Reviews by mwatts1494

I'm feeling a 4 on this one

Over the years, this hasn't even been one of my favourite Talking Heads albums but it's close to 5 ⭐️ for me. They came out of the gates with such a unique, jittery, anxious sound, that they kept building on each year. They don't sound like any other band.

No Compassion is fantastic and Psycho Killer is one of my favourite singles of all time.

I was a student radio DJ in 2001 and played a song ("Miles Away") from their first EP just after it came out because I'm much cooler than you.

I then really enjoyed their debut album but didn't keep up with them after that - apart from hearing "Gold Lion" on nights out. This sounds like they've gone full indie-electro in the Kitsuné style of the mid-late 2000s. It works for them and with her voice. I thought the guitarist was great though, so it's a shame the guitaring has been dialled down.

Very nice. But conjures images of a family listening to the radio over an awkward dinner in 1950s suburbia.

Bonus points for being batshit crazy

This sounds super original for the time. One of the pioneers of hardcore punk incorporating yet-to-exist alternative metal, goth and funk. He’s pushing his vocals in new directions. However, I don’t love it and the production style doesn’t quite do it justice.

Nice

Not my usual go-to music but I enjoyed it. The production is cool and varied, and it's the first album to feature sexual slam poetry so why not.

Mr Brightside is an undeniable indie disco tune and they have a few other good hits on the first half. But their non-hits are dull and before the end I wanted it to end.

How much more funky can you get than this album? The answer is none. None more funky.

Not an album for regular listening, but if you’re in the zone it has a lot of great moments.

The production is amazing and - I believe - groundbreaking at the time for its use of samples.

Over a whole album though, the issue for me is the vocals lack any dynamic range, depth or hooks. The end result is like some children have scribbled over a renaissance painting.

Beck's whole thing before this album was being tongue-in-cheek and playing around with styles and vibes - not 100% sincere or easy to pin down. But this is very much a personal, depressive singer-songwriter album.

I was a big fan of Beck in the late 90s and had all the CDs leading up to this one. While I enjoyed it, it's the first album that I feel he isn't pushing in a new direction - it's a bit of a rerun of Mutations. It's very well written and produced but left me cold and bored in places.

I respect this album. It's misplaced in the British folk category. It has some really cool guitar and other jazzy instrumentation. I can't fully get behind it because I don't love his slurry, crooner vocals.

I remember quite liking this at the time but I feel like everything sounds like this now. Maybe it was influential? Still a bit too polished and bland.

I’m sorry, Stevie. It’s not you, it’s me.

Aside from the title track, this isn't what I expected. It's very varied, but having waded through Tommy, Queen and Meat Loaf, I just don't need any more rock show tunes in my life :(

I think the name of the band and album overemphasises the bongos. Apart from Dueling Bongos, it's a cool, percussion-led instrumental funk album.

The focus on the beats and effects (bongos with phasers?) seems to be a precursor for later hip hop production.

This has primal caveman energy. When the saxophone comes in towards the end of 1970, it's like they push the self-destruct button and the album spirals further and further out of control until it's squealing free jazz.

Favourite tracks: 1970, TV Eye

Nice.

Favourite song: Stairway to the Stars