Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day522 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… not really something I feel like putting on when it's –10°C outside and snowing heavily. As much as I'm trying to stay open-minded on this journey, this record leaves me cold. I'm usually fine with late-'60s psychedelic stuff, but this one feels too exotic for me. Add to that Veloso's personal life history, and my interest drops with the temperature outside. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day523.

This is #day521 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this kind of pop and R&B was absolutely everywhere in the early '00s, when TV and radio were kings. You definitely don't have to hear this record before you die (no wonder it eventually got dropped from the list), unless your childhood years fell in the '00s and you feel like crying yourself a river over being old. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day522.

This is #day520 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to a prime example of mid-'80s art pop or prog-leaning new wave, if you will. The Colour of Spring is one of the most exquisite-sounding records not only of the '80s, but in general; music that feels truly outside of time. "Happiness Is Easy," "Life's What You Make It," "Living in Another World," and one of my personal favorites, "Chameleon Day," are all highlights. It's fascinating to witness the band's, or rather Hollis's, transformation here, especially in light of the two albums that followed, known for their stark intimacy and near-deafening minimalism. This is a 5 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day521.

This is #day519 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's been a while since I last encountered a PSB album on this journey, 461 days, to be precise, when I revisited Very. As I mentioned then, Behaviour is my favorite of theirs, so there isn't much new to add, except that I continue to admire it in every respect, from the visual presentation to the music itself. That said, it's difficult to ignore the duo's political positioning. Releasing a single titled "Hymn (In Memoriam Alexey Navalny)" during the ongoing russian invasion of Ukraine, amid constant shelling and attacks on civilians, is a fucked up shit. Russia is a terrorist state, and this isn't "putin's war." It's russians who fuel it. That context makes it harder to embrace the band, even though this particular record remains classic. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day520.

This is #day518 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how do I wrap my head around the fact that this record is turning 20 this year? Bonkers. As the band themselves once put it, though, "Time Is Running Out." Black Holes and Revelations was my gateway to Muse, I think, especially via HAARP, one of the first live concerts I remember watching on a PC in the late '00s. Listening to this record now brings back memories of a very different time. "Map of the Problematique" remains one of my favorite Muse songs, if not the favorite. And then came The Resistance, and my second year at college... Damn, I hate how time flies, or rather... runs out? Fun fact: I never noticed those horse figurines on the table in the album cover until today. All that aside, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day519.

This is #day517 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some early '70s power pop/rock that I haven't heard before and most likely would never have but for this challenge. The band name and record title are so pretentious that, together, they come off as a joke. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day518.

This is #day516 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I have a memory of The Vines from my college days. I remember sitting in a pub with a fellow student, talking about music, grunge, I think, and this band came up. Listening to Highly Evolved years later, though, I clearly hear it as a product of its era: '00s garage and indie rock. Not really something I reach for anymore, and maybe never truly did. I'm also not sure what this album has to do with those you must hear before you die. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day517.

This is #day515 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here we are with my second Echo & The Bunnymen record already. It's not that I dislike this kind of music, quite the opposite, but this is a case in point of a band that could've been better off with one album on the list. Instead, we get three. I've tried approaching Porcupine a couple of times; I even owned an original German vinyl pressing (and eventually sold it), but it never really clicked for me, aside from a couple of songs. I doubt it ever will. Still, it's better than the average record on the list. Let it be a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day516.

This is #day514 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some fine jangle/noise/alternative rock in the vein of the early '90s and all that. Creation Records on display, so to speak. A must hear before you die, though? Doubt it. Still, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day515.

This is #day513 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's been a while since I last got a Zeppelin record on this journey, but does it really matter? Zeppelin will be Zeppelin no matter which album you put on. Their second LP isn't necessarily my favorite, but it's easy to imagine how revolutionary it must have sounded in the late '60s. Most of these songs not only stood the test of time, but also became blueprints for classic, hard, and blues rock. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day514.

This is #day512 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… if there's a band that has twelve studio albums in their roster and you decide to include a live record you must hear before you die, that's kind of odd. Especially when that live album is stitched together from recordings of different shows, then overdubbed to polish the sound. I don't think I needed to hear this before I die. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day513.

This is #day511 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my first record of the new year and to closing out another artist, as this is my second and final T. Rex album on the list. This one was just as enjoyable as its predecessor: sleek early '70s glam rock with a strong power-pop backbone. I found myself tapping my foot more than once. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day512.

This is #day510 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… let's take a ride out, see what we can find, aka what a record to end the year with. Each song on Closer feels different from the next, almost as if they're uneasy being placed side by side; yet, together, they form a captivating narrative. Dark, lunatic, anxious, desperate, pensive... Musically and atmosphere-wise, this album is unlike anything else from its era: experimental, eerie, and unsettling. Lyrically, it might be the most poetic and emotionally exposed post-punk there is. I can't single out highlights, but "Twenty Four Hours," "Heart and Soul," and "Decades" will always remain special to me. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day511.

This is #day509 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about some super-weird psychedelic pop shit from the 2010s? I have no idea why I'd need to hear this before I die. I felt relieved when it was finally over. This is a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day510.

This is #day508 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… stepping into the fourth year of continued russian aggression against my country, I just can't stand hearing an air-raid alarm in the opening track. Beyond that, this is one of those must-hear records you're always kind of vaguely aware of but somehow never get around to. Well, here I am. What can I say? It's inventive, influential, and all that, of course. After all, how many artists were rapping over free jazz and heavy funk in the late '80s? This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day509.

This is #day507 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my third Stones record already. While I rated the previous two a 3 and a 2, this one's begging at least 4, I guess. From lascivious presentation to its actual contents, this record marks what can be considered the Stones' prime. "Brown Sugar," "Wild Horses," "Sister Morphine," you know the drill… "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" is just such a gem. All in all, good ol' blues rock done right. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day508.

This is #day506 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… that was a whole lot of Ella Fitzgerald for one sitting, I must admit. The music feels kind of right for these post-Christmas days. I gave up on "Love Is Here To Stay," though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day507.

This is #day505 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this is already my third Elvis Costello record. Between four albums with The Attractions and two solo ones, that's honestly a bit much for a single artist's representation, and I'm tired of pointing it out. I don't think I'd ever choose to explore his music on my own outside of this challenge. That said, This Year’s Model is a fine album with a tight, punchy sound. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day506.

This is #day504 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second out of five Eno records represented on the list. "As ignorable as it is interesting" is really the best way to put it. I've nothing else to add. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day505.

This is #day503 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… surprisingly, "Eple" rang a bell from my childhood radio and electronic-music infatuation days. Melody A.M. is very much music of its time: downtempo, house, a touch of trip-hop... a little too generic for my taste, though. In this regard, I prefer Moby. "She's So" is a nice Twin Peaks-esque gem. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day504.