Reviews by stevey_

I can’t say I’ve ever called myself a Common fan, but I’ve spent time with this record before. I can’t say I’m surprised to see it pop up on this list.

Common feels like the least offensive version of hip hop you could play for someone looking to get into the genre (in a good way!). The vocal samples in the hooks (like “GO!”, “Testify”) root his songs in classic R&B vibes and that make this an easy entry point for the hip-hop curious. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of Kanye West fingerprints all over this record and I don't love that. Even still, I'd consider a vinyl copy of this one.
3.5

Sigh. I’m not sure it’s possible to listen to turn-of-the-century (peak TRL era) pop music without cringing at where we were as a culture then.

The three singles from this album are right up front (“Independent Women, Pt. 1”, “Survivor”, and “Bootylicious”) which mercifully lets you avoid accidentally listening to any album filler. If you somehow make it to “Independent Women, Pt. 2” without having an aneurysm from overthinking how an album can celebrate independent women and embracing your own sexual power (“Independent Women”, “Bootylicious”, “Apple Pie À La Mode”, “Sexy Daddy”) and also slut shame and undercut women for doing the same thing (“Nasty Girl”, “Fancy”) then you’re in luck! You can continue to ponder it through the back half of the record too!
I think the short answer is that’s where the culture was at the time.

Since we’re name checking all the songs:
“Emotion” is a token acoustic guitar ballad that kinda sounds like it was written for Britney Spears (or anyone).
“Brown Eyes” is similar, but has a little more male R&B energy (à la Boyz II Men or K-Ci & JoJo)
“The Story Of Beauty” is the nightmare cherry on top of a nightmare sundae. Who asked for a sexual abuse saga?
“Gospel Medley” who asked to follow up that sexual abuse saga with this?

What a mess.

I’ve been tip-toeing around Portishead for a little bit and I actually just read something about how good this album is and had planned to give it a listen tomorrow (today). How convenient that I’ll get to write about it too!

So, I listened to this record all morning - probably 3-4 times though. It made for some very lovely background music but that’s about the best I can say. It’s beautiful but it mostly blends together through the middle of the album. “Glory Box” is the big hit and the album ender, so it was easy to pick out when the album was about to start over. Otherwise I might not have caught it a few of the times. I feel like I’d still buy this on vinyl but how much would I actually play it? Great question.

This record came out after I was already off the Kanye train and I’m firmly unenthusiastic about having to listen to it today.

This album is a little more abrasive (read:aggressive) than I’m used to from Kanye, and I can understand why critics would have found that noteworthy. He seems super obsessed with sex/power in a way that’s pretty off putting, so I lost interest as the album went on. I can’t put my finger on anything else that really sounded like this at the time, but I was admittedly not super plugged into hip-hop in 2013. Shame he’s such an insufferable asshole though.

I always wished I listened to more Pink Floyd when I was younger. My guitar teacher exposed me to just enough to whet my appetite, but CD prices kept me from digging very far into the catalog. Even still, I’ve spent more hours trying to emulate David Gilmour on guitar than I have any other famous guitar hero, and it’s not even close. In isolation, his guitar is basically just straight blues, at a speed that feels soulful and thoughtful. Most of the psychedelia on this record comes from the synth and keyboards, which don’t seem like the things Floyd is known for. That’s kinda fun.

Animals will always have a special place in my heart, but it’s possible this is my second favorite Floyd record.

Sorry, this is going to be a lazy review. There's nothing here that I found overly compelling in either direction. This is another record on the stack of post-punk new wave records on this list. The sound has a little more pop music sparkle and shimmer than the Echo And The Bunnymen record I listened to a few days ago, and certainly more than either Joy Division record, but not as ethereal as U2. I wish I could get into it because it’s exactly the kinda thing I should be into. I can even hear the seeds of the Counting Crows in this record, which should have me really enthusiastic.

"Radio Free Europe" is the identifiable the hit here, but it's not a song I've ever had strong feelings about. R.E.M. is hugely influential and I respect their place in rock & roll history, but I just can't make myself care.

This is a strong candidate for the most 2009 album of all time; maybe even more than The XX. It's peak late 00s indie excess and quirkiness for the sake of quirkiness. It's impossible to understand the rise of 'Stomp Clap' indie folk in the 2010s without understanding how unbearable 'regular' indie became. I'm not sure there's even any Stomp Clap records on this list which seems unfair given it's momentary importance, but I won't dwell on it. The Dirty Projectors brand of landfill indie made great fodder for hipster store soundtracks and forgetting that we were in the height of the worst recession since the great depression, but it's never been great active listening music.

"Temecula Sunrise" and "Useful Chamber" are especially difficult listens. The only bit of nostalgia I got from this record was a compulsion to listen to Los Campesinos! (apparently my preferred version of this kind of music). Two stars because it offers useful momentary context, but otherwise doesn't feel like required listening. I won't revisit this one.

The first track of this double LP debut album is called “Hungry Freaks, Daddy”. It’s absolutely terrible, from a traditional pop music perspective, but really establishes the !

I’ve listened to a moderate amount of psychedelic rock for this project, and every time I find myself wondering “this is fine, but when does psychedelic rock get REALLY weird?” Turns out, it happened right at the beginning, in 1966, before most of those other albums even came out. Neat. Part of me is curious what this listening experience would be like on even a fraction of any of the drugs consumed during its creation. I’ll probably never know.

It’s fun to hear Frank Zappa sorting things out. His solo stuff is pretty wonky/nerdy and hard for me to get into, but slacker/stoner Frank Zappa is its own vibe. Idk how often I can listen to this but it’s more frequent than never.

I can feel myself building resentment towards Echo And The Bunnymen for how many albums they have in this list. On paper, they look like they’d be my kinda band, but I absolutely cannot be bothered to connect with their music. I promise I've tried.

I guess this is New Wave (TM) but it's important to kinda talk about what that means. This was a weird time when New Wave included the Bowie-inspired "Plastic Soul" kinda funky New Wave (think Talking Heads), the post-punk style of misanthropic rock (like this, Joy Division, etc), and sadly, the cloyingly pop-focused synth pop that you probably think about first when you think of New Wave (I refuse to dignify this with examples). I think I like the Plastic Soul New Wave the most, and this variant second. This record resonates with me more than either Joy Division album, so there’s that. But it feels like “What if U2 didn't write any hits?”, and I barely like U2 even with the hits. I guess I should be heartened that E&TB seemed to get semi-famous before U2 did and maybe the influence worked in the other direction. I’m not. It’s still the same shoegazy ethereal pop-rock but all the themes are dark and the twinkly guitar sounds are in the midrange instead of up in the treble register. IDK. All the ingredients are here but the recipe just isn’t quite right.

Johnny Cash is a legend for this one. A guy writes a bunch of songs about how he's an outlaw and a murderer even though he isn't really either thing (he had his share of drug problems, sure, but that was some time after he was already writing outlaw songs), and then goes into a prison to sing those songs to guys who actually did all the things he's singing about. And he's so charismatic that nobody even cares that he's just cosplaying the whole time.

That probably sounds snarky or harsh, but I mean it the opposite way; it shows real star power to do something like this successfully. He had these guys eating out of his palm, man, and soon America would be too. This record kickstarted Johnny's career after years of personal and professional struggles and set the stage for his second act. Incredible concept, incredible show, incredible album. If you only listen to one Johnny Cash record in your life, make it this one.

Honorary mention to "Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart". There's no evidence that my Grandpa owned this record or ever heard this song but I imagine he would have loved the clever wordplay.

Look at the album cover. Does Tom Petty have natural charisma required to wear a leather jacket? Absolutely not. 100% the kinda guy that you’d call Tim just to piss Jim off because you know he won’t actually fight you about it. He wants to be a bad boy, but I bet he met a lot of girls’ parents. Looking at the album cover tells you exactly the kind of edgy-if-you’re-boring rock & roll you’ll get inside.

I don’t buy enough light beer to entertain anyone who thinks this album is more than just fine, so they’re not invited to my birthday party this year. However, I’ll give this an extra 1/2 star because I can’t separate “American Girl” from its scene in Silence Of The Lambs. That connection might be the coolest thing about Tom Petty.

3.5 (rounded back down)

It's been several years since I saw this, but I do remember the music being a significant factor in the aesthetic of the movie. This score is timeless and modern at the same time. There's a looming sense of inevitability that permeates the score which makes it riveting and also terrifying. It's absolutely beautiful while being incredibly uncomfortable for me to listen to without feeling anxious. it's so many opposite things at once! I love it, but I don't like it. I'm gonna go cry now.

In highschool, I wrote a poetry analysis of “Castles Made Of Sand” for one of my English classes. I also spent far too much time staring covetously at the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster in my Musician’s Friend catalogs. To this day, it’s the only model that might compel me back into Strat ownership (I’m team Telecaster/Jazzmaster).

Now that I’ve made those qualifiers, I wish I had better things to say about this record. It may be a critical darling, but I fear that it’s a poor entry point for the Hendrix-curious. A comparison of this record against the track listing on any CD length ‘Best Of’ album won’t return many matches, and I fear that’s because he’s just a little too wonky and indulgent here. At the risk of heresy, I'll suggest that there's a pretty wide gulf between Hendrix "Classics" and "Album Tracks"; this record has much more of the latter. You can’t expect magic when you compel an already focus-challenged musician to rush out a sophomore album. You also can't expect it when you continue to release an endless stream of previously unreleased songs that Jimi didn't see fit to put on an album in his lifetime (a rant for another day). This is a record best suited to the already confirmed Hendrix fans; leave the missionary work to the debut record, Are You Experienced.

Not all that long ago a friend of mine offhandedly credited me with introducing them to Goldfrapp. I'd never say I'm a Goldfrapp fan, but I remember they appeared regularly on a few of my (aggressively curated) pandora stations in the 2010s and I must have shared/played one of those at some point. For the life of me I can’t remember what song lead the charge, probably "Rocket" off of Head First but maybe it was "Ooh La La" from Supernature. Anyway, who cares.

This isn’t the disco Goldfrapp sound I know, but that’s great. Unlike either of the albums I just mentioned, this record feels very subdued and intimate. At times Alison (Goldfrapp) even sounds kinda like Stevie Nicks, which surprised me, but I can’t say there was anything in particular on this record that really grabs me. I’d be happy to put it on in the background sometime; it’s a fine album.

Admittedly, my knowledge of 70s party rock is a bit lacking, but everything I want to compare this to happened AFTER this record came out. AC/DC? Formed in 1973, conspicuously soon after Slade held the number 1 & 2 spots on the Australian charts. KISS also formed in 1973. While listening to “The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazee” I thought about how much it sounded like something out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That came out in 1975 and Meatloaf didn’t put out his first record until 1977. Andrew W.K. wasn’t even born until 1979. I guess Rod Stewart’s career predates Slade, but that’s the weakest comparison I’m willing to make.

What I’m saying is, these guys are probably more responsible for your favorite shitty dive bar music than you’d like to admit. I came into this wanting it to be much worse than it actually is, and somehow find myself really rooting for these guys. Maybe it’s the “AC/DC before AC/DC” of it all, but I find it more compelling than I do AC/DC and I’m having trouble resisting the fun here. It’s so lowbrow that I can feel my knuckles dragging, but I can point to several punk albums with worse musicianship that I also love anyway. To that point, it’s interesting to think about this record in the context of 1972. Yes’s Close To The Edge also came out that year and is widely considered the popular high watermark for prog rock before the lowbrow backlash began to build. I won’t argue that Slade is proto-punk (all hail The Stooges!) but they certainly feel like an early prototype for all the party bands of the late 70s and 80s.

Helluva rock & roll album!

I have absolutely no idea which one of the guys on the album cover is the singer - half the time it sounds like it might be the geezer, but I hate that thought. (Spoiler: it's the geezer)

Her name suggests this might be hiphop à la Little Sims, but that's absolutely not what you get when you press play (it took me a while to remember that). This record marries classic R&B sexiness with the ethereal weirdness of your favorite Icelandic pop star; it’s no wonder this made a splash when it came out. I hear influences from Sade, Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, Enya, Bjork, and Imogen Heap all rolled up in a well-produced package that doesn't feel forced. To have a debut album that feels this fresh and fully formed is quite an accomplishment.

I remember the first time I heard “Two Weeks” and feeling like I could live in that groove for hours (maybe even two whole weeks). I still feel it every time, but it never feels quite like it did the first time. That song instantly transports me to the dance floors of my early twenties - which were very much in my rearview by 2014 - it's a song that simultaneously feels like the night (and myself, by extension) would live forever, but also makes me keenly aware that it won't and I should savor it as long as possible. It's the feeling of being present in a moment and a future memory at the same time.

The follow-up album, 2019's MAGDALENE, feels more intimate and not quite as expansive as LP1. It's a lovely record, but in a different way. CAPRISONGS, feels further diluted and the interludes don't do the album any favors (remember trying to listen to hiphop albums in the 90s?). EUSEXUA is a wonderful return to form, I'm just not sure which version of the album is canon at this point?

Anyways, I totally understand this not being for everyone, but there’s certainly artistic merit and plenty to explore here. Only saying "it's shite." with your one star review says more about you than it does whatever record you're reviewing. Do better.

I've never heard of these guys, but they kinda sound like a grimier version of Coldplay... like a garage band version, maybe? It's a little too messy for me sometimes. Like during "Paranoid Android" I turned it up when he was singing the part about how God loves his children because it's such a beautiful message, but then the whole band goes crazy on their instruments and I couldn't get back to the speaker to turn it down fast enough. I hate when I get tricked like that!

Can you imagine? In all seriousness, I've spent a disappointingly inadequate amount of time with the Radiohead catalog, though I do feel like I have working knowledge of the major albums. I'll blame it on growing up in the CD era when music purchases seemed like big choices and by the time I had a "fast" DSL internet connection to participate in file sharing, Radiohead wasn't Nu Metal or Post Hardcore enough for me to bother with. C'est la vie.

Compared to the darker/sleepier shoegaze motifs of The Bends, OK Computer has a little more ethereal sparkle and feels much more expansive. It's still plenty shoegazey, but not quite as stuck as The Bends felt. If The Bends felt like depression, OK Computer just feels like winter. It's more difficult to compare this to Pablo Honey because they are so vastly different in approach. Pablo Honey is a good album, but the worst Radiohead album. Comparing to later works seems wrong, so I'll save it for when I review those albums.

Overall, I'd grade this Computer better than OK. A solid output to established Radiohead as a band on the avant-edge of rock & roll. It's not 100% for me, but it's so so close.

I had a some PJ Harvey songs on a few playlists, but nothing from this album (yet). What a shame. From the fuzzy bass riff that opens “Oh My Lover”, through the little bit of country twang sprinkled everywhere, to the dissonant strings of “Plants And Rags”, I was totally hooked and along for the ride.

If I had to pick a low point, “Plants And Rags might be my skip track. Those jarring strings really spoil what could have otherwise been a good acoustic breather for the record. Instead, we get one of the more abrasive/eccentric tracks on the record and I’m not convinced we’re better for it. There’s a track with similar strings, “Man-Sized Sextet”, on the next album (1993’s Rid Of Me), so it’s obviously something PJ wants. Who am I to really question it, I guess?

On the other side, “Sheela-Na-Gig” feels like the most radio-friendly single but it’s missing the little bit of cowpunk that permeates the rest of this album and doesn’t feel fully representative.

It’s not a perfect album, but it’s one where the bugs all feel like features. Every decision feels intentional but the results still feel raw in all the right ways. I’m sure there are several more listens in my future.

At the risk of giving this album too much credit, it’s not hard to hear how we got from this record to the prog-rock fantasy quests of bands like Yes.
I feel like I’ve simultaneously listened to too much psychedelic rock and not enough psychedelic rock to fully appreciate whether this is musically very special. Outside of the weird fantasy lyrics and the Bob Dylan vocals, things don’t feel all that unique here. Maybe I’m wrong.
But on that Bob Dylan note… if you played this for me with no context, I’d assume it was a just some (super weird) Dylan record that I hadn’t ever bothered to listen to before (there are plenty). I’m still processing whether that’s a plus or minus for this album. Will I remember anything else about it in a month? Probably not. I doubt I’ll even remember the weird band name by then.

It feels like 2.5 stars, but do I round up or down?

This album starts kinda rough. "Get Innocuous!" kicks this off like a full Daft Punk-esque electronic album, before "Time to Get Away" settles into a slightly airier EDM-meets-00's-indie-rock sound.

Despite the insistence that this is a whole band, most of the album sounds like one guy(James Murphy) using computers in place of actual studio musicians. The artist bio (+pictures) on Spotify also give a strong impression that this is a solo project and you really have to dig deeper to realize that's not true. That impression makes songs like "North American Scum", "All My Friends" and "Us V Them" feel kinda aspirational... Who is "us"/"we"? What friends?

All that aside, this is a solid record with a unique combination of danceable electronic music and indie rock that feels purpose built for the zeitgeist in 2007. This feels like one of those acts that will have another album on the list, so I won't spoil that experience by listening ahead in their discography (I don't care that much).