Reviews by ryzgee

Perfect. Just perfect. If you were to have asked me at the start of this process what I thought the best album on the entire list was, based on those I would've been familiar with at that time, Violator would have been a firm contender if not the album I'd have suggested. That could well remain the case after I'm finished in two and a half years time. A masterful marriage of darkness, wistfulness and charm.

This is a great album. How it manages to sound so otherworldly and alien, yet inviting to the ears is an incredible feat. It's a consistently gripping experience owing to the sheer variety of moods, soundscapes and influences being brought to the table. From the radiant opener "Movin' On Up", to the frosty "Inner Flight" and the introspective "Damaged" reflecting on withdrawing from a past relationship, there's hardly a dull moment.

I wasn't around when this album would have been making waves, but I can absolutely imagine how this would have been such a fresh proposition when it arrived. It still holds up pretty damn well now, too.

Whenever I've tried this album in the past, I've been left intrigued but rather disoriented by the experience on each occasion.

There's a metric ton of stuff going on here; some of it works well for me, but some of it continues to leave me puzzled. The hip hop elements grow in palatability, quality and creativity as the album advances, but the opening sequence of tracks is rough on the ears and a bit of an ordeal to plough through. The hardcore punk elements feel a bit tacked on and unnecessary for me, but the tinges of funk and has jazz throughout the album work spectacularly well on occasion, particularly on "Futterman's Rule" and when interlaced with tracks that are primarily hip hop in style, ensuring there's at least something I can latch onto.

It's a difficult album to navigate and stomach in one sitting - I probably will return down the line to see if I can eke more out of it, but I'm doubtful it will ever fully win me over.

Whilst this isn't my favourite of Brian Eno's works, it's still a hugely important album in the shaping of a genre, and a wonderful listen.

The piano arrangements are deeply affecting, invoking such a sombre and reflective mood, whilst the modular synths embody a cathartic release of agonistic tension. The final track "2/2" gives off a more optimistic impression, not just longing for what could have been, but also what might be.

Fantastic album and one which works a treat for me regardless of the headspace I'm in.

This largely felt like second rate Britpop; a subgenre that I already don't hold the greatest level of affection for.

The vocals are a clear attempt at aping Liam Gallagher / Richard Ashcroft and really began to grate before too long. Instrumentally, it threatens to become mildly interesting when it plumps for that swirling, loosely psychedelic style of riffage, however whilst sounding like it's being played in your next door neighbour's bedroom. "One to Another" was the only real standout, vaguely encroaching into stoner rock territories.

All in all, an enjoyable time was had here.

I wasn't sold on the vocals to begin with, which very much sit in a higher register and have an airy, breathy quality to them on occasion, but I was able to come around to them quite quickly. The instrumentation here is compelling enough - funky, groovy playing interlaced with tinges of soul. It's very much a "vibe" of a sound. The album probably does peak early throughout its first half, but the drop off in the second isn't a seismic one.

This was on the precipice of getting four stars - but perhaps just not quite memorable enough to justify a purchase.

When this popped up, my preconceptions were that it would be a relatively unsophisticated hard rock album in the vein of something like AC/DC. I'm happy to have been proven wrong on that front, even if I'm not currently of the view that all of the ideas executed here are a resounding success.

This album takes you on a journey through jazz rock, blues rock, prog, cabaret, and it even becomes somewhat theatrical at various stages, though few of the ideas ever seem to be fully embraced or locked into, resulting in a curious but fairly disorientating experience (maybe that was the intention). Alice Cooper's vocal style teeters on the threshold of becoming overbearing for me at points as well - not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, though.

This is an album that merits further exploration, and one that probably requires a degree of perseverance.

Thoroughly depressing stuff really.

It possesses all the edge of those wooden spoons that come with mini tubs of ice cream at service stations, and all the danger of the lint I just scraped out from my belly button. If this album was a meal deal, it would be a plain ham sandwich, bag of ready salted crisps and a bottle of water. If it was a car, it would be a Vauxhall Astra. If it was a football commentator, it would be Michael Owen. If it was a TV show, it would be Deal or No Deal. If it was a town in the UK, it would be Grantham. If it was a video game, it would be Euro Truck Simulator. If it was a book, it would be a phone directory. If it was a past-time, it would be staring at your guinea pig predicting when it will yawn.

No offence intended to any enjoyers of those things, or inhabitants of Grantham.

Disposable it is indeed. Tedious, unaffecting nonsense.

Similarly to the last The Verve album I've had; this was a lot better than I was expecting, even if it is a bit overblown in phases and an exhausting listen in one sitting without being in the right mindset.

The songs on "Urban Hymns" generally felt more dextrous, textured, varied and accomplished than "A Northern Soul", earning this an extra star over its predecessor, and it's the psychedelic nuances on offer here compared to some of their Britpop compatriots that make The Verve a more compelling case for a revisit (and perhaps a purchase in future).

There's not a great deal wrong with this - it's a reasonable listen, and comes in it a decent half hour in length, but equally there's little that has me hankering for a return. It's perhaps a bit too rudimentary in its rock and roll stylings to leave me with much to chew onto, and doesn't give off the feel of an essential listen.

Perfect lazy Saturday morning music with a healthy dose of gloom attached to it.

Nick Drake's despondent crooning, fused with mystical, emotionally poignant folk instrumentation, haunting string arrangements and the immersive production of the album owing to its recording whilst Drake was surrounded by a "semicircle of instruments" in a multilevel studio, all culminates in a great listen.

This is getting purchased, and I will be exploring further.

I have dallied with Sonic Youth in the past, and actually happen to own one of their records in "Goo" as another bargain purchase made off the back of the endless praise I'd heard for it/the band. I've never found a huge amount to grasp onto with Sonic Youth on previous attempts, and somehow glossed over this album which appears to be held in some of the highest esteem within their catalogue.

Whilst I did enjoy large spells of Daydream Nation on my first listen, appreciating the manner in which they married angularity with relative accessibility compared to some of their other entries, it is a touch too long and my engagement did ebb and flow at varying points. Again, there's never really a focal point within the music that screams out at you and demands your attention; rather, this felt like a "sum of its parts" type of record meant to be taken in as a sprawling, curious experience.

There's definitely enough going on here to warrant a revisit, but I'm not sure it's a record that I'd ever come to love or be itching to purchase in future.

This is at its best when it opts for a more light-hearted, straight rock and roll type of vibe - Stewart really does have that slightly gravelly, alcohol/nicotine weathered voice to match up perfectly with the music.

Every Picture... comes flying out of the traps with the sort of swagger and grit I've also come to expect from Faces. The various shifts towards folk rock from the album's midsection onwards, in the vein of Simon & Garfunkel, were slightly off-putting; not due to any gripes with the quality, but the jarring comedown-like manner in which they were introduced. It really disrupts the momentum built during the album's early exchanges.

I'm no expert on African Blues (I literally only have other stylistically similar 1001 offerings as reference points); this felt like a good quality example of something that's so far out of my wheelhouse, it might as well be on another planet. I didn't afford this its near-hour long running time, but I can't in good conscience give it a 💩/5 as per my usual "DNF" process.

Not a fan of this at all. In fact, I can feel the first knockings of a migraine brewing after attempting to endure around half an hour of it.

She has a hugely irritating voice, the "grandiosity" and overdone theatrics of the album annoyed me from the word go, there are practically no opportunities for breathing room throughout what I managed - sonically it just goes on and on like a hyperactive cartoon child having just paid a visit to the sweet shop, and the attempt at incorporating influences from various genres felt haphazard at best.

If you need me, I'll be hunched in the corner decompressing to "Ambient Birds Vol. 37"

This was some nice enough background music, but it didn't really satisfy what I was after today. Maybe my IQ just isn't high enough to appreciate the genius on offer here.

A fun, and fairly unorthodox 80s pop offering for the time in terms of the songs not relying as closely on vocal hooks. The funky bass, saxophone and optimistic tones employed throughout are a delight; they're nothing overly sophisticated or virtuosic, but in this case they don't need to be to capture my interest. This is maybe a record where I'd struggle to single out one particular track or two as my favourites, but there aren't any notable dips throughout. This was close to getting four stars from me - it's not quite purchase material, though.

A really strange one, this. It's deceptively minimalist in terms of the limited pool of instrumentation being showcased, but it manages to make less count by looping passages on top of one another in a very psychedelic fashion, with some reverb-heavy, slightly melodramatic 70s-like vocals and influences from trip hop / electronica adding to the dreamy, kind of smoky vibe going on.

It's very clever, but the question is whether it's a bit too clever for its own good at times as to feel inviting enough for a relisten. It worked fairly well today as a lazy morning in bed type of album.

As close to a perfect rock album as you could possibly want. Simply magnificent - brooding, reflective, catchy, varied and it flows spectacularly well.

I need more Radiohead on vinyl and this is a glaring priority to address.