Reviews by muse-getes

Full disclouse: I have a lot of time for this album because I got really into it when I was about 14/15 years old. It was one of the first full albums I got hooked on as a young lad, so it's probably safe to say it had a role in shaping my love of music (which I'm sure will sound ridiculous to the sizable contingent of music lovers that despise Coldplay with a burning passion).

Back in the day, Coldplay were basically the exact opposite of a 'Singles Band' in my eyes. Their big hits from this album (In My Place, The Scientist) are the most trite and uninteresting tracks here, while the songs that seem to have been quietly forgotten by history in the wake of Coldplay becoming Public Enemy #1 among 'serious' music enthusiasts have some really great moments, like the climax in Got Put a Smile Upon Your Face, and the intro through to the opening verse in Warning Sign (Which I think is probably the best song they ever made).

This album was probably Coldplay's best attempt at making use of Chris Martin's (admittedly rather limited) vocals as an instrument to compliment the other parts of their songs, rather than just as a somewhat pleasant voice
to belt out banal lyrics over bombastic compositions, which is the formula they eventually settled on for more widespread appeal.

I think if I was trying to be more "objective," I'd probably drop a star from my review because there are some pretty weak tracks on this record, but I'm willing to admit I'm letting nostalgia cloud my judgement here.

Favourite tracks: Warning Sign, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Amsterdam

It can be easy to forget when so many huge, genuinely talented artists and bands came from that decade, but this album serves as an important reminder that the 80s had some real shit pop music as well.

That said, I actually quite like No Direction, despite the bizarre gremlin fella doing backing vocals. What's that little guy up to these days? Did he ever manage to break out of Mick Hucknall's basement?

Great album. Soundgarden are probably toward the higher end of the heaviness scale for music I'm able to enjoy listening to, but there's enough of a focus on melodies and structure here to keep me engaged. It's maybe a little on the long side; a couple of the weaker tracks like Fresh Tendrils and Half could maybe have been cut to make the album tighter, but it doesn't detract from the experience that much.

Favourite tracks: The Day I Tried to Live, Black Hole Sun, Superunknown

I'm not sure what there really is to say about this album. We all know Sinatra and what his music was all about. Smooth baritone, swinging tunes, and just generally pleasant to listen to. It probably "deserves" a higher rating than a 3 because obviously Sinatra was so good at what he did, it's just that what he did was a style of music that I and most of the rest of society largely got over years and years ago. These days it's music to fall asleep to. So, I can't really justify giving a higher rating to something I know I'm never going to actively listen to again.

Favourite tracks: Anything Goes, Makin' Whoopee, Old Devil Moon

I never could get into west coast hip-hop for whatever reason, and this album wasn't able to change that.

I'd never heard of these guys before I was assigned this album, but it turned out to be some pretty good 90s-style punk. Fun jams that no doubt would be great to listen to and sing along with live. The album's maybe a little meandering; I don't think it really has 14 songs worth of ideas, but even at its worst it's just a little boring rather than outright bad. The highs make up for those moments though.

Favourite tracks: On a Rope, Ball Lightning, Fat Lip

Too sick to really collect my thoughts today, but I enjoyed this album.

Favourite tracks: Enjoy the Silence, World in My Eyes

I have to say, I feel like Gary Numan is more of a singles artist. There are some interesting sounds and ideas on this album, but they're somewhat few and far between. I think that's most plainly illustrated in the songs Observer and Cars, where the former genuinely just feels like a duller imitation of the more popular latter. I'd find it hard to believe they were 2 tracks from the same album if I was shown them in isolation before listening to it.

Favourite tracks: M.E., Conversation, Cars

I expected to enjoy this a lot more as I'm usually a big fan of post-punk, but this album just seemed like a collection of boring dirges that rarely went anywhere interesting. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had more time to give it my full attention.

Favourite tracks: Mask, Kick in the Eye

There were a few decent tracks on here but I forgot to note them down and the rest of the album was so overly long and uninteresting I can't be bothered to listen to it again to highlight them. Oh well.

Man, what a beautiful album this is. It feels like it demands the listener's full attention at every moment, with so many subtle details packed into almost every song. Each track is so short, too, so they never give you the chance to get tired of them. Quite the opposite, even, with tracks like You Still Believe In Me that feel like they have so much to give as they come to a close.

As a big fan of layered harmonies, you can imagine how much I love the vocals on this album. Don't Talk in particular I find to be almost spellbinding in how beautifully the harmonies shift with the chord changes throughout the song. I'm getting chills just thinking about it again while writing this, if I'm honest.

Obviously there's a lot of historical significance to the album as well, though I'll not get into that as it's not a subject I'm all that knowledgable about. All I'll say is that it's incredible that such a sonically rich album was able to be created at such a relatively early point in the development of the music industry.

Favourite tracks: You Still Believe In Me, Don't Talk, Sloop John B

This is a sort of uneven album in my opinion. It starts strong with some some real blood-pumping jams like Rendez-Vu and Jump 'N' Shout, but then there's a shift in the second half to a more laid-back, almost hypnotic vibe with tracks like Same Old Show and Always Be There, although Bingo Bango definitely bucks that trend and will certainly wake you back up if you'd started to zone out a bit. That said, I did enjoy the first half more than the second, but it was still a very enjoyable listen all the way through.

Remedy goes through a pretty wide range of genres, from Latin House to Dancehall, all while managing to maintain its own unique identity. I think anyone that listens to this album is bound to find at least one song that they enjoy, and most will find a lot more, so I can see how it made its way onto the list.

Favourite tracks: Rendez-Vu, Jump 'N' Shout, Stop 4 Love

One of the all-time greats. What a voice. What a musician. What a songwriter. There weren't many artists back then creating such elaborate music as an entirely solo act, and even fewer were capable of creating al album as good as Innervisions. At times it's poignant, at others it's funky as hell, and sometimes it's even both at the same time. It feels like a perfect album for any mood, honestly.

Favourite tracks: Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing, Visions

I was going to give this album a higher rating after the first listen because I found it so immediately charming and listenable, but I realized after a second listen that after the first two tracks, nothing else really stands out as particularly noteworthy. It all started to blur into each other. A nice album to just stick on and chill out to, though.

Favourite tracks: And It Stoned Me, Moondance,

Cool album, though not quite as listenable as Velvet Underground & Nico. These guys were real pioneers, and Sister Ray in particular feels like a song way ahead of its time.

Favourite track: Sister Ray

A kind of weird album to listen to. Feel like it has more value as a snapshot of an important moment in music history rather than something to actually listen to on its own merit. There are plenty of classic songs on the setlist here, but some of them sound a fair bit off from their respective studio versions. Like a Rolling Stone, in particular, sounds like someone doing a wacky Dylan impression rather than the man himself. That's what happens with live albums though, and it's why I generally don't care for them.

Favourite tracks: It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Mr. Tambourine Man, Baby Let Me Follow You Down

I love this album, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was one of the first albums I discovered via the internet, so it's probably safe to say it had a big influence on the person I am today. It's fun, it's charming, and at times, it's even touching. I dare anyone who's ever suffered the loss of a younger family member not to be affected while listening to Someone Great. Sound of Silver is a great album to passively chill to, but even more rewarding to really engage with as well.

LCD Soundsystem are masters of slowly building tension before gradually deflating it, all while making you want to get up and move at the same time. It's been around 15 years since I first fell in love with this album, and I've only come to appreciate it more as I approach the age James Murphy was when he wrote these songs, and his experiences become more relatable. All My Friends in particular hits me harder than ever now, for reasons I imagine most 30+ people should be able to empathize with. Their aforementioned skill at creating those moments of build-up and release is most evident there, with that final repeated refrain managing to send chills down my spine every time.

I really lament the fact that I never got to attend one of their shows before I became effectively priced out of them by the insane ticket prices they're able to demand. All these songs would be incredible to experience as a crowd. Maybe someday, I guess.

Favourite tracks: All My Friends, Someone Great, Get Innocuous!

No time for a proper review today. Decent album. Thumbs up.

I don't think this album's aged very gracefully. I'm sure it would have been a more palatable listen back when R.E.M's sound was fresher, but I've heard enough of their music in my time to be pretty tired of the bland, meandering songs that make up the majority of this album. Special mention to Stand for managing to break the monotony though by being such a god awful, corny song that it immediately wakes you up from the stupor induced by the rest of the album as you reach for the skip button.

I know R.E.M have better songs than what's on display here so I'll try to check out some other albums some time.

Favourite tracks: The Wrong Child, Hairshirt, Orange Crush

This was an enjoyable enough listen, but nothing terribly exciting. Marty Robbins had a wonderful voice, but I feel like he, like many others in that era of music, hadn't quite figured out the album format yet. While every song when taken on its own does a good job of keeping your attention as Robbins guides you through these tales about outlaws and gunslingers, when listened to as an album they all just sort of blend into each other and nothing stands out.

Maybe I'd have a more generous opinion of this album if I was more appreciative of country music in general, but as someone who tends to think of the genre as just "nice background noise," Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs didn't really do anything to change that opinion.

Favourite tracks: Master's Call, El Paso, Big Iron