Reviews by stade

This is all objectively very lush and very well-produced, but personally it somehow didn’t grip me much outside of a few highlights. It felt a bit like Coldplay’s Parachutes in that I remember liking the band’s big hits a lot growing up, but felt a bit let down by the album despite it not being all that different from their usual style.

Still the best I’ve heard of U2 to date!

Standouts: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For • With Or Without You • Bullet The Blue Sky • Mothers Of The Disappeared

We had a good run of 60s rock albums. I was starting to think I was a changed man; that "60slop" was a word of the past. Sadly, it was actually The Beatles single-handedly carrying the decade for me these past weeks. The Mamas & The Papas here do harmonize nicely, I suppose, but the music didn't move me in any way.

Standout: California Dreamin'

Really struggling between a 3 and a 4 here. Taken as a whole they're not doing anything too different from the usual britpop fare, but then some of these songs do have a certain sauce…. This closer especially is a real treat! I'll round down for now, but I definitely enjoyed the album.

Standouts: A Design For Life • Enola / Alone • Everything Must Go • Australia • All Surface No Feeling

Anything with Damon Albarn has my interest, and this certainly earns my attention! I don't mean to automatically go comparing them to Gorillaz, but I do love that Blur gets into the same sort of weird genre experimentations here, going from punkier cuts to trip hop detours like it's nothing. It works for me! To the rotation it goes!

Standouts: Beetlebum • Song 2 • M.O.R. • On Your Own • Death of a Party • Essex Dogs

Undeniably pretty, but it's no Court and Spark! :(

Standouts: My Old Man • This Flight Tonight

It's a tough one to review. Musically, it very rarely left me impressed; conceptually, I'm very glad it exists!

Bruce has always written from the perspective of everyday people, but here the stakes are much higher than usual. He's touching on a national tragedy directly, and with a subject this delicate, it's unimaginably hard to make the music sound genuine and meaningful -- which he actually succeeds at, in my opinion!

In truth, the overly hopetimistic messaging was grating to me at first, but the more the album went on, the more I realized how silly my disdain for it was. An artist using their voice for a positive cause is about the most commendable thing they can do, even if the music itself doesn't click.

The fact that this album came up the same day he dropped Streets of Minneapolis further cements that thought for me. These aren't songs I'm going to be bumping in the car, or even return to frequently myself, but I will never hate on anybody who does. The snippets Springsteen presents in his songs are always deeply human, and I have an incredible amount of respect for him as an artist, regardless of my personal enjoyment.

Standouts: Worlds Apart • The Fuse • Mary's Place • You're Missing

Heavy, hypnotic riffs abound......

I like it! My one complaint is that it gets fairly repetitive across the 60 minute runtime, but it's a solid debut and I'm optimistic for whenever we get their other album on the list.

Standouts: Regular John • Walkin on the Sidewalks • You Would Know • Hispanic Impressions • Spiders and Vinegaroons

Surprisingly enjoyable compared to what I heard on The Queen Is Dead, striking a much more harmonious balance between Morrissey and the rest of the band in my opinion.

I still wouldn't say I'm fully on board with The Smiths, and they sort of lose me in the back half (can't take them seriously after Unhappy Birthday), but I do start to see glimmers of their appeal.

Standouts: A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours • Stop Me If You Think You've Heart This One Before

In the 286 entries we've had to date, I have never described an album as 'boring'. I think it's a disingenuous word; an album can be subjectively bad, or fail to leave an impression, but in this 'best of' list, the music usually never fails to provoke some kind of reaction.

On that note, this album is boring as shit!

Paul Weller had 16 songs, 53 minutes to put some emotion into his singing, but he squanders that opportunity at every turn. There's some cool stuff happening in the instrumentation, but it's not enough to save the record as it consistently takes a backseat to Paul's monotony. At least the two bite-sized instrumentals here actually let the band showcase their talent, but they're hilariously over about as soon as they start.

In my opinion, Solid Air by John Martyn sounds like everything they're trying to do here but with actual good execution.

Standouts: Instrumental - Pt. 1 • All The Pictures On The Wall • Instrumental - Pt. 2

Very solid album all around, but outside of the guitar player who's kind of sick with it, they're not doing anything super memorable or unique. Can't bash it, can't adore it!

Standouts: The Concept • Sidewinder • Is This Music?

DAMN!!!!!
It's no secret that Stevie Wonder is considered one of the best to ever do it, but I had somehow never actually listened to an album of his. It speaks volumes, then, that I recognized just about all of Disc 1 here from song samples and reinterpretations alone! Then Disc 2 starts with Isn't She Lovely, which if you're like me, might have been the only track you recognize from title alone -- but going into the record with only that knowledge does NOT prepare you for how funky and soulful the experience is gonna get, nor for the sheer stylistic variety in the near-2 hour tracklist. When he started doing straight jazz fusion on Contusion, that's when I knew this was a 5.
It might not be my personal GOAT, but I 100% understand why it belongs in the conversation for overall best album of all time.

Standouts: Love's In Need Of Love Today • Have A Talk With God • Contusion • Sir Duke • Ordinary Pain • Isn't She Lovely • As • Another Star • Ebony Eyes • All Day Sucker

It's very nice to hear how well they fleshed out their sound since their self-titled, which I enjoyed a lot despite it being a bit one-note. There's much more variety from track to track here, and they even managed to transition into the 80s without falling into its usual trappings! Guitar John still knows all the chords!

Since I'm rating this as an album listen, I do think it hits a few lulls here and there, which would be fine if they didn't go on for up to 8 minutes. Too many of these tracks fail to justify their length -- even Money For Nothing is pushing it!!

When it's good, though, it's awesome. And it made me rediscover a couple of nostalgic bangers!

Standouts: So Far Away • Money For Nothing • Walk Of Life • Ride Across The River

Is it derivative, or paying homage to 70s-80s New Wave bands? Either way, to me these guys took the best parts of those inspirations and made a cohesive album of straight bangers. Looove the synths they use. And I considered myself an LCD Soundsystem hater before this!

Standouts: oh baby • i used to • change yr mind • how do you sleep? • call the police • american dream

Not even Santana could save the blues for me, Hooker's style is just too droning for my taste. He caught my attention on the few times he channeled Isaac Hayes and turned up the funk a bit, but outside of that the album is wholly unremarkable.

Standouts: Cuttin' Out • That's Alright

I can't say the blues speak to me all that much, but I can appreciate how solid this album is. Not a dull moment to be found. Go off B.B. King and Lucille!

Standout: Sweet Little Angel

Lots of experimentation in these Contino sessions, so it's veeery hit or miss even in the good tracks. Occasionally they would play a nasty bass or synth line amidst the noise, and those moments made the whole listen worth it.

Standouts: Dirge • Flying • Lever Street • Aladdin's Story

I'll hand it to Bruce, this and Born To Run are some of the most beautifully produced singer-songwriter albums I've ever heard. If I was more of a lyrics guy, this whole project would properly blow me away the way Adam Raised a Cain somehow did. As it stands, though, his singing doesn't really move me much; it feels like I'm only enjoying the music to half its potential, despite trying my best to keep an open mind.

Standouts: Adam Raised a Cain • Racing In The Street • Prove It All Night

Pleasant listen! I can't say the vocal performances really do much for me, but I love the way the album so vividly evokes nature through its lyrics and instrumentation. It's such a unique atmosphere that I'm considering revisiting and seeing if the rest grows on me over time.

Standouts: Sun It Rises • White Winter Hymnal • Ragged Wood

Well I'll start off by saying that that was a mind-blowing first listen. No notes. It's heat and bangers the whole way through.

I AM hesitant to give it a 5, though. Their whole shtick is these big, epic, heavy-hitting songs that do leave a spectacular first impression, but very quickly lose their edge on repeat listens -- at least, that's been my (admittedly limited) experience with Muse in the past.

Still a very solid album I'm excited to revisit!

Standouts: Supermassive Black Hole • Assassin • City of Delusion • Knights of Cydonia

Oh my god!!! To borrow an expression from a reviewer on Tubular Bells, this is longform instrumental wankery at its purest -- which I'm learning is exactly right up my alley. I'm willing to forgive Zappa completely for whatever Freak Out! was, because this is nothing but awesome jazz fusion heat.

VERY strong 4 that might turn into a 5 with a bit of simmerin'

Shoutout to rats 🐀

Standouts: Peaches En Regalia • Willie The Pimp • The Gumbo Variations