Reviews by uls980

Was really good, just didn't really wow me either. Kinda like an OK Computer era Radiohead if they mixed in Billy Joel influence?

Great record. I think maybe better than Fever to Tell? Have to go back to that, but I gave that a 4 as well.

Heads Will Roll and Dull Life being the standouts.

If I had a nickel for every great piano driven song called Runaway (Kanye's and now YYY's), I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird it's happened twice.

I will complain a little, as great as both YYYs albums are, I don't think the list needs two records from them. Be tough to pick which to keep though.

This one's gonna get me crucified, but I'm not a Prince fan. It's a collection of immaculately produced and performed songs that just do nothing for me.
And every time he goes into his high pitched screeches, it just takes me out of it.

The one song that I enjoy, When Doves Cry still has the issue of being two minutes too long.
Let's Go Crazy is a solid track too, but that's my extent of enjoyment from this record. It's just too pristine and doesn't have enough grit for me, and even when he tries to add the grit I'm looking for (such as with the aforementioned screams/screeches), it falls flat for me.

I admit this album is good (and probably great), it's just not for me.

Finally some more metal, haha. This list is in desperate need of it.

Not usually a big fan of groove metal. Previously gave Pantera's album Vulgar Display of Power a 3/5. And while this album has a lot of that feel, it's got enough death metal in it along with the Brazillian tribal grooves to elevate it for me.

Weirdly, the biggest song from the record, Roots Bloody Roots, is probably the weakest track for me, but its still solid.

The album is on the long side so can't really pick songs out specifically, but its very consistent the whole way through. I'd cut the album down personally, but there isn't a wasted minute on this thing either.

Edit: After getting Sepultura's Arise, I'm bumping this down to a 3. Arise is better and definitely worth the 4. I'm not as huge on groove metal, and Roots is a little on the lengthy side.

This is probably that hardest album for me to rate so far. I can't give it a 4 because stuff like Duran Duran's Rio and New Order's Technique are just clearly better (which I gave 4s to). This album wears its influences on it's sleeves and isn't particularly original even if it is influential itself (I thought I heard The Look of Love Pt 4 before but nope, I'm remembering Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time. Better song, but clearly influenced by ABC).

But I also don't want to give it a 3/5 because it's clearly a cut above. It may not be original, but its easily one of the most competent 80's pop records I've heard. I will say the flow of the lyrics/singing is the weak point. Kinda got a slight 80's hip hop Hit. Every. Word. On. The. Beat. feel.

The most 3.5 album to rule the world, lol.
But it'll have to settle with a 3 because it's just not Duran Duran.

Another one of those good albums that just don't do much for me. The Weight is a classic and while the album comes off to me as a better Grateful Dead, it still doesn't do a ton for me. No complaints from me, but minimal praises.

Very close to a 4 for me, but somethings not hitting my ears right. Definitely parts of it is Win Butler's vocals I don't think are very good.

Wake Up is a classic, and I generally enjoy most of the rest of the record, especially everything after Wake Up, but yeah, just not quite doing it for me.

It's fine. Don't really got anything to say about it, just doesn't do much for me.

Very good blues. Generally not my thing, but got enough of a Fallout-core thing going on that I enjoy it a little more than most blues. The crowd reactions are great and his voice is fantastic.

So I kinda skipped ahead and listened to some Cure, Joy Division, and New Order records before getting them on this list (didn't care much for Joy Division. Liked some of The Cure. I can't remember the New Order record I listened to). Didn't listen to Technique ahead of time though, but I will say listening to those albums ahead of time has definitely helped me appreciate 80's post-punk/new wave/synth pop music a lot more. Previously I really only enjoyed Depeche Mode and a little bit of Souxie and the Banshees because a lot of these bands trade in 80's styles that aren't really my thing, and tend to be sickeningly bittersweet. And I generally wasn't huge on male fronted new wave in the past.

That said, aside from a shaky start on the first song, this album is back to back to back bangers. Lyrics can be a bit off (not a fan of the "I do so much for you but you keep picking assholes who don't appreciate you, I could love you better" lyrics of Love Less, but the music and singing are great).

This album comes off as very Depeche Mode but in major? Which is probably why I ended up enjoying it so much, because Depeche Mode is great.

This is the type of blues rock I can get behind. Not the deep blues stuff Rolling Stones do (not that there's anything wrong with it, just isn't my thing), but blues rock that's primarily rock.

Classics all around on this album. Consistent throughout in sound (although a bit to a fault). Feel like Gibbons heard Duran Duran's album Rio and decided ZZ Top needed to keep up, but just in a blues rock way instead of moving to New Wave.

Some questionable lyrics and one dud of a song (I'm looking at you TV Dinners), but overall a very enjoyable record.

I can't help but notice this album feels like he took the best parts of 80's rock and just added country into the equation. Whether he was the influencer or the influenced, I don't know, but ultimately it's generally just fine to me? I'm not huge on country so it takes something special to get me interested, and I'm not hearing anything I haven't before (although thats partially a factor of it being 40 years old).

That said, and couple tracks on the back end are solid, Fearless Heart and Little Rock 'N' Roller. But yeah. Not really my thing.

Feels like John Mellencamp but Mellencamp did the heartland rock thing better.

This type of music is tailored made to get a 3 from me. Not because I'm not into it or because it's just not great, but moreso it tends to be experience music (dancing, soundtracks, restaurant/bars music) and not listening music for me. Like 99% of the time I can't imagine myself listening to it in the car or something.

And this album kinds still is that, but this is special. There's layers and little stuff in it that makes it stand above most other music of similar styles I've heard. Songs like Chan Chan, El Cuarto de Tula, Das Gadenias, and Buena Vista Social Club just have a vibe I love. Very dark speakeasy type music.

Some of the more upbeat tracks I'm not so hot on, but they're still solid.

If I had a real complaint, it'd mostly be that some of the songs (especially early on) tend to be repetitive and overly long, but there's enough riffing and soloing that it doesn't bother me a lot.

Up front, not a fan of the porny jazz-funk.
It just sounds cheesy and embarrassing to me. Maybe when it came out it didn't have that connotation, but it does now for me.

But honestly what's really doing this album in for me is the god awful singing. Can't stand his voice. Even on the one decent song, Dancing, it absolutely ruins the track.

Close to a 1, but there's enough talent here (and the instrumental of Dancing) to save it from scraping the bottom of the barrel.

It's almost offensive that this album is called Playing With Fire. Revolution is the first track that actually has any grit or bop to it (five songs in!!!), and it still manages to drone on and bore. Why was How Does It Feel so long? Honestly, it feels like my time was being wasted. Can the song Suicide please end, my God.

At the very least, what is here is at least pleasant, if excruciatingly boring, so it doesn't get a 1, but this album is tough.

Just some great bar jazz. Type of stuff I'd love to hear while sitting in a basement speakeasy, eating a salmon dinner, and drinking a whiskey cocktail.

Love some of the teasing riffs they got going on here. Some passages that are almost catchy and would be if they repeated or had a few more notes put on, but aren't. Also love when the bass leads or the drums do the shuffling (like on the first track).

The album is on the long side, but the quality is consistent throughout.

Really enjoyed this, just chill listening.

Gonna be honest, I audibly groaned at seeing it was a sophisti-pop album. Feel like I've gotten one or two of those before and didn't like them.

That said, pretty solid album. Think the first half is stronger than the second half. Appetite is great.
Even when its trading in a lot of 80's sounds and production styles that I normally would dislike, it doesn't come off as unbearable to listen.

And compared to other sophisti-pop records I've listened to, it's very consistent in sound and style throughout.

That said, it sounds like a lot of music that I do dislike, it just happens to be the best version of that music I've heard, so while it's still not really my thing, I can appreciate that it is good.

Like if Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, and Father John Misty had a baby together, but not as good.

The music itself is actually fairly top notch but the singing just feels derivative, and the lyrics feel like Father John Misty (especially on If...), but without his weirdness and whit to stop them from feeling dumb.

Throw this on the pile of albums I honestly don't think belongs on the list. Apparently the album's biggest claim to fame (aside from being used as a theme for a British TV show) is being included in the book, so thats the biggest tell to me.

Pretty good album that has a decent breadth of sounds. I really liked the opener as it was very Bob Seger. Join the Boys definitely influenced Big & Rich's Save A Horse (Ride a Cowboy). Somebody Loves You is giving me slight vibes of Katrina and the Waves' Walking on Sunshine (Armatrading obviously making her song first).

But like Big Brother and the Holding Company and Rolling Stones, blues rock doesn't do much for me. Definitely enjoying this one a bit more than the other blues rock records I've gotten so far. Joan had a great voice.

First of all, dude's an unhinged nazi and aside from re-listening to him for the purposes of this project, I make a point of not listening to his stuff because I don't even want to give him $0.0001 for listening to his stuff on Spotify. Don't feel good even spending fractions of cents to bankroll his platform.

But for the purposes of this project, since his awful views aren't present in the lyrics/materials of his albums included on this list, I will rate them based on the art present (whereas previously I got a Serge Gainsbourg album that has lyrics talking about grooming and raping an underage girl. Regardless of the quality of the music, that gets a 1 from me).

All that said, this is an all-time classic of an album. So many great hits. POWER, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway. This was Kanye at his absolute peak. Sure there are still the cringe bars that Kanye always had, but damn if this album isn't catchy and amazingly produced. The vibe/instrumental of So Appaled is insane. Shoutout to Nicki Minaj's verse on Monster, easily the best verse in her career, absolutely blowing both Kanye and Jay Z's verses on that track out of the water. Bon Iver closing out the track is just icing on the cake.

There are a few songs that aren't as solid as I remember, Hell of A Life and Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America, although still good. Blame Game did not need that outro. But still a fantastic album.