Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day622 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some world sounds again, something clearly outside my wheelhouse. The soothing moments give off a kind of "Christmas time in Africa" feel. Otherwise, I can't connect with this music, and I've nothing else left to say. Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day623.

This is #day621 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's some quiet storm from the mid-'80s, right? At least now I know what to call this kind of smooth, jazz-influenced R&B. Believe it or not, I'd never heard of Anita Baker. Listening to this record late into the night, as I'm doing right now, feels like the perfect setting for it. I'm not completely sold on the soulful vocals, but those big drums and keys, and that unmistakable soft rock production, steal my '80s heart. Now I know what to put on if I run out of Sade. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day622.

This is #day620 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… hey mambo, mambo italiano, oh wait, wrong one. Anyway, how about some mambo on a rainy April Monday afternoon? I'm not really sure about that. I mean, the record is fun and all that ("El Cayuco" even rang a bell from hell knows where), but I'd never choose to put it on if it weren't for the challenge. Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day621.

This is #day619 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… "mama told me when I was young," right? "Simple Man" is a timeless song, no question. What adds a personal touch for me is that it was covered by Deftones, my second all-time favorite band, and, as is often the case with them, the cover is absolutely excellent. Otherwise, this is a solid and enjoyable hard/blues rock record from the mid-'70s. I played it on my Technics SU-7300, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day620.

This is #day618 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my third and final record from Van Morrison, a live one this time around. I've noticed that live albums are something folks often don't enjoy as much on this journey, but, hey, listening to this one, what's not to like? It's a great way to drop into a concert setting and instantly get transported to another place and time. Stom Making Sense, Devotional, just to name a few... It's Too Late to Stop Now is an excellent performance that blends blues, jazz, rock, and whatnot. The whole thing sounds as smooth and tight as you'd want it to. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day619.

This is #day617 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my fourth album from the Boss already. I've rated all his previous ones a 3, and I guess I'm doing the same here. Or… am I? There are quite a few highlights, and I do get why it matters. First off, the artwork... instantly recognizable and spot on. Then the music itself, of course: huge drums, synth hooks… anthem after anthem. Pretty definitive elements for the '80s sound. And that sax, as always, I love it. The perfect candidate for a classic rock radio station, but not only that. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day618.

This is #day616 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… yikes, how about an almost 2-hour dubstep record? This whole scene passed me by back in the day. As a kid of the '90s and early '00s, I was into trance, hard trance, house, and some jungle, aside from rock music. It was a fun time when electronic and rock walked hand in hand, and you could have, say, Prodigy and Metallica on the same mixtape. That said, I can see how this record helped shape its corner of electronic music, but it's just not what I'm after. It ended up as an endless background, without going anywhere in particular. Halfway through I didn't feel like continuing. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day617.

This is #day615 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… what the shack is this, and why should you hear it before you die? I'd never heard of this band before, but listening to this record now, this has to be some of the most generic Britpop I've come across. Is it even Britpop? By 1999, the genre was already on its last legs. If I were to pick something from this era to hear before I kick the bucket, this wouldn't be it. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day616.

This is #day614 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's some sheer hard/glam rock from the mid-'70s, aka my third and final Queen album. Now, Queen is one of those classic rock bands I like, so listening to this, possibly for the very first time in a proper start-to-finish manner, was a pleasure. That said, I wouldn't rank Sheer Heart Attack among the "must-hear-before-you-die" records on the level of A Night at the Opera or Queen II (the other two that are on the list). It's solid, but if I had to pick a third, I'd go with News of the World, Innuendo, or, say, The Miracle. "Killer Queen" is a staple, of course. Still, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day615.

This is #day613 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some psychedelic jazzy folk from the late '60s. Not something I'd ever choose to put on by myself, let alone on my birthday, which happens to be today, but not something I'm that against either. I'm quite a fan of this era, after all. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day614.

This is #day612 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I just don't get the hype around this, really. I sat through an almost 69-minute album, and I was like, what the hell was that? Sure, there's soul, R&B, and everything in between, but what does this record actually bring to the table? The idea that it's all meshed together, set to plastic beats and whatnot, and wrapped under the moniker of "progressive"? I mean... There's Prince. Go listen to Prince. Don't listen to this before you die. Enjoy the silence after all. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day613, which happens to be April 13, aka my 36th birthday.

This is #day611 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as much as I like U2, face it, this isn't a record you must hear before you die. It just doesn't carry the same sense of value or novelty as War, The Joshua Tree, or Achtung Baby. There are a couple of solid tracks here, and the whole thing does sound like U2, but again, it doesn't feel essential. Speaking of the '00s U2, I'm actually more of a fan of the follow-up, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I do have a friend who likes "New York," though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day612.

This is #day610 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… funny how just yesterday, when I got a country album, I wrote that this list sometimes feels like a competition between country and post-punk. Well played, random generator, because here we are... My third and final record from the Bunnymen. Quite possibly the epitome of mid-'80s post-punk and alternative rock with a big orchestral soul. "The Killing Moon" is, of course, golden. Also, I've always loved the album artwork. Happy to own an original German vinyl copy. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day611.

This is #day609 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… sometimes I've got the feeling this list is roughly a competition between country and post-punk. While the latter is one of my go-to genres, this particular album isn't the most tolerable kind of country under the sun. Tell me about honky tonk, Fender Telecasters, and all that... I'm indifferent. I guess I'm back to square one with these country records. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day610.

This is #day608 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… hell yeah, this goes down as one of my favorite post-punk albums out there. Or, maybe dance-punk is safer to say? Either way, it's an absolute pleasure to revisit it. The whole thing is minimal, funky, and, pun un/intended, entertaining. "Ether," "Damaged Goods," and “5:45” are some of the favorites. This is a 5 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day609.

This is #day607 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… out of all the indie rock/folk out there, this? Off the top of my head, Into the Wild by Eddie Vedder, or pretty much anything by Mark Kozelek, blows this out of the water. This was an alright listen in places, despite the total runtime, but as an album I had to hear before I die? At least I learned this guy appeared on Unkle's Psyence Fiction, which, un/ironically, isn't even on this list. Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day608.

This is #day606 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's another record from the golden age of hip-hop, aka one I'd never heard before. Cypress Hill is a name that definitely rings a bell, though. I'm not even sure what to say here, really. This kind of hip-hop always feels like quality by default. It's all about the atmosphere and the vibe, and this debut is no exception. A sonic time machine back to the early '90s. This is a 4 out of 5. I might even bump it up later. Looking forward to #day607.

This is #day605 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to John Peel favorites, aka my first of two records from The Undertones. Even though it's my first time hearing the full album, I was already familiar with "Teenage Kicks," again, thanks to John Peel. This is the kind of album that makes you feel young again… or maybe nostalgic for a youth you never actually had. Being born in 1990, there's something like a false memory, or longing, for the late '70s here. That sense of exuberance is overflowing. It's punk rock on the verge of new wave and post-punk. Just what I needed. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day606.

This is #day604 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about some Chicago blues for this lovely April Saturday morning, aka my second and last record from Muddy Waters? This music always takes me back to working at a local record store almost six years ago, something I'm pretty sure I've mentioned a few times. When I had Sunday shifts, I'd put on some blues record in the morning and just let it drift through the summer air. Nice memories. I'm not someone who listens to blues regularly, though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day605.

This is #day603 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my third record from Brian Eno already. I guess I'll always prefer the art/avant-pop/rock side of him over the more ambient direction, which this album leans toward for the most part. That said, "King's Lead Hat" is an obvious standout, along with a few others. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day604.