Reviews by tjehl

The fact that the people behind this list looked at each other with a straight face and included not one but two double albums by Christina Aguilera baffles me.
It’s absolutely ridiculous.

The first side is just a plain ol’ Aguilera pop album; great production, some hip hop beats and a strong vocal. It’s fine but nothing extraordinary.

The second side sees Aguilera experimenting more with a whole new sound. And while the first part of it is borderline sleep inducing, the final half is great.

There’s no reason for this to be a double album. It’s a sign of a complete megalomaniac who’s never told a “no”.

But with those harsh comments in mind, I find myself a bit confused that I never really hate Back To Basics - at the same time it’s way too unfocused for me to love it.

There’s no questioning the effect this gothic and sonic album would have on The Cure moving forward.

In and of itself it’s a rather one-sided affair delivering the same idea again and again for almost its entire run.

Reasons why this mediocre and easily forgettable indie album is on then list.

# 1:

Thanks for reading my list.

It’s rare that I pick up Jagged Little Pill, but every time I do, the power and songwriting blows me away. It contains some of the greatest 90’s rock tracks available and while a few aspects may sound dated almost 30 years later it takes very little from the overall experience.

What narrowly keeps this from being a 5 is the book’s inclusion of the CD and not the vinyl version, which means that we end on a worse version of “You Oughta Know”, a meaningless a cappella sequence and a runtime of almost an hour.

So I’ll end with my tip of the week:
Stick to the perfect vinyl version.

I can’t possibly add anything to the legacy of OK Computer that hasn’t already been said. It’s often called the greatest album of all time for a reason.

So I’ll just leave you with this.

This review that is.

You could think that the main reason for this album to be here is “Take Me Out”, but FZ’s debut album boasts quite a few more sure hits.

Unfortunately I have this nagging feeling that Franz Ferdinand never performs to capacity. As if a lid prevented especially the choruses from delivering the power that so obviously dwells just underneath the surface.

The extreme compression of Alex Kapranos’ vocals, recognizable as it may be, doesn’t exactly help with the problem either.

It’s a shame. I really wanted to like more than I end up doing.

We should all be happy that Mark Hollis led Talk Talk in new direction on The Colour Of Spring. His progressive view on 80’s pop brought out some of the most unique pop records of that century.

Not everything is a perfect home run on this, but the vision and result is great nonetheless.

There are certain elements about Rejoicing In the Hands that I really like. The sincerity and spontaneity that seems to be a constant in his Banharts songwriting and recording technique for one.

On the other hand I’m getting a bit tired of his rather one-sided folk approach about 8-9 songs in.

It’s a fine record but I have no idea why it should appear on this list.

I love reading old reviews of Wish You Were Here, as everyone seemed out of their minds and found it uninspiring, dull and insincere - only for them to later realize the magnitude of the record and praise it as one of the greatest album ever released.

Kate Bush utilizes the bouzouki, uilleann pipes and a damn fishing rod on the first track - and I'm all aboard.

It's a bit less dreamy and more grounded (if any Kate Bush album from this era can be called that) and it suits the songwriting, production and her vocals immensely.

The Sensual World ends an insane trio of albums by Kate Bush, with this, the last of her 80's-albums, being slightly better than The Dreaming and almost as good as Hounds of Love.

I probably say this each time I listen to an album from their discography, but this is an absolute highlight.

Cave’s vocals are mesmerizing and filled with emotions, the songwriting is brilliant throughout and the balance between The Bad Seeds being maniacs and the more calm, atmospheric songs taking over is perfect.

For a few years Kings of Leon were one of the most interesting US bands.

Aha Shake Heartbreak is gritty, fast and fun - and Followill (the lead singing one) is a powerhouse whose distinct vocal is enough in itself to make them stand out from the crowd.

The progression in songwriting, experimentation and lyricism from Help! to Rubber Soul is unbelievable. If some should have doubted it earlier, this album made it clear that The Beatles was on track to become the most important group of all time.

Yes wrote and recorded a few of the greatest progressive rock tracks of all time and the decided to let every member goof around due to budget and time restrictions. Legendary.

Bruford’s drumming on “Heart of the Sunrise” is phenomenal and the introduction of the wizard on keyboards doesn’t exactly hurt either.

Hot Chip is not exactly the Michelangelo of electronic music. Luckily it’s often much more fun to hang out with his dumber brother and just enjoy yourself.

Fleet Foxes' debut sounds like every other indie band before anyone else even had the idea of such a sound.
But while many were to come, very few came close to truly imitate what Pecknold created on this almost mythical debut.

You’d almost want to break up with the love of your life to enjoy this record to its fullest.

My grandpa owned 4 versions of In The Wee Small Hours on vinyl. I only own 2… So he’d probably had given it a score of 10, right?

When I first got this record on vinyl I had no idea Joplin sang; who would’ve known given the name?

It’s an incredibly strange album (both song and art wise), never doing anything to hold on to any sound for long.

Janis Joplin’s vocals are of course powerful and raw, but it’s never been quite enough to keep me fully engaged throughout every idea thrown at the listener.

Whenever the rhythms and Santana’s electrifying guitar hits you, it all seems rather swell.

You don't come to The War On Drugs for variation.
You come to them for brilliance.
That's exactly what Lost In the Dream delivers.