Reviews by theblanderman

This is not the type of album I typically score highly - however, there was just something mystifying that I could not put my finger on. Over the course of five or so listens, I can tell that a lot of thought went into the structure and production. The songs are multi phased, have changing time signatures, and catchy hooks. Not bad for another album in the Neil young sphere. 3.6/5 -> 4/5

I've listened to Drunk since it came out. The bass playing is excellent, of course. The album is well structured, and it's fun that the final track DUI calls back to the first track Rabbit Ho. Thundercats falsetto vocals are... Fine. But overall it's just kind of boring (save for a handful of tracks). While this made a splash in the late 10s, I do wonder if it will stand the test of time (I'd consider D'Angelos Black Messiah to be in the same vein and is much better ) still though, good listen overall. 3/5

"I See You" has many many lyrics, but absolutely nothing to say - a descent into generic indie pop shit.
While the xx's first record was not earth shattering, it at least played with the electronics a bit more and didn't sound entirely like lovesick duets. As mentioned, this album (outside of Performance and the sampled bits of On Hold) reeks of copy/paste late 00s, early 10s indie pop - look no further than the horrible track I Dare You which sounds like kings of leon (the most talentless shitstain of a band on gods green earth). Really grating on the ears and pandering. 1/5

A pretty mixed album from the boys. It starts off strong enough, but loses it's luster partway through. The last track is very weird and I didn't much care for it. 3/5

While this is marginally better than the other AC/DC entry (less horny), it is still a bunch of copy/pasted songs singing about nothing. 2/5

Oh MIA where to start.
In a much more mild vein than other controversial artists like Ye, MIA immediately leaves a sour taste in my mouth due to her proliferation of conspiracy theories and pro RFK MAGA bs in the wake of whatever recent christian reawakening she's in the midst of. However taking a step back and reviewing this work in a vacuum it's a mixed bag:
The album begins very strong with numerous interesting and well produced bops, including Bamboo Banga, BirdFlu, Boyz, Jimmy and Mango Pickle Down River (though what I love about this song was initially made by the Wilcannia Mob, MIAs additions were relatively negligible.
In the middle of the album is really where the quality dips imo. Hussel (overly repetitive though the Afrikan Boy portion was cool), World Town and the The Turn were both uninteresting, and XR2 had great proto charli xcx vibes but unfortunately was bloated and overly simplistic. The worst song on here was 20 Dollar with that horrendous Pixies interpellation with poorly utilized auto tune. The end of the album is fine though Paper Planes feels out of place in the vibes and Come Around would have been better without Timbaland. All around I liked most of the album, but the soggy middle of the album drags it down. 3.3/5 -> 3/5

If someone wanted to listen to a poppy, melodramatic David Bowie rip off this is it. Not an interesting album, outside if a few songs. 2/5

Radioheads best album, and one that i have a deep connection to. 5/5

An industrial masterpiece. So much variety, so well sequenced... So depressing. 5/5

You know, I was a religious fan of Radiohead back in highschool. I tended to drift toward the more obscure releases and for a while was a huge fan of albums like Amnesiac and TKOL. Over the years I've broadened my musical pallate, and while I still rate the band highly in general, their output is in no way perfect. Amnesiac, to me, sounds like leftovers from both OK Computer and Kid A with a couple of novel tracks mixed in. Individual songs have the 90s rock aesthetics of the former and the electronic tinge of the latter. The songa with heavy piano use tend to be the most stand out. All that to say I really enjoy the album, but it is less impressive than some of their other works.

As someone who listened to a ton of 90s/00s porcupine tree in high school, the influence was palpable. I thought the textures were quite impressive, and I needed to go back a few times and heard something different each time. 4/5

Pretty fine album. Not much more to say other than it was a product of the times. 3/5

The album Tubular Bells is an absolute masterpiece. I have no idea how a 19 year old person could conceptualize such a brilliant and lush soundscape using so many different instruments. I remember during the pandemic when some group organized 600 musicians around the world to submit clips of them playing tubular bells which was awesome (look it up on YouTube if you're interested).
Part 2 is a nice use of the instruments, and while it doesn't reach the insane peaks of Pt. 1 it's still pleasant. I love this album. 5/5

DSotM was the first record to teach me the complexities of album sequencing.
First off, album art is such an integral part of the experience, and one that people often downplay. But well-matched art can become the "environment" by which you perceive the songs in - a starting point as you build a mental image of the tracks enclosed.
Speak to Me/Breathe quietly, then abruptly, erupts from this darkness. A simple ray of contorting light in the infinite expanse. On the Run continues this trajectory with a progressing beat that makes you feel as though you're going through life, experiencing moments of flittering memories that present as contextless vocal snippets. Time doubles down, exploring mortality, and conceding that even though you may run ultimately little is in your control in the grand scheme of things. The Great Gig in the Sky seems to be a direct call to what the end result might be, some type of beautiful otherworldly musical climax.
Money is the foil to GGinS, talking about the perceived importance of the physical. Us and Them and Any Colour You Like act as moments of reflection with sweet saxophones and blaring organs, and ultimately synthesizers comparing very organic human vs. inhuman sounds. Then finally Brain Damage prepares us to let go, so that we might reflect on all of the experiences from the past 42 mins and imagine ourselves bursting into cacophonous rainbow euphoria on Eclipse. Only to return to black again and start all over.

Not an overrated album. One that deserves its flowers and continues to stand the test of time.

5/5

I liked this album in concept. When I listened too closely I heard pretty standard blues music. All and all though, a pretty comforting listen. 3.5/5 -> 4/5

Song-by-sing this album is full of some 4s, some 2s, and a number of 3s. I liked the bright ambient/shoegaze (rather than dreampop) lean compared to Heaven or Las Vegas. 3.3/5 -> 3/5

I like metal and thought the riffs and instrumentals were great - the singer is way too buried in the mix. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as his weak nasally voice is definitely the downside of this album, but still felt a bit unbalanced. Good overall style and themes, though. 2.7/5 -> 3/5

Intro is the best song on this album. But it doesn't totally drop off after and is a vibe. 3/5

Pretty solid and interesting for 80s albums in this vein. Some catchy bits, some more experimental bits, and the album cover is quite modern. Good overall. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

I really like later records by QotSA (Songs for the Deaf, Era Vulgaris, ...Like Clockwork (their best, imo)). This one was ok. They hadn't fully developed a personality at this point so the songs felt a little lifeless. Better than other albums on this list but leaves a bit to be desired. 3/5