Reviews by nofaithmed11

The weakest of their albums (Squeeze doesn't count), but still good. The title track is an all-timer.

3.5/5

I respect its historical significance, and I love a lot of Ray's stuff, but much like The Genius of Ray Charles, I just don't consistently love this album. Although he sounds amazing as always, his voice and piano playing too often get overshadowed by the string and choral arrangements, and it's ultimately a bit of a sleepy affair for me. I hadn't listened to this album in about 10 years, but I remember listening to it a bunch trying to "get it" in my teens and early twenties; it appears I'm still not there on a subjective level, despite understanding why it's as revered as it is.

3/5

Probably my favorite of theirs I've heard so far, even if I'm not totally convinced by them.

3.5/5

The title track rules. Everything else is passable, but doesn't rise to the same level.

3.5/5

I don't think Creedence has a perfect album - Willy and the Poor Boys comes closest in my book - but they have loads of perfect songs. On this particular record, you've got the stellar title track, "Bad Moon Rising", "Commotion", "Sinister Purpose", and my personal favorite, "Lodi". Fantastic at best, really fucking good at worst.

4/5

I do not know how to relate to or enjoy this. Worse, it’s objectively inessential.

1.5/5

I don't dislike this, and it's not *bad*, but there are so many great non-western albums that should have made this list over this, an album that deliberately waters down the greatness, intention, and spirit of Indian music just to appeal to western audiences.

3/5

God, she was so damn cool.

4/5

I like the song “Faith” more right now than I ever have. What an infectious little song! I love the melody, the acoustic guitar-based arrangement, and Michael’s playful vocal. It really is a fantastic pop song, and for me, it kicks off the album perfectly…

…but unfortunately, it immediately ventures into territory that is not my favorite. I can see why some might admire the lyrics and song structure of “Father Figure”, but those breathy, whispery, Prince-like vocals are always a big turnoff for me, and the 80’s adult contemporary sound is just too much. However, “I Want Your Sex” almost torpedoes the album completely for me. I understand that for many, this is fun, danceable, etc. For me, it is none of those things. It is cheesy and cringeworthy. And although “Father Figure” made me vaguely think of Prince, I found myself thinking “I Want Your Sex” was a complete ripoff. When I realized it was eight minutes long, it was simply too much for me. I think what a lot of people hear as infectious, I hear as annoying. It was very hard for me to sit through.

“A Last Request” also veers a bit too much into that adult contemporary sound, and “Monkey”, though not on the same level as “I Want Your Sex”, is still synthpop that really grates on me. There were other songs and elements I appreciated; although I don’t love the keyboard sounds on “One More Try”, I think his voice sounds really great, and I like that instead of building into this huge, bombastic soundscape, he keeps the arrangement pretty sparse and allows his vocals to provide all the power it needs. “Look at Your Hands” and “Kissing a Fool” were also fine enough, but for me, nothing comes close to the title track. Obviously, I lean towards more organic sounds and styles, so there is a lot of bias for me there, but sonically, it’s the only song in the album that I would ever want to return to on a regular basis.

2/5

A bit better than expected...?

2.5/5

Decent, if not disposable.

3.5/5

Delightfully diverse and strange.

4/5

Certainly not to the level of perfection they would achieve a couple of years later, but still, a fucking great debut.

4/5

This kicks so much ass on so many levels. Fred Smith and Wayne Kramer are both fucking unreal guitarists, capable of blasting out both simple riffs/power chords and incendiary solos, and sounding absolutely incredible either way. Dennis Thompson and Michael Davis are such a powerful rhythm section; Thompson’s drumming in particular reaches Moon-like status at certain points. Rob Tyner has the perfect voice for this project, and he delivers the political messages of these songs with all the urgency they deserve. In terms of musical prowess and adventurousness, as well as pure visceral expression, they’re right up there with The Stooges and Velvet Underground as the most important groups of this genre and time period. I think this completely rules in almost every single way.

4.5/5

Some decent production in spots, but truly, astonishingly bad songwriting. And although I acknowledge that she’s got serious pipes, I thought the goddamn vocalises would be the death of me.

1.5/5

I actually think there's room for this one to grow on me. It's got a really cool DIY, organic feel that reminds me a bit of McCartney's first album. I imagine that a lot of people probably do prefer Lenny's later stuff that's a bit more polished, but as someone who's never been a huge fan of his lusher, more R&B-inspired efforts, I dig the homespun atmosphere quite a bit. The Beatles, Hendrix, and Prince influences are *very* clear, but they never feel like cheap imitations either. I'm interested to keep returning to this one.

3.5/5

Some of the most badass music to come out of the early 80's.

4/5

I'm no expert on African music; I think I know the basic differences between mbube and isicathamiya, but don't ask me a) to give any definitive thoughts on them or b) how to pronounce them. I *do* know that, in my pretty limited forays outside "Western" genres, African music tends to hit me on a more emotional level than music from other countries/regions. There are moments on this record where the beauty of LBM's voices really resonate with me, and I find it to be a pleasant listen on the whole. That said, I don't foresee it being an album that I return to on any regular basis, and I would be lying if I said that, despite my genuine enjoyment, it has sparked a flame in me to immediately dive deeper into this style of music.

3/5

I was 13 years old when this album came out. My obsession with music had begun only five years prior, but it had already become one of the defining aspects of my life. Although I was already hip to many bands from the 90's and onward, my familiarity with Green Day was limited to their radio hits; I enjoyed them all well enough, but never felt compelled to look further into them. Nevertheless, my parents bought me this CD for Christmas a few months after it came out for some reason. I remember being confused, but I made sure to listen to it a few times because I didn't want to insult them. I think I thought it was fine on the first listen - maybe elements of it seemed more polished than I was used to, but it didn't scare me off or anything. I liked it a bit more on the second listen; by my third or fourth listen, I was genuinely surprised by how much I really, *really* liked it.

Over 20 years later, I'm still a bit surprised by how much I like American Idiot. There are very, very few mainstream pop-punk albums from this era that I enjoy even half as much. But as my unlikely Green Day fandom and appreciation has expanded throughout the last two decades, it's still hard for me to not view this album as a major accomplishment. I think Billie Joe Armstrong can craft a melody with the best of them, and some of his finest compositions appear on American Idiot. There are certainly some more ~melodramatic~ moments, but for me, they are saved by the strength of his voice and, perhaps even more importantly, his singing style, which never devolves into the horrific oversinging as some of his other contemporaries and influences. In general, the band follows suit, succeeding in their grander ambitions while remaining a tight-knit unit. Even the more bombastic moments of “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” - two absolutely tremendous achievements, mind you - never stray so far from their strengths that they feel unwarranted or misguided.

I understand that some people got burnt out on the hits and this album's general overexposure; it's one of many criticisms that I understand (for the record, I still think they're all pretty fantastic, especially the title track, "Holiday", and "Wake Me Up When September Ends”). I also understand not being a fan of theirs in general; I understand digging their early stuff but not caring for the direction this album takes; I understand reservations about it being a “victim” of the loudness war. Not only can I respect any of these viewpoints, I acknowledge that, given where my tastes generally lie, it probably seems strange for me to love this album as much as I do. But I’m certainly not going to apologize for it, and I will forever cherish the incredible memories I have attached to it.

5/5

More boring than egregiously offensive, in my opinion. I feel 98.2% confident that, should I be sentient in my last moments of life, staring death in the face, I will not be thinking, "Man, I'm so glad I listened to that Orbital record."

1.5/5