Rated 6/10
These guys choogle as usual (ehh), but then they do mix in some actually insane guitar performances that turn this into the best CCR record I've heard. Once again proving my theory that the year 1970 gave every rock band superpowers.
Standouts: Ramble Tamble • Run Through The Jungle • I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Rated 6/10
Unapologetically 80s sounding, but in a way that truly didn't strike me as cheesy. I liked it! It's no Ray of Light though.
Standouts: Love Song • Till Death Do Us Part • Cherish
Rated 6/10
No notes! This had me consistently rocking out. Solid 7/10!
Standouts: Halo of Ashes • All I Know • Sworn and Broken • Gospel Plow
Rated 6/10
Some truly enchanting compositions, however I have to admit it's all a bit out of my wheelhouse. Shoutout to the vibraphone player, though, who's consistently steals the show! Usually when you think of tango it's the strings and accordions that come to mind first.
Standout: La Muerta Del Angel
Rated 4/10
That was some very... unseasoned rock music. Maybe just a step above Rod Stewart. It's not bad at all, but I'm struggling to even pick a standout track because it all passed me by!
Big fan of what The Bad Seeds and the gospel choir bring to the table. Can't always say the same about ol' cavernous nicholas. No real hate; it just takes a lot out of a guy like me to follow along to 82 minutes worth of tales, especially when delivered by a Geordie Greep soundalike (an artist I've always had trouble getting into).
Standouts: Cannibal's Hymn • Nature Boy • Easy Money • Carry Me • O Children
Rated 8/10
Pure class. This is math jazz, baby.
Standouts: Blue Rondo à la Turk • Take Five
Rated 8/10
One look at the genre tag list and I was sold. If there's one thing I can praise Robert Dimery on, it's the variety of downtempo fusions he decided to include. Now, the DnB drum patterns aren't always as aggressive as I wished, so a few songs end up failing to distinguish themselves from a Portishead joint... but then that's not really a bad comparison, is it?
Those bonus tracks are no joke either!!
Standouts: Before Today • Wrong • Single • Walking Wounded • Flipside • Mirrorball • Walking Wounded - Omni Trio Remix
Rated 8/10
fuuuuuuuuuck they actually made a good album
Standouts: Rocks Off • Rip This Joint • Tumbling Dice • Sweet Virginia • Loving Cup • Happy • All Down The Line • Stop Breaking Down
Rated 6/10
It's a bit meandering, though that sort of qualifies most shoegaze so maybe that's more of a genre issue. To its credit, it's considerably more accessible than Loveless and leans more into a classic rock sound with glimpses of noise shining through, so that's potentially a positive for people like me. I do appreciate the sorts of funky effects they can get out of an electric guitar.
Standouts: Soft as Snow (Bur Warm Inside) • Cupid Come • (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream • You Never Should
Rated 6/10
I think the more I think about the story, the less I care for it. I gave this two attentive listens to really make my mind up on it, the first of which was on a walk, generally unfocused on the lyrics. As a result, that time around I completely missed a lot of the suffercore aspects on the first half which, on re-listen with the lyrics up, really became my main gripe with the album. I just feel like it spends a disproportionate amount of runtime on the childhood traumas compared to the comparatively short and abrupt cult arc. The execution feels overall clunky, especially having experienced The Wall in the past.
Story aside though, these guys really came through with the arrangements. This isn't The Who I had come to know! The bar was low with My Generation and The Who Sell Out, but this sounds like an outright different band. I respect the ambition!
Standouts: Christmas • Underture • We're Not Gonna Take It
Rated 10/10
This has some of the most inventive production I've heard in the hip hop genre. Every song had me confused at what I was hearing yet simultaneously dancing my ass off. And the restraint of keeping Paper Planes until the very end??? I knew of the song and always found it pretty good, but hearing it in-context genuinely enhanced even further for me! I think the gun clicks and bangs just make a lot more sense once you hear all the insane production choices found elsewhere in the record - BirdFlu has you bumping ass to chicken noises, and it freaking rocks. Absolute banga! 🙌
Standouts: Bamboo Banga • BirdFlu • Boyz • Jimmy • Mango Pickle Down River • Paper Planes • Come Around
Rated 8/10
Hardly the most complex or innovative album on the list, so it's hard to articulate why I liked it so much other than "it's fun". It just hits a lot of the right notes for me personally!
Standouts: Run, Baby, Run • Strong Enough • Can't Cry Anymore • The Na-Na Song • What I Can Do For You • All I Wanna Do • We Do What We Can
Rated 8/10
Some phenomenal music, solid all around. I especially loved being abruptly dragged down to dance (Hero) right after having spent the previous 9 minutes levitating near the ocean waves (Leb' wohl). This album truly has it all.
Standouts: Leb' wohl • Hero
Dear god. The Rolling Stones break their streak of 2-stars by simply not writing their own songs.
It may not be the most inventive album, but I do think they approach these covers with a fun energy, and I can see how they became "England's Newest Hitmakers". Still don't know how they became so highly regarded after that though.
Standouts: Honest I Do • I'm A King Bee • Carol • Tell Me • Walking The Dog
Rated 6/10
The hits and the talent are simply undeniable, however I feel like the album doesn't quite hold up as a complete package. It's weirdly inconsistent! A big chunk of the material is just a bit forgettable unfortunately... but then you also have a song like 'Independent Women Pt. II' showcasing some seriously FILTHY production unlike anything I've heard before (or since). I would've loved more of that!!
Standouts: Independent Women, Pt. 1 • Survivor • Bootylicious • Independent Women Pt. II • Happy Face
Rated 4/10
It was fun for the first few songs, yeah, but I was fully worn out by the time I hit Jesse James. Despair overcame me when I looked at the tracklist, not realizing until later that it was for the expanded edition. This wasn't for me!
Standout: The Sick Bed of Chuchulainn
Rated 6/10
Very pleasant album overall that pulls off its specific mood quite well, though it all starts to blend together after a while. 'Stars All Seem to Weep' seemed like an extraordinary one-off venture into the downtempo genre that had me desperately wishing for more in its vein. Luckily, some digging led me to her debut 'Trailer Park' which I enjoyed considerably more for leaning further into the trip hop sound.
She has a great voice that shines when she has some good production behind her!
Standouts: Sweetest Decline • Couldn't Cause Me Harm • Stars All Seem to Weep
Rated 4/10
I don't know how to rate this. On one hand, this could've easily been a full length album of Rod Stewart-type hard rock; instead, Alice Cooper surprises you with tons of creativity and variety packed into a relatively short and cohesive runtime. It's a fun concept!
On the other hand... Well, as much as I respect its idea and execution, there's very little on this album that actually grabbed me. Can't really say I'd come back to it. A high 2, but still a 2! :')
Standouts: My Stars • Alma Mater
Rated 6/10
Funky Shit was promised and very well delivered. The thing with the big beat genre is that it generally doesn't lend itself to full album listening, and this is no exception. It does get a bit tiring by the end of its nearly hour-long runtime. Take your pick of individual bangers, though, for there are plenty to be found here!
Standouts: Breathe • Diesel Power • Climbatize • Fuel My Fire
