Reviews by uhhhellurr

yeah, there's a reason why this is considered a classic. very consistent and interesting throughout, the musicianship on this album is terrific! very complex and coordinated things going on. i am a fan of this era's sound, and this is one of the more iconic bands, to me, in terms of sound. i was never much of a prog rock fan but have been more open to it recently, this is one that i will definitely listen to again.

admittedly i am a pretty big stevie wonder guy so this is not a new album to me. i went through a pretty big stevie phase in college, but i haven't actually listened to this one in full for a long time, so it was nice to revisit. prior to this listen, i think this one ranked, for me, as maybe his least out of his "classic" 4 album stretch from talking book to songs in the key of life - not saying this one is bad, but just what happens when you have a stretch of remarkably high quality music. but on this listen, out of context of that stretch, i actually enjoyed this album a lot more than i think i previously have. i do feel it is a bit more low-key than his other albums of this time period. that being said, i think beyond the two singles off the album, there is a lot of really great stuff, but i don't think it quite gets to the upper echelon of his output. still a really great album.

some really great, classic funk grooves here. to be honest, i feel like for a lot of people, this album might be boring, but this really just hits the spot for me. i knew cisco kid and the title track before listening to this album, so I kind of had an idea of what I was getting into, but the album cuts on this one really cemented it for me. just a good, groovy album.

my first bob marley experience left a little to be desired. but we are turning a new page with bob marley experience #2. not sure if i am in a better mood today or what, but i much preferred this album to my first listen, catch a fire. this album is a fun listen! it's got that classic reggae feel but feels a bit funky too, which is something i appreciate. feels a little more upbeat and less lethargic. I can see myself listening to this one again in the future, it feels more in line with what i like stylistically.

i found this one to be very enjoyable. definitely understand the hype and why it is so celebrated. very refreshing mix of r&b and hip hop with great production and smart lyrics. personally i could take or leave the classroom "skits" (although i get that it is part of the whole experience/artistic vision) but otherwise it was a great album that i enjoyed a lot.

i think if i had listened to this album around the time it came out, i would have been into it. this was the kind of music i was into at the time, and i'm surprised i missed this one. where i stand now is i appreciate it, but it maybe did not hit as hard as it may have back then. i still enjoyed the sort of atmosphere-y approach to the heartland rock sound, but ultimately i found this album a little dull. there are some nice moments here, but you have to sit through a lot of the atmosphere to get there.

this was a real nothing album to me. I found this album to be boring and a bit of a slog. a lot of these songs felt like they were just background music with nothing particularly interesting going on. I was expecting maybe something to build or like this album to go somewhere but it really didn't. I don't even hate this kind of music, per se, I just think this felt so uninspired and had no oomph. sorry, can't say I am a fan. I can confidently say I will never listen to this one again.

this is an album i have heard of for years and have never dove into. i think a big part of it is the runtime, and boy howdy, yeah... this is a long one. obviously the concept is interesting, especially with the length involved, but i think due to this, the quality is a bit hit or miss. i mean, realistically, how could you write 69 incredible songs in such a time period for one project? and there is some fun stuff on here. there's also a bunch of not so fun stuff on here. mostly it's just an overly long quirky indie album. it's pleasant but boy it is a lot.

pretty cool album. very chill, serene, and calming. not something i would ordinarily listen to but i am glad i did. this is the sort of thing i am participating in this project for, to be exposed to music i ordinarily am not. that being said, i don't necessarily think this one is going to be one i go back to often, but i can see myself listening to this in moments where i need a mental reset.

as this was my real first exposure to hindustani classical music, i'm not sure how to properly rate it - I have listened to a lot of music that was inspired by this kind of music in western music, but not the real deal. so i'm not sure if this is considered an all-timer of the genre, but i think it was a great first listen to a genre i am woefully ill-exposed to.

this is such a weird thing to say but this is an album that i love that i haven't really gotten that into. in my opinion, it's a great listen, one of the pinnacles of 00s indie, and yet i haven't really come back to it all that often. but it was an important album to me during my sad boy era. in particular, "jesus, etc." is one of my favorite songs of the last 20 or so years. it was nice to revisit this album, like seeing an old friend.

favorite song(s):
i am trying to break your heart
war on war
jesus, etc.
i'm the man who loves you

yeah this is a good one. it just all really flows together to tell a narrative. i really enjoyed the quality of the songwriting (catchy hooks) and the style. listening to it really shows why it is a pillar of classic rock. this was the only bowie album i have ever listened to in full, so i am excited to explore more of his back catalog!

favorite song(s):
five years
moonage daydream
star
hang on to yourself
suffragette city
rock n roll suicide

not the biggest fan of this one. not really the target audience for this album, and that's ok. none of the songs really resonated with me all that much and i found it hard to connect with. part of the problem i had was the production, which wasn't bad, but is a lot more clean and shinier than i prefer. overall, i thought it was alright, but really not for me.

an fun album for sure. a handful of these tracks are iconic for good reason. that being said, outside of that handful, there's not a lot that i feel is incredible. not bad! just not the upper echelon. obviously a lot of the production of this album sounds like raising hell from run-dmc, and i find myself mentally making that comparison, and i feel like i appreciate run-dmc's flow better. idk there's just something about the party boy rap style that i just can't get past. also boy there are a few references that do not hold up in a modern context and feel pretty immature. still i thought it was a fun listen!

favorite song(s):
rhymin and stealin
girls
fight for your right
slow and low

my first experience with a prince album in its entirety, and to be honest, i am really digging this one. fun and funky and you can tell that he was functioning on a different plane with this one. just very creative and interesting and I feel like this album holds up incredibly well, despite it being 35 years old at this point.

favorite track(s):
housequake
the ballad of dorothy parker
starfish and coffee
if i was your girlfriend
i could never take the place of your man
adore

this is a foundational album for me. although i love all the beatles' music like my children, i am going to get a little real here. the draw of the beatles is their songwriting and their innovative production - so from that standpoint, this album is one of the lesser beatles albums. it is before they hit their creative stride, and almost half of the album being covers does not really help. the covers are not even bad covers, they're just covers and i don't think anyone really listens to the beatles FOR the covers. but this album is really of it's time, that's just how it was done. that all said, i do still really love this album

boy i don't think this should have been my introduction to leonard cohen. i'm not familiar enough with his music, so the whole "released while he was dying" thing does not really hit for me and personally, this was a bit of a slog. god i'm sorry this album is so boring for me. and boy i really can't get past his voice on this one. it feels like he's barely singing at all. look, i know, i know! i think it's just not for me.

for an album from a member of a band i like that is an homage to an era of music i like, i really did not care much for this one. it was fine. nothing really stood out to me. it was not aggressive enough for me to like it as arctic monkeys-adjacent, and it didn't grip me enough as much of the music of the era it is an homage to does. really felt middle of the road for me, and not in a good way.

even though pink floyd is adjacent to a lot of the "classic rock" music i got into in middle school, they are one band that i really have somehow avoided until now. my parents just weren't really into them, so i never got exposed and i think a lot of what they play on the radio was just so overplayed that i never really gave them a fair shot. despite that, for years i told myself and others that i didn't like them at all. well here is a shot at it for real this time.

i actually did enjoy this album. i can't say i like it as much on the first listen as people seem to rave about it, but i can see myself enjoying it more with repeated listens. i think the quality of songs here are better than the typical radio fare that gets played. just interesting, progressive stuff. it's cool. even the title track, which used to bug me for it's overplay on radio really works well in the sequence of the album and i was able to listen to it with new ears and appreciate the sentiment of it more than i ever have before. fun stuff.

favorite song(s):
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (both)
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here

boy howdy i do not get this one. to be clear, i think the album is fine. even well made. i think the appeal of reggae is one i can appreciate as an outsider but it has never really been my thing, and perhaps unfairly, is something i just associate with that one guy in your college dorm who's got a hackeysack collection. i think this one is just too laid back for me. but i will still keep an open mind and hope that something in the genre clicks for me!

favorite song(s): stir it up

what can I say, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. foundational. this was an album i fell in love with in college when i was feeling particularly sad and lonely and it really hit the spot. nowadays, i find a lot of comfort in this album. it's been through the bad and good times with me. this album was also one of my gateways to joni, laura nyro, james taylor, and by extension, gordon lightfoot, jim croce, and 70s singer-songwriters as a whole, one of my musical happy places. plus, is there a better 3 track run to open an album? bonus points for cat.

favorite songs:
the whole thing