Reviews by shenanigan

Interesting folk rock record drenched in the psychedelia that was just taking shape at this time.
Not all songs hit the same for me, but overall it's a good listen.
3/5 - good

I give Jack & Meg credit for experimenting and reinventing their sound after some albums of the same (awesome) riff fests.

Problem is, the result of the experiments is not my cup of tea, I find it mostly boring. While the instrumentation varies more, the songwriting is really monotonous.

Also, it's just so frustrating to listen to a guitar God playing easy piano chord progressions for so many songs.

2/5 - below average

Man, Muddy and his musicians know how to play the blues... rocked harder than I expected as well. I love that there's a lot happening, different instruments soloing at the same time, etc.
What it's lacking of course is variety. For 45 minutes of 12 chord blues, the variety is surprisingly high, but still, after side A, I have the feeling I heard it all.
3.5/5 - very good

So not my cup of tea, sorry Dolly. RIP.
1/5 - very weak

Kombiniert auf geniale Weise dir Genres Tango und Downtempo/Trip-Hop. Das sind alles Genres, für die ich schon lange eine Vorliebe habe, aber noch nie dazu gekommen bin, mich wirklich reinzuhören. Das Album scheint also wie gemacht für mich.
Tolle Tango-Melodien auf vielfältigen Instrumenten und hinterlegt mit interessanten Beats. Macht richtig Spaß!
Da die zweite Hälfte (wie leider so oft) von der Qualität etwas (nur wenig!) abnimmt, reicht es nicht zum absoluten Klassiker.
Nichtsdestotrotz, tolles innovatives Album!
4/5 - exzellent

I like the idea of mixing all these styles together. The American folk music, the Zydeco accordion, the African chants.
I don't like how Simon disregarded the cultural embargo against South Africa due to Apartheid just because he was searching for new inspiration.
Also, the 80s-ness of the mix is hard to ignore for me, I absolutely hate the reverb on those snare hits and the bass sounds so farty which is a shame because the bass lines are cool.
2/5 - below average

Absolutely stunning.

Didn't know it before, and listened through it so many times in the last days.
"Funeral" is so much better than "The Suburbs" which the Generator presented me two days earlier and I'm really glad I still gave this album a proper listen after that.

The instrumentation is beautiful, the song structures dare to leave the beaten track, but most importantly, the music on here is so so powerful emotionally. Front to back no filler and exactly the right ratio of variety vs. cohesiveness.
If I could change one thing though... the amateurish production doesn't match the superb songs.

This has the potential to become one of my all-time favorites. Time will show...
4.5/5 - near perfect

Nice! This album is so, so fun.
And what a genre mix this is! There's boogie/rock, classical, disco and even electronic elements, and on top we get sweet Beatles-like melodies. Sounds like a "great in theory, total mess in practise" thing, but no, ELO actually make it work.
Now, the downside is, not all songs hit the same. The B- and D-sides are weaker than their front counterparts. And speaking of B and D... I get that you had lots of ideas, guys, but 70 minutes of this eclectic whirlwind is too long.
All in all, I enjoyed it and will be back for more.
3.5/5 - very good

On the scale of the tracks, there's too little happening. Give me climaxes, give me instrumental solo parts, give me breaks and different song parts! But no, the songs are mostly boring and too long.

On the scale of the whole album, there's very little variety. It all sounds like many iterations of the same two or three songs. Needless to say, the album feels much too long. I get that they create a certain vibe that many people dig, but not me for 60+ minutes straight.

Passable background music, but slightly annoying when listened to closely.
2/5 - below average

Many reviewers here state that this was good background music.
I object, it's much too good for that! Music that really moved me, from first listening. The Intrumentation is varied, different genres are visited without feeling forced. The tracks are consistently very good and there's just a little special spark missing that would elevate it to a 5. Well earned surprise 4!
4/5 - excellent

Crazy good jams in the second half, where the jazziness superposes the bluesiness.
"In the memory of Elizabeth Reed" brings Latin influences, "Whipping Post" is an extraordinary 23-minute journey. Guitar skills are off the scale, as well as the telepathic band chemistry. Also, two drum sets? Nice!

Problem is, I'm not sold on the first half. The ordinary blues numbers are neat, but nothing more. And "You Don't Love Me" has a cool riff, but the soloing here overstays its welcome.

All in all, still very cool. Would recommend, and will dig into the discography of these guys.
3.5/5 - strong

7 tracks were exactly the same, the eighth a boring ballad. I'm not a fan of the disco sound. The strings are cool, yes, but can't elevate the album singlehandedly.
2/5 - below average

Not bad, but not really good either.
I like the dreamy vibes, I like the vocals, but here it doesn't really click for me.
The songs just aren't that strong.
2.5/5 - okay

Another one I've been waiting for. This album (or, to be exact, at first the brilliant song "City of Delusion") started a years long Muse hype for me.

It's an exciting collection of very good rock songs. Muse manage to sound diverse while still building a coherent album. They also manage to put pop sensibilities into heavy rock instrumentals, thereby creating a powerful catchiness.

The electronic rock buildup in opener "Take a Bow" - the delicious fuzzy bass in "Supermassive Black Hole" - the unstoppable roll of "Map of the Problematique" - the genius acoustic guitar riff in the aforementioned "City of Delusion" - the theatrics of "Hoodoo" - the grand finale "Knights of Cydonia" - there's just so much I love about this record.

"Starlight" and "Invincible" are the poppiest inclusions here and in parts show where the band would (sadly) be headed with the next albums. I actually grew to like these songs, but they prevent the record from reaching the perfect 5/5 score.

If you like this album, reach for Muse's perfect, much rawer, really exciting "Origin of Symmetry" from 2001 or for the 2007 live album "HAARP".

4.5/5 - near perfect

This does absolutely zero for me. Highly polished nothing.
1/5 - very weak

Producer Suba creates an interesting blend of Samba polyrhythms, smooth Bossa Nova and electronic elements.
The end pruduct is... well, it's okay, but I wouldn't write home about it. The album is too long and I'm not a fan of the vocal delivery here. Other than that, nice background music.
3/5 - good

Listened several times now and still feel I'd need more time with the album.
Kudos to Kate Bush for being as weird as she just liked to be. It's theatrical and musical-like in many places and really intriguing, even if not all works well (for my tastes). It's special, that's for sure. (I got a similar feeling when listening to Björk.)
I especially liked "Suspended In Gaffa" and the title track.
3/5 - good

Very simple punk music. Simple isn't automatically bad, but here I find very little that engages me. Or in other words: I was bored pretty fast. I could listen to 1, 2 or 3 of these songs and even enjoy it a little. But a whole album... no thanks.
2/5 - below average

Beautiful mix of styles that works very well, especially since Amy's voice is phenomenal. I don't think the quality is consistently very high, but there sure are many great tracks on here, like "You Know I'm No Good" or the title track.
A great example that modern pop music can be quite good.
3.5/5 - strong

I just don't buy the jangly, weak sounding guitar sound and the vocal non-melodies that feel like the exact same from track to track.
However, it wasn't generally unpleasant to listen to, so that's not nothing I guess.
2/5 - below average for my tastes