost half of the album is comprised of Dylan covers, but they don't sound derivative of him at all; they gave those songs a very distinctive twist. If you didn't know any better it would be easy to assume their takes on Dylan's work were traditional English folk songs.

All in all, this is an exceedingly charming record that's very easy to listen to. The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars is that it's just a tad on the straightforward side. It could maybe do with a couple more twists here and there.

Favourite tracks: A Sailor's Life, Genesis Hall, Percy's Song

Seems like a well made album and all but I just don't care for reggae.

Although I was just a baby during its heyday, I have a sort of vague familiarity with this era of rock music due to the media I engaged with growing up. It's definitely an iconic sound that deserves recognition, and I guess this album is as good an example of it as any, even if I don't necessarily love it myself. There are some pretty good songs here but a lot of it does really feel like it blurs together with how long the record is. I imagine that with a few more listens I'd come to appreciate the individual tracks more, but such is the unfortunate downside of being assigned a new album to listen to every day; if it doesn't immediately grab you, you're inevitably just going to move on.

Favourite Tracks: Them Bones, Angry Chair, Rain When I Die

This was a pleasant surprise for me as someone with quite superficial knowledge of the Bee Gees' work. It's a very lush, romantic album filled with ballads; a far cry from their popular contemporary image as the white faces of disco. I'm sure the old heads out there would roll their eyes at my ignorance here but don't blame me, nobody ever plays their early stuff these days!

Anyway, I found this record to be pretty enjoyable on the whole. Lots of really nice melodies and good uses of harmonies, which I'm always a sucker for. The songwriting is often on the simplistic side, but it's usually carried well by the vocal performances of the brothers and their diverse voices. Having looked up which songs had which brother on lead vocals, I'm generally more of a fan of Barry's songs on this record, but Robin certainly gave a unique texture to his songs, even though I'm not a huge fan of his singing style.

I do get the impression from this album that the Bee Gees were more followers than trendsetters when it came to their musical style. I figure that's probably how they ended up becoming such a big name in disco; and how they came to be quite poorly regarded by contemporary critics. For instance, Somebody Stop The Music sounds a lot like Bowie's music from that era, and Trafalgar sounds like it could easily be a Beatles song up until you reach the somewhat uninspired chorus. They're well crafted songs, but they do feel slightly derivative at times.

I wouldn't say any of the songs here stand out as all-time classics, but Walking Back to Waterloo probably comes closest to that. I really love the chorus on that track, so powerful yet tinged with an aching wistfulness. It's the most emotionally evocative track on the record for me. A few more tracks on its level of quality would have led to this album being more fondly remembered I imagine.

I'll give this a 3.5, with a sympathy rounding up because of how harsh a lot of the other reviews are on here.

Favourite Tracks: Walking Back to Waterloo, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Somebody Stop The Music

This record has incredibly strong opening and closing tracks, but what's in between is a mixed bag. It can feel quite aimless and even a little trite at times, but when it's good it's really good. It's eccentric and inventive without feeling inaccessible, which is a pitfall a lot of other prog records tend to fall into in my experience. I think after a few more listens I might end up being tempted to up this to a 5, but I'll go with a 4 for now.

Favourite tracks: Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise

This album's one of the best new wave albums to come out of the 80s, and that's a genre I'm very fond of so you can imagine how much I love it. Moody synths and surging drum machines, vocals that are somehow equal parts booming and ethereal, plus exquisitely crafted hooks all combine to make a hell of an addictive experience. Seriously, whenever I listen to this album I get Head Over Heels stuck in my head for days. It's no wonder some of these tracks are remembered as some of the most iconic songs of the 80s. The only one I didn't really care for was I Believe. Besides that it's more or less hit after hit.

Favourite tracks: The Working Hour, Head Over Heels, Shout, Mothers Talk

If you're going for the whole "poetry first, music second" approach to making folk music then you really should make sure your poetry is any good. This was just tedious and dreary.

Pretty much a perfect folk album in my opinion. The compositions are short and sweet with plenty of soul and charming melodies. Stevens' vocals sound excellent here as he explores subjects philosophical and spiritual with a mix of power and tenderness. It's a very consistent album as well. Not every song is a classic of course, but there are no real duds here; it's a hugely enjoyable record from start to finish.

Special mention needs to go to Father and Son, which, along with Trouble from his previous album Mona Bone Jakon, is one of the finest folk rock songs ever conceived in my opinion. Listening to it almost feels like spiritual experience in its own right and never fails to give me chills. A true classic.

Favourite tracks: Father and Son, Where do the Children Play?, Into White

Great album, though far from The Beatles' best. They were really starting to find their magic here though. That said, -1 star for the annoying stereo mix.

Favourite tracks: Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Girl, I'm Looking Through You

Some absolute all-time classics on this album, but the rest is just sort of pretty good. I could justify a 5 star rating for this but we'll go with 4.

Favourite tracks: Free Bird, Tuesday's Gone, Simple Man

There are some good tracks on here but I'm not sure I really see what all the fuss is about on the whole. Yeah it's a raw and intense record, but I feel like interesting musical moments are few and far between. It feels like a lot of the songs here are just retreading old ground from Nirvana's previous albums. Maybe I just can't appreciate them properly because I'm not a grunge guy though, I dunno.

Favourite tracks: Heart-Shaped Box, All Apologies, Very Ape

If I had to choose an Elliott Smith album to put on the list I personally would have selected X/O or his self titled as I think that Either/Or is just a notch below them, though it is still a great record. It has all the trademarks of his style that I find so endearing, with his double tracks harmonies, intimate lyrics, and beautiful guitar melodies. Smith was always a captivating listen when he was on top form, and tracks like Between the Bars and Angeles are perfect examples of that. The album's sadly brought down a little by weak tracks like Punch And Judy and Speed Trials that I honestly find a little sleep inducing, but to be fair pretty much all of Smith's albums have at least a couple of weak songs on them.

For me, I find Either/Or to be a bit of an uneven halfway point between his raw, stripped back earlier sound and the more extravagant and ambitious compositions of his later work. It's not my favourite iteration of his sound by any means but it's still an undeniably enjoyable demonstration of Smith's prodigious songwriting talent. The guy was just on another level at times.

I'll give this a 4.5/5, rounded down just to maintain the sanctity of the blessed 5 stars.

Favourite tracks: Angeles, Between the Bars, Ballad of Big Nothing, Cupid's Trick, Say Yes

Not sure why, but I enjoyed this a lot more than Graceland. Maybe if I went back and listened to that again I'd give it a more favourable review. But yeah, this is good. Nice melodies, great guitar playing — just generally nice to listen to.

Favourites tracks: Duncan, Peace Like a River

The kitchiness isn't really my vibe but there's undeniably some good songwriting here. In terms of the compositions and the actual instrument work there's a lot to love, it's mainly just some of the quirky vocals that drag the record down for me, like the scatting (if that's even how to describe it, IDK) on Rock Lobster. I've never really listened to an album that sounded so cool yet so annoying at the same time. It's a weird feeling.

Favourite tracks: 52 Girls, Lava

A really enjoyable album with lush production and a knack for surprising you with the interesting directions the music takes. Even the tracks I didn't really enjoy for most of the song managed to win me over by the end with what they managed to build up to (thinking of Weekend Wars and Pieces of What in particular here). These guys have a real skill for creating soundscapes in their music that draw you in to their world. There are catchy tracks like the big hit singles, but also dreamlike, hypnotic tracks like The Youth, as well as almost frantic tracks like 4th Dimensional Transition. They managed to shift between these styles effectively while maintaining a cohesive sound and feel. I also really enjoyed the sort of synth pop take on a prog record on Of Moons, Birds & monsters. That song was a standout for me.

If I had to level any criticisms at the album, I'd say I didn't particularly care for the lyrics. It feels like they were trying too hard to be cryptic and provocative but they only very rarely manage to say anything evocative. They've gotten a lot better in this aspect on their more recent albums in my opinion. My other criticism would be that the album has some really dull verses at times, even though as I mentioned before, they do salvage things with what the songs build towards by the end. Still, the time spent leading up to those moments can feel pretty repetitive.

Favourite tracks: Of Moons, Birds & Monsters, Kids, 4th Dimensional Transition

I've long been aware of Bragg's presence as an activist here in the UK but I've never actually checked out his music until now. Based on the evidence of this album, he's certainly a skilled songwriter that knows how to stir the spirits with his music, on both emotional and ideological levels. The compositions here are a little on the simple side, but I suppose that helps keep the focus on the stories and the messages. Not that there's anything wrong with these sort of straightforward compositions that focus on the melody of course. It's kind of the name of the game with folk music after all. I'm rambling a bit here but in summary, this record isn't massively exciting on a musical level but it's good stuff all the same. There, that's my terrible 'review.'

Favourite tracks: There Is Power in a Union, Help Save the Youth of America, The Warmest Room

Pretty cool in places but those awful early 70s synths were just too grating.

I've been a big fan of this album for years, so I was glad to see it pop up for today's album. I know a lot of people take exception to Young's unique singing voice but I've always enjoyed how he sounds, and he's in top form on this album; the chorus in Old Man is one of my favourites in folk rock. I love the variety in the instrumentation on the record as well. I'm a sucker for some tasteful banjos.

The only song on here I don't really care for is A Man Needs A Maid; it's just a drawn-out, dull dirge. It's an easy skip but the rest is top drawer stuff.

Favourite Tracks: Heart of Gold, Old Man, Harvest