Reviews by uls980

Feels like a mix of Coldplay and Radiohead, with their own added flair. A bit reductive, but that's what it sounds like to me. Could have sworn I've heard Grounds for Divorce somewhere. Good song although very different from the rest of the tracklist.

But ultimately, not really my thing. Maybe part of it is I'm not from the UK, so this band isn't an "essential" band in the US (although I think I've heard of them before), but yeah, not feeling this one. It's fine.

Whoever the bassist is, give him a raise. Some great work on this record. Especially on songs like Second Head.

That said, its generally just a fine record to me. Throw another late-70's/80's post-punk/new wave/goth rock record onto the list I guess. I'm definitely getting a deeper appreciation for the genre due to this project, but this is definitely an overrepresented genre. I'm 130ish albums in and have gotten a ton of post-punk, and there's no end in sight, haha.

Can definitely tell this is an incredibly influential album.
Very ahead of its time, sounds kinda like if you mixed Modest Mouse with Red Hot Chili Peppers (heavier of the Modest Mouse though) and one of the singers were Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys and maybe a little Beastie Boys style vocals here and there too, haha.

I enjoyed it though, moreso when they were in their post-hardcore sound as opposed to a more standard punk sound. Will have to listen again.

Finally listening to this again after 15 years. Just stuck to a single or two in my playlists, and yeah, I see why.

Not that anything other than Tomorrow Comes Today and Clint Eastwood aren't solid, just that the vast majority of this album can't sustain itself with the musical ideas present. Generally those musical ideas are solid (with a few exceptions), they just need some heavy fleshing out, even on good tracks like Latin Simone, 19-2000, and Rock the House (Del can only do so much with the material he was given).

The best music is front loaded. Re-Hash and 5/4 are solid tunes even if they aren't completely fleshed out. New Genius (Brother) is Damon trying his best to make a Portishead song and not really accomplishing it, but at least its a good vibe. Man Research (Clapper) though is honestly a nothing song and shoulda been cut, especially with the awful vocals. Punk is a decent Ramones-esque song. And it basically is just that type of stuff going forward. Fine, but mostly just unfinished musical ideas that needed more time in the oven.

Honestly would be a 2 if Clint Eastwood and Tomorrow Comes Today weren't absolute bangers.
Didn't expect to be this down on the album, but yeah.

Finally, there's no reason why Demon Days or Plastic Beach should have been left off the list for the debut. Both are much better and are more fully realized albums.
Demon Days has more hits and is their most popular one, even if the back end of the tracklist does fall off a cliff (the last 3 tracks mostly, Dare is fantastic) and Plastic Beach is their most consistent one and them at the peak of their ability.

This is a weird one, because its not one I think I'll go back to, but its effortlessly great.

Almost comes off as experimental, but I don't think Kate Bush isn't trying to be experimental, that's just the type of music she makes, hence why I said it comes off as effortless. I've listened to her before, 50 Words For Snow, and if I remember right, that was a far quieter, more subdued album, so this more bombastic 80's pop style threw me for a loop.

I did like Under Ice and Waking the Witch a lot with the odd horror vibes/experimentation. Also noticed quite a bit of this album feels oddly influenced by The Wall era Pink Floyd? Particularly in the basslines/sound/tone in songs like Mother Stands for Comfort.

Enjoying this more than Sinister (which I gave a 3). She's Losing It is a fun and great singalong.
Just feels like its got more interesting instrumentation going on compared to Sinister.

Still Charlie Brown-ass music though.

While this isn't my favorite Pink Floyd record (that would be Animals, criminal that's not on the list), its still damn near flawless, and one of the greatest albums of all time.

At one point in my life, Wish You Were Here was my favorite song of all time, and the lyric "We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year" is easily my favorite lyric of all time. Never fails to get me to tear up.

The psychedelic prog epics of Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-5 and 6-9 are masterful, and never feel indulgent, masturbatory, or like a Frankenstein's monster of different songs like a lot of prog does (Yes, Genesis, Dream Theater - but to be honest, Pink Floyd has never "felt" like stereotypical prog. Their music, even at the longest run times always felt focused. Perhaps its the psychedelic aspect shining through).

Welcome to the Machine is one of the best The Wall songs (Hey You is the only track on that album that matches the quality of Welcome to the Machine), and its not on that record. I've never been a fan of The Wall, and I'll get to that when the project throws it my way, but Wish You Were Here is the record The Wall wishes it was. Focused, concise, whole tracklist of bangers.

Have a Cigar is the only track on this record that I think doesn't rise up to the same level as the rest of the track list, it's got some of the style of The Wall that I don't care too much for, but its still a great song.

Overall, masterpiece of a record.

An immaculate, absolutely perfect album from any angle you look at it... and an album that does absolutely nothing for me.

Couple things working against it for me. First, at this point it kinda is almost a parody of itself? Like it almost sounds like a parody of Sade music, yet its the real deal. It feels a lot like what I imagine watching the old school James Bond films felt like right after Austin Powers came out. On top of that its not aged all that great to me? Like this feels 80's, and a tad painfully so.

But secondly, and this isn't the album's fault, but I'm very much not in mood to be listening to this right now. I've been putting Gorguts' Obscura on repeat lately, while throwing in some Ulcerate for good measure, haha. Dissonant, atonal death metal Sade is not.

So yeah, this is getting a 3 because I'm not the correct person to be reviewing this right now. Doubt it'd ever get a 4 from me, but still.

Really enjoyed this record. Eclectic mix of indie folk, alt country, americana, Mexican folk music, and some folky jazz???

Got some good Walking Dead-core (music they'd 100% use in the show or Telltale games, similar to a Wye Oak, Sharon Van Etten, Alela Diane, Anadel), in here with Quattro (World Drifts In).

I will say though, the record does feel a bit unfocused. First song (Sunken Waltz) is very Decemberists, then the aforementioned Walking Dead-core, then a very Chelsea Wolfe doomy folk song in Black Heart. Indie folk in Not Even Stevie Nicks, some old-scool western soundtrack stuff in Close Behind. Taquiera music in Across the Wire. Noir jazz country in Crumble.

The individual tracks are good enough to avoid a 3, but most other bands I'd knock the score for it. Maybe could have used some structure and focus.

As far as post-punk goes, I tend to prefer the more new-wave type stuff (New Order) or the stereotypical goth rock type stuff (although I didn't care for Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division as that was kinda proto-goth), which this album falls into.

Lucretia My Reflection and Driven Like the Snow being the standouts for me, with the bass just laying down the vibe. Not as big on songs like This Corrosion, with its more stadium rock/pop drum sounds and guitar solos. I want more melancholy/morose vibes, and that song does not provide it, haha. Cool guitar/strings work on Never Land - A Fragment and some interesting Egyptian (?) sounding guitar licks on Flood II.

Still a great goth rock record though.

Don't have much to say other than nearly everything on this record is a winner (if not everything. Hard to remember stuff when its nearly 2 hours long). I mentioned yesterday how The Sex Pistols album was the longest 39 minutes I've listened to (despite liking the record), this is the shortest hour and fourty six minutes I've listened to, haha. Even silly little songs like Apple Scruffs are good.

And you can tell a lot of these tracks feel like holdovers from his Beatles days. Had The Beatles used some of these, their records would have been different, but still great.

Don't know if the instrumentals at the end "count" as part of the original tracklist (they were there originally, but they're different from everything else on the record), but those could have been left off, honestly, even if they too are great. Especially the Chuck Berry worship in Thanks for the Pepperoni.

Definitely gonna listen to it again to see if I want to playlist anything and see if my opinion changes (I could see it getting a 5 on subsequent listens, my only problem really is the length even if everything is great. Double/triple albums are gonna struggle to get a 5 from me no matter how good they are. But off the top of my head, this is the best one I've heard).

Honestly, going into this after never hearing it before, I was expecting a really poorly produced, unlistenable mess, especially with what I've heard about it before.

But what I got was a generally well produced, catchy punk record. Problems I think is the standout to me. The shenanigans of the members outside the band notwithstanding, its just a solid record I felt. Pretty repetitive and the longest 39 minutes I've ever listened to (which is insane for a punk record. Usually these things feel breezy), but the repetition kinda wore.

Not something I'd ever go back to, theres much better punk records out there, but yeah, solid.

Fantastic soul record, and damn near perfect. Every song is a winner, just pretty samey throughout.
Not much more to say.

Pretty solid prog-pop. A classic in Bloody Well Right, but the rest didn't really hit me. Couple songs that I didn't like (Hide In Your Shell and Dreamer). They got a kinda silly, childish sound that I feel like a lot of 70's prog bands would dip into and I'm not a fan.

Overall though, baffles me this album was picked over Breakfast in America, which has way more hits on it. Not that this record doesn't deserve it, but BiA should have been put in before Crime of the Century was even considered.

If you know me, EDM is not my thing, so me giving this a 4, you know its good. Dunno what it is, its just a good vibe. And it sounds like it was extremely forward thinking. Wouldn't expect this sound from the mid eighties to early 90's. Feels more 2010s to me.

Gives me John Wick vibes, but if he were bumping around in the Mirror's Edge universe. Maybe a little Metroid Prime-y on Hedphelym.

Country/bluegrass isn't really my thing, especially old school stuff like this, but I can at least appreciate it if it's good.
And I'm not gonna hold it against it, but 2 hours is maybe a tad much.

Nashville Blues goes hard though. Kinda feels like that song is a very early precursor to genres like gothic country, dark folk, or murderfolk. Good stuff.

Devil Went Down to Georgia jumpscare with Lonesome Fiddle Blues as well. Gonna be honest, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band did it better.

2nd disc really leaning heavy on stuff that's either old country/bluegrass standards or music artists in the future have definitely "borrowed" as I'm hearing a ton of licks and stuff I've heard before.

Listening to this album is like listening to a Frankenstein's monster of a bunch of other artists, and its much lesser than the sum of its parts. I will say, most of the comparisons I have are to artists who came after this record was released, so props for likely being very influential, its just if it is influential, those artists just do it better.

It's like the weird slacker vibes of Beck mixed with the blues of The White Stripes (and Beck), with the flow of Kool Keith/Dr. Octagon, with the alt rock/hip hop experimentation of Gorillaz, with some early Red Hot Chili Peppers funk.

But again, all those artists are just so much better. I will say I quite enjoy the weird, bluesy, laid back/loose/sloppy vibe and instrumentation. The drums particularly are great. But what does this album in are the vocals/lyrics. G. Love's vocals are basically the same vibe as the instrumentation. Loose and sloppy, but they don't work for me. And he's giving us some absolutely deep and thoughtful lyrics such as "I like cold beverage, yeah/Uh, 'cause I'm feelin' kinda thirsty". Truly a lyrical genius, haha. Not that lyrics necessarily matter, I listen to plenty of bands where I don't care at all about the lyrics, but the lyrics here just seem so noticeably dumb that I can't ignore them. Naming his backing band "Special Sauce" tracks.

Special Sauce has the special sauce, but G. Love does not.

Dunno if I have a ton to say about this. One of those albums that while I don't think I'll playlist anything, its one of those albums that just "feels" great. "I don't need to pay attention to the lyrics to know they're great" kinda music.

Side note, how the hell is Pastel Blues not on the list?

Just a damn good soul record. Respect is obviously the big one, but Don't Let Me Lose This Dream, with its tropical vibe just hit.

The second half of the record is not quite as strong IMO. Good Times and Save Me is a tad old school blues for my taste, and am not huge on the country-soul of Do Right Woman, Do Right Man, but its still great, and the soul aspect of all those elevates them enough for me.

I can't figure out how anyone could possibly enjoy this record, and yet it's somehow regarded as a masterpiece?

Mid tempo slop with musical ideas that couldn't sustain themselves for 30 seconds, let alone the 7 and 8 and a half minute runtimes on some of these songs. Iggy Pop doing his worst David Bowie impression (and while it shouldn't be a shock, it was surprising to me that Bowie was involved on this record), sounding like he's phoning it in the whole time. 90% of this record the music refuses to do anything fun or interesting, with absolutely no drive to it.

China Girl and Tiny Girls are the only tracks that have any meat on the bones, and even then they're tepid.

This album is the musical equivalent of spoiled milk. It's incredibly off putting, like it was left out in the sun too long and now it's starting to get that stomach churning curdled smell.

It's hilarious reading the professional reviews of this album because they're perfectly describing the album yet somehow arriving at the conclusion that it's good?

"A necrophiliac's delight!"

"[He] doesn't sound alive ... he sounds automated."

"Iggy's got the tainted charisma of a dead poet."

"A very strange, morbid, obscure and unsettling [album]"

Like, my man. Just because it has a good backstory (Iggy and Bowie trying to kick a drug habit) and Bowie is involved doesn't mean you have to like it. You're allowed to say a Bowie project is shit. Be free, rid yourself of this awful album, and you'll never have to listen to it again, lol!

Suffice to say. I felt like an Idiot listening to this album.

Edit: So finally went back and listened to this again. I stand by pretty much everything on here. But I will be bumping up the score to a 2* because China Girl and Tiny Girls are more solid than I gave them credit for.