Reviews by nofaithmed11

Y'know, there *are* a few moments here I dig alright, including some of the guitar work in "Small Talk". But overall, this brand/era of synthpop is about as unappealing to me as can be.

1.5/5

I found it mostly enjoyable enough, but I'm not totally convinced yet. I most certainly would have included *Tales of the New West* by The Beat Farmers over this album in terms of showcasing 80's cowpunk.

3.5/5

This one may very well grow on me. Most of the aspects of contemporary R&B that bug me are dialed back, and I find the dirtier grooves and soundscapes of tracks like “Stop Dem”, “Sorry Ain’t Enough”, “Bow”, and “Black” lend nicely to the record’s thematic content. High 3.5 for now, but I’m excited to keep revisiting.

3.5/5

I totally understand not liking The Doors. But I love The Doors. The Doors by The Doors is good.

5/5

Well, it's hard to say I'm *pleasantly* surprised with Nine Inch Nails, as there's not much pleasant about The Downward Spiral. But given how turned off I'd been by some material of theirs I'd heard in the past, I definitely dug this a lot more than I anticipated. Reznor is a hell of a musician, composer, and arranger, and for my tastes, he consistently strikes a solid balance of the overall industrial sound with distinct humanity, be that with the use of organic instruments or his harrowing lyrics. I'm still not sure if I love the overall style, but after one listen, it's at least an easy, high 3.5, with lots of potential room to grow.

3.5/5

...not the worst, but I'll be damned if it's approaching anything near the best.

1.5/5

I perhaps don’t love it quite as much as I want to, but I still think it’s pretty great. There’s really not a bum song, but “Personality Crisis”, “Lonely Planet Boy”, “Trash”, “Subway Train”, “Pills”, and “Jet Boy” are favorites in particular.

4/5

It would be foolish to pretend that nostalgia doesn’t factor into my reverence for this album - I was just about to turn 12 when it was released, already a fan coming off White Blood Cells - but I also don’t think that nostalgia is an invalid means of enjoyment. If the purpose of music is to evoke emotion, what could be a *more* valid factor in measuring subjective worth? To that end, yes, part of the reason I love this album is because it reminds me of what it meant to fall in love with music. And not just the music that my parents introduced me to, since many of those artists were either past their prime or had passed away; exciting, relevant music that was being released in *my* formative years.

Mostly, though, I love Elephant because it still embodies so much of what I musically value. It’s extremely cohesive, yet it covers so much ground. The ferocious, tempo-shifting stomper that is “Black Math” sits perfectly beside “There’s No Home for You Here”, an exercise in dynamic extremes. The three-ballad run in the middle of the album (“In the Cold, Cold Night”, “I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart”, and “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket”) ranges from subdued, organ-driven eeriness to midtempo, Faces-like swagger with a Southern rock tinge to classic, fully acoustic intimacy. They’re all so beautifully unique from one another, and they wonderfully set up “Ball and Biscuit” to blast the fucking walls down. It’s a classic blues structure at its core, but Jack and Meg aren’t too precious about it; they add and drop bars at will, and Jack’s frenetic soloing not only surpasses your average white boy running pentatonics on a Strat, it actually honors the raw musical spirit of the blues.

I understand that critics have slobbered Jack White to death for almost 25 years now, but for me, it’s one thousand percent warranted. Between his guitar tones and his actual playing, his work on Elephant might make it my favorite guitar-centric record period, full stop. Sure, the flashier moments like “Ball and Biscuit” are awesome, but I’m even more impressed by his ability and willingness to use his guitar as an emotional vessel. The sustained note that gives way to some whammy bar trickery in the third chorus of “There’s No Home for You Here” gives me goosebumps every time; the single note stabs in “Little Acorns” are positively demonic; the solo in “Seven Nation Army”, where he harmonically plays off the main melody in the most exhilarating ways, is brilliant. None of these moments are showcases of technical virtuosity, and that’s exactly why I love them. Their tastefulness and raw intensity are, to me, more badass and evocative than anything Eddie Van Halen, Slash, or Steve Vai ever committed to tape.

Jack’s guitar work is aided by his own lyricism (“There’s No Home for You Here”, “I Want to Be the Boy…”, and “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket” are particular highlights) and, yes, Meg’s absolutely perfect drumming. She provides all the power, attitude, and space that these recordings require; at the risk of sounding even more pretentious than I have up to this point, I honestly feel bad for people who don’t “get” why she is the only drummer who could have worked for this band. Their loss, I guess.

And my gain! I have listened to this album a thousand times and I will listen to it a thousand more without ever tiring of it. My favorite track these days is probably “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine”, the exact halfway point between blues and punk, but on other days, it might be “The Air Near My Fingers”, the smoky cover of “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself”, or literally *any* of the other songs I’ve already mentioned (yes, even “Seven Nation Army”, which has never been a victim of overplay for me). I even love the closing track, ridiculous as it may be. I love, love, love each and every one of these songs. I love the way they are written, arranged, performed, and produced. I’m so grateful for the place this album holds in my heart.

5+/5

The title track and “My Way of Giving” are great, and the version of Dylan’s “Only a Hobo” is really nice. Concerning “It’s All Over Now”, though; did Rod have a clause in his contract stating he *had* to cover a well-known rock standard on each album and a) play them *just* slowly enough that it feels unnatural and b) incorporate A BILLION FUCKING CODAS at the end of it? Because he did the same exact thing with “That’s All Right Mama” the very next year on Every Picture Tells a Story and I just don’t understand it at all. They add absolutely nothing of value.

With that rant out of the way, I enjoyed pretty much everything else on this record. "I Don't Want to Discuss It" is a bit of a weak closer, but in addition to the other songs I just highlighted, the cover of Elton's "Country Comfort" is solid, and "Jo's Lament" is beautiful. The classic early 70's rootsy production is also right up my *alley* (eh?? EH???).

4/5

I get why people don’t like this. I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a fan of the production, nor would I spin this on a consistent basis. But overall, I dig the blues-infused noise punk of it all. I especially like “She’s Hit”, “Several Sins”, “Kiss Me Black”, “The Dim Locator”, and “Big-Jesus-Trash-Can”.

3.5/5

Not only were they the first great duo singers, but very few people have surpassed them since.

4/5

Fine, but wholly inessential, especially considering all of the amazing music from this time period.

3.5/5

I'd obviously include the title track in a book of "1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die." The album, however...

2.5/5

Noddy Holder is the X factor for me with Slade; with most other vocalists, I’d probably feel similarly to this album as I do with a lot of other “meat and potatoes” glam rock albums, but his conviction bumps it up a notch.

4/5

Perhaps the lowest 3 stars I’ll ever award.

3/5

I think Mama Tried from the following year is a stronger record; this one falls victim to some of the sameyness that affects a lot of Bakersfield country records, and as much as I like the overall sound, I do find myself wanting a bit more most of the time. The piano boogie of "If You Want to Be My Woman" is a nice change of pace near the end of the record, though, and the title track and Jimmie Rodgers' "My Rough and Rowdy Ways" also stand out nicely.

3.5/5

One of my favorite *sounding* jazz records of all-time; Max Roach's drums on the title track sound absolutely titanic, and despite the occasional cacophonic blend of horns and piano (be that harmonic or otherwise), there's still somehow so much room to breathe. Incredible arrangements and individual performances. Especially considering the time period, Monk was so punk rock in his approach. I love it.

5/5

Potentially my favorite record of his I've heard so far. I tend to enjoy more of his individual songs than complete albums, but there's a surrealness to this record that intrigues me. I'm interested to keep revisiting it

3.5/5

Through the first eight songs, I thought that the general reaction of this being too disjointed was massively overstated. It seemed a bit eclectic, sure, but pretty well within the realm of what one could classify as "alternative rock". A bit of The Cure here, some U2 there, perhaps even a little Velvet Underground at points, so on and so forth. Pretty good stuff, too! Especially "Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line", "Safesurfer", and "If You Loved Me at All". Then, as tracks nine and ten ("Soldier Blue" and "You...") continued, I began to understand a bit more where everyone was coming from. The dance elements of "Soldier Blue" definitely felt a bit out of place; perhaps if it was approached in a baggier Stone Roses/Happy Mondays fashion, it would have fit in better, but its distinct funkier nature lends to a more jarring experience in the context of the record. "You..." almost has a Zappa-esque quality that is equally confusing; I don't even necessarily think either of these songs are bad, but they absolutely signal a turning point in the album for me in terms of it as a listening experience. From that point on, I'm not sure it ever totally finds its footing again. There are some other great songs, particularly the closer "Las Vegas Basement", but there are also a couple of other left turns ("Beautiful Love") that remind you of the hodgepodge nature of it as a whole.

3.5/5

Seriously cool.

3.5/5