Reviews by shoegaze_vulpes86

The biggest reason to listen to 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 is Aretha Franklin herself. Her voice is so effortlessly powerful and expressive that it’s easy to understand why many people consider her the greatest soul singer of all time. Even the weaker moments are elevated simply because she’s singing them.

That said, I’m not sure the album itself is quite as remarkable as its reputation. The songs are good, but a lot of them pass by without leaving a lasting impression on me. I never lose interest, but I rarely feel completely drawn in either. In the end, I come away more impressed by Aretha Franklin than by 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 as an album.

What I really enjoy about 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 is how shamelessly huge it sounds. Electric Light Orchestra throw strings, harmonies, giant hooks, and glossy production into almost every track, but the album somehow never collapses under its own weight. It’s excessive, but in a genuinely fun way.

A lot of that comes down to Jeff Lynne. No matter how polished or theatrical the songs become, he keeps them grounded in strong melodies. Even the most overblown moments still sound warm, catchy, and surprisingly sincere.

Normally an album this ambitious would start feeling bloated at some point, but 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 mostly avoids that because the songs themselves are just so enjoyable. It’s very much a “more is more” record, and honestly, that’s exactly why I like it so much.

𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝟮 easily stands above the rest for me. The rest of the album isn’t bad, but very little reaches the same level of energy or immediacy. You can clearly hear Blur moving away from classic Britpop here and leaning more into a noisier, American indie rock sound, which at least keeps the album interesting.

Still, a lot of the tracks blur together after a while, and outside of a few good moments not much really sticks with me. In the end, 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝟮 is still the one track I’d actually come back to.

This barely sounds like Britpop to me. 𝘋𝘰𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 is far darker and more theatrical than most albums associated with that scene, almost like it’s trying to escape the label altogether. The whole thing has this grand, glamorous atmosphere, but underneath it there’s also something tense and strangely detached.

I do admire how committed the album is to its own mood. It never sounds casual or lightweight, and that gives it a strong identity. At the same time, I don’t fully connect with it emotionally, even when the album is clearly reaching for something larger.

𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘯 sounds like a post-grunge album that’s trying very hard not to get messy. The hooks are strong, the production is huge, and Courtney Love clearly knows how to carry a song, but the whole album feels strangely held back. For music that aims this much at drama and intensity, it rarely sounds truly dangerous or chaotic.

That cleaner, more polished sound makes the album easier to get into, but it also takes away some of the edge I was hoping for. There are definitely good songs here, just not enough moments where the album really comes alive for me.

Very 80s album. 𝘙𝘪𝘰 is full of catchy synth-pop songs and a ton of style, but after a while it starts to feel a bit too glossy for me. The big singles are good, the production is strong, and the whole thing sounds expensive in that very specific early-80s way.

Still, I don’t connect with it that much beyond the hits. It’s enjoyable while it’s on, just not an album I’d come back to often.

This really wears me down more than anything else. 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 keeps hammering the same repetitive big beat grooves into the ground until the whole album starts to feel more annoying than exciting. The constant loops and exaggerated energy quickly become exhausting, and after a while it all starts blurring into the same thing.

I get why this kind of music had its moment in the 90s, but as a full listen it just doesn’t work for me at all.

One of the more interesting electronic albums I’ve heard from the 90s. 𝘌𝘯𝘥𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨….. builds a really distinctive atmosphere entirely out of samples, loops, and beats, but it never feels cold or purely technical. A lot of it has this strange, late-night, almost cinematic mood that makes the album stand out from a lot of other instrumental electronic music from that era.

What impressed me most is how cohesive it feels despite being built from so many fragments. You can hear the hip-hop foundation underneath it all, even though the album works more through mood and texture than through traditional songs. At the same time, it doesn’t completely hold my attention all the way through, and some sections start blending together after a while.

Still, compared to a lot of 90s electronic music, this feels much more creative and memorable than most.

I can see this being a stronger album than 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦. 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘰𝘹 sounds more focused and more confident in what it’s trying to do, especially with the heavy basslines and hypnotic repetition. Atmospherically, it’s much more effective, and it’s easy to hear why the album became so influential for post-punk.

My main issue is still John Lydon. His vocals constantly make the album harder to connect with for me, to the point where it becomes difficult to really enjoy. There’s clearly a strong idea behind the whole thing, but I end up appreciating it more in theory than in practice.

(Heard the German version of the album.)

You can immediately hear how influential this album was. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 has that cold, mechanical precision Kraftwerk are known for, but there’s also something strangely elegant about it. Even decades later, it still sounds futuristic in places.

For a while, I was close to giving this a 4/5. The atmosphere is incredibly strong, and when the album locks into a groove, it really works. But the second half becomes a bit too repetitive for me, to the point where the minimalism starts losing its effect. Still a fascinating record, just not one that completely holds my attention from start to finish.

I honestly don’t get all the 1/5 ratings this album gets. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 is obviously very rooted in late-90s nu metal, but compared to a lot of albums from that scene, this one at least has some personality. The mix of heavy riffs, strange textures, and hip-hop influences gives it a more distinctive sound than I expected.

It still isn’t fully my thing, though. The album drags in places, and I’m generally not that into the whole nu metal style. But even then, I can at least hear why this became such a big record. It feels more ambitious and musically interesting than a lot of its imitators.

This really doesn’t do much for me. 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤 mixes new wave with reggae rhythms, but the combination never sounds fully convincing to my ears. A lot of it comes across as a very stiff, overly controlled take on reggae that loses the looseness and feel the style actually needs.

The band is clearly talented, and there are moments where the hooks work, but across a full album it starts to feel repetitive and kind of lifeless. More irritating than interesting for me.

For an album with a title like 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, not much here really surprises me. The band clearly has energy and attitude, but most of the album just doesn’t leave much of an impression. A lot of it feels more concerned with sounding provocative than actually being memorable.

𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 is the big exception. That’s the one moment where everything clicks and the album finally sounds as intense as its reputation suggests. Outside of that track, though, I mostly struggle to stay interested.

Really great indie/alternative/whatever album. 𝘉𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦 has that loose, lo-fi sound that feels rough around the edges without coming across as careless. At times it almost sounds like a more intimate, stripped-down version of Dinosaur Jr., which isn’t too surprising considering Lou Barlow had already been part of that band before forming his own identity with Sebadoh.

What makes the album work for me is how unforced it feels. The songs can be messy, awkward, even unfinished at times, but that’s also where a lot of the charm comes from. It never sounds like it’s trying too hard to be “alternative” or lo-fi — it just naturally is.

My first proper album from PJ Harvey, and I’m still not completely sure what to make of her style. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘢 has a clean, direct sound and a really strong atmosphere running through it. A few tracks stand out immediately, and the whole album feels very confident and self-assured.

At the same time, a lot of it starts to blur together for me after a while. I can appreciate the mood and songwriting, but I don’t fully connect with it emotionally. Still a good album, just not one that completely wins me over.

I know this album means a lot to some people, but I just can’t really get into it. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘐𝘵 𝘉𝘦 has that rough, careless alternative rock sound that probably felt refreshing at the time, but most of it doesn’t leave much of an impression on me. The whole thing feels intentionally loose and messy, which I get is part of the charm, but after a while it just loses me. There are a few moments I like, just not enough to make the album really stick.

I still haven’t fully figured out Kate Bush. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 is clearly thoughtful and carefully put together, but it never completely draws me in. The vocals, the arrangements, the whole atmosphere — it all feels very specific to her world, which I can appreciate more than I actually connect with. There are definitely moments that stand out, but as a whole it still keeps me at a bit of a distance.

I honestly don’t really understand why this album is considered essential. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘈𝘪𝘮 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 has a decent groove and a laid-back atmosphere, but I’ve heard plenty of albums in this style that leave a much stronger impression. A lot of it just drifts by without really grabbing me. It’s listenable enough, just not especially interesting or memorable.

This album is overflowing with ideas, but somehow it still holds together. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 is pure pop perfection and also a reminder that John Deacon could write genuinely great songs. ’𝟯𝟵 gives Brian May one of the warmest moments on the record, and 𝗜’𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿 is oddly entertaining in a way only Queen could pull off, especially with Roger Taylor singing it. And then there’s 𝗕𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗼𝗱𝘆, which still sounds completely absurd and completely brilliant at the same time.

What makes 𝘈 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 special is how naturally it moves between styles. Hard rock, piano ballads, music hall theatrics — it all flows together without losing its identity. A lot of that comes down to Freddie Mercury. No matter how dramatic or over-the-top the album gets, he keeps everything believable through sheer charisma and presence.

It’s definitely excessive, sometimes almost ridiculously so, but that’s also part of the charm. The album feels like a band realizing they can do almost anything and actually pulling most of it off.

There’s something very quiet and understated about this album that I really like. The arrangements are simple, the songwriting is strong, and Suzanne Vega’s voice gives the whole thing its character. It’s very flat and restrained, almost like she’s speaking rather than singing, but somehow that makes the songs feel more personal instead of less expressive.

The album never tries too hard to impress you, which is probably why it works. It just settles into its own mood and stays there. Not every track sticks with me, but the overall atmosphere is strong enough that I kept enjoying it anyway.