Reviews by uhhhellurr

this was a fun surprise! i had never heard of this band or album so didn't know what to expect. but i found a pretty fun punk record that i felt combined the sensibility of the clash with the hooks of the ramones. it didn't absolutely floor me, but was still a fun listen!

Obviously not an album that takes itself very seriously, but was still fun all the same. Kinda raucous, kinda dirty minded. But a fun romp throughout. In a weird way, it kind of reminded me of the New York Dolls and the Replacements, very similar energy. I'm not sure I feel like it is a particularly important or influential album, but still fun all the same.

Admittedly, I am extremely biased about this album, as it already is one of my favorites of all time. I love the Byrds as a whole, but this album holds such a special place in history and in my musical journey. I think what is lost about this album on most people is the context of this album, a rock band (who had dabbled in country before) going full country, with one of early country rock's seminal figures, Gram Parsons, joining in and putting forward his most iconic song, Hickory Wind.

Ultimately, is this the most mind blowing album now? Most likely not. In fact, I think at this point, I prefer Parsons' output with the Flying Burrito Brothers more. But it was very groundbreaking at the time, and is one of the most important albums of the genre. I mean, Gram Parsons, Roger McGuinn, and Chris Hillman? It doesn't get much better than that.

I had never listened to Leonard Cohen until previously on this journey, I received "You Want It Darker," an album that I don't think should have been my first foray into Cohen's work. Now this, this is the exact kind of album I think should have been my first foray.

I have listened to a lot of Leonard Cohen's contemporaries and loved them, and this definitely feels along the same lines as a work of Bob Dylan or Paul Simon. The album feels so familiar, and I was not surprised to find it was produced by John Simon, who had a hand in Simon and Garfunkel's "Bookends" which I adore, and think feels pretty similar to this album in some respects. He also produced many albums by The Band, so now it's all starting to come full circle.

This album is soft, pensive, dark. Something that maybe does not feel monumental in a contemporary sense, but at the time definitely had to have been. This is an album I think I will come back to, something about it feels so familiar and lovely and I would love to get lost in it again.

A pretty cool album dealing with the tumultuous history of Lynyrd Skynyrd. A good story put to some good tunes. I particularly liked the moments of reflection on the rest of the world's impression and stereotyping of the south, an issue that is quite nuanced and I think paints a good picture well with its example of George Wallace, even though I personally find it a little misplaced. All in all, a good listen, pretty interesting, and a cool rock opera, as the title of the album advertises.

a pretty good mid-00s indie rock album. despite it's relatively short length, there's not a lot of variation here. a lot of the songs sound the same and are sort of the same tempo and feel. it's not bad, but it doesn't make for a super compelling album. i had never listened to one of their albums before, so this was a new experience. i can't say that listening to this one is going to amount to me going out of my way for more, but it wasn't awful. it's in the realm of the music that i liked back then and still like, but it just doesn't fully click for me.

elliott smith and i, i think, are cut from pretty similar cloth. a lot of his musical influences are things that i adore and so his music tends to be pretty compatible with me. i find that he was a great lyricist with a knack for a catchy melody, and overall sort of dour, sad boy type vibe. a bit lo-fi, which i always appreciate. an album that effortlessly balances the line between quiet and intimate & loud and intense.

i think this is the sort of music that you have to have been a bit depressed to listen to and appreciate, and if you found elliott during those times, you have an affinity for his stuff. that goes for me as well.

i've listened to some of his other stuff but never this album in full. i've been meaning to for a long time, but never got around to it and i am so glad i finally did. as i suspected, i really liked it. a great album to curl up and mope around to (and i mean that in the most positive sense)

favorite tracks:
ballad of big nothing
between the bars
say yes

i'm sure there are a lot of important and interesting beatmaking ideas going on here, but i think if there are any, they are lost on me. the beats are nice enough but a whole album of them is a little much for my taste. to me, this works well as background music but not so much as active listening. and that's kinda what it feels like, an album of background music at some trendy clothing store or something. not bad but just doesn't interest me much.

this was a great album. terrific grooves and awesome feel. david bowie in his prime was just operating on a whole other level. i particularly loved 'golden years' which has an infectious, really interesting hook that has been in my head ever since. but lots of very cool moments on this one. this is an album i see myself revisiting in the future!

look, i gave this album an honest shot. i think really i just do not get the appeal of the "dying old man sings sad acoustic songs" album. the covers on this album are all steps down from other versions, whether original or other covers. they are mostly slow, quiet, boring. his voice is not great, but i gather that that is "the point". a lot of the covers, i actually wanted to laugh. some of these are absurd. danny boy? yeesh. for a guy who is so known for being cool, this album is the opposite. i honestly do not get why people love it so much. the entire time i listened to this album, i was just thinking, man, just go lie down or something. not for me. sorry!

yeah this was a great listen, just super high quality beats and lyrics and flow. consistent throughout, never a dull moment on the album. just front to back really really good.

i'm sure this is fine but this is really my first exposure to metallica in full, and i don't know if i appreciate the symphonic aspect of it considering i know that a lot of these songs just don't have it. so to me, it is, at the same time, unnecessary flourish because i know this isn't how the music usually is, but also the only way i've heard most of these songs. so i'm not really sure what to make of this, as someone who is unfamiliar with the source material. it was fine but really was just lost on me.

yeah this is a pretty great album. of course, the first two tracks are the standouts, but i think even the album cuts are pretty good. i think the quality declines a little bit towards the end of the album, but otherwise, just terrific stuff. he does late 70s paul mccartney better than late 70s paul mccartney!

yeah, I didn't quite get this one. i'm not saying it was bad, just really not my cup of tea. the songs can be quite lengthy without much variance (but i guess that's the point). i just think you need some amount of club drug in your system to enjoy this one fully.

to me, this is THE van morrison album. i've listened to astral weeks before and i have never truly gotten it. but this album is a lot more enjoyable for me. the first side absolutely goes, the second side leaves a little bit to be desired. definitely a front loaded album. but still very enjoyable. the jazz influenced arrangements mixed with the laid back, acoustic feel of the album makes for a pleasant listen.

a nice, sparse, quiet, sad boy alt-country album. not bad, but not my favorite. a lot of really pleasant moments but nothing that stood out to me as being incredible. still a good listen, especially if you're in the right mood.

a perfectly pleasant album, but to me, ultimately, nothing really to write home about. it's a very good vibe album, very chill, but unfortunately just not incredibly interesting songwriting-wise or otherwise. i can't see myself listening to this one again, unless i am really in need of some chill-sounding background music, and even if so, i think there's other stuff i would prefer to listen to.

this album is such a fun listen. such intricate arrangements, you can tell a lot of thought and love was put into the instrumentation. just a very chill, interesting adventure of an album

this was a real mixed bag for me. i actually liked a lot of the songs and arrangements. the sort of sparse, alt-country vibe is something i really like and appreciate. that being said, i had a really hard time getting over the singer's voice. it was pretty grating and not enjoyable to listen to. i am not opposed to unconventional singing voices, but i felt like the effort in singing was so lackluster, it really took away from the album. so ultimately, i feel like this is a bit middle of the road for me.

this is a terrific, influential album. i love the balance it has between radio friendly hits and more "album cuts". the instrumentation is great and at the time, there was not a whole lot that sounded like it. just a great album through and through.

i think a lot of the criticism of this album has to do with the One Song (you know, that ONE song) and you have to remember from a historical perspective, what was going on in the united states in this time period, that song was a pretty provocative political statement. and for that, i think it makes it an important historical "document"