Reviews by syrinx

Two in a row that I had never heard, at least I'm expanding my horizons.

This one is a pretty solid 80s brit pop album. I'm struggling to find what makes it unique, different, or special enough to be on the list. It's a good album, but I do think it might be a little too middle of the road for me. I don't really know how else to describe it. 3/5

One I have never heard of, I love when these come up.

2 songs in, seems like pretty standard early 90s grunge/indie. Then Telescopic Alchemy comes on, wtf is this? They decided that one was finished and released it huh? I guess so. The trend continues with the sort of chaotic, almost atonal sound with questionable vocals. Kind of reminds me of Green Jelly a little bit. It then kind of goes back and forth between that kind of chaotic stuff and the more listenable grunge/indie that kicked off the album. I like some of it, don't like some of it. I think the biggest problem is that they just couldn't figure out what this record was going to be. It's really disjointed and uneven. Some great guitar tones here and there and some really good sounding songs next to some that are almost unlistenable.
An album I don't think I'll be coming back to 2.5/5

I've heard some Tito Puente before and I remember liking it a bit better than this record. This record is certainly fun and enjoyable to listen to but it just didn't really do it for me today. I can't say I like another album better because I don't really know any other albums he did, but I seem to remember liking what I'd heard prior to this one better.
A good album, not a great one. I think I would revisit this again sometime just to see if I was too harsh on it today. 3/5

I liked this album well enough. Nice late 80s/early90s indie vibe. I don't think it really blew my mind at all but I'd probably listen to it again. Nothing else to say about it, really. Some good things about it and some bad things about it but nothing really stands out either way. Squarely in the middle of the decent album column. 3.25/5

I've heard of Small Faces but not super familiar and have never heard this album. Let's dive in shall we?
A few songs in, this is exactly what I would imagine an album from 1968 with this cover would sound like. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing but I like it so far. Pretty solid 60s rock.
The second half kind of turns into storybook time. Remember back in the day you'd get those little books that told a story of Winnie the Pooh or Snow White or Cinderella that came with a 45 record you would play along while reading? That's basically what side two of this record is. It's pretty weird and not in a good way. It sort of ruined the album for me. 3/5

I love Bjork so I'm super excited to see this pop up today. I know I've heard this before but it's been ages. Always fun to revisit something you know you used to like after years.
Overall I feel like this is a slightly poppier version of early Bjork; which I suppose is exactly what this is. Her vocals are unmistakable and I love that. She has such an interesting style and it's clear that her hands were all over the production of this album. The rest of the music is just sort of filling in the background, the vocals are clearly the highlight.
I still like this album, but if I were to choose, I would just go with Bjork's solo stuff instead. If I ever came across this in the record shop I would totally buy it. 4/5

I like the Smiths a lot but Morrissey by himself is like if you just took the vocal parts out of the Smiths and played them over generic backing music. It's not terrible but it's not the same. And he seems like such a pretentious dude it's kind of hard to take much more than a few songs. He seems like the kind of guy that looks down on you and writes you off as a simpleton if you had any opinion that was even a little different than his. And I think that comes through in his music. Great voice though.
I don't think I really feel any need to come back to this album, but it was good enough for one listen I suppose. 3/5

Man, some of these lyrics really didn't age well at all. It's a shame because the music is really good. The lyrics are a little off-putting though. Not all of them but every now and then I found myself rewinding and going 'did he really say that?' and yes he really did.
A good album nonetheless. A lot going on to keep you listening, each song has it's own feel to it which is nice, feels like I've had a stretch of albums lately that were basically the same tow songs over and over. I enjoyed this album and will definitely listen to The Stranglers more, I think I had heard some of their music randomly but never actually played them on purpose. 3.75/5

I wouldn't exactly recommend this if you're wanting something uplifting. Leonard Cohen can certainly write a song, that's for sure. I think this particular record is a little too Dylan-esque for me though. I would take Leonard Cohen over Bob Dylan any day but it's still not something I would really like to listen to with any regularity. I feel like Leonard Cohen got better as he aged and I much prefer his music from when he was more of an old man. This album is fine but it's not anything I'll come back to. 3/5

This album is so bad. The music is bad and simple, the lyrics are laughable, the fucking harmonica is relentless, all the songs sound the same. I just hate everything about this. It's like he's trying to be James Taylor but absolutely failing in all regards. I did like the guitar solo on 1975 and I mean at least he's playing real instruments and this was long before autotune so it's not without its checks in the pro box but I really struggled to get through this one. Maybe I'm just grumpy today but I don't think that's it. 1.5/5

Oh man who doesn't love some Jimi Hendrix on a nice fall morning? Or any morning for that matter.
I mean I hate to give this a 5/5 just because it's Hendrix but goddamn, what an album. I could say that about any of his records though. So much on here that's just pure gold. I feel like the first three Hendrix albums should be mandatory listening for everyone growing up, just like everyone reads Romeo and Juliet in school. "Ok class, today we start our 6 week unit on Jimi Hendrix. Part 1, what is a Stratocaster?" I'd go back to school for that.
Anyway, fantastic album, no notes. 5/5

This one is brand new to me and I always look forward to those albums.
Starting with the first song - I don't know if I like this or not. I don't hate it. I feel like I'm going to tire of this one fairly quickly. The songs don't really vary at all from one to the next. It's sort of monotonous.
I'm not a fan of electronic music in general, so this isn't exactly my bag nor would I say I am the intended audience. Her voice is good despite the autotune. I wish people would stop using autotune and just sing how you sing. I suppose some of it is done to achieve a specific vocal effect but it's distracting and sounds so artificial regardless. I guess it does fit with the electronic nature of the album though? I wish I could actually hear her sing for real though, seems like she could really do it.
I also don't get the accolades for production and innovation in recording. This sounds like any other vocal electronic/R&B album from the mid 2010s. Maybe if this was from 1997 or something I would get it, but this is basically (and unfortunately) how music has been made for like 15 years now.
Ultimately this is a mundane and boring record that somehow got some praise. 2/5

My third one from Echo And The Bunnymen. They were a band I didn't really know very well before starting this project but I seem to remember liking them well enough.
From what I've heard I think this is my least favorite of their albums. It just doesn't flow as nicely as the others. Maybe I'm not giving it enough of a chance. It almost just seems like 'here's a song. Ok now here's another one.' Rinse and repeat. I don't know. Maybe I'll have to listen to it again but about 2/3 of the way through and I'm not exactly wowed by this one. There are things I like - the vocals are great and the arrangements are good. 2.5/5

There are a couple artists that, for one reason or another, I flat out refuse to listen to. Kanye West is one. I will not be listening to this record and don't feel bad about giving it a 1/5 without listening. Fuck Kanye West.

I love that all the reviews of this album are either 1 or 5, kind of reminds me of a certain record with a fish on the cover...
I love pretty much everything I've heard from Tom Waits but he was never someone I really tried to seek out so I don't think I've ever heard this one before. And a new album by someone you really like is always a fun adventure.
It is weird, as expected. But it's a different kind of weird that I really like. I got this album on a rainy day right before Halloween (not sure why that date makes a difference but it kind of does?) and it seemed to fit the vibe of the day perfectly. I mean, throw on Tom Waits any time it rains and you basically have a soundtrack to the day. This album is a little different from his prior stuff but it's still unmistakably Tom Waits. It's kind of hard to put your finger on it, obviously his voice is very unique but that's not really it. There's something about the music and the way he delivers the lyrics that is sort of a signature sound and it's just fantastic. I really enjoyed this album and would recommend it to anyone maybe looking to find something a little different than what they normally listen to. 5/5

So past the first song, the comparison of this record to hold music is totally fair. It really does feel like being on hold with a customer service line. This is a kind of jazz that is too accessible and it just kind of falls flat. There's nothing here to push you or, really, to even keep you interested. And I suppose that's the same thing you could say about music that plays when you're on hold with any given customer service department. Good musicians, but this album is just way too plain for me. 2.5/5

Record Exec: 'Hey guys it was a brilliant idea to spell all the titles of your songs like you're stupid!'
Slade: 'Yeah. Totally. We did that on purpose. Totally.'
Is this the worst rock album ever made? No. Is it in the running for the worst? Yeah maybe. Bad production, bad recording, decent instrumentation, just absolutely god-awful vocals, some of the worst lyrics of all time. But should you expect genius from the guys that brought us 'Cum On Feel The Noise'? No, no you shouldn't.
This almost has no redeeming qualities. There is some good guitar and bass to be found. But the production is just abysmal. Terrible balance and the (awful) vocals are fighting with the music the whole time. Can't say I'm a fan of this one and I would never listen to it again. 2/5

Is it cool to hate on Billy Joel? I don't know. I like Billy Joel. He's kind of like Elton John but not as good. This is a great album though, absolute classic for sure. It flows really well from song to song, it's fun to listen to, it's got a great vibe to the whole thing. It moves between more upbeat to slow and sappy really well and the balance between the two is great.
This is a fun album to put on and listen to while doing something else. It's not complicated enough to sit and listen just for the music, though if you did I don't think you'd be disappointed, but it's more of a soundtrack to whatever you're doing at the time. 4/5

I had never heard of this one, but as of today it's the 13th worst rated album on the list. I kind of like when these come up because sometimes I find great things that I feel get undue hate.
One song in and I think that might be the case with this one. Really interesting. I would imagine a lot of people give it a low score right off the bat because it's in French. I think that makes it better. I speak just enough French to know that English would have sounded weird for this record.
A few more songs in and I'm still loving it. I've never heard anything quite like it before, I think it really accomplishes what it set out to do - be something new in a music industry that was incredibly stagnant.
It's inventive, it's heavy, it's raw, it's industrial, it's built well. Vocals are shit in the best way. This is an amazing example of why this list is so much fun. I never would have found this on my own and really like it. I can't imagine I'll ever be able to find this on vinyl but it's going on the list to search for.
As a side note, I love the guy that said this is French Tom Waits if he scored a low budget slasher film, and then gave 1 star. First off, they're Swiss. Secondly, that sounds amazing. I can imagine his and my likes would be very different....
5/5

I think the closest comparison I would be able to give for The Undertones (this album at least) would be to say they are a less good Irish version of The Ramones. I like this record, but The Ramones they are not. Nor are they the Sex Pistols. But there's something about this simple kind of punk music from the 70s that just feels right. It's true to he sense of what rock music should be - kids that, for one reason or another, were inspired to pick up instruments and make some noise. I love it if only for that. The songs are simple, rough, and easy but that's ok. 3.75/5