Reviews by mwatts1494

The hits are quite nostalgic from university student union nights. Really good pop production values and it’s good at what it’s trying to do. I just don’t really like what it’s trying to do.

Nice songs. A pleasant time capsule into 60s pop

I’ve tried to get into this guy a few times over the years. It’s in my ballpark. There’s something about his voice and the 50s rock n roll throwbackness of it. Doesn’t click. Then XTC came on Spotify shuffle after and blew this out of the water. Only 25 more Elvis Costello albums to go. It might click eventually.

I’m very much not the target audience for this. It has its moments but sounds a bit soulless at times for a soul album. I like the talky bits.

Very good 👍

Unique concept for a record and I really like the atmosphere and the banter between the tracks. It’s just kind of missing the standout tracks other TW albums have to tie it together and outstays it’s welcome a little bit.

I went into this thinking I’d prefer it to their overplayed later stuff but, although I still enjoyed it, I found a lot of it irritating. Especially the vocals. They did have an original sound at the time though.

This album didn’t change my life but I enjoyed it a lot

After countless hours pondering the mysterious glowing red pyramid that crashed through his bedroom window from the cosmos, Gary went to the studio to invent the 1980s.

Never listened to this guy consciously before. Totally blew me away from the start of the first track. Great vocal command, loads of great musical ideas to keep the long tracks interesting, even a flute at the big jam at the end.

Very well produced and pleasant to listen to. But it feels like she hiring all the coolest collaborators and producers of the time to make something very calculated and on brand so it lacks a certain spirit.

Loads of cool ideas on here and really well produced. I find it too engaging for background music not engaging enough for active listening.

This is very very very very very alright. There are many moments where it starts to move in a cool and interesting direction and then reverts to a very alright big drunken festival singalong anthem chorus

One of the most self-consciously “English” album. The question is do I buy into their schtick here? Mostly, yes. There are 1-2 misfires.

Perfectly performed old-school Nashville music that is way too predictable and one-tempo to engage with:

Enjoyable hippy music

There are two unnecessary things on Vol. 4. The guy whispering “cocaine” in the background on Snowblind and the entire song “Changes”.

Love Supernaut and Cornucopia but I don’t think this is a patch on Master of Reality.

The Pogues’ celtic punk sound is great. I listen to the previous album a fair bit but this one wore on me towards the end and I’m tired of the Christmas song (not their fault)

Fantastic album. I love all the songs on the first half (especially Cloudbusting) and the second half is so imaginative and eclectic. The very 80s production adds to its charm for me.

They have a cool sound but Jason Pierce’s projects bore me a bit over the course of a full album