Reviews by theblanderman

I typically enjoy my jazz with more teeth but this was pretty good for bossa nova. 3/5

I found this album atrocious. A mediocre opening two tracks, cheesy/stupid lyrics throughout, a reliance on medieval and circus music? Just when there is a nice ethereal musical moment it is immediately dashed away when he opens his mouth. Very unessential listen. 1.4/5 - > 1/5

Pretty meh. The vocals were the toughest part, but the rough around the edges garage esthetic is also not for me. 2/5

It bamboozles me that someone was thinking of a list of 1001 MUST LISTEN albums and this was what came to mind. It truly sounds like an AI genererated 80s rock album.

Wall to wall paint by the numbers rock. Nothing unique, nothing special, no distinct personality, weak instrumentals, and an opening and closing track that are utterly unremarkable. Honestly the 38 mins felt much much longer.

Love Removal Machine is not enough to salvage this generic nothing of an album.
1/5

This wasn't bad. Muddy is a killer vocalist and really stole the show. Unfortunately many of the songs didn't have much vibrance or take me back to the live environment (like the 1956 Ellington at Newport). 3/5

While Sufjan is great at structuring intricate and lush instrumentals, I find his christian leanings preachy and the songs to listen a bit pretentious. Illinois is also a bit bloated, with many of the songs on the second half of the album not feeling necessary. A good album, but flawed nonetheless. 3/5

Pleasant and talented guitar work on the final, posthumous album of a local legend with international reach. The songs were a tad repetitive and there weren't many standout moments but not bad. 3/5

This one took me days to fully absorb. What an ambitious and well structured project that seems to show such a progression. The first half exploring identity/lust is just non stop bops. I was floored by Beyoncés rapping on the first half of partition before the beat switch.
Unfortunately the love/infatuation era was pretty weak: jealous and rocket were just OK, Mine was garbage with a shit drake feature, and XO is an abysmal early 2000/2010s era poprock throwaway ala imagine dragons or kings of leon. These four tracks really did this album dirty.
Flawless is pretty good with a nice meaning, superpower is pleasant and the frank ocean feature is well used, and Heaven really starts to bring everything to a close. But Blue is an absolutely outstanding closer.

All around this was an intricately crafted and well produced album with a few duds (and one skip) in the middle. 4/5

My issue with this album is that while it has nice instrumentals throughout, it utterly lacks a unique identity nor focus. The sequencing seems to be hit or miss and the vocals are entirely plain. Can't say this screams "must listen" but almost OK enough to be a 3. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

An absolute classic - the sound of the PNW in the 90s. Love every moment of In Utero. 5/5

This was an interesting one - Indian, classical, electronic. The first half of this album was crazy good, the second half was fine. I'll certainly keep coming back though. 3.5/5 -> 4/5

Honestly, this sounds like a collection of B-sides dropped from other projects. No cohesion ordirection; jazz rap, funk, punk, psychedelic jams, chanting, 90s hip hop... The list goes on. None of it is particularly bad, but the song Sabotage isn't able to keep this whole album afloat. 2/5

This list has made me realize I have more of an appreciation for Reggae than I thought before - unfortunately this album is nowhere close to many others on this list. It's repetivite, Peter's vocal delivery is pretty shallow, and there are very few memorable moments. The piano is very nice throughout but otherwise not that impressive. 2/5

Pretty good; sad about Karen. 3/5

I really have mixed feelings on this album. I've listened for years and thought I liked it OK but then I took it song by song:
1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine 5
2. Mr. Brightside 4
3. Smile Like You Mean It 2
4. Somebody Told Me 4
5. All These Things That I've Done 3
6. Andy, You're a Star 1
7. On Top 2
8. Change Your Mind 2
9. Believe Me Natalie 2
10. Midnight Show 2
11. Everything Will Be Alright 2

Very front-loaded for me. That, and I'm a basic bitch and only really like the singles and hits ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I really don't enjoy Brandon Flowers' voice or that they put him so high on the mix over the music. Ah well. 2.6/5 -> 3/5

I liked a few of the more experimental moments but generally this fell mostly flat for me. The vocal snippets were hit or miss. 2/5

Really bland album that would deserve a spot on the "1001 Albums You Don't Need to Listen to Before You Die" list. Cheesy songs, annoying vocals - Happy Mondays is not my cup of tea. 2/5

I went in with the lowest expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the album has some super interesting and memorable tracks, but it really lost the momentum at that point. 3/5

I was astounded by how many hits were on this record. I had heard about it for years but was still impressed. A couple of forgettable tracks in the middle but this is absolutely an icon of the 90s. 4/5

A pretty good prog album mostly lifted by Tom Sawyer and YYZ. 3/5