Reviews by polyjamjam

Suburban dad music is actually hitting?! When I saw the main genres were rock and jazz, I was pretty excited. It's more jazz-y than what I was expecting, but the end product is a smooth and bouncy half-an-hour listen, even if I did want it go in more adventurous directions at times. A 3.5 star record, but since half stars aren't allowed on here, a high 3 it gets.

I appreciate what he was going for here. Trip hop is one of those genres that intrigue me the most, with all of it's mixing and matching giving way to endless possibilities. When trip hop is good, it's REAL good, but there's also a precarious balance between dullness and mood-building that artists have to be wary of. In this case, there are some bright moments on this album and I love the introspective blending of cultures.

However, it doesn't stick the landing the whole way for me to give it a higher score. I'd even argue it devolved too much into contemporary pop that slowly dissolved it's cinematic atmosphere, and I wish the whole album was more like it's gorgeous first three songs. Overall not amazing, but certainly interesting and daring; I can't say I've heard anything like it so far!

The only thing I knew about U2 before this was Apple Music terrorising all of us by automatically downloading one of their albums onto our devices, so much so that it became a meme. Good times! Anyway, I was expecting all rose-tinted pacifism, but the album's explicit anti-war stance was very welcomed. The songs themselves were catchy and surprisingly intense (the vocals definitely had an electrifying edge of desperation to them)!

While it's a soft rock record that's pleasant on the ears, with some actually quite emotionally stirring lyrics, the opening track is the obvious highlight. Unfortunately, everything else, while also decent, isn't the most exciting musical offering to be had and is pretty forgettable.

Honestly a bit too sexed up and filthy for me to fully immerse myself in (local asexual here). Still, it's a refreshing hit of dulcet 80's pop tunes to break up the more demanding alternative genres I've been getting. George Michael, you and your infamous tweets will live on in the hearts of many. Rest in peace queer icon!

Immediately, the cover art's stark contrasts and abstract caricatures intrigued me. For the album itself, I've apparently discovered that I have a soft spot for this kind of quirky post-punk. I enjoyed the plucky guitar work way more than I thought I would, and if nothing else, it's interesting to listen to! As the album progressed, it really unveiled itself like a slowly spreading ink blot.

I have no eloquent way to put this other than saying "Bitches Brew" was extremely fucking cool as my first proper exposure to jazz fusion! The song lengths are super intimidating, but I was fully on board once I gathered my resolve. The imagery that instantly came to mind was a scene from "Alice in Wonderland (1951)" where she drinks the shrinking potion, gets stuck in the bottle, and is swept away in a rolling ocean of her own neon-lit tears. I do get why this album is polarising (due to its sprawling experimental nature) and 3.3 stars is not a bad average, but damn, I can't help but feel a little offended on its behalf.

This was very dance-able! I found myself involuntarily bopping my head to the beat a few times. All in all, a solid electronica album, even if a lot of it was pretty monotonous and would've benefited from some trimming (especially the first two songs as well as the last one).

Well, this is something totally new! It's like a fancier and more foreboding version of the music you'd hear play during a theatre show intermission (complimentary). Definitely played very well, I liked it! I'm always appreciative when I get to delve beyond my current cultural horizons.

Several songs haven't aged well, and the misogyny littered throughout doesn't do wonders for my opinion. I know on some levels that it's dramatised and supposed to add to their confrontational personas, but it's not something I can easily look past. However, that doesn't erase the necessary political messaging throughout the album either, and a lot of the songs are still straight bangers (aided by the great production). I don't want to sit atop my high horse too much, and I'm able to respect what an influential album this is to the history of hip hop (and popular culture in general). Fuck the police!

This was nice, especially when I was expecting country / folk over the psychedelic rock I actually got. Sadly, while I wouldn't say it was boring, it was still too aimless for my tastes. Live jam sessions aren't something I go out of my way to look for, and there are more "deserving" (however subjective a term that is) albums that could've been included over this one. For example, why aren’t Deftones anywhere on the list?!

Oh my, I enjoyed the heck outta this! Dark and rough-around-the-edges, I'm pleasantly shocked this came out as early as 1980 and don't actually mind how repetitive it is. It's more about the gritty textures creating an immersive atmosphere than it is about intricacy, though there are definitely some catchy hooks here and there. Also, the main vocal styling reminded me a smidge of The Cure (just more growl-y), so that's a plus!

Another song-writing legend I've now experienced for the first time! I actually really like this spoken word stream-of-consciousness style that she's going for here; it feels like I've been cornered by a woman at the end of her rope, sitting me down in the dark corner of a cafe so she can tell me her life story. She's dangling me off the edge of a metaphorical cliff and it's a coin toss whether she'll pull me into safety or let me fall. I can understand why this isn't for everyone, but to me these weirdly intimate rambles are the real star, the instrumentals are just here to set the mood (very well might I add).

When I saw this was tagged as metal and hard rock, I was pumped. There are some lower points that were too glitzy for me to care much for (80's glam metal and all that), but overall, a heart-pumping high-energy project! The guitar solos were especially exhilarating and I can see why this band is famous for them.

It's the Ramones! Punk pioneers whose name has been whispered in my ear everywhere I search. This flashy self-titled album is akin to setting off backyard fireworks; it's fun and I admire how fast-paced it is. Other than that though, I don't think I got nearly as much out of it as I would've hoped. Short songs are a staple of punk, but even these felt kinda empty to me.

While I prefer longer songs (given modern pop's under 3 minute epidemic), in this case the songs averaging 5 minutes did make the album overstay its welcome a little. More positively, Brit pop's easy listening has the advantage of never being exceptionally bad. Though, it's contentious to say if this is a true strength, as taking little risks also means a lot of projects in this genre aren't exceptionally amazing either. All that said however, "A Walk Across The Rooftops" is certainly one of the best ones I've listened to so far, as it incorporates more coarse and artsy production that I really enjoyed!

Oooh Radiohead, another critic and general public darling, whom I've never actually listened to a full album before now. Well, this is as good a start as any! Yorke's wailing vocals are mostly all the right amounts of devastating, but other times grating to the ears. The album straddles the line between artistic and meandering, but thankfully that directionless-ness was usually more hypnotising than stagnating. Overall, "Amnesiac" is an impressive and technically interesting showing of experimental rock!

Right off the bat, the cover art is awesome! I do wish the music matched the intensity of this first impression, though it's a refreshing injection of electronic experimentation after a long string of more traditional genres like rock and jazz. Ambient music doesn't hold my attention too well, but this album was successful in building a cold, spooky and brain-tingling sci-fi atmosphere. Like an explorer spotting the foggy blue glow of an alien spaceship in the distance, as they trudge across a barren icy planet lightyears from Earth. Jean-Michel Jarre's synthetic playground is regarded as ahead of his time, and I'm delighted to understand why!

What's going on? A fantastic fully-realised body of work, that's what! One of those albums deemed a timeless classic by everybody and their mamas, and boy do I understand it now. Definitely a step up from his previous album I listened to, "Let's Get It On", as while a project doesn't need to be revolutionary or contain a central narrative to be amazing, I do prefer it when it has something deeper to say. The lyrics are piercing in their message, yet stay hopeful and sweet. And of course, both his voice and the instruments are marvellous.

The simple statement, "What's Going On" doubles as both a questioning of our absurd reality and a plea to open our eyes to the suffering around us. Its deserving of deconstruction long past the 70's, because really, what IS going on guys? What are we doing? I'm not a Christian (I can forgive when it got a little too preachy for my tastes), but the overarching message of love, empathy and togetherness in times of strife resonate strongly, while still holding space to criticise a society that has allowed and perpetuated such meaningless waste and violence. But dreams of a better future for the beaten and persecuted don't have to stay dreams, and the world will always be brighter for it.

Not my usual style but I really liked this! Funky and vibey, just an all around neat listening experience (though a few lyrics here and there made my eyebrows raise). It got me feeling strangely grateful that I'll always have more to discover when it comes to music, in this instance golden age hip hop.