Reviews by nevele

I initially didn't realise the bombast and the hustle and bustle of this album when I bought it. At the time, I was only familiar with the songs "John Wayne Gacy Jr." and "Chicago." As a result, I was quite disappointed when I first listened to Illinois. The music felt difficult to grasp, with too many instruments and a restless quality.

I set the album aside several times but eventually returned to it, and gradually, the music began to resonate with me. I'm not sure if there was a specific turning point or if my appreciation just developed over time.

Now, after a few years, I believe this album by Sufjan is his best work. The album just feels like a whole. I can feel such joy and lightness in all the songs, as well as pure emotion. There is a sense of completeness in every note played by the instruments, and his voice is full of vitality here.

This is a pleasant album, by an artist you definitely shouldn't purchase albums blindly from.

The Idiot breathes an atrabilious, dark, gloomy atmosphere that has to grab you. With Nightclubbing and Mass Production you're being sucked into the pain and struggle with addiction. The album envelops you.

I can understand why people despise this album.

But I love it.

This is such a great album. The deceptively simple-sounding beats from Stewart Copeland are just outrageously incredible. Never have I been able to master any Police song on my kit. The beautifully subdued solos from Summers on guitar combined with the lyrics from Sting that read like the ravings of an escapee from a mental asylum.

What is not to love?

What an incredible album! This artist creates a sonic overload experience in their recorded work, something typically experienced only in live music.
Maybe this album is not as diverse as the other album on this list, but this is by far my favourite!

I can't understate how much I like TV On The Radio. And how much the album STILL keeps growing with every listen.
It's also one of those albums that's really better with headphones.

Sometimes when using this list or website, you may come across an album that you listen to but find it hard to articulate your thoughts about it. After a second or third listen, you might even click 'didn't listen' because you feel you need to revisit the album later.
This was one of them.
Initially, I was quite skeptical about it. While "The Milk-Eyed Mender" was undeniably beautiful, I worried that the addition of orchestration would cause Joanna's music to devolve into annoying bombast.

Fortunately, that concern turned out to be unfounded. The orchestration is not only subtle but also very powerful. It adds significant value to the album, which I had nearly dismissed as a possibility beforehand. Joanna has clearly evolved, and with this album, she successfully steps outside the 'freak-folk' genre. The entire album is filled with beautiful music, and many of the compositions seem almost perfect.

And this is normally completely not my style. But I loved it

Ghostface Killah's music can be quite challenging. Sometimes when I listen to it, I find it incredibly captivating, while other times I don’t enjoy it almost at all. There isn't much wrong with this album overall, but I wish there were more standout tracks. I feel that the skits are unnecessary almost by default. I would give this a 3, and it was likely the last time I listened to this.

I expected this album to resonate with me right away, given the involvement of writers like Nick Cave, Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Elvis Costello, Philip Glass, and Tom Waits, along with contributions from Scott Walker (mixing) and a musician like Warren Ellis. However, for some reason, it didn’t connect with me. I have no complaints about the quality; it’s well-crafted in every sense. Yet, I found myself hoping for it to end, even on my first listen, and my feelings didn’t change during the second listen.

Where with Skeleton Tree you were still listening to Nick Cave's pain, Ghosteen is listening to his grief. It's oh so beautiful, but not an album I personally enjoy putting on.

A great combination of African jazz, Indonesian lullabies and lovely calypso tunes sung by one of the greats

Long I have considered this as a bit of a weaker album in the long list of quality albums REM has released over their career. But slowly over the years I've realised that if it wasn't for hairshirt, this might've been a perfect album.

Best song is actually on the bonus disc. The Club Mix of Jacques Your Body is marvellous.

I actually liked this better than the much revered Deja Vu

From the very first notes, it is clear that Supertramp has taken a different approach with this album compared to their first two. It feels as if every note has been meticulously considered, and much more attention has been paid to the overall sound. And even more, the lyrics are outstanding!

"Crime Of The Century" comes close to a perfect album. Every composition is strong, and Davies and Hodgson complement each other lyrically well in terms of seriousness and lightness. The arrangements are beautiful—complete with saxophone and strings—and the overall sound is nearly flawless. While it is not a concept album, it feels like a cohesive piece from the first note to the last.

The only criticism is that the album doesn’t feel very spontaneous. Every note seems predetermined, leaving little room for deviation. This is evident in the live performances and bonus tracks as well.

Good beats and a good flow. I can understand how this was incredibly influential.
But I completely fail to connect with it due to the infantile skits and lyrics.

This album excels in every musical aspect—compositions, vocals, instrumentation, and production. It’s impeccable. However, it fails to captivate me. At all.
I prefer music that is at least a little perplexing, a little strange, and this softrock album doesn’t deliver that.
Another point of critique is the lyrics. They read like confession-porn. The artists' expressed mutual love and sorrow don’t resonate with me at all. It’s a prime example of melodrama.

I know one must tread carefully when discussing sensitive topics like this album, with the high rating it has. Rumours (and Fleetwood Mac) are just not my thing.

That's a really great drum solo, wish I was in the crowd for that. Yeah, he really has some amazing voice, doesn't he? I can see how he's playing the crowd. Man, those riffs translate well live, eh? Would've been nice to stand up front.
Gee, I think most of these songs I already heard on 'Deep Purple In Rock' and 'Machine Head' on this list? Was it really needed to put a 'best-off' live album here?

Completely mental. Experimental Jazz Grindcore

With a bit of fishing, you can find some pearls on this album, but mostly it's sub-par.
It is good to try to combine reggae, pop and soul.