Rated 6/10
The orchestral backing serves his singing voice really well! The compositions are a little hit or miss for me, though when they're good they're a lot of fun; very grandiose yet whimsical.
Standouts: Jackie • Next • The Girls and the Dogs • Windows of the World
Rated 6/10
She's a damn good rapper with incomparable swag!! Just effortlessly floating on these super fun and varied instrumentals, which impressively range from boombap to dub to even disco influences.
There ARE some weirder decisions here and there (did the baby voice bit really have to go on that long?), probably due to this being her first record + the Native Tongues collective itself still being in its relative infancy and finding their sound. Historical significance aside, I'm certain a more mature album of hers would be a more essential listen.
Fun album nonetheless!
Standouts: Dance for Me • Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children • Latifah's Law • Wrath of My Madness • The Pros • Princess of the Possee • Inside Out
Rated 6/10
My favorite Iggy Pop project to date! Some great songwriting, kickass guitar, even some headbanging bass grooves at the end. Unfortunately, although I can appreciate Iggy's unflinching commitment to the crunchy jpeg mixing, that is the one dealbreaker that keeps his projects from hitting the 4 star for me.
Standouts: Nightclubbing • China Girl • Tiny Girls
Rated 6/10
Some soulful joints to put you in a beautiful mood!
Standouts: Boogie On Reggae Woman • You Haven't Done Nothin' • It Ain't No Use
Rated 8/10
Talking Heads' brand of funk comes through even without David Byrne, and I'm a sucker for it. Tina Weymouth has her own charm when taking the lead on most of this, on top of her already killer bass. The instrumentals themselves are meaty enough that they're allowed to ride for a couple of extra bars at the end of songs without ever really feeling repetitive or too long. I enjoyed it a lot!
Standouts: Wordy Rappinghood • Genius Of Love • As Above So Below • Booming And Zooming • Under the Boardwalk
Rated 6/10
Nothing too crazy, just a good album to rock out to.
Skidmarks On My Heart is an excellent song title.
Solid!
Standouts: Our Lips Are Sealed • This Town • Skidmarks On My Heart
Rated 6/10
It's alright! It's interesting to hear them juggling so many genre influences and still coming out with a decently cohesive album. Paul McCartney apparently showing up to play a carrot and celery might lowkey be the most remarkable thing about it all.
Standouts: Sidewalk Serfer Girl • [A] Touch Sensitive • Juxtapozed With U • Run! Christian, Run!
Rated 4/10
Cheeky little flute always keeping you on your toes. Very necessary as Van Morrison's singing is just not very interesting to listen to, even with all the emotion he puts behind it.
At least it's not terrible, just very monotonous.
Standouts: Astral Weeks • The Way Young Lovers Do
Rated 4/10
My interest peaked whenever the African influences came up. Those were the highlights for me! As for the rest, it feels like I haven’t unlocked the right context to appreciate his music. Don’t get me wrong, there’s clearly a lot of talent on display, but I’d be lying if I said his songs moved me in the way I feel like they’re supposed to.
Standouts: Gumboots • Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes • Homeless
Rated 6/10
Hot Chip got added in as part of the 2013 edition of the book - just one year after the album's release. It's one of those cases where, hearing it fresh today, the significance of its inclusion is weakened; the writers could not have foreseen this particular sound being diluted to hell in the following decade. Case in point: most of these songs come across as Discover Weekly fodder.
Of course, Discover Weekly does tend to bless you with some divine pulls every once in a while.......
Standouts: Motion Sickness • These Chains • Night and Day
Rated 6/10
In total awe of Dizzee Rascal's beat selection, because despite a large part of the instrumentals being godawful, they're so unlike anything you'd expect from a 2003 hip hop-adjacent album that they paradoxically become quite compelling. They're sounds from another planet, brought to us by the horrible squeaky alien on 2 Far.
In regards to the man's rapping, I like his energy and appreciate that he doesn't take himself too seriously. It's the standard UK Grime flow, though perhaps he's the one who set the standard.
Is it an album I'd return to? Very doubtful, but I can appreciate its influence and what it did to shake up the hip hop genre down the line. Danny Brown has cited him as one of his biggest inspirations, for example, and the similarities are clear as day on several occasions!
Standouts: I Luv You • Wot U On?
Rated 8/10
The definition of smooth! Perhaps a bit too much in the middle, as from 'When Am I Going to Make A Living' to 'Sally' it starts bordering on the bland. Literally everything else is gold though! 🎷🐛
Standouts: Smooth Operator • Your Love Is King • Hang On to Your Love • Frankie's First Affair • I Will Be Your Friend • Why Can't We Live Together
Rated 10/10
THE SOUND OF TOMORROW
THE MUSIC OF TODAY
BRINGS YOU EXCLUSIVELY DAFT PUNK'S HOMEWORK 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
In today's listen, I realize that I've overplayed Around The World and Da Funk for myself, the songs I used to come back to the most at the beginning of my Daft Punk discovery (haha). Instead, the 'crunchy' parts caught my attention more than usual. Impossible to hear Rock'n Roll's rising deep-fried synths without wanting to tear your shirt off and MOVE
Special love for Teachers as well, because how cool is it to have the greats dedicate a tribute to artists they themselves looked up to at the start of their career? You've got names ranging from DJ Funk (makes sense), to George Clinton (hell yeah), to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys?!
Even though Discovery's snub is absolutely maddening, and I will forever curse Robert Dimery for it, nobody should sleep on this record as it is a classic on its own right!! It's a marvel how much thought went into crafting these rhythms that SEEM mind-numbingly repetitive, but offer a surprising amount of depth upon closer listens. Dissect's piece on the album is worth checking out!
Standouts: Daftendirekt • Revolution 909 • Da Funk • Fresh • Rollin' & Scratchin' • Rock'n Roll • Oh Yeah • Burnin'
Rated 4/10
I honestly had higher expectations! Somehow even with all its big horn sections, the album fell a bit flat for me.
Standout: Alexander's Ragtime Band
Rated 6/10
It's not an album I'd listen to on my own, but some of these songs are so sweet that it's hard to be negative about it!
Standouts: A Rose for Emily • Beechwood Park • Time of the Season
Rated 8/10
True "I see the vision but it's not for me" album. It's one for the fans of rawness and lyricism! I am only that if the instrumentation can match, but the guitar work here -- mesmerizing as it was for the first half or so -- gradually lost its allure as the album went on. Can't see myself coming back to it unfortunately!
Edit: I lied. I came back to it. The intimate feel is truly alluring and quite unique. 4 stars up from 2 stars.
Standouts: Pink Moon • Know • Parasite
Rated 8/10
It's hilarious that reviewers on this site will complain about an album for sounding like "Starbucks music", then turn around and give 5 stars to Boomer Bar Rock Album #43.
This is a lovely listen, and while it might not be a mindblowing experience on its own, it does stand out from the usual 1001 fare. Smooth and jazzy instrumentation beautifully complements Norah Jones' singing, which itself brings all ranges of emotion. I enjoyed it a lot!
Standouts: Don't Know Why • Turn Me On • Lonestar • I've Got To See You Again • Nightingale
Rated 8/10
Lulled into a false sense of security, thinking this was finally the gateway album to get me into Björk. Then the final four tracks happened, culminating in the dude going feral for the last moments of the record?! The meaning of it goes over my head, a fact I accept as the 7 prior tracks are absolute heat through and through. I'd be willing to warm up to it down the line! That's something I haven't felt for any other Björk project to date!
Standouts: Traitor • Motorcrash • Birthday • Delicious Demon • Cold Sweat • Blue Eyed Pop
Rated 6/10
Gave this a few listens to really make up my mind, and although in the moment I'm consistently rocking out and having a good time, by the end I feel like it fails to make a huge impression on me overall. I really want to like it and am tempted by the 4-star, but it's not quite there yet!
Standouts: Seven Nation Army • Black Math • There's No Home For You Here • Ball And Biscuit • In The Cold, Cold Night
Rated 6/10
Not much to remark. White boys be shreddin (back in town)
Standouts: Emerald • Southbound • Still In Love With You
