Reviews by thelofistorm

This is nowhere near a perfect album, but I don’t feel comfortable giving it anything less than a “perfect score.” See, a 10/10 isn’t a score that means “perfect.” Nothing is perfect to a being that changes every day, every hour, every minute, by design. 10s are instead a tier, a higher echelon of albums that you can easily reach for in your mind to recommend to those who seek your musical knowledge (which MANY of my friends do in fact). So, this album, “Different Class” by Pulp, is an album about many things, which generally falls into two categories, which generally fall into one big category of profound dissatisfaction, with the backdrop of wealth and excess. Opener “Mis-Shapes” establishes the theme of the lower class “Common People” hold contempt for the richer members of society, and have the aim to take their lives from them using their minds. Which, a great premise. I love it. And then, we get into the various sexcapades of the album, all of them putting on full display this resounding unhappiness with life, particularly in the case of upper class women, with songs like “Pencil Skirt,” “Common People,” “Live Bed Show,” “Underwear,” and arguably “Monday Morning” and “Bar Italia.” They’re these real dark songs, that seem to directly portray these feelings of sadness, and discomfort, and apathy toward life brought on by the roles that one must play as a rich person… doing rich people things. And the SOUND of the album! When I saw that it was listed as “Britpop,” I was scared it’d be something like a Blur or Oasis, both bands I can enjoy, but both bands that are clearly not for me, as much as I may like some of their work. But this!! It’s layered, it’s well-played, it’s INSANELY well-sung, and it employs a beautiful range of influences and genres, each song feeling distinct but it’s still sooooooooo consistent. I say this about a lot of albums, but I’m gonna be returning to this one incredibly often. Frankly one of my favorites that this site has given me.
10/10

Ayeee!! Massive attack! I must say, out of all the things that could’ve come out of this listen, I did NOT expect for the first song to blow me away the way it did. It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever heard, of that I’m confident. I adore it. The rest of the album? A real vibe. “Three” sounds like it Erykah sang over a trip hop beat, which would be way doper if it were actually Erykah. I actually do kinda hate trip hop, it always feels like a cop-out genre to me, that being said, I usually like it when it’s good. Still, the beats can tend to get a bit stale. Which is sad.
7.7/10

This is a pretty important one for me. I guess. My Danpa (my grandfather whose name is Danny, who we collectively refer to with the affectionate title “Danpa”)’s favorite song of all time is “Simple Man,” and I have surprisingly deep roots in the south. Now, I also know what this band represents to many people, that being oppression. And, in more humorous cases, incest. And while I’m reluctant to put that aside for the sake of enjoyment, especially because of their open use of the confederate flag, I think it’s fair to at least factor SOME level of general base-level enjoyment in. Because it’s not like this is an awful album, and it’s certainly not like it openly advocates for any kind of oppression, rather it stands as part of oppression’s shadow. It’s because of this that songs such as “Things Goin’ On” and “Mississippi Kid” ring so hollow even while the rest of the album hits hard. Opener “I Ain’t The One” is fantastic, “Simple Man” is obviously incredible and has an aforementioned level of sentimentality for me, “Poison Whiskey” is real cool, and “Free Bird” is a clear and obvious landmark of good music. It’s the perfect closer that this pretty good album does not deserve. And then… that’s it. It’s pretty awesome. I like the album.
8.2/10

Yes, Bono’s voice is slipping at this point. Yes, it shouldn’t be over 50 minutes long. Yes, they’re far past their prime. But it’s got its moments! “Beautiful Day,” despite Bono’s 40-year-old vocals (you can still have good vocals at 40! Look at Laraaji, his vocals are still good to this day! Bono’s vocals are just not) is still an awesome song. “Stuck in a moment…” is an improvement, and Bono’s vocals are even bit better! From there it takes a bit of a drop though. This album’s biggest problem frankly is that it doesn’t really leave an impression, other than “Wild Honey,” which is easily the best song here. The most memorable parts, frankly, are when Bono’s voice breaks and you can tell he’s out of it. Nothing else is of worth! It’s almost funny, except it isn’t.
6.0/10

Is it just me, or are there far too many white producers in fields pioneered by Black artists on here? I mean, obviously all modern music is derived one way or another from that of Black people, but like… whatever. I’m not gonna turn anything into any moral conversation or whatever, I just think it’s worth discussing. Especially since this album is SO BORING. “Santa Cruz” is real tight, but everything else is so whatever. It’s numbing. They all feel like numbing little jingles that repeat until you’re bored as shit. Except “Santa Cruz.” That song is bomb as fuck.
5.6/10

Obviously it’s good. It’s Oasis. Not to say that Oasis is inherently good, but more to say that I inherently like a lot of their stuff. I have a couple of friends who don’t really like Oasis, two in specific come to mind, one who gave both their albums a score below 3 and hates everything they did, and one friend who thinks that “Wonderwall” is the worst song ever made but adores “Don’t Look Back In Anger.” I would advise neither of them to know my opinion on the band, because I love both those songs. See, what makes “Wonderwall” such a controversial song is its saccharine levels of sentimentality, and its popularity among the class of intellectuals that many who seriously interact with music consider themselves above. Of course, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”is universally adored, but that’s just because it’s a pretty much perfect song all around. The thing about “Wonderwall,” though, is it’s one of the first times Oasis as a band really shows some sort of sentimentality. That’s actually the big change that this album employs from the debut, a sense of sentimentality and introspection. Of course the aforementioned songs are huge contributors to this, but “Cast No Shadow,” “Some Might Say,” and the fantastic “Champagne Supernova” also contribute to this sense of sentimentality. Now, it doesn’t really interact too much with the more hard rocking songs in the album, which kind of makes the album almost feel disjointed at times, but that doesn’t take away from the album’s moments of true glory (Morning Glory, even…), and as it stands, this is an incredible album, and arguably Oasis’s peak.
9.0/10

The sad truth of nowadays is that when I get a seminal British album that’s vaguely psychedelic, I don’t trust it, much because of “Stone Roses,” which in the end sunk to a low 5/10. So this… well im not saying it’s bad, I am however saying that I am not impressed with it. Not in the slightest. I’m sure it did something important. However, there’s no real songwriting, no real sense of any transformative quality in any of these songs either. There’s just a profound feeling of “whatever.” Take, for example, the closing track, which consists of the (notably sniveling) frontman singing about light or something like it’s Jeff mangum describing the concept of “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.” The gospel cuts are interesting, but the album doesn’t really accommodate the soulfulness of the cuts in a way that is anything other than kind of washed out, gentrified even. There are some moments of pleasantness, to be sure. Sadly, they are often repeated until they are flaccid, and redundant so when you hear them you cannot tell if they are meant to be pleasant at all, or if they’re meant to be boring.
5.8/10

This site has too many post-punk derived albums. I don’t want this. I didn’t want yesterday’s album. I want something that is genuinely important in music. This… well I don’t know if it is. It has a real tight cover, and I like some of the songs. It’s certainly interesting, which I always appreciate. Looking more into this album’s background and Failthfull as a person, her having started out as a baroque pop singer and then falling into a life of excess and homelessness, and then putting this out, it’s admirable. A song such as “Guilt” is evocative and interesting in the context of her circumstance, and her cover of Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” is chilling and freakish in a way I really fucking love. This album overall is really well done and I liked it more than I expected to.
8.2/10

These boys look like some pricks. And their music is just okay. At least it’s short. It’s actually pretty alright, save for the fact that it’s really samey and has no apparent highs. I don’t know. “When I Dream” is nice, but like there’s nothing huge here. It’s completely inoffensive jangly post punk. That’s all. It has no right to be here, but other than that I have no qualms.
7.0/10

This album is, at once, pleasant, mind-blowing, eclectic, passive, electric, ephemeral, and beautiful. At least, that’s how it is for the first 5 tracks. And then it becomes kind of annoying for the rest of them. See, it’s really cool and fun up until it starts going through the same motions it’s been going through, and it’s all kind of whatever after a while. Also, it’s really fucking long. Like REALLY fucking long. Too long for something like this. And the sample choices can sometimes be awesome, but it gets to a point where you kinda get the sense that Moby REALLY thinks he’s the shit for sampling these lo-fi blues joints, and he kinda is for the first few times he does it, but the novelty fades, and he also starts to use worse and worse samples (see “Down Slow” and its use of a wack-ass barbershop quartet sample that ruins the song). That being said, the highs are real nice, and it would probably one of my higher ratings without the lows. Whatever. Sorry Mobes.
6.8/10

Pretty pleasant. Obviously the biggest general problem with an album such as this one is that it 1. Doesn’t really resonate too much, and 2. Is redundant as hell. I really like the inclusion of the saxophone, and I really enjoy the vocals. The disposition of anti-consumerism and establishment is nice, and there are some great songs here, too. I enjoyed this.
8.0/10

I appreciate this a lot. Costello’s crazed wails are honestly better than you’d expect for crazed wails, and the songs are well-written. I really love “Uncomplicated” as an opener, and I like “I Hope You’re Happy Now” even more. The general vibe of garagey dissonance combined with an innate poppiness is a really nice vibe. Sadly a lot of these songs don’t have enough bite, such as “The Blue Chair” or “Home is Anywhere…” or even “Battered Old Bird” at times. Thankfully there’s songs like “I Want You,” which is easily the peak of this album, to counteract this. Sadly it ends on a pretty low note, that being “Next Time Around.” Either way though it’s a pretty fun batch of tracks, albeit not one I’ll return to often.
7.5/10

AAAAAAA!!! I’ve been waiting!! I always thought I would like this, and today I found out that in fact…! It’s fine. The persona is a little bit irritating, a lot of the album doesn’t feel like it’s bringing enough to the table. That being said, the heights, such as “Big Exit,” “A Place Called Home,” “Horses In My Dreams,” et cetera, all make up for that. The production overall is nice, if nothing too phenomenal. The vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, but really good if you can get behind them. Pretty much everything’s great, except for the general persona of the album, which I personally can’t personally find a way to enjoy or relate to. Not saying it’s bad. It just doesn’t connect to me in that way. Also, a lot of the songwriting (especially on songs such as “This Mess We’re In” or “You Said Something”) is just a bit too vague for me to really like it much. All this being said it’s a very nice album.
7.9/10

I own this on vinyl! It was one of the first albums I ever listened to all the way through! Nice to get this one. And listening through once again… though not every song hits, there are some incredible songs. Take, for example, the titular “American Pie.” It’s 8 minutes long, and nothing short of a fucking magical experience. Every second, every note McClean sings is in and of itself a watershed moment in music. Frankly, that song alone justifies this album’s standing on this list. Other songs appear that shine similarly, such as “Vincent,” in its poetic preposition, or “The Grave,” in its frank reflection on the circumstance of the soldier. McClain’s voice is comparable to that of a younger, naïve Pete Seeger. Incredibly passionate, but strangely unemotional in a way that fits this album incredibly well. His writing is poetic, filled with incredibly well used literary devices, and figurative language. Everything else is pleasant enough for the album to float at a mid-8 for me. Real nostalgia trip for me today. Love this joint.
8.6/10

BOOOOOOOORING!!!!!!!! The most interesting part of this entire album is that time when the dilla sample appears. And that song is so much better than the song it samples. So much better. To the point where the original song isn’t even a song to me honestly. It’s just a place where Jay Dee got his fucking samples from. And everything else in the album predictably is boring as shit. I don’t care about these white guys talking about capitalism, but that’s not because I don’t think white guys talking about current events is bad. Just look at yesterday’s review! No, in fact, I actually really just hate when they’re vapid as fuck and only give surface level commentary on anything, which these guys do. Idk. So many ideas feel like they’ve been taken from this and yet. They’re all done better elsewhere.
4.3/10

This album is ridiculous. Fantastic. Spectacular. Exactly my kinda thing. Synthy, but really grounded, and bad vocals from a white guy who kinda knows what’s going on. Songs like “This is the Day” and “That Sinking Feeling” blew me away, and the production across the whole project is just superb. The use of synthetic percussion and melody combined with live instrumentation works beautifully here, and the entire project is just filled with these wonderful musical chord progressions, and vocal performances. It’s kind of like if Belle and Sebastian were angrier and more synthy. Yeah. It’s kinda like them. Holy shit, I can’t believe this album even fucking exists it’s so good.
9.7/10

Back in the day, when I was a young child, obsessing over the likes of Michael Jackson and The Beatles, I consumed every bit of media I could find of both. Magazines, DVDs, Casettes, CDs, movies. The last one is where this comes in. I've watched the entire "A Hard Day's Night" movie. I have never listened to this album until today, June 1st, 2026 (well as I write this it's actually May 31st but shut up). Arguably The Beatles' first genuinely good album, or perhaps genuinely great, depending on who or how you ask, this album has some BANGERS. Obviously, title track and “And I Love Her,” but there’s frankly not a moment in here (other than maybe that wack-ass second to last track) that feels out of place or bad. Just a really great collection of early Beatles songs.
9.4/10

LOL. The Bowie album from the 2010s that isn’t Blackstar. I’ve always been intrigued by this one, but not intrigued enough to give it a spin. I guess now I have to. It's fine, we all know it is. It's not awful, but it's nothing incredibly special. You sort of get this sense that Bowie is attempting to relive the days in which he made his best music, that being the 1970s, and while he doesn't really come close to the glory of that time, it's a valiant attempt and pretty pleasant. I'm not anywhere near in love with this album, but songs like the title track, "Valentine's Day," "Boss of Me," and a few others really pull through here. It's dramatic, and energetic, which is something that you don't expect from a 66-year-old David Bowie, and that I personally didn't want much from this album, but now that I've listened in, I can't say it's TOO bad. I guess expectations put everything in perspective.
7.5/10

Well… I see whyyyy it’s at a 2.45 out of 5, but…. can y'all just like good music? Instead of that awful AC/DC album?

Anyway this album is great. "Facelift" is great, even though it does have this one moment a bit past the 10 minute mark where the music does like a really unceremonious fade-out-fade in. That being said it's a really fascinating piece of jazz-fusion/experimental rock. It really moves as if a machine, not living but definitely doing something worth paying attention to. The tape loops, weird guitars, and instrument timbres all help make the song a worthwhile experience. "Slightly All The Time" is a bit more conventional in its incorporation of jazz, but hey!! I heard that “Love Supreme” reference at around 2 minutes in! These guys know ball! Anyway that song in particular is really great, just a classic, good ol’ 18-minute jazz song. Just… you know it. Awesome stuff. Doesn’t stray too far away from the direction of the first song, but goes a little more straightforward in its communication of intent. “Moon in June” is nice, lovely even, but Wyatt’s voice can be a bit grating. No one’s gotta be trained in singing, but make sure that your voice is more than just listenable. Because his is just below that. That being said, it has arguably the best instrumental passage on the entire album. Arguably. Finally, after a 5-minute progressive electronic introduction, “Out-Bloody-Rageous” starts in earnest and it is just ridiculous. ~14 minutes of the best closer this album could’ve had. Jazzy, crazy, quick-moving, and utterly beautiful. I didn’t know how I was going to like this, but that last song solidified that I loved it. One of the better albums this site has given me. 75 minutes in an incredibly consistent and beautiful musical world that doesn’t overstay its welcome, but certainly does not understay it. I adore this album.
9.6/10

Easy favorite. Used to be a 10 but alas whatever. Incredible piece of art. “Suzanne” is simply one of the best songs of all time, with some of the best one liners ever, most notably in my opinion being “there are heroes in the seaweed / there are children in the morning / they are leaning out for love / they will lean that way forever while Suzanne holds the mirror.” Another song that continues to blow me away to this day is “Master Song,” a brooding, surreal number, chambery yet minimal, calm but almost snarling. “Winter Lady,” a prettier song, resembling something of a sentimentality, is real good. “Master Song” is another song similar to “Stranger Song,” though in the place of Cohen’s passive anger is an apathetic, conversational mood, with some excellent lyrics to go along with it. Other notables from there are “So Long, Marianne,” which even as I like it less than most, I cannot deny the strength of a chorus as good as this one is. I much prefer, however, “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye,” which is just all around one of the best songs here, from the chord progression, to the woeful lilt in Cohen’s voice. The rest of the songs don’t leave as much of an impression on me, yet they all stun in their own ways. I suppose the only real criticism I have of this album is the way that it gives away some of its minimalistic intrigue after the first 4 songs. It’s all incredible, but songs like “Sisters of Mercy” and “So Long, Marianne” are much too openly warm and commercial for the rest of the album (and please remember that I love commercial music; I just desire consistency throughout my albums). That being said, whenever Leonard Cohen makes a song, be it depressive, religious, angry, hushed, or loud, it is and always will be completely worth listening to.
9.7/10