Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day802 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about some thrash/death metal to kick off a Monday, aka my second and final record by Sepultura? I think I've said that before, but, again, if I'm in the mood for thrash, I'd most likely go and revisit some Metallica. Arise does what it sets out to do, but I wouldn't choose to go back. Let it be a 3 out of 5 again. Looking forward to #day803.

This is #day801 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to some excellent late '60s psychedelic blues/rock. Sometimes there's just nothing better than hearing Janis rip "Summertime" through October air. The whole record is a sonic document of its time and a pleasure to listen to. I've nothing else to add, aside from: bring me that psychedelic late '60s shit anytime. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day802.

This is #day800 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it's been a long time since I rock and rolled. What better way to mark such a milestone than with Led Zeppelin IV, one of rock music's most essential records? It's crazy to think the album turns 55 next month. "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," and, of course, "Stairway to Heaven" are staples. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day801.

This is #day799 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I've never really listened to Aphex Twin before, so here we are... Of course, I've read that this one's influential and all that jazz, but I just find it hard to care for this kind of music. I mean, it's techno. It's good at what it does, particularly for its time, but that's about it for me, I believe. I'll play it safe with a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to, wow, #day800.

This is #day798 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... at first I thought it was fun. I mean, world music and early hip-hop are not an ordinary combo. But the further I got into this record, the weirder and more all over the place it became. I like the hip-hop side better, of course. I must admit I had no idea the opening of Eminem's "Without Me" was based on "Buffalo Gals." Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day799.

This is #day797 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my fourth and final Stevie Wonder record on the list. Now, this isn't exactly the kind of music I'd choose for an October soundtrack, even though the album was ironically released in October. The instrumentation has a very early '70s sound that comes through nicely on vintage gear from the time, like my Technics SU-7300. That said, I guess I prefer his other records on the list, as this album is a bit hit or miss. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day798.

This is #day796 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I'm not sure this is a must-hear-before-you-die caliber record. It's got a peculiar sound, with a lot going on: dream pop, psychedelic rock, some dance music (didn't know the band started as a house outfit), and orchestral manoeuvres, but... It's just so '00s indie at the end of the day, and I don't mean it in the best way. Kind of similar to Elbow, but I guess I prefer the latter. That said, there's "The Cedar Room." Wait, you're saying there's another Doves record on the list? Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day797.

This is #day795 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my second and final record from The Police. This is definitely the band at their most experimental and artistically ambitious. I don't remember much about listening to this record last time, but revisiting it on this Monday evening feels just great. I love everything about it, particularly the sound and the way each song is kind of like on its own, yet flows seamlessly into the next. "Every Breath You Take" is, of course, timeless. My personal highlight, though, is "King of Pain." Otherwise, this is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day796.

This is #day794 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I'd already forgotten I'd listened to one of this band's albums before and didn't rate it highly. On to their second record now? Spoiler: there's one more to go. Anyway, I can't help but think I'm listening to Roxy Music. As with their previous album, I think it's the vocals for the most part. But then, the music has that same kind of proggy new wave sound sprinkled with glam. If we're talking new wave, I'd drop one of their albums from the list and replace it with, say, Rain Tree Crow's self-titled album or Arcadia's So Red the Rose, etc. Let it be a 3 out of 5 this time. Looking forward to #day795.

This is #day793 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... eventually, this had to happen. My second and final Taylor Swift record on the list. This has to be some of the most genuinely boring music out there. Pedestrian pop chart crap. Her omnipresence is rather annoying. I really don't think you have to hear Taylor Swift before you die. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day794.

This is #day792 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... hell yeah, finally, my first The Cure album on the list. They're one of my favorite bands, so it's hard to revisit this record without bias, but anyway. It's a very special one, full of substance and character. I've always loved its atmosphere: paranoid, unsettling, and nerve-wracking, set against this murky, murderous mix of gothic rock and post-punk. A perfect musical backdrop for an October Friday afternoon. "Cold" is one of my favorite Cure songs ever. Happy to have seen them play Rock Werchter 2019. This is, without a single doubt, a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day793.

This is #day791 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my second Marvin Gaye record. Not so long ago, I revisited Let's Get It On and bumped it up to a 4. Now, What's Going On? It was fun to learn about the concept, and the tracks do flow into one another almost unnoticeably, but it's all just too soulful. Musically, side B is more adventurous, if you will. If I had to pick which album by this guy to revisit, I'd most likely put on Let's Get It On. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day792.

This is #day790 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's my second and final record by A Tribe Called Quest, which is their debut, too. That's what I call a perfect specimen of the Golden Age of hip-hop. That laid-back jazziness, though. Little to add. Otherwise, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day791.

This is #day789 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my fourth and final record by Pink Floyd. My favorite Pink Floyd album, which I only heard for the very first time in what must have been 2008, when I got the Internet at my parents' home. I was 18 then. I don't know what there is to say about this album, really, that hasn't already been said. Put it on and get carried away by the music. Otherwise, this is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day790.

This is #day788 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... until today I've known The Carpenters through Sonic Youth's rendition of "Superstar," and it's not even The Carpenters' song, right? However, The Carpenters' version of the song is particularly special. My first association with this record is: if Sweden has ABBA, America has The Carpenters. Excellent '70s pop/soft rock with harmonies, singing, and all that jazz. Beautiful. "Crescent Moon" is my personal highlight. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day789.

This is #day787 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to some excellent East Coast hip-hop/gangsta rap from Notorious, whose full record I'm listening to for the first time. This project does make you fill the gaps. What is there to add? Golden age of hip-hop at its most golden. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day788.

This is #day786 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about some folk rock from almost precisely 60 years ago? Moody, bluesy, psychedelic... I don't mind. The last song is a lot like The Velvet Underground's "Heroin," except the latter was only released a year later. Otherwise, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day787.

This is #day785 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to some '90s alternative rock on this early October Friday afternoon again. It's kind of good at what it does, but... I don't know. Is this record so essential that you must hear it before you die? Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day786.

This is #day784 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my second and final record by Super Furry Animals. Just a little more than a month ago, I rated Rings Around the World a 1. Was I too harsh? Listening to Fuzzy Logic, I don't think so... Fuzzy, psychedelic Britpop with little character. I'm hearing lots of Blur between the tracks. Why include two records by this band? I don't know. Let it be a 2 out of 5 this time. Looking forward to #day785.

This is #day783 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... just less than a week ago I got Medúlla, which was quite a challenging listen. On to Vespertine, right? "Pagan Poetry" is a title I remember from my teenage years, an entry in a local teen zine. The rest of the record I've never heard until today. What's fun is I'm listening to it on my cassette deck with an amp and speakers. Can't get more analog than this, given that the tape is sealed and has been waiting for its moment since 2001, an official Ukrainian edition from that year. It's fair to say this album, along with Post and Homogenic, is Björk's golden trilogy. What a closure to the trilogy this one is! Beautiful and intricate. And then, the time I picked for listening to the album (evening) is perfect because it turns out that vespertine denotes something relating to or occurring in the evening or at dusk. The record is indeed like a delicate evening flower, unfurling. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day784.