Reviews by stade

waow, that's a lotta bangers

Standouts: Dreams • Never Going Back Again • Go Your Own Way • The Chain • You Make Loving Fun • I Don't Want to Know

In my mind this is exactly what the 90s sound like, all while avoiding sounding generic. It's not exactly an album I'd reach for, but I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Standouts: Freedom!'90 • Cowboys and Angels • Heal the Pain • Soul Free

I wouldn't say it was a bad listen at all; the arrangements are actually really intricate and pleasant, however this style of soft indie just vaporizes me for some reason. I'm sure even fans of the album will understand!

Standouts: Electronic Renaissance • I Could Be Dreaming • My Wandering Days Are Over

My body is a machine that turns Rolling Stones albums into 2-star ratings.

While I wouldn't say that it's meritless to listen several albums by one of the most influential bands of all time, the generator has shown me that I straight up do not like them. I will always respect their unintentional consistency in putting out one godly song per album though; the closer on this one is a genuinely incredible song that does not sound like *anything* that comes before it.

Standouts: Gimme Shelter (the twisty percussion part) • You Can't Always Get What You Want

"Genres: Electronica, Jazz, World, Latin
Styles: Trip Hop, Downtempo, Tango"

It's gotta be the most beautiful genre list I've ever seen.

Standouts: Queremos Paz • Época • Santa María (del Buen Ayre) • Una música brutal • La del ruso • Vuelvo al sur

I'm a little let down after that very lovely first song! This 2 feels harsher than it should, but while I had a pretty enjoyable time with the album, none of it's very remarkable. In in one ear and out the other, it's Default Music. Sorry Bonnie!

Standouts: Nick Of Time • Too Soon To Tell • I Will Not Be Denied

Lovely and earnest! He really manages to pull you into his songs and stories, and even if there's nothing too crazy going on instrumentally, I like that he often just lets the guitar speak for itself. Not an album I'd consciously reach for, but it's pretty good!

Standouts: Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain • Just as I Am • Remember Me (When the Candle Lights Are Gleaming) • Bandera

Realizing that Dr. Dre had a field day with this album, between The Chronic and Doggystyle. Basically every song contained a sample I recognized, so that was fun. As for the music itself, funk was promised and most certainly delivered; the bass tone on Thumpasorus Peoples is about the funkiest shit I've ever heard.

I see its influence but it's just shy of a 4 as I don't quite see myself returning to it so much!

Standouts: P-Funk • Give Up The Funk • (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) • Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples

Am I so out of the indie sphere that this sounds novel and interesting? Maybe! To me this was a wonderful listen! The album has such a gentle sound for the most part, and yet the instrumentals are deceivingly intricate and varied, the sort of production you can truly enjoy with some good headphones. I'm a sucker for that. I didn't even notice the length so many complained about, as each time a new song came up I was hooked onto whatever they were doing next. All of it flows beautifully well together. Love it!

Standouts: The Shining • Everybody's Stalking • Fall in a River • Camping Next to Water • Another Pearl • Once Around the Block • Pissing In the Wind • Blistered Heart • Disillusion • Epitaph

Some fantastic neo-soul with phenomenal production. Listening to it now it kind of struck me how much of a time capsule it is for the late 2010s, a peak in the R&B space. You've got some Travis Scott, some DAMN.-era Kendrick, some traces of Blonde... and SZA, of course, a whole beast of her own, especially at that period. LOVE her inclusion in the list!

She approaches modern troubles in such a raw and vulnerable way, a relatability that you might simply not find in, say, a 1970s rock album. That's what makes this such a standout gem for me; and yes, some of those troubles include sex -- the mere mention of which seemingly makes many a reviewer on this site disintegrate on the spot.

Also I love the decision of closing with 20 Something. I can't articulate it perfectly, but the album ending on a bittersweet note with a song about the uncertainty/anxiety of getting older really struck me.

Very strong 4!

Standouts: Love Galore • Doves In The Wind • Garden (Say It Like Dat) • Normal Girl • Pretty Little Birds • 20 Something

If Timeless was a 5 for its album structure - in how Goldie turned a seemingly formless genre into a cinematic journey - then Logical Progression gets the score for the structure of its individual tracks.

Being essentially two DJ sets, there's no grand cohesion across the project in this case. And yet, every song has an entrancing ebb and flow to it, always leaving room to breathe between its jazzy jungle passages. I kept catching myself thinking, "now THIS one's a banger," only to realize I was still listening to the same track I'd said that about four minutes earlier. This is especially true on CD 2, as LTJ Bukem starts seamlessly blending the tracks into one another. Throughout, the production remains sharp, fresh, at times jazzy, always energetic.

DnB/Jungle have always been genres I appreciate more for their atmosphere than their individual compositions, and while the vibes are absolutely here, I was surprised to find myself actively distinguishing between tracks and loving their different moments and ideas. None of it ever feels stale or repetitive.

Going back to Timeless, I think I may actually prefer this sharper, jazzier take on the genre.

Excellent pull, and a pretty offbeat one for this list's usual fare! Loved it!

Standouts: Demon's Theme • One & Only • Western (Conrad Remix) • So Long • Mind Games

It's a bit hit or miss, pretty disjointed as an album experience, but damn if it doesn't have some of the sickest acid jazz instrumentals you've ever heard.

Oh, it was conceived as a faux movie soundtrack? Yeah that totally tracks. This album is cool as hell.

Shoutout to Miles From Acid Jazz

Standouts: Something Wicked This Way Comes • The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But the Vibes • Miles • Vermillion Kisses • The Big Bamboozle • The Sweetest Embrace

Dark, hypnotic, moody...... The first few songs actually blew me away, but it seems like they couldn't keep the gas going all the way through! The back half dragged on a bit too long by comparison.

Standouts: Overcome • Black Steel • Aftermath

Can I just say that I unironically adore how straightforward and under-designed the cover art is? It captures the exact lofi, loose and free vibe of the music, and while I don't think the album's a "masterpiece" - not that it has any pretensions of being one - this mf had me moving the whole way through! One hell of a good time!

Standouts: Papa Bonheur • Désespoir • Conte de Fées • Obrigado

No hate to her! There's just very little here that moves me as much as it probably should.

Standouts: Chain of Fools • Come Back Baby • Groovin' • Ain't No Way

Not really my thing! They alternate between poppy/forgettable and harsh/abrasive experimentation that sounds a bit sloppy if I'm being real.

The "hidden" song at the end was perhaps my favourite moment in the album, funnily enough. I've no idea where those spooky soundscapes would've fit elsewhere in the album, but they're the most unique and interesting idea on display. Hilarious move to jumpscare unassuming CD listeners with it.

Standouts: Atlantis To Interzone • Golden Skans • Four Horsemen of 2012

The type of 60s album that won't change your life, but that you definitely need to hear to open up your 60s rock horizons. At least that's what I'd like to think, because there are definitely some interesting and unique ideas that I haven't heard from anything else from that decade. ....Sadly, very little of it landed for me personally. I can appreciate it though!

Standouts: Pleasant Street • Hallucinations • Once I Was

Solid, solid stuff! I cannot articulate what exactly this particular album does better than the rest of their discog, because in my head they all kind of sound the same. The design uniformity across their cover arts doesn't help in that respect!! (though I respect their commitment to it)

I came back to it a couple of times and fully appreciated it as a whole package. That's more than I can say for Elephant and Get Behind Me, Satan. It's a four!

Standouts: I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman • Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground • Expecting • Offend In Every Way • I Think I Smell A Rat • Now Mary

Glam rock?! All my life I thought these were some heavy metal guys. Forgive my ignorance.

It's horribly-dated glam rock at that, both in sound and lyrics. Detroit Rock City's bassline had me hopeful at the start, but it's all generic and forgettable from there.

Quick note about their getup: everyone knows about the face paint, but Gene Simmons has those monster steppers ON. Shit's tuff. 🔥

Standout: Detroit Rock City

Alright alright hear me out, the mix of orchestral and britpop actually works pretty damn well here. I found the arrangements to be consistently engaging throughout the album. There are some horrifically sleazy parts from time to time, but they're also so over-the-top that they're hard to really take seriously. I had a better time than I originally expected, and wouldn't hate to listen again.

Standouts: Something For the Weekend • Becoming More Like Alfie • The Frog Princess • A Woman of the World