Reviews by tape-boy

This is #day122 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... while this is not entirely terrible, I don't feel this music. It does nothing to me. It sounds like the guys are jamming and having fun, mostly each on their wave, and I'm just not progressive enough to appreciate it. Or, I'm not in the mood for a day. That said, I can try to understand its novelty (?) given the year of the release. Still, it's a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day123.

This is #day121 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... what a big fucking yawn this album evokes. Two songs in, I was already dozing off. As I've mentioned before, I'm fine with some folk rock now and then, I do like Nick Drake, but this was such a dragging bore... Although I found the instrumentation interesting for a time, it's the 60s, so, what can you expect? This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day122.

This is #day120 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… in fact, it's 450+ albums later that I decided to give this one another go. I kind of feel like I wasn't in the right mood when this album first popped up. Now, I quite enjoy the musical backdrop: that alternative rock and trip-hop mix is unmistakably '90s. Where this record doesn't sit completely right with me is, of course, the vocals. They kind of make sense when viewed through the prism of female expression and going against the grain. I don't know… a 3 feels a bit low, and a 4 feels a bit too high. Let it be a 3 for now. Looking forward to #day121.

This is #day119 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... there's something about this band that I find uneasy. I'm just trying to convince myself that it's something aside from Mark Smith's "caustic and cryptic, cut-up and spit-out poetry", but I can't find it. On the one hand, you seem to be getting weary of his delivery shortly, on the other, it's enigmatic in a weird kind of way. I can't remember any other band sounding similar. There's something almost beat-like about it. At the same time, Smith's vocals somehow find the right place in this avant-garde post-punk patchwork of "Craig Scanlon's scratchy guitar, bassist Stephen Hanley, and drummer Simon Wolstencroft's loping thump". The Fall is a challenging band, and I like challenging! I'm sure they have more albums to check out before you die, but, well, you know. Why not give this one a chance as well? This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day120.

This is #day118 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... this album's name speaks for itself. I guess I'm just not a big fan of crooners and this kind of music. It does sound dated. I was leaning toward a 2 as the title suggests, so be it. Looking forward to #day119.

This is #day117 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... sometimes, just looking at the album's year of release, you can predict what's under the cover. In this case, it's the 90s, so... house, alternative dance, electronica? You bet. But does this equal quality? Not really, especially given the sheer number of similar acts and sounds from that era. World Clique by Deee-Lite isn't an exception. I’m giving it a 2 out of 5 and, again, I’m honestly not sure how this album ended up on the list. Looking forward to #day118.

This is #day116 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I'm not a soul guy per se, but I'm OK with some funk, and this was rather funky and groovy. In fact, I'm revisiting this record for my #day771 today, after I scored a sealed official Ukrainian cassette tape of Timberlake's debut and stumbled upon the story that he listened to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire at the time of recording it. Anyway, this isn't the only reason. A couple of weeks ago, I also revisited Isaac Hayes and Marvin Gaye. Sort of rediscovering funk. I'm bumping this up to a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day117.

This is #day115 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to the first album of winter 2024/2025, aka Peter Gabriel's first solo record. Actually, this is the last one in a run of Gabriel records I'm revisiting after a while, but anyway. "There's no point in direction," sings Gabriel on the closing track. This particular line gave me an answer to why I struggled with this record. Another reason is that it still draws on the Genesis sound, so think of it as his most Genesis-like solo record, if you will, and I'm not the biggest Genesis fan out there. I might revisit them as well, though, we'll see. Car has its moments, like "Waiting for the Big One," whose bluesiness got my ears pricked, but out of the three Gabriel records represented on the list, it's my least favorite. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day116.

This is #day114 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's the last day of autumn 2024 (actually, the end of March 2026), as I've decided to revisit this record after feeling I rated it too low the first time. One reason is that I recently heard a couple of UB40 tracks on the radio station where I used to host a show a few years back, and the name rang a bell. Another is that today I came across a sealed copy of the band's greatest hits, a Ukrainian official edition (the kind of cassette editions I collect), and now I'm hell-bent on scoring it. It's also pretty evident how important this music was in the context of British ska, 2 Tone, and reggae. And, last but not least, I find the sax particularly enjoyable. This is a strong 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day115.

This is #day113 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... look ma, I can play the guitar! But I can also play the bass, the drums, and the organ. Believe it or not, I've got a four-octave range to boot! Jokes aside, this album is a classic of heavy metal and hard rock. That said, it does feel like music from another time... It's super technical and, at times, almost hilariously so. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5, mainly because "Child in Time" is a monumental song. But then there are "Speed King" and "Hard Lovin' Man", right? Looking forward to #day114.

This is #day112 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I kind of don't mind some PJ Harvey, I guess. I used to explore her discography back in the day. That must have been when Let England Shake was her latest record. Was it that long ago? As for this record, it's very much 90s, gritty, dirty, and raw, rooted in blues and whatnot. One thing that stops me from giving it a 4, though, is what I discovered when reading through PJ Harvey's influences. In particular, this: "She has also drawn inspiration from Russian folk music". Poor Polly... Being a Ukrainian and sitting here in the dark room on the evening of a countless Russian attack on the critical infrastructure all over the country including my hometown Lviv, where I'm based, I declare: fuck russia, fuck russians, and fuck russian folk music, Polly. I wish you had had better sources of inspiration. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day113.

This is #day111 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it was mostly okayish, but not to the extent I'd be willing to turn back to this album in the future. Besides, I suspect more from Joni Mitchell will come down the road. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day112.

This is #day110 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... where did my review that I saved in this window go? You mean there's no option to save a review now? I'm too lazy to remember what I wrote yesterday. A 2 out of 5 is what I can recall. Looking forward to #day111.

This is #day109 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to full-on 80s, right? Everything about this record is iconic, starting with the artwork, continuing with the new wave synth-pop-rock vibes, the production, and vocals. And let's not forget the mood it creates. While "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is the obvious hit, this album is packed with singles and outright classics, such as "Money Changes Everything," "She Bop," and many more, each shining a neon light on the era's spirit. A true snapshot of the 80s. This is another solid 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day110.

This is #day108 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... when I saw today's entry, I asked my wife if she knew what could be worse than, say, 1956th country? She said she didn't, to which I replied, 1988th country (for context, country is in my top worst genres in this challenge). I want to admit I was almost wrong because what's under the cover occasionally appears to have some Chris Isaac vibe, and that's fine by me. Good rhythm section with an electro-bluesy touch. However, I can't relate to the delivery; overly hiccuping country vocals get to be annoying. It's a 2 out of 5 since it wasn't absolutely terrible. What does this album have to do with the list of albums you must hear before you die, though? Looking forward to #day109.

This is #day107 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... yes, this is Prince, and this is Purple Rain. The record speaks for itself. Production-wise, it's next level: everything sounds lush like Hendrix and Chic had a baby. Also, those synths are almost intergalactic... Some of the biggest gems include "Let's Go Crazy," "When Doves Cry," and, of course, the sheer sexiness and grandeur of the title track. Anyway, this is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day108.

This is #day106 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... don't these times fill your eyes? Because, you know, this is the one if you wanna be a door. It goes without saying, that what we have here under the striking and unique album cover (do you know the story behind the lemon addition btw? Look it up on the Internet, that's a fun insight) is an absollute pinnacle of Madchester scene, and one of the most essential transition albums in music history merging two extremely interesting musical eras, '80s and '90s. Marrying dance and rock music (that signature guitar play by John Squire, that rhythm section by Mani and Reni, which is absolutely crazy) with dispassionate vocals of Ian Brown, The Stone Roses created a (pun un/intended) stone-cold classic that stood the test of time. I get to associate this record with youth and reverie, it makes me feel good in a nostalgic kind of way. My personal favorites include "I Wanna Be Adored," "(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister," "Made Of Stone (!)," and "I Am the Resurrection." But the whole album is flawless. This is, without a doubt, a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day107.

This is #day105 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to some country, folk, and blues with a tiny dash of psychedelic rock. I'm kind of fine with it as long as it doesn't drag as much as on this record. I'd rather go check out some of Grateful Dead's '60s works, which should be more acid and, I believe, is still lying ahead in this list. For now, it's the third consecutive 2 out of 5 this week. Looking forward to #day106.

This is #day104 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... yes, this one is experimental and all that, and I can see how it might have been fun to create. But, it didn’t quite hold my attention beyond the first listen. The repetition started to wear on me, and I found myself checking the tracklist to see how much longer I had to go. While I appreciate the creativity behind it, it didn't leave a lasting impression. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day105.

This is #day103 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge and... given the year this was released and the genre of music, I expected this to be a soulless pile of crap. Well, it almost wasn't. Still, I'm not sure this should be on the list. I'm giving it a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day104.