Reviews by oldmancthc

Started off nostalgically strong with Rikki, and I had high hopes. The Dan is one of those "supergroups" I've always really wanted to like but this isn't doing it. This album takes a STEEP nosedive after track one and I'd wager officially crashes and burns on East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. There are couple signs of life after that but they're faint and feel mostly reflexive. This is just bad.

Such a great listen. I’ve never been this deep into The Kinks discography and not disappointed to be here. Styles are a little all over the place here, but it’s never off putting. Proto-‘90s-Brit-Pop! You can plainly hear the sound that Oasis and Supergrass will borrow years later. A lot of album’s are labeled “ahead of their time” but this one delivers.

A lot going on here. Hard to pin down stylistically, it often sounds like it's taking cues from pop but applying overly distorted, fuzzed out guitars. Not sure the fusion really works for me. Makes for a very nu-metal sound and I'm not really into it. The production leaves this feeling sterile and it definitely takes away from the heavier parts. It's the pop-produced style of the vocals that I really just can't get down with. They don't fit the music and more often than not distract me from hearing the more nuanced and intricate work happening there. The long instrumental parts of Cicatriz Esp really hammer home how much better this would be without vocals entirely.

I'm a superman of Gabriel's early work and consider the first 4 self-titled albums untouchable. This is the best of the 4 too. It's experimental (for the time) but still weaves traditional melodies and pop sensibilities throughout so it's never in danger of losing the listener. There is an immense power in this album, even at its most introspective (Lead a Normal Life) moments. Every song feels meticulous in its creation. Nuanced sound textures and synth in the background seem to float in and out and at just the right moments to create real emotional responses. Biko is nothing short of a masterpiece.

I love Rick Rubin, but I do blame him and this album for having to be subjected to the Red Hot Chili Peppers far too often in the last 30 years. Before this album, they were just a weird funk-metal band that no one outside of niche skateboarding circles really gave a shit about. When this album dropped, you couldn't get away from it. It was EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. Initial reaction; when they stick to sophomoric heavy funk they are in their element. It's fun. It's catchy. It's played well. Too often though they have decided to "get serious" on this album with tracks like Breaking the Girl and Under the Bridge. Quite simply, it shuts down any flow the album seems to be establishing, every time. I understand that these were their breakout singles and helped propel them into the forefront of mainstream rock, but as far as the album, it just doesn't work. Couple that with this being about twice as long (OK 3x) as it needs to be and you've got the recipe for a rough afternoon. Additionally and most importantly, Kiedis is the weak link here. Cut the vocals on the better parts of this and it's really solid and innovative funk. Kiedis ruins that EVERY time he opens his mouth. The lyrics are garbage. The delivery is worse. He's like the class clown that you couldn't stand to be around for more than 5 minutes in high school. Jesus Christ, if you can get through the final two tracks of this shit sandwich without wanting to do serious harm to yourself or others, you're a better person than I am. I'd like to give this 0 stars and if at all possible, erase it from history.

Interesting for sure. I’m always fascinated with this era and style of producing. It reminds me a lot of The Bomb Squad at times. That being said it also feels like it’s missing something to me. It’s just too easy to dismiss without an MC on top of it.

Into it. This was a pleasant surprise. Not sure what I expected, but this is a very competent release. Mostly hanging out in the indie guitar realm, but not afraid to hop the fence into a more garage/punk sound when the feeling arises. PJ's vocals fit all the music quite nicely. Ending the album on two lighter sounding pieces is something I'm usually critical of, but it works here.

I think I hate this. Maybe I don't understand the English idea of flow in hip-hop because this just doesn't sound right. Like every line is out of synch with the rhythm. The production sounds super amateurish. The layered vocal is off-putting as hell. I really can't find a single good thing to say about this. Honestly I feel like I deserve some kind of prize for making it all the way through because this is unlistenable.

Probably the #1 most anticipated album of my life. I could easily write 9+ paragraphs about the day I first heard this. I was a huge Minor Threat fan, owned both Fugazi ep’s, and could not WAIT for their first album to be released. Admittedly it’s not my favorite album of theirs (that’s In On the Killtaker) but inarguably it’s the most important to me. It went beyond hardcore. It transcended punk. It felt vital in a way nothing else at that time did. Inspirational, in a way that few other current bands at the time could portray. This is a true milestone in music that I don’t think enough people understand.

This is a band who I have heard described as legendary, countless times. They are mentioned as influences in interviews by nearly every band I've ever loved. I love the experimental nature of what they are doing. I can only assume this was pretty "out there" when released in '78, and it's undeniable that it influenced music across many genres as well as defining some of its own. With all that being said... I just don't enjoy listening to it. It's cold. It's lifeless. It's mechanical. It sounds like a mathematical property because sentient and "wrote" a few songs. Great dance music if that's your thing, but it's not mine. Not bad for background music, or if you want to score a nostalgia-dripping, 1980's themed, children's horror/sci-fi television show.

Ah yes, the album that made me give up on "metal" for over 20 years. After heavy rock slowly morphed into hair metal through the '80s, we get this. It's the culmination of "metal" becoming bullshit pop music. It's basically the antithesis of everything I believe in musically. This is throwaway industry garbage that can only be enjoyed through a very thick lens of nostalgia.

No lie I love me some '70s soul. Right out of the gates this album is COOKIN' with an updated That Lady. Even when they slow things down and get sexy it still rocks. Heavy metal guitar tone (arguably before heavy metal existed) is a weird choice that mostly works. It does get a little comical in their cover of Summer Breeze. Solid album whose only downside is sometimes slipping into that "sounds too much the same" area.

I don't know about this. Really liked the Sugarcubes, but find it hard to get into Björk's solo work. I do enjoy the experimental qualities to it. The blending of electronics and what sounds like field samples to create textures is very nice. Her voice is VERY unique, and despite it fitting the music quite well, I find that all together it’s just easy to dismiss as lovely background noise. Nothing really pulls me in. There’s no beat. There’s no groove. There’s no hook. I have huge artistic respect for her taking this approach but it’s just not anything that appeals to me.

More '80s pop I remember hating... great. Going to try to ignore that and give this an honest listen. One thing I did to stay interested was seek out an original mix version of this, learning that many of the songs on it were later remixed and/or replaced by their singles version. Glad I did. They sound like they are more stripped down, with flashier production elements either not yet inserted or left further back in the mix. Vocals also feel more balanced that own their singles where they are much too forward. It has much more of an electro vibe than I remember and I do have a better appreciation for that now vs. when this first came out. Musically I'm digging a lot of what sounds like nods to the original Motown sound. Not sure if that's all Michael or if it's Quincy's influence. Did I just hear Stevie Wonder? OK, I like that too. All in all I can say I have certainly more respect for this album than I previously did, but it's still not something that will ever be in regular rotation for my listening.

Miles again… automatic 5 stars.

This might be some of the first modern pop Ive been exposed to that I don't hate. Wildly all over the map sound-wise, like someone setting out to touch every genre imaginable on a single (albeit 70 minute) album. Usually that's a turn-off for me, but this works. I love when she raps. I love when she screams. I love when she sings. The music also maintains a level of good interest, never turning into just background. It's ever-changing style actually works to its advantage here. All in all, another nice surprise for something I did not recognize at all going in.

Holy shit... I don't know what I was anticipating, but this is great. I generally avoid pop music so despite knowing her name I was unfamiliar with most of her music before listening to this album. Her voice has an undeniable power in its quality, and her control over it suggests a discipline that I feel many vocalists will never achieve. Even musically, this is elevated well above standard pop. I can hear nods to classic soul, r&b, and even Americana/outlaw country underneath much of this. Despite the varied influences it never sounds like an experiment, and never makes the album feel erratic. Instead, using those influences to create a unique sound. Nothing here is accidental and it shows.

Feeling weird about his one. On the one hand I really like all the styes it seems to borrow from; soul, blues, punk, garage. On the other, something seems off. I want to call it contrived, but that doesn't seem entirely fair. I didn't find anything off-putting about it, just didn't find a single thing that really got me excited about listening to it. If I wanted to hear this style of music there are far better options that if I had to guess, were probably this band's inspiration.

Mostly this is the soundtrack to browsing one of those little boutiques in tourist towns, that are filled with "local" art that no one would buy if they weren't on vacation. There are some experimental moments peppered in here and there, and I really wish there were more. That seems to be when they are at their best. Nothing terrible here, just feels very "in the background" too often.

Ugh... Another one that is tough to separate from opinions I formed a lifetime ago. A single track here that borderlines on wanting to rock, but mostly it's all sad-boi jangly bullshit with some nonce crooning over the top. Never understood the hype here. Oh, and lest I forget, fuck Morrissey straight to hell.