Reviews by verbaljazz

It's fine. They obviously have some talent.

Would I seek this out to listen again? Probably not
Would I rage if someone were playing this in my presence? Probably not

The sound is wildly inventive, but the overall effect leaves me cold.

Some good songs. Some mediocre songs.

What do you get when you cross an innate sense of melodic songwriting with atonal and purposeless noise experiments?

Sebadoh has some really good songs in their catalog, and Lou Barlow, if he had wanted to, but this sounds like it's often purposefully unpleasant as a rebuke to corporate rock. At the time that was a big deal among indie bands.

Neil Young is such an exceptional songwriter. Down by the River with its extended jam is a true classic.

A relentless onslaught of misdirected rage without nuance, subtlety or variety.

The Trump-loving doctor my mother used to work for, who won't fly on an airplane and always acts like he's on coke loves this band.

The music is alive, urgent and meaningful.

Authentic throwback country album.

Mid to the point where it's not worth the effort to think too deeply about it.

This is a band I missed out on.

The title of this album comes from Adele's love of blackjack. She's been banned from most major casinos because her ability to count cards.

Seriously, what a voice! A well-produced album that captures a mature beyond her years pop sensibility.

Innovative guitar playing. Catchy songs. Dumb lyrics.

People were genuinely mystified that Eddie Van Halen would play keyboard though. There was this belief at the time that using synthesizers did not fit the rock aesthetic, which is also tied into appearing masculine. But I get it, from Eddie's perspective. He was a creative person, and creative people like to stretch their boundaries.

The solos sometimes don't fit the songs, either. They seem shoehorned in because Eddie Van Halen is supposed to have a guitar solo on every song. When you look at the music of the time, it's not entirely out of place.

Now I'm wondering how often the spouses of educators sing "hot for teacher" when they want to get sexy.

If you want to drive someone to the brink of madness, insist that Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" was a cover and that The Cardigans version was the original. Never waver from this assertion even as evidence is presented to you. Now you know how fake news works.

This is a delightful album anchored by "Lovefool."

It's quite possible that Bruce is an underrated songwriter and musician. He can write anthems with the best of them, as well as create the spare, haunting songs on this album.

The piano isn't accompanying the songs so much as breathing its own consciousness into them.

Fantastic album from an enormously influential band.

What often gets overlooked among the experiments with noise, distortion and alternate tunings is how melodic a lot of the songs are. "Teenage Riot" is a perfect example. Once the song kicks off, it's an earworm.

Straight ahead rock sound, with interesting lyrics.

T-Rex was a whole vibe, man.

Giving a voice like that money to produce a record is certainly a choice.

Is there a more idiosyncratic band than Talking Heads? They sound like no one else and vice versa. Tina Weymouth is an underrated bass player.

To be near the end and keep the creative spark alive.