Reviews by ryzgee

More like Jack Takes the Piss. Absolutely bloody awful.

Has this stripped me of the will to go about the rest of my day today? Yes, yes it has. It's just the most cynical R&B chart slop you could ever imagine. Completely hollow, distant and manufactured for a wide-eyed pre-teen demographic. She can sing, but everything about her presence and lyrical writing on this album feels engineered to make the mega bucks rain cause it was what the kids wanted innit!

I don't feel like I need to elaborate too much on this one. It's regarded as a classic for a reason, courtesy of its thrilling sonic architecture and polyrhythmic genius, although I often see opinions along the lines of the second half being a drop off from the first because of its comparative experimentation and inaccessibility. However, for me, that's when Remain in Light is at its most interesting and volatile.

This is perhaps one of my greatest examples of an album revealing itself more and more to me on each revisit – so much so that I've recently purchased it. It was probably only in 2022 or so that I gave it my first ever listen. It wasn't love at first sight for me – initially I struggled with its sleazy, uneven production and its eschewing of shorter, more accessible song structures, but it always felt like there was something for me hidden beneath the surface challenge.

I'd now go as far as to say that Suede might be my favourite band amongst those associated with the Britpop scene, and nowadays this is an album that flows by smoothly whilst offering an extraordinary amount of depth and emotional push and pull. The Bowie comparisons / influence here is more than palpable, and I think becoming more acquainted with his back catalogue only served to benefit this on subsequent listens. I would agree that, stylistically and thematically, they don't really fit the more optimistic template that I tend to associate with the Britpop movement, with Suede more so linked by time period and origin. I think its murkiness is precisely what endears it more to me. It's a grand, ambitious statement, and for me it absolutely has the minerals to back itself up.

Another one to file under "big band jazz albums that I can appreciate but can't see myself ever loving". That said, this was a nice, pleasant listen, I'd have no qualms if it were to soundtrack certain activities as background music 😉.

Solid enough, if a bit commercialised grunge in places, which feels at odds with the DIY aesthetic that it originally curated. Don't hate it but it's never going to set my world alight.

I can't really fault the quality of songwriting on here, which is consistently vibrant and impassioned, but reggae is considerably out of my wheelhouse and seldom a genre of music I'd ever actively listen to.

Not too bad musically, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that this album might house one of the most annoying vocal performances I've ever heard. Couldn't get through more than a couple of songs of his nasal whining. I've only got two more Costello albums left and I don't plan on wasting any of my time with either of them.

Napalm Death absolutely deserve to be on the list in some capacity, and this is undoubtedly a highly important album in forming the bedrock for Grindcore and other extreme metal genres, but I can't help but think they went on to release far better material than this once they honed their melodic craft and incorporated more of a death metal influence into their sound.

Side 1 of Scum is an absolute cracker, upping the extremity of anarcho-punk to new heights with tracks such as "Instinct of Survival" and "Siege of Power", but the production, inexperience in songwriting and lack of dynamic range on the second side lets the package down somewhat. You can very much tell that it was recorded in two separate sessions with two entirely different remits.

Personally, I'd swap this out for any of Harmony Corruption, Utopia Banished, Enemy of the Music Business or even their most recent album Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, but it's still an album I'd revisit and that I enjoy.

This worked far better for me on this occasion than on past attempts. The vocals, although still not my absolute favourite, didn't grate anywhere near as much this time round, and musically this is excellent – a stark contrast from the cold, mechanised dread of The Idiot, instead delivering some supercharged rock and roll for the most part.

Whilst David Bowie's watermark is palpable here, the swagger of Lust for Life is largely attributable to Iggy's energetic presence, a kinetic rhythm section that borders on Motown-esque at points, and some loose, jagged guitar playing which works fantastically well. The only minor blot for me on this listen was "Turn Blue", which did err slightly on the self indulgent side.

I can take or leave Motorhead – whilst I recognise their status as a classic band in the speed metal/heavy metal pantheon, I feel they are a singles band at best and I don't really like Lemmy's vocals. Revisiting this album has done little to alter my opinion, as I feel the second half is a marked drop-off in quality from the highlights of the first. The vocals quickly began to grate and tracks began feeling like lesser imitations of a similar formula.

An album that I've tried before but which ultimately wasn't for me at all. I lost interest quickly this time around as well, it felt like it was trying to be too clever at points but in a thoroughly dull way. Couldn't connect with it at all.

KI've been meaning to explore The Cult to a greater extent for a while, so the algorithm has thrown me a timely excuse to do just that. I think this is bloody awesome. It kicks major arse and never relents in quality or hip-shaking propulsiveness at any stage. Going on the buy list!

I think the album cover sets the scene fantastically well for what you can expect from this – it sounds exactly like the sort of thing you'd chuck on to take a moment of reflection during a summer's evening along the coast after a long day at work.

The tight, punchy mix serves to benefit the album, allowing its dense instrumentation of layered synths, driving strings, crisp snare hits, intricate bass lines and interlocking guitars to breathe and pop out at you. It's a loud sounding record, but one that is dynamic in its range and execution, where there is plentiful variety in how its tracks build towards towering conclusions beyond sheer volume and distortion. Although, slightly to its detriment, there are moments when the album tries to channel a more vigorous and visceral energy, which feel like a slight mismatch for the "kind" sonic template on offer.

Lyrically, the album very much does what it says on the tin – detailing Win Butler's youthful urges to break free from his suburban surroundings, and his later realisations and regret of not embracing them and living in the moment. Although not quite comparable to my own experiences, it does feel somewhat relatable to my past grumbles over having lived in the relative arse end of nowhere for most of my life, but eventually coming to appreciate and even love my surroundings.

The album's length holds it back a fair bit, where a bit of self-containment, particularly within its mid-section, could have served to strengthen its impact and make it more readily replayable. Nonetheless, by and large it is a triumph.

This strain of jazz is always something I'm more likely to respect than actively enjoy. It was chaotic enough to hold my attention for a listen, but I was very much struggling with it towards the end.

This gets properly fucked up at points, and it's those bouts of off-kilter experimentation which caught my intrigue and have me keen to revisit.

Although a glam rock album at its core, it also brings an inventive fusion of avant-electronics, art school camp and 50s rock and roll, in a manner which surely was unique to it at the time. Brian Eno's blueprint is all over this, thanks to the bizarre, abrasive textures and unpredictable noises he concocts with his synthesisers, whilst Bryan Ferry's quivering vocals add a further layer of unease to proceedings.

The album does occasionally feel somewhat disjointed, which is perhaps to be expected from a debut album, but I can absolutely buy into the argument that this is an essential listen.

I've always been in the "I appreciate what The Smiths do, but I don't love them" camp, and this album felt somewhat weak compared to others of theirs I've heard. Great lyricism from Morrissey as per, but I rarely latch onto music purely for the lyricism. Sonically, whilst decent enough, this failed to grab me really, and at times the vocals actually felt like more of a hindrance and mild source of irritation.

The Germans are bloody good at making music, aren't they? CAN and NEU! in the same week is a very welcome trajectory. My recent listening has fully pivoted towards psychedelic, experimental and electronic stuff, so both albums popping up has been all the more timely.

This, for me, is another album where I'm lamenting being unable to award 6/5 stars. Future Days, even 53 years after the fact, sounds extraterrestrial and entirely unique, thanks in large part to its masterful production where the reverb makes the instruments sound as though they're being played underwater or in a rainforest.

It bridges the gap between CAN's renowned rhythmic pulse and the pioneering ambient work that would follow in its wake, marking an evolution in the band's sound where Ege Bamyasi was known for its sharp bass work and metronomic drumming, whilst Future Days places more of an emphasis towards Irmin Schmidt's keyboards and Michael Karoli's guitar. The motorik grooves are still there, but they are at their most refined and least jagged. Damo Suzuki's lyrics are muttered and hummed, designed to float through the mix and act more as depth and as another ambient instrument.

I absolutely adore every track on here, but my favourite would probably be the 20 minute closer "Bel Air". It's a sprawling number taking up the entirety of Side 2 on vinyl, constantly building and dissolving throughout its running time from driving Krautrock to pastoral, orchestral ambient swells which hint towards later developments in post rock. It's a visionary statement of a track.

CAN are incapable of doing any wrong in my eyes. This might just be my favourite album of theirs, although it's a close call.

More bang average, self-important indie that I'll never spend another second of my life thinking about again.

I wasn't entirely sure on what to expect from this heading in, but to say I'm blown away would be an understatement. Never knew that I needed some cinematic, sweeping psychedelic soul in my life, but here we are!

Stylistically this sounds like it's been unearthed from the 70s, but it has a modern urgency and clarity to anchor it into the present. There's ample depth on offer here, thanks to a vocal performance carrying a ton of conviction and some stunning "wall of sound" production, where layers of distortion and orchestral grandeur demand your focus. The pacing is excellent as well, with the album giving off a continuous feel whilst remaining consistently interesting through its frequent shifts in tempo and mood.

The rhythm foundation here is fantastic; warm, cozy bass lines and some heavy, breakbeat style drums and congas that inspire a compelling push and pull. The fuzzed out guitar tones slicing through the album's mix remind me of Jimi Hendrix's signature style in many ways as well, vicious and weighty but never too overpowering.

I fully intend to make a purchase and dedicate more time to this. Genuinely a revelatory discovery in and amongst the dross you have to wade through on the regular!