Rated 6/10
I really dug the instrumentals, most tracks have a lot of layers to them.
Other than some fuckass lyrics here and there (the dictionary song has straight stinkers from line 1) there really is a lot to enjoy here. 2.8 ⭐
Rated 6/10
An overall cohesive and energetic listen, but not much stood out to me. Certainly a refreshing listen in this challenge.
Standouts: The Day I Tried To Live, Kickstand
Rated 8/10
The first two tracks were okay, but had me thinking this was going to be a bit of a generic rock album. I'm so glad I was proven wrong - everything that followed was weird, psychedelic, funky and fun.
Some instrumental tracks (such as Butter the Soul) had me thinking, "this would go hard with Damon Albarn vocals and a guest rapper" - well damn if Candyman didn't deliver on that exact vibe later in the album🔥🔥 Lots of different genres at play here, but all around it was an enjoyable listen
Rated 4/10
This album fucked me up. My ass is not made for noise rock.
Standouts: When You Sleep, Soon
Rated 8/10
👋 Jazz 👋
This whole album feels heavy in experimentation - no minute goes by without a total switchup in the song structure. Maybe this is the zoomer in me, or maybe it's just a style of jazz I'm not used to, but as an album experience it felt absolutely disorienting.
With so many different ideas every second, though, you do end up with a lot of very cool individual moments. Standout track was Bemsha Swing
Edit: Nearly a year later, I have found myself smoking the shit that made the Monk Lonious. It's a very rewarding listen if one can get through the chaos! Bumped from 2 stars to 4 stars.
Listened to it while cooking and had a fun time.
Once my food was done, I still had 1h30 left. At that point I tapped out, it was too much of the same.
To me then this album is great in adding a classy, old-school soundtrack to life. But as front to back, critical listening deal? I couldn't even do it for the challenge.
In the end though, my carne adobada came out delicious as fuck, and maybe I have Ella to thank for that.
Rated 10/10
Good fuckin album
The bassline on Josie is 🤌✨
Very strong 4⭐ - nothing life changing, just some banger music
EDIT
3 days later and just about every song is on loop in my head. This is more than a banger
Rated 4/10
The vocals constantly distract from some legitimately banger arrangements 💀
-Standouts-
Venus as a Boy was genuinely pretty, reminded me of a Little Dragon song
Come to Me: the instrumental really shines here. Felt almost nostalgic for some reason
2⭐ only because these two songs did make me go back a few times. The rest of the album was a hard listen tho
Rated 6/10
Nutty guitar all the way through
Wish I could dive deeper into some lyrics
Petit Metier stood out in particular
Rated 10/10
Louis Prima somehow has a different style for each song, from a call-and-response big band track in The Lip, to some slower but still fully jazzy tracks like Body and Soul.
This came out of left field as a type of music I rarely explore, but it absolutely delivered.
This album is so much fun, and on top of that the musicians behind it are GOOD.
Giving this 5 ⭐ because of the listening experience
Rated 8/10
It's my least listened to album of his from that era, but it's a classic nonetheless. The synths are on point.
Standout: Liberian Girl
Rated 4/10
First listen on this list! Vocals really didn't gel with me, and they stopped me from appreciating the instrumentals. Might have to listen again just for that.
Standouts: Let's Go Away For A While • Pet Sounds, precisely because there were no vocals. These reminded me a bit of Takanaka, in that tropical summer dreamy vibe. Other than that, kinda meh for me.
