Reviews by nevele

Jazmine Sullivan was once regarded as a significant talent in the soul and R&B genres. Her debut album, "Fearless," released in 2008, received positive reviews, and her follow-up, "Love Me Back," also performed decently. However, I feel that she never fully realized her potential, and this latest album does not break that pattern; it feels mediocre as well.

This album is full of songs that ride on flattened records. No surprise or originality anywhere, nowhere a song that makes me jump up. It is all too simple, too flat and unfortunately often sung too whiny for me.

Those "Tales" also take the momentum out of the album, an album that already has little of it. Once again. an album that does not fulfill that great promise.

A pleasant listen

The issue I have with Radiohead, is mostly the same issue I have with Tool and Rush. It's the fans who sing the gospel of their favourite band and won't listen to any dissenting voice.

So I'll leave most of the review of this album to those who already came before this and have written entire paragraphs.

And as much the fans annoy me and as much as Tom Yorke is a pretentious git, I must admit that this album is a masterpiece.

LCD Soundsystem is quite open about their influences. However, unlike many other artists who draw from similar sources, their songs possess a distinct sound of their own. And this album. their most acclaimed one there is an excellent balance between incorporating influences and creating a unique sound.

The opening track, "Get Innocuous!", showcases a clear Krautrock influence, featuring a drumbeat reminiscent of a Neu! album (which I had on this list about a week ago) along with the structural elements that made Kraftwerk famous. "All My Friends" has a structure and lyrical style that could easily fit a New Order song, but James Murphy distinguishes himself through a more Eno/Bowie-esque use of synthesizers and his unique vocal delivery.

Speaking of vocals, I find this aspect of the album to be the least impressive. While Murphy's voice isn't bad, it doesn't stand out either. At times, certain vocals actually feel a bit forced.

The instrumentals are undoubtedly the highlight of the album. With unique elements such as a cowbell, thumb piano, and glockenspiel, along with great use of drums, synths, and piano, each instrument contributes a distinctive and valuable sound. Nothing feels superfluous, which is a relief.

*Sound of Silver* begins very strongly, especially with the tracks ranging from "North American Scum" to "All My Friends." However, the album's quality noticeably declines afterward with three weaker songs. "Us v Them" feels excessively long; "Watch the Tapes" is pleasant with its good drums but lacks anything exciting compared to the other tracks, and the title track also fails to captivate. Conversely, "New York..." may not be the most popular song on the album, but I find it to be one of the better tracks—a fine ballad to close the album.

It's an incredibly fun album, both rhythmically and lyrically interesting.

I’m a child of the 70s and grew up with Michael Jackson at the top of his game. While I don’t mean to be contrarian, I’ve never really understood why this album is regarded as the pinnacle of pop. Don’t get me wrong; some of the songs are absolutely exceptional. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It” are classics that will be cherished for decades to come. And every Halloween, we’ll reliably hear “Thriller,” even if it does come off as a bit tacky.

However, let’s focus on the album itself. Jackson shines when he channels Stevie Wonder on “Human Nature,” but on the other hand we have tracks like “Baby Be Mine,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” and “The Lady in My Life.” Unfortunately, these three songs barely rise above mediocrity, and the less said about “The Girl Is Mine,” the better.

The hits undeniably had a significant impact on pop music, but as an album, "Thriller" falls short.

I used to think that this album was the weakest in TV On The Radio's collection. However, after giving it a few listens over the past day, I realized that I hadn't given it the time it deserved.

From the opening track 'The Wrong Way,' through 'Staring At The Sun' to the magnificent 'Dreams', the album takes you on a textured dark journey through various sounds and genres, including acapella, industrial, indie, funk, progressive rock, and gospel, all anchored by deep, dark bass layers.

It's an album that really opened up a whole new world and broadened my musical horizons when I first heard it, and I'm only now able to truly appreciate it.

And isn't this exactly what you want from folk singers? Either songs you can sing by the fire, or songs to sing while gloriously dismantling the constructs of capitalism?

Dear me, she sure can sing.

I was initially surprised to see this particular album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on the list instead of some others. For some reason, I had overlooked this album for a long time. However, I now realize that I was completely wrong to do so. This album showcases Cave & The Bad Seeds at their best. It takes you deep inside the world of characters that Cave has created. It's sometimes haunting, sometimes boisterous, and sometimes just plain intense.

Standout tracks include the opener "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry," the apocalyptic ballad "Straight To You," and "John Finn's Wife," which might have just become my favorite Bad Seeds song.
A thundering and menacing story, both in terms of music and text. The setting of a wedding in Australia in the late 19th century. The bride's entry onto the dance floor: "And in she came with legs like scissors and butcher's knives, a tattooed breast and flaming eyes and a crimson carnation in her teeth, carving her way through the dance floor."
It sets the tone with that incredible violin throughout.

This will probably remain my favourite Cave song for a long time!

Superb album.

These two musicians complement each other well and give each other space to excel

First thing that stood out to me was that incredible bass in Zig Zag Wanderer. The entire album is a fun blues inspired whole.

Dirty dirty glampunk

This is such a powerhouse of an album, and it sounds a bit like if Siouxsie and the Banshees moved to the US and inadvertently started a new music genre.

This album, to me, is a prime example how a great blues voice can lift the somewhat mediocre orchestrated songs to a higher level.

Every music genre has a record that serves as a great example for starting bands. For the Industrial genre, this record is often cited as prime example and tour de force.

The sound is extremely tight, right in your face, and sizzling hard. The samples cut through the wall of guitar violence and hammer-blows on the drums like razors.
An overly agitated voice has been added to complete the picture.

The album opener "N.W.O." with the Bush quote ("What we are looking at is good and evil. Right and wrong") makes for an intense but still danceable track, "Just One Fix" blasts over it, and "TVII" is hard punk-industrial. With "Jesus Built My Rotrod", rockabilly influences are added, immediately making the song a classic. "Scare Crow" then creates a weighty, sick atmosphere with its slow tempo. The last tracks are more in the direction of noise.

Classic.

It's pleasant, but I'm apparently missing the genius that other people hear in it.

The album that is considered the foundation of the singer/songwriter genre is highly regarded for good reason. While it's seen as Joni Mitchell's best work, I personally prefer some of her later albums, especially Hejira and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. However, after a few listens, this beautiful and emotional earlier work proves to be almost as good.

"I could drink a case of you
and I'd still be on my feet"

For some reason, I always thought UB40 was a reactionary middle-class band, that played safe and uninspired white-man reggae without any edge or substance, but this album proved me completely wrong.

Scathing attacks on political and social issues paired with a proper 'back-in-the-beat' feel of Reggae music.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album and ended up enjoying it much more than I expected.

This is an absolute classic that should not be missing from any post-punk/wave collection. These are excellent musicians: wonderfully hectic music, avant-garde with lots of crazy sounds, distorted synths and sax, and hysterical vocals. You have to have strong nerves because otherwise, you won't make it to the end of this album.