Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day402 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… time to cross another band off the list. This is my third and final album by The Fall, and fittingly, it's their debut. Raw, tight, and unmistakably late-'70s post-punk, with the drumming standing out almost as much as Mark E. Smith's ever-present snarl. And then there are those strange, computer-like keyboards. This is a strong 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day403.

This is #day401 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this has to be the most idiosyncratic/avant-garde band in the world of '80s dreampop, shoegaze, post-punk, and goth. Listening to Cocteau Twins is like being awed by a melody of some unique bird amid a midnight summer forest: such a heavenly marriage of voice and instrumentals. Little is there to add when the whole affair is that mesmerizing. What can be even more wonderful, though? I guess the fact that you won't be mistaken if you choose to listen to any album by this band. This music's likely to make you float in the ether. This is a 5 out of 5. Can't wait to revisit Treasure. Looking forward to #day402.

This is #day400 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… finally, something decent. That record cover alone is iconic; sheer class. Patti Smith is one of those women in rock who deserve their credit. Take this debut, for example: punk poetry set against mid-'70s art rock jams. And then, what could be more punk than opening your debut with "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"? Funnily enough, when I hear her distinct voice, I also hear hints of Tom Verlaine from Television; those hiccupping, squalling nuances, if you pay enough attention... If memory serves, they were in a relationship for a time. Anyway, this is a 5 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day401.

This is #day399 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to a classic late '60s psychedelic folk rock. I've nothing else to add here except for "not great, not terrible," or whatever. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to, wow, #day400.

This is #day398 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I've never heard either of this artist or the album. Well, I just did, and...? Late '60s jazzy soul pop with not the most pleasant vocals out there. A one-off affair to me. A criminally long one to boot. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day399.

This is #day397 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about a throwback to the late-'00s indie electronic? When "Crystalised" kicked in, I realized what this band reminds me of: Young Marble Giants, the early-'80s indie/post-punk Welsh band. There's this similar stripped-down minimalism, though Young Marble Giants carried more depth in their sparseness. The xx are too sugary-indie and lappy for my taste. I like the shimmering guitar sound, though. There's something Chameleons-Cocteau-Twins-esque about it. Highlights are "Intro," "Crystalised," "Islands," and "Infinity." No idea why their other album made this list. Otherwise, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day398.

This is #day396 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… "they only change to brown when autumn comes around," a fitting line for early September days. I was skeptical when another Stevie Wonder album popped up (the first one I got way back on #day22 only earned a 2 from me). And I know there are two more records of his ahead. As before, soul singing just doesn't work for me. This time, however, I kind of enjoyed the music itself, especially the funky synthesizer work. I'll give it a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day397.

This is #day395 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… well, "In Da Club," "P.I.M.P.," "Patiently Waiting" (which I hadn't heard in like 20 years or more), and maybe even "Many Men" and "Back Down" were a part of my teenage years, along with hip-hop as such. Those were also peak Eminem years, of course, 8 Mile and all that jazz. The flow and beats here are among the most defining sounds of early '00s hip-hop. As it usually happens with hip-hop records, though, this one's overly long, resulting in some filler. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day396.

This is #day394 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I only know one song by this band ("Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth"), and it's not on this album. Kimono My House sounds like a marriage of '70s Queen and Bowie. Quirky glam rock with a progressive/art pop twist. Kind of fun, but it mostly leaves me cold. I wouldn't choose to put this on again. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day395.

This is #day393 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as expected, I don't get the hype. When I worked at a local record store five years ago, my then-manager showed me this album along with a Kamasi Washington record, saying something like, "these are modern classics," or whatever. To which I was like, well, okay, you know... Honestly, I probably wouldn't have listened to this one if it weren't for the challenge. I had to turn it off halfway through, I just couldn't. This is a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day394.

This is #day392 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I didn't realize most of the songwriters here were Swedish. Fun fact. My kind of Britney was about songs like "Overprotected," "Toxic," and possibly "Everytime," the ones that were on TV or radio when I was a teen in the early '00s. Still, "Born to Make You Happy" hit those fragile nostalgia strings, as I haven't heard that one in a while. Otherwise, this feels more like a product of a time, and not really something you must hear before you die. If I'm not mistaken, it was even pulled from some later editions of the list. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day393.

This is #day391 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… well, the record title speaks for itself, or does it? I can definitely hear how '90s alternative rock and nu metal stem from this one. I liked the overall sound at times, but I don't find the album as a whole particularly enjoyable. Perhaps it's the vocals that are somewhat off-putting, or maybe something else, I don't know. I've also got to agree that the album artwork hasn't stood the test of time. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day392.

This is #day390 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to what Kim Gordon once called Sonic Youth's goth record, aka my second of theirs. While it's a transitional album, bridging their no-wave roots with the pop sensibilities to come, I don't find EVOL particularly essential. And as I've said before, no matter how much I like this band, they're overrepresented on this list. Daydream Nation, Goo, and maybe one more would be plenty. Or just Daydream Nation alone… "Shadow of a Doubt" is, of course, a gem. Still, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day391.

This is #day389 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second Elliott Smith record on the list, the first being his last, on my #day45, which, funnily enough, I also got in September. I might have been in a different mood back then, as I rated that one a 4 (I might reconsider my rating after listening to this one, though). Either/Or, while labeled as an important/influential album, doesn't quite sit right with me. It all blends into the same kind of overly "delicate melancholy" for me. I like my melancholy different. In this time of year, I usually have Lake Of Tears' Forever Autumn on my mind. Other times, I'll go and blast some Carissa's Wierd. Yeah, I'm being me. Let it be a 3 out of 5 for now. Looking forward to #day390.

This is #day388 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about some plastic soul from The Thin White Duke? Well, I'm not really sure. For one, it's kind of fun, but overall, I have mixed feelings about the whole affair. I'm mostly fine with the musical backdrop, though. My only highlight is "Fame," I guess. Otherwise, this record could have been swapped for The Man Who Sold The World or Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), or just dropped. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day389.

This is #day387 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... boy, that sounds swell! Now, I've seen this album cover before and, being an early post-punk/new wave lover, I'm familiar with the band's name, but somehow I never got to listen to Pere Ubu properly, album-wise. So, it's a case in point: this list is a nice opportunity to catch up on what's been postponed or overlooked. Dub Housing, though? An absolute hell of an avant-garde post-punk from 1978. Weird, experimental, jazzy... Loving the sax in the title track and "(Pa) Ubu Dance Party." What a year for music. R.I.P. David Lynn Thomas. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day388.

This is #day386 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... as loud as hell, a ringin' bell, or here's to my second Pixies record. Funnily enough, despite the random generation, I'm getting these in order of their release. The first was Surfer Rosa, and now the sophomore. It goes without saying that Doolittle is the cradle of alternative rock and the band's masterpiece, pairing iconic sound with crisp production. My personal highlights are "Here Comes Your Man," "Monkey Gone To Heaven" (don't remember paying attention to those strings before, though!), "La La Love You," and, of course, "Gouge Away." This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day387.

This is #day385 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... if there's a kind of music that I find particularly irritating, that's horny ska-punk shit. I'm not sure if you must hear this before you die. Most likely not. Terrible. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day386.

This is #day384 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... as much as I love this period in music, this record has mostly left me indifferent. At times, I heard echoes of Magazine, the band from around the same time I like, but otherwise, I have little to say. At least I learned that Kurt Cobain included the song "Know Your Product" amongst his top 50 records of all time. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day385.

This is #day383 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... let's rock! Or, shall we? I've never heard of this band before. But, hearing the first couple of songs on the record, I seem to understand what they were doing. It's crazy to think it's only 1965 outside. The thing is raw, loud, and completely unhinged. Those psycho squawks, though... Liking sax interpolations. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day384.