Reviews by oldmancthc

It's a little too theatrical for my tastes overall. Fun listen though. Not sure it's something I would return to often, but certainly has some replay value.

Not sure how this escaped me before today, but this is the first time hearing this band. I kinda love it. I will always respond positively to any insane and avant-garde approach to music creation. This stuff sounds like someone playing electronic music for video games on actual instruments. True organized (almost mathematical) chaos.

I am shocked anyone over 12 enjoys this. Total bubblegum garbage.

God damn music fell hard in the 2000s. Calling this "soul" is an insult to the genre. Canned beats, fake instrument loops, and a child actor from The Mickey Mouse Club doing his best imitations of previous artists. This is pure garbage, manufactured by greedy media execs to line their pockets.

Sinead has a great voice, and I like the very limited amount of the more upbeat arrangements on here, but most of this is way too adult contemporary for me.

Eh... it's not terrible. At its best, it reminds me of Dinosaur Jr. (although nowhere near as engaging.) At its worst, it's just boring. The tempo and overall sound don't change up enough to keep me interested. Overall, it's definitely not something I'd ever reach for to listen to.

I bought this album the day it was released based solely on my love for Zack's previous bands. This was a... huge disappointment then, and I still mostly feel the same. Rap-rock was a pretty embarrassing misstep for music in the '90s. This might be the best of it, but that's not saying much. The lyrical content and delivery are actually great, but I feel like that was completely lost on mainstream arena concert audience that this was so heavily marketed to. Most offensive to me, and something I'll never get over is Tom Morello's "pitch-wheel-on-a-keyboard" guitar solos. Is it a lack of talent or is he just fucking with everyone?

I dig this! It's got riffs and just enough weirdo shit to be interesting, but not so much it turns me off. Solid album I wish I hadn't written it off without listening to it years ago.

Yeah, this fuckin' rocks!

Another hugely influential album (and band) on my musical tastes growing up. The Replacements were my bridge between R.E.M. and punk. Their early attitude and energy still shines on this album, but they're starting to experiment with a more approachable sound, adding more jangly guitars, some of piano here and there, and slower tempos with more introspective lyrics. While that is usually something that turns me off, the Replacements manage to evolve without losing the sensibilities and attitude that made me love their early work. Major bonus points for a devastating KISS cover!

Soft rock sewage. Hard to believe this is the same band who wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday.

One of my most favorite albums ever. I have listened to this regularly for over 30 years. The importance of the Dust Brothers' influence on the Beastie Boys cannot be over emphasized.

I'm not the intended audience, but I've been a sucker for this sound since it was new. Angular guitar, punk energy, and female vocals that can express both beauty and anger in the same moments. I knew more of Bikini Kill, Huggy Bear, and Heavens To Betsy when this was new, but this fits right in there quite nicely.

SZA's got a great voice but this is trash. Terrible hip-hop production. Awful autotuned guests. Lyrics that seem crude just for the shock value of it. This is one I wish I'd never heard.

I miss the days when "mainstream" hip-hop wasn't afraid to experiment, creating more variety of sound and style. This is another genre defining masterpiece from start to finish.

Weird in all the best ways, and also awesome. A true gem I'd have probably never heard of if not for this list.

One of the least engaging albums I've ever heard. Utterly forgettable.

Very cool avant garden approach to creating music on this. I guess I can believe all the hate it’s getting in the reviews here, but I really enjoy when a band takes a chance on doing something unique and unapproachable. This is rough. It's ugly. Some of it is unlistenable. But as a body of work it is super interesting and thought provoking. Hell yeah!

Half this album was the mainstay of early alt-rock radio and was played in such repetition that I can't tell if I actually liked it or if I was programmed to. That being said this is still a great listen despite much of that probably being nostalgia.

Oh damn! As someone who’s always loved Booker T and the MGs I’m shocked Jimmy Smith, an obvious influence, is someone I’ve never heard. This is nothing short of amazing. Another perfect album.