Reviews by ryzgee

I thought this was utter shite on my first listen - the sort of drivel perpetuated by individuals with their heads permanently wedged up their own arses. Second listen was a bit better, where some of the humourous, distinctly British quips and playful guitar licks on here were able to come to the surface, but the vocals are difficult to stomach for appreciable portions of this album, and some numbers did still feel quite self-indulgent and aimless.

Not bad at all really, but not my kind of thing. Ray Charles does have a great voice and a clearly accomplished grasp of the instruments at his disposal, but with these big band jazz types of albums, I never really feel the urge to revisit.

I actually kind of enjoyed around half of this album - mainly the tracks that clearly sounded as though they were from later recording sessions, weren't as muffled in terms of their production and had some zip to them. Presley's rendition of "Tutti Frutti" is probably the pick of the bunch.

There is, however, some absolute cack on here as well, where the tracks meander along lifelessly and the vocals grate on my eardrums (I'm looking at "I Love You Because", "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darling" and "Blue Moon"). All in all, probably a two star as I can't imagine myself revisiting.

Sigur Rós might be some people's idea of boring, but for me, they're as close to perfect as you can possibly get when it comes to producing weighty, dextrous and impactful post rock.

Their ability to invoke such a broad palette of eminently relatable moods through all aspects of their craft and with such a wealth of instrumentation is matched by precious few in the genre; Agætis Byrjun radiating warmth and grasping you into its embrace, whilst it often ebbs into colder, detached and more contemplative passages within the same songs. This, combined with the fascinating degree of flexibility in their songwriting approaches from track to track in terms of them generally following linear structures, but doing so in different sequences to one another to keep proceedings consistently interesting and fresh, and the mystical, yet simultaneously human element that underlines their "Hopelandic" vocal expressions, all culminates in a truly wonderful listening experience.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind, this is a five star album.

Just mildly boring for the most part, without being offensive.

The vaguely uptempo stuff sounds like the sort of music you'd hear in a hotel lounge, whilst the rest is as though you're watching TV and the next advert unhurriedly pans to a clip of a Yorkshire pudding being doused in only the finest juices, whilst a soft voice caresses "this is not just food, this is M&S food".

In fact, I'm sure I have heard one of these tracks on an advert from 15 or so years ago (I'd like to say). *turns to Google for pointers* FINISH DIAMOND STANDARD!

A prime candidate to lend further credence to the argument that more than two or three selections per artist are unnecessary. Hejira, Court and Spark and Blue are plenty enough representation for Joni Mitchell, where this album offers little that the other three don't, despite being a broadly enjoyable listen.

Meanwhile, we have barely any extreme metal artists represented aside from one first wave black metal band in Venom, Sepultura and Napalm Death, a criminal lack of classical music, only a surface level assessment of industrial and noise rock, a very anglo-centric view of punk and a disproportionate amount of newer albums from 2010 onwards that largely lean into similar genres.

Another CCR record, and of course it's another cracker. Do these guys ever miss?

I actually quite enjoyed this one; whether that's because I've had an aneurysm in my sleep, or if A Tribe Called Quest are genuinely a high quality example of hip hop, I should probably get myself checked out just in case.

It felt far less one-note and monotonous than much of the hip hop that I've dunked on so far - it's far more "vibey" and moody owing to its atmospheric depth, more varied and palatable vocally with an accomplished flow to the lyrics being delivered, and it takes less of an "in your face" approach where you can almost tune out from the vocals if you so choose. When I did find myself focusing on the lyrics, there wasn't too much cause for concern in that department either, with some interesting, abstract concepts being explored.

I'll be chucking this into my "hip hop that I don't mind" playlist, which doesn't get too many runouts, but serves as an occasional reminder that it's probably not the genre in and of itself that I take issue with - rather, the execution in many cases.

About half of this album was unavailable on Spotify, but I did manage to find a complete YouTube playlist from a user called "1001 Albums Journey" who must have encountered the same issue 8 years ago.

Anyway, another one to file under "appreciate having heard it but have no desire to revisit". Sounds like exactly the sort of thing you'd hear in a smoke-filled dive bar.

It's Rush, so of course I enjoyed giving this a whirl, even if it isn't among my favourites within their canon.

There's just the right blend of goofiness, technicality and catchiness going on here, and for me this marks the first Rush record where they really began to spread their wings and serve up an indication towards the greatness that would follow with their following four uninterrupted classics in A Farewell to Kings through to Moving Pictures. The 20 minute, no holds barred opener "2112 (etc)" is an all-timer, but it's perhaps the only offering here that scales the truly heady heights that Rush would later become known for consistently reaching.

The basis of this recording is brilliant - how many people out there can say that they've put on a live performance in a prison and put it to tape? Then you have a pungent sense of wit and humour wafting through the album courtesy of Cash's lyricism and his patter with the audience, providing for a consistent positive throughout.

The arrangements here are simplistic, but raw and engaging, with a veil of darkness and irony shrouding them despite the minimalist instrumentation. Despite that, there were a couple of great individual moments here as well which bucked the trend - not least the wicked drum fills on "Orange Blossom Special" and the duet on "Jackson". I was worried at first that many of these tracks would blur into one and comprise a similar template, but there was just enough variation throughout the album to retain my interest.

I've never really sat down with any of Johnny Cash's material before, but maybe I should.

I should be all over a slab of Norwegian punk / hard rock which surely acted as a key influence towards the likes of Kvelertak; however, whilst I'm acutely aware of the unserious vibe they were going for here, this just felt a bit too silly.

Really daft, corny lyrics, over the top glam-esque flavourings, excessive swearing which blunts its impact and the production on this just sounds like absolute arse. If I want arse sounding production, I'll cut the middle man out and just listen to black metal.

I only very recently gave this a first play, where I immediately enjoyed it but recognised the potential for it to be unlocked further. I'm glad that it's swung its way back around in my direction today, as that's exactly what has happened.

This is a deceptively smooth listen, sonically vibrant and mellow whilst making complexity accessible - it's acoustic folk rock packed with cheer, encroaching into psychedelia on occasion courtesy of the positively disorientating brass instrumentation, whilst also being accentuated by some wonderful orchestral bouts. The lyrical themes, of what I was able to hone in on, seemed to paint a juxtaposing, darker picture, fantastically at odds with the music. In terms of its production values, Forever Changes is crystal clear and has aged fantastically well, with the bass guitar in particular really being given license to roam and shine.

This is definitely a purchase for me.

This is a worldie. Talk about albums that evoke such unique moods, doing so in ways which would've felt groundbreaking at the time - Dummy is absolutely one of those.

Atmospheric, smokey, sexual soundscapes, entwined with Beth Gibbons' heavenly vocals, a gentle low-end, wobbly bass that ebbs, flows and pulsates, and a sort of James Bond-vibe running through the album; Dummy sounds like it's from another dimension, yet it somehow retains more than a thread of relatability and humanity through Gibbons' soulful, but often anguished vocal expressions, with lyrical themes ranging from social isolation, navigating difficulties in relationships, separation/loss and the resulting insecurities that those issues bring. The whole album feels like an agonistic release and a cry for warmth, affection and and connection.

Is this the ultimate "lazy day in bed" album to make love to? It's certainly up there.

Another one that I've had in my collection for ages after picking it up in a bargain bin sale, but that I've never bothered with.

This record is a definite improvement on the debut, generally being easier to stomach vocally and it has a stronger sense of songwriting nous. The big hits/obvious highlights here do the heavy lifting. However, I can't help but find the overall experience still somewhat fatiguing - particularly as the back half went on, I was eyeing up putting something else on. This could end up joining the clearout pile as I'm not sure when I'd elect to put it on again.

This was an album that I came to fairly late when getting into Metallica, and it's perhaps resultantly one that I don't have as much enthusiasm for compared to others in their catalogue.

I'm loathe to be one of those "tHeY WeNt rAdIo MeTaL" types - there are undoubtedly some great moments on here amongst the more mid-tempo, groovy floor fillers, but there is a fair amount of fat you have to hack away at to get to the juicy innards, and I'm consistently left wanting for the breakneck speed and unpredictability of their earlier works.

When the album does opt to pick up the pace somewhat, the attempts to do so feel somewhat misguided, lacking and/or forced, and much of the rest drones on a bit too much for my liking in a homogenous fashion.

I knew the track "We Swim" quite well due to it being on one of the FIFA games back in the day (13 or 14, can't remember which). The rest of this album was new to me, though it felt like something I'd already heard hundreds of times before as it gives off TV advert vibes.

A vaguely catchy in patches, but chiefly uninteresting retro-futurist synth pop album, it's sorely lacking in humanity - the whole thing just sounds so manufactured, whilst the lyrics largely comprise that "I'm not like the other girls!!" slop which I've no time for.

This is a great way to spend half an hour or so.

Precisely my brand of southern / blues rock - hip shaking riffage and catchy vocal inflections which brought Clutch to mind, with a real confidence and swagger to it along with a tangible thread of experience and nous. You could say that many of the tracks here follow a similar template, but there was enough variety through the smaller details to ensure that each of them had their own distinctive character.

Onto the wishlist this goes.

Some great momentum gathering again as I close in on the 200 milestone. This is one of my favourite electronic albums of all time, and quite simply a game changer for the era.

The opener "Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream Of Love" is up there as one of the best songs I've ever heard, particularly so with the remastered version where a greater clarity is afforded to it. A mesmerising journey from start to finish across 16 minutes, it runs with the burgeoning progressive house sound of the early to mid 90s, and evolves it into something which transcends time and oozes class. A masterful exercise of controlled repetition and subtle, layered transitions.

The rest of the album isn't too shabby, either, venturing into all manner of territories henceforth. Ethereal, atmospheric drum and bass? You've got that on the following "Banstyle / Sappy's Curry". Minimalist, yet simultaneously ground shudderingly bassy techno? "Confusion The Waitress" has you covered. Dizzying acid trance in the vein of Spicelab / Juno Reactor whilst amplifying it to new heights? There's "Rowla". An early example of hardstyle breakbeat being fused with atmo-trance? "Pearl's Girl". A more chilled out, downtempo, vocal led track to offer some respite and reflection towards the album's conclusion? Yep, you've got that as well with "Stagger".

Suffice to say, I think any fan of electronic music simply HAS to have this record in their collection.

A discovery I made only last year in 2025, the time that I've spent with it since has only allowed it to reveal itself further to me.

A wonderfully reflective, Hebrew-adorned swansong album wherein Cohen's weathered, raspy and barely above a whisper vocals tell profound stories centred on his life, imminent death and romance, entwined with gorgeous, emotionally rich orchestral / bass heavy soundscapes. That the geezer was literally crumbling away in his living room whilst recording this only adds to the desolate feel that "You Want It Darker" exudes.

100% deserves to be on this list, and then some.