Reviews by theblanderman

Some of the lyrics are quite dated, but overall a quality album that had me coming back a few times. 4/5

Bad and forgettable alt rock songs. There is no need to have this on a list unless the list is "the artistic trajectory of REM". There are a few experimental bits and spots I like, but not essential. 2/5

I always held this album in high regard, but in retrospect the only songs that are clear 5s are What's Going On, Mercy Me and of course the perfect Inner City Blues. These songs are well placed in the album and are so great they outweigh the meh moments, but not as perfect a project as I once thought. 3.6/5 -> 4/5

Unfortunately, I found this album to be bloated, quite forgettable and boring. They kept pulling back motifs of that weak we're not in love song. Really not great other than his voice. 2/5

Just ok "shoegaze". Not very memorable but not horrible. 2.8/5 -> 3/5

Le Freak is a fine disco song, but the rest of the album is plagued by "single syndrome" - forgettable filler to accompany Le Freak. 2/5

I was expecting this to be dadrock or jamrock, but liked the jazzy elements. I especially appreciated the nosier and more experimental bits.
Liberation was a great closer that made me come back for another listen. Quite a few tracks were a bit forgettable but not horribly so. 3/5

An absolute classic. Those first moments of Yours is No Disgrace is iconic. Love so much of it, just wish that Sarship Trooper didn't end so abruptly, and A Venture is a little underdeveloped. 4.7/5 -> 5/5

Aside from a few musical highs, that was a stupid concept for a rap opera. The whole thing wasn't as funny, nor as clever as it thought it was. 1.7/5 -> 2/5

This ranged in quality from elevator muzak, to an annoying repetitive early daft punk rip off, to some actual quality electronic music. Nothing was horrendous, just all a bit tedious. 2.7/5 -> 3/5

Unfortunately, after Blue Orchid and the Interesting drumwork on The Nurse this album slowly meanders downhill into a state of poppy piano heavy meh. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

36 Chambers was such a perfect creation by just the right guys. Unfortunately, the many solo projects that came from many of their members ride the coattails and that is especially obvious with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. A release that somehow uses tens of Wu Tang 36 Chambers call backs and samples, but is somehow entirely forgettable. Raekwon is a great leg for Voltron, but doesn't succeed much in this solo project imo. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

That was a very interesting listen, and I can appreciate how this was a unique take on tango. 4/5

A really good and dark gothic rock album. Some songs were a bit dull, but many actually had catchy earworms. 4/5

This album has some pretty solid bangers back to back towards the middle. Some of the edge tracks the flows and stories get a bit stale, but I really liked this over all. 4/5

Damn, the song Babylon was all over the radio back in the late 90s when my parents were driving me around. While that song is nostalgic, and I appreciate the electronic elements that David occasionally weaves into the mix, it mostly sounds like alt muzak to supplement a good shop at The Bon Marché. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Starts off weak with TQID and FMS (post punk and bad ska) but after that becomes just fine. I have serious Morrissey fatigue, but am pleased to report this is the last of his/the Smiths releases I need to review. 3/5

Technically my average of these songs is a 2.1, but unfortunately for Billy and the gang the 1s were so egregiously bad (Hoodoo Voodoo, jesus take the wheel, and I guess etc), and this album is so unessential, I'm rounding down a digit. 1/5

Johnny pretending like he's a tough guy in front of an audience of actual criminals who have been convicted of who-knows-what crimes is a weird concept. I like that this recording exists (really needs to be the only live prison album by him on here) but it's really not that spectacular in terms of storytelling (egg sucking dog is the worst) - it's mostly just him pandering stories to the audience. Meh+. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

There are many reasons that I love this album. 1) It's goal to stand in direct contrast to the muzak of the time is admirable. If you define pop music as structurally homogenic music that is engineered to placate the masses, you could consider this to be anti-pop. 2) I love the idea of this music being as forgettable as it is intriguing. So many subtle nuisances and textures throughout that make this a worthwhile active listen, though I've used this for working as well. 3) I've built countless memories around these moments, from falling asleep on my couch in Chicago listening to my vinyl version the first time, to giving my kids kitchen-sink baths and throwing this on as "spa music".
One of my favorite records. 5/5