Reviews by scritters

Pre Listen:
The album title is making me feel coerced. I never agreed to date even one of the Everly Brothers, much less two. I don't wanna get tag teamed by these guys oml. No expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Love Hurts - Favorite song on the album. Has the best harmonies on here, which is already this things strongest aspect. I may have heard this one before too?

Post Listen:
Album wasn't really anything good or bad. Didn't even have a least favorite song.

Just some run-of-the-mill late 50's early 60's romance pop, with a bit of blues sprinkled in. I wouldn't have liked this album even back when I craved this kind of thing, it's so generic and boring. Literally nothing special here.

It's not bad, their harmonies are actually pretty damn good, even if their individual voices are a bit...sour? I don't know, I just don't vibe with their sounds. Everything else is just so bland. I couldn't finish the last song of the album from how boring it was, even though it was relatively short.

Felt like eating somewhat dried out white bread, slice after slice, with nothing else. Would be a lot better in moderation, used as parts of a sandwich with other songs of the time period. 2/5.

Pre Listen:
First album from the Who, joy. I used to really enjoy The Who, but since then, I don't know how to explain it, I've gotten really tired of their sound. This will be their first album I've listened to in full in probably a decade. Lowish expectations, especially since I normally dislike Live recordings, but hoping to find maybe I don't dislike them as much as I remember. Listening to the original 1970 release.

Notable Tracks:
Young Man Blues - Ridiculously ironic song considering their generation grew up to hoard wealth and give even less to the young people of today, by almost every conceivable metric of capital. Fuck boomers lol.
Shaking All Over - One from my playlist back in the day. Nostalgic.
My Generation - Another certified classic, and one from my playlist that I've since removed. I think the reason I grew so tired of this song is the aforementioned irony on how *their* generation grew into one of the most problematic, disagreeable ones of all time.

Post Listen:
For a Live recording, it sure had better sound quality than most of it's contemporaries. A very well behaved live audience, or everyone's really far from the stage.

I didn't hate it, it is still music from a band I used to adore at the end of the day. They're just too worn out for me to really get invested in.

Like an old pair of sneakers that you don't want to wear anymore, I'm tired of the Who. 3/5

Pre Listen:
Not only have I never heard of these fellas, I wouldn't even know how to pronounce their name. The Po-gu-ess? Poo-jays? The Pugs? I may never know, no expectations.

Notable Tracks
Turkish Song of Demand - Well this is unique. I...I don't know how to feel about it. It's cool I guess?
Fairytale Of New York - Oh this is awful. Miserable. Sounds like Drunken Karaoke of a rejected Disney song.
Metropolis - My favorite song on here. I love the energy it has, I love the instrumental variation. Fun little ditty.
Fiesta - Another unique song. White boys goin Corona style.
Worms - What the fuck is happening. Grinch type song.

Post Listen:
This album was all over the place. I have no idea what genre to even file this under, other than Irish for sure. I never did learn how to say their name.

The quality too was all over the place. I thought some songs were really interesting, some boring, some bad, and some good. This album felt a bit more like a fun singular experience, rather than something I'd listen to over and over again. Once the surprise and goofiness has been experienced, it probably wouldn't be the same on a 2nd or 3rd listen. Stronger instrumental performances, weaker lyrical craft, but a whole lot of Creativity!

Most varied work I've experienced on here to date. 3/5, maybe I'll come back to it, maybe not.

EDIT - Came back, bumping to a 4/5. This album was more memorable than I gave it credit. It was so unique, and several of the songs have remained in my head since in a good way.

Pre Listen:
I've heard of Fat Boy Slim, but I don't know if I've listened to any of his stuff. I don't even really know how or why I know of him, I just do. No expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Give The Po' Man A Break - Least favorite track. Very grating. Just feels like disorganized noise strung together with a beat.
10th and Crenshaw - Starting to feel as though the albums really starting to fall apart. The unique sound is beginning to wear thin, and this is all starting to sound like the work of a schizophrenic DJ.
The Sound Of Milwaukee - My favorite song if I had to choose. Sounds like something I'd hear in an old Flash game off Newgrounds or something.

Post Listen:
My god Fatboy must be so fat from all the fucking drum break samples he hordes in his fat slim belly. Share some with the rest of the class, goddamn.

This is the 3rd "Beat and Sample" album I've encountered on here, and it's by far the weakest. At best, the music is serviceable as background Club tracks. At worst, it's headache inducing, and makes me feel like I'm listening to a Mad Scientist's playlist. Several songs are just the noises that printers make when they jam, or videogames when they crash. Some of the audio manipulations sound like something out of a YouTube Poop. I probably would've liked this album when I was 10 years old or younger, because it has this forced futuristic electro sound to it that I would've ate up.

The first song had me ready for a unique experience. A unique experience is certainly what I got. This album being unique is really the only good thing I can say about it. 2/5.

Pre Listen:
I like the fonts on the album cover, they goofy. Haven't heard of them before, no expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Whiskey Woman - My favorite track. I love how the song progresses and changes as it goes. Good sound.
City Lights | Teenage Head - Two highlights I quite enjoyed. Gritty sound, sounds very similar to the Rolling Stones in a good way.
Evil Hearted Ada - My least favorite song. Sounds like discount Elvis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXp6a66KRjw

Post Listen:
What a difficult album to put a score to.

I really liked a lot of this album. I was lightly bored by a good portion of it too, but it wasn't suffocatingly so. The instrumentation, especially the guitar, was great. It reminded me of The Rolling Stones, whom I love. The occasional piano was very complimentary, and I liked the honky-tonk sound on quite a few songs.

That said, I just don't think this album is very memorable. It didn't feel memorable as I listened, but I can't really discern why.

Teetering difficultly around a 3 or a 4, may come back and edit the review after thinking on it, and possibly re-listening though. 3/5.

Pre Listen:
The only White Stripes song I know off the top of my head is "Seven Nation Army". That song defined a genre for a while, and also somehow got associated with "gamers" if I recall right. I think it's a decent enough song, a bit overplayed, but fine. Taking those expectations going in.

Notable Tracks:
The Nurse - What were they even trying to cook here? What a mess, horrible all around. Least favorite song on the album, skipped 3/4ths through.
Little Ghost - My favorite on the album. Wasn't expecting a folk sounding song on here, and it felt like coming up for a breath of air while drowning in cringe.
White Moon - Another low point. Skipped at 3/4th through as well, just wanted to tell the vocalist to shut up already.

Post Listen:
This album sucks.

Overall the instruments, vocals, lyrics, pacing, theme, style, all of it sucks. It sounds amateurish at best, shitty theatre-kid melodramatic on average, and intentionally piss-poor amateurish at worst. They employ random experimental music techniques here and there like audio chopping, stereo manipulation, and distortions, but none of it works, it's just at random.

Credit where credit is due, the variety in styles between songs is noteworthy. The inclusion of a marimba on some songs is unique, even if they didn't pull it off. The sound mixing is very well done. Those three reasons, and how this album isn't entirely unlistenable, saves it from being a 1.

I can see emotionally stunted young adults and teenagers adoring this album because they struggle to comprehend feelings of sadness, and believe they're irreparably depressed after breaking up with a partner they've had for less than a month. I'm not looking forward to the 2 other albums from these dweebs on this project. Low 2/5.

Pre Listen:
Haven't heard of Solomon Burke. Album cover is definitely dated, would be something I'd overlook in a records store for sure. No expectations, outside of this will probably be decent, but boring.

Notable Tracks:
Cry To Me - I know he's saying "Don't you feel like cry-cra-cry-cra crying to me" but it sounds like he's saying "Don't you feel like a cracka cracka cracka". Just saying.
You Can't Love Them All - My favorite song. I think it got the best song, the soft instrumental ensemble plays together so well. I especially like the acoustic guitar and piano.

Post Listen:
About what I was expecting. Old soul, nostalgic feeling, one stand out song and the rest wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything incredibly special.

A very. *very* inoffensive album. I would almost describe it as cute. Everything is done ok, and again, no bad songs or anything like that.

I'm struggling to come up with anything to say deeper than that. Another album I would've really loved a decade ago or so when this was the sum of my music tastes. 3/5.

Pre Listen:
Another bunch I've not heard anything from. I can't name a single album from '99 I even like now that I think about it. The artist name, album name and album cover don't fill me with confidence. Unfavorable expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Charlie Big Potato - Gave me whiplash. Went from what I imagine The Beatles sounds like to Non-Beatles Fans, into Ultrakill, into Heavy Metal, then into Evanescence. Opinion wheel is spinning faster than a pulsar. After finishing the album, I think this one was my favorite.
Lately - Fuck I know this song. I don't know where, how, or when I came to know it, but I recognize it. Must've been a long time ago, the memory feels
I'm Not Afraid - Least favorite song. This band isn't at it's best with slow songs. This sounds like weak emo country music. It's not awful though, not even bad, just meh.

Post Listen:
Ah, it's British. I'm starting to understand why people in a lot of reviews call the albums on this project British Propaganda. This album wasn't horrible, but I am starting to struggle grappling with the exclusion of certain universal all-star albums in favor of....this.

The vocalist was really great, she has a solid voice. The lyrics on the other hand were mostly pretty silly, but didn't matter very much if you listened for just the sound. The guitar got boring midway through, every other instrument was pretty solid though throughout.

First album where my favorite song was the 1st, least favorite song the last, and everything in-between was just alright. 3/5

Pre Listen:
Based on the album cover, the mention of Orchestra, and the release date, I think I know what this album will be all about. Fallout music time.

Notable Tracks:
Whirly Bird - I really appreciate the brass and drums on this one. They're doing a bangin job. My favorite on the album.
Li'l Darlin' - Another highlight. The best of the slow songs, it's so nostalgic. I think it's the soft guitar playing that does it for me.

Post Listen:
Oh yeah, that was some fallout music. This was a nice change of pace from the various genres of Rock that makes up most of this project.

A long time ago this album would've been a perfect 5 for me. Jazz and its various genres made up the foundation of my musical tastes growing up. I hadn't yet narrowed down what parts of Jazz I really loved, so I just listened to it all. Since then though I think my tastes have gotten a bit more filtered.

I appreciate this album a lot, and it's all very well made. I think the majority of the songs were a bit too low-tempo and smooth to be amazing. Slow swing isn't bad by any means, it just isn't 5/5 worthy.

4/5

Pre Listen:
Coldplay. I think this is arguably the most "mainstream" album I've gotten yet. Coldplay's music has been a staple of every alt-rock, indie-rock, hell any modern rock adjacent playlist and radio station since at least 2005. That being said, I could only really name a handful of their songs off the top of my head. Measured expectations going in.

Notable Tracks:
The Scientist - First song I recognized on this album. It's alright.
Clocks - First song I INSTANTLY recognized on here. I actually like this song. Cool.
Daylight - Probably my favorite song on the album. The melody between vocals is just so...nice.
Green Eyes - Probably my least favorite song on the album. It's just kind of boring. Many acoustic songs work well to contrast more complicated songs on the rest of the album. This one's just boring, same chords throughout, bored-sounding vocals.

Post Listen:
It was good.

I'm classifying this, and perhaps future albums under "Millennial Rock". Sometimes it's really boring, sometimes it's pretty neat, it's never really bad per say. It's characterized by smoother, low tempo beats, lots of ooo-ing and aaa-ing, and the occasional piano or other classic-adjacent instrument. Lots of talk of feelings and other abstract concepts through metaphors or storytelling.

This album feels foundational for a lot of Millennial Rock. The key components are done well. 4/5.

Pre Listen:
Never heard of them, the album title and cover doesn't really pop, good or bad. No expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Wake Up And Make Love With Me - :/ :L :(
Blockheads - That synth part sounds like fart. Fart from a butt. I don't know if that's intentional or not. I think it was intentional.

Post Listen:
That was a painful listen. It wasn't completely unlistenable, but it was damn close to it. The musical components were alright for the most part. Like the guitar, drums, bass, additional instruments etc. were all well done enough.

The horrid part (as with many such cases) was the vocals and lyrics. Edgy for edgy sake. Like a 6th grader trying to be as graphic and offensive as possible just to piss of anyone who dares engage with them. Overall reminded me of Frank Zappa and his many bands, if Zappa was a Brexit geezer who idolized punk. I didn't really enjoy a single song, even a little bit.

Bounced between a 1 and 2 as I listened, and originally was going to give a 2, out of respect for the folks on the instruments. After re-listening to a few songs I thought I enjoyed a bit closer, the lyrics are so distractingly stupid, I gotta give it a 1/5.

Sometimes in group projects, a single contributor bombs so hard it genuinely fucks over everyone else, despite their best efforts.

Pre Listen:
Another album I'm not really feeling the album art for, and artist I've never heard of. Could be good! Could be not good! Who knows, no expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Walk - Opinion on the album started to really form here. Kind of boring. Musical equivalent of walking!
Fucking Hostile - Fuck me it's only been one song since Walk? This isn't good.
Live in a Hole - Probably my favorite on the album. Feels like it has the most variety. The guitarist really gets to shine here.

Post Listen:
Out of all the heavier stuff I've heard on here so far, this one's probably the lamest. Scratchy voice semi-screamo vocals and a heavy guitar with minimal changes in tempo, rhythm, chords, etc. The drum is there to keep a beat, nothing more. The bass just copies the main guitarist, but with less flair. To be completely fair, the guitarist was the strongest member of the band, with some good solos.

I mentally categorize this type of music as "Biker Rock". It's the kind of thing losers who smell like cigarettes and wear black leather listen to, and think it makes them tough. Maybe one day decades ago it did, but now it's so played out.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/5cb58755-7534-48f6-9cc4-09335ac9ed8a/scale-to-width/755

I think I heard a song or two from this album in an older Guitar Hero game, idk. 2/5.

Pre Listen:
Aqua Lung was a pretty cool concept game, then it was made into a movie. I don't think this has anything to do with that, but the album cover is neat. No expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Aqualung - Instantly hooked. This is playlist worthy for the sound alone. Please, PLEASE maintain this quality through the rest of the album. I especially love the guitar riffs at the start and end.
Mother Goose - I normally dislike Renaissance-y sounding songs for being somewhat cheesy, but this shit goes so hard. Perfect blend of flute, acoustic guitar, and electric.
Slipstream - Another highlight. Wish it was longer.
Wind Up - Probably my least favorite track, if I had to choose one. It ain't bad, it's just the most boring out of everything here. It feels out of place.

Post Listen:
Felt like a lovely union of Black Sabbath, Yes, and English Folk.

Such a well crafted assortment of instruments. The drums, the flutes, the guitars, the bass, the piano, damn near all of it was so well done and well balanced. The vocalist compliments everything too, solid lyrical work. I do think the A side was a lot stronger than the B side, but it was all fairly good regardless.

I knew this would be high up there for me after I started humming along on the first track and beyond, having never heard any of this in my life. Some things just scratch your brain the right way, and you jump on that wavelength effortlessly. Almost a 5 if the B side just had like 1 more great song, painfully, 4.5/5. Maybe I'll come back and bump it up at some point.

EDIT - Came back, bumping it to a 5. The album may not have finished as strong as I would've liked, but it was still strong. Downloaded my favorite songs, and they're so good. If an album contains multiple songs that make me feel things in a strong way, and I don't give it a 5, idk what a 5 is.

Pre Listen:
The most modern album I've gotten so far I think. I have mixed expectations with the tracks from this list that cover the time I've been alive. On one hand cool, guess I missed this growing up. On the other hand, maybe I never heard it at any point in the past for a reason.

Notable Tracks:
Bloodbuzz Ohio - What does this have to do with Ohio? You could replace Ohio with anywhere else and the song wouldn't change at all. Ohio? Really?

Post Listen:
It's just...so boring?

It feels so corporate. It feels like a band your pal at the office would recommend you, which finally convinces you they might just be an NPC. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe it's how nothing the lyrics are? Maybe it's how clean the guitar, drums, everything is? It's too clean, like going through a for-sale house under an open house, it's not lived-in. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, it was just...nothing? This is background music at a millennial café, or a car dealership, or something like that.

I struggled through this album not because I hated it, but because of just how boring it was. Almost fell asleep! 2/5

Pre Listen:
Eh, not feeling the album cover on this one. Looks kinda lame. Expecting mid-tier rap, but I have been wrong before, so who knows.

Notable Tracks:
Eat 'Em Up L Chill - Least favorite song on the album. The refrain is lame as shit, the lyrics boringly self-congratulatory, beat is bland.
Cheesy Rat Blues - My favorite song on the album. Weirdly funky, and funny lyrics. I know people like Cheesy Rat in real life!
Farmers' Blvd - If the concept of this song is legit, I really dig that. Going back to the old neighborhood to give you pals a shot in the light is respectable as fuck.
Milky Cereal - An entire song with cereal allegories? Very creative, very bold, very nice.

Post Listen:
I was wrong. That rap was pretty aight.

The B-Side of this album was strong as hell, carried this thing from a 2 or 3 right up to a 4. Huge shoutout to the DJ they got making these beats, they were clean as fuck. The sample work was good too, never got tiring or annoying across the board, showed restraint in most songs. The lyrics ranged from a little boring to pretty damn creative.

Enjoyed this a lot more than anticipated. Putting them right next to Public Enemy, 4/5.

Pre Listen:
Slayer's a band I've heard of, I've intended to give a listen to, but never got around to it. If I've heard any of their work before, it hasn't been to my knowledge. The cover art builds sufficient expectations on what to expect I think.

Notable Tracks:
Angel of Death - 10 seconds in and this is exactly what I was both expecting and hoping for. This'll be a fun one.
Epidemic - Favorite track of the album. Does their style best.
Criminally Insane - Least favorite track on the album. Other songs are edgy and bordering goofy, this one just comes off as too goofy.

Post Listen:
You know, I was hoping for a bit more after the first song. It's thrasher metal, which I generally appreciate, but it fell flatter and flatter after each song.

It all started blending together faster than I thought it would. Edgy lyrics, thrashing guitar and drums, strained lyrics, over and over. Minimal changes in chord progressions, tempo changes, lyrical subject matter, and overall sound. All that to say I enjoyed it overall, but I'm thankful this is a shorter album, it lasts exactly as long as it needs to.

Fun music, just got boring. 3/5

Pre Listen:
Hey, I know and like these guys! Everyone and their Grandma ought to know California Dreamin' , I've listened to some of their work outside that, and I'm excited to hear some more.

Notable Tracks:
Do You Wanna Dance - I love this song, feels so nostalgic. Would be my favorite, if it weren't for --->
California Dreamin' - Certified gold-standard classic. If you hate this song for any reason other than "I've heard it too many times", what makes you human is called into question methinks.
Go Where You Wanna Go - It's alright, but it is my least favorite track on the album. Can't really articulate why, I just ain't feeling it.

Post Listen:
Some more good ol' classic rock. Decent variety across the songs, with the sounds ranging from rock, to pop, to folk, to a bit of ballad. Nothing is too long, nothing is too short, it's just good ol' classic rock.

I particularly love the harmonies between all of them. All four vocalists have that spice that makes it such a charming album. Everything else, the instrumental overdubs, the percussion, the guitar, it's all very solid.

This album's a staple of classic rock. Enough said. 4/5

Pre Listen:
Hrggggg, the album cover and release date make my heart sink. Please don't be uninspired loud noises, please. I haven't heard of them, but from the title and art, low expectations going in to this.

Notable Tracks:
Block Rockin' Beats - Pleasantly surprised! Wasn't punk rock, awesome.
Elektrobank - POV you are playing on a Gmod RP server and a random is desperately trying to communicate with you via a 2004 Mic.
It Doesn't Matter - Least favorite track. It "Doesn't Matter" that I skipped it 2 minutes in, I hope.
The Private Psychedelic Reel - Probably my favorite track on the album. Feels like a good sampler of everything good about this band, while minimizing everythinf bad.

Post Listen:
I think it's somewhat unlucky that I got this album when I did, as I got it right after DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing..." album. Both are "Beats and Samples" type albums, but DJ Shadow did it so, so much better.

This one did have more of an electro, clubish sound to it, so it was distinct. Overall though, the listening experience was mixed. Repitition is a clear, intentional theme throughout the album, and sometimes it works. The Chemical Brothers find a sound loop, copy-paste it six to eight times, then move on to the next loop. Great if the sound loop *sounds* good, but incredibly annoying if it doesn't. The vocals were pretty good too, all around.

Teetered around the 2 to 3 range, but the album finished strong. 3/5.

Pre Listen:
Never heard of the guy. Based on the title, artist name, and album cover, guessing it'll be rap? No expectations, outside of that.

Notable Tracks:
Building Steam With a Grain of Salt - Definitely not the genre I was expecting, but I'm ok with that! I hope it stays like this.
Number Song - Recognized the "Louder, Louder!" sample used, that was also used in a previous album I enjoyed, by Public Enemy. Nice.
Stem/Long Stem - My favorite track on the album. It's just sort of a nice sampler from everything else here.
Midnight In A Perfect World - I didn't hate this song by any means, but it was my least favorite on the album. The vocal samples just weren't it for me.
Transmission 1, 2, 3 - I liked these little segments. I've heard similar things to this in more modern albums I enjoy, so it was surprising to hear stuff like this here.

Post Listen:
I had to listen to this album front-to-back like 3 times to really solidify my opinion on it. I kept bouncing between a 3, 4, 5, it was all so different and unexpected.

This album had some of the smoothest, cleanest, thumping rhythms and beats I've heard on here yet. The sample work was overall pretty damn good, it did have some goofy shit here and there, akin to something you might find in a YouTube Poop. I really enjoyed all the songs for the most part, though they did start to blend together. I had to keep going back to find the titles of the songs I liked most, it was hard to tell them apart. The album goes on for longer than I'd like, but each track individually feels right, generally.

Really I just couldn't believe this album came out in 1996. The style of the sound feels so much more modern, I swear I've heard some of the songs here have influence in tons of modern tracks I adore. After much deliberation, 4/5.

Pre Listen:
I dislike Green Day. My parents used to be obsessed with them for a period while I was growing up, and even as a child I thought they sounded like piss. The title of the album isn't abating those feelings. Low expectations.

Notable Tracks:
Burnout | Basket Case | When I Come Around - All tracks I was non-consensually subjected to throughout my youth and into the present. I've heard these probably at least a hundred times. Trash.
Chump - My favorite track on the album by far. I appreciate the heavier sound it has. I appreciate the break from the vocals. I appreciate it a lot.
All By Myself - Joke of a song. Least favorite track on the album, normally an acoustic break from everything is a staple of Punk albums, and normally they suck. This one is making fun of the trope, so it sucks extra hard.

Post Listen:
Yeah, I hated this as much as I remembered, if not more. This IS dookie.

Their drummer is the best member of the band, the vocalist needs to blow his nose. I contemplated writing a big long review about how lame and boring Green Day is. Something along the lines of "Green Day is one of the most NPC bands out there and every song sounds the same"

Instead I think I'll just say every Green Day song sounds like the intro to Johnny Test. I liked Johnny Test and its intro, because the intro is 1 minute long, and the show is funny. Johnny Test is also a children's show, and most people grow out of it. Green Day fans never grew up.

https://youtu.be/P1zHcompfNI - 1/5.

EDIT - After some introspection, I'm bumping my rating up to a 2/5. I think 1's should be reserved to truly unlistenable pieces of work. I don't like this album, but I didn't mind some songs, and shouldn't let my personal bias skew the review to a solid 1.