Reviews by x-minor_miracle-x

#316

Heard Before?
Heck yes.

Notes:
- I first heard Scott Walker in 2006, when The Drift was released. it was my album of the year, and remains a favorite.
- i was vaguely aware that he had a career before becoming a painful provocateur, but for some reason was fine just enjoying Tilt, Bish Bosch and Soused.
- but then i finally worked my way backwards (skipping over the lame 70s records) and Scott fully became my favorite male vocalist ever.
- this is probably the best of the four self-titled albums, and "Jackie" is my karaoke go-to.
- I've mentioned this often, but cabaret as a genre is criminally underrepresented and underappreciated in anglophone music.

Verdict:
Too much is just enough. Over the top is the only place to be.

Listen Again?
Most assuredly.

#315

Heard Before?
Never!

Notes:
- yes, it is jazz, but so funky and danceable. chill disco with lots of solos?
- oddly enough, the title track was my least favorite. the vocals were fine, but the song as a whole felt directionless.
- can production be both warm and dry? that's how it felt to me.
- as usual for me, i couldn't get enough of the keyboard parts.

Verdict:
Feel the groove, make the move.

Listen Again?
I'll certainly try it.

#314

Heard Before?
Uncountable times.

Notes:
- production-wise, it's the least bad-sounding Pixies album. the mix is servicable, but I'm still not crazy about the guitar tones and drum sounds.
- every Pixies album could use more Kim Deal. this one has the most, so it makes sense that it's the best. conversely the Breeders albums could use a bit of Frank Black.
- for reasons I can't discern, "Wave of Mutilation" is my favorite Pixies song. except maybe "Velouria".
- unpredictable song structures, boffo lyrics, ridiculous vocals, terrific guitar counterpoint, simple but effective killer basslines, solid drumming. ticks all the boxes for me.
- my favorite thing about the American underground in the 80s is that terms like grating, jarring and bizarre became cardinal virtues. Pixies took all that and also made it pop. ka-blam!

Verdict:
Performative weirdness made perfectly accessible.

Listen Again?
I don't need to, but why not. Let's do it right now!

#313

Heard Before?
Nope. I've only heard "I Should Coco".

Notes:
- like so many 90s albums, the brickwall production really kills it for me. all mono, guitars layered for no reason and too loud, bass buried, drums overcompressed, vocals drained of dynamics and expression, lots of nifty extra instruments worked into the arrangements, but then buried underneath everything else. yuck.
- it's all too bad, because there are some interesting songs lurking behind this awful mix.
- so yes, i strongly prefer the cheaper sounding debut, even though their pop chops are sharper here.
- a second listen, this time on a car stereo, proved much more rewarding. there really are some great song ideas and all the horn and synth parts liven up the proceedings.

Verdict:
I was there when this sound was big. I've moved on. But a decent set of fun songs.

Listen Again?
Maybe? I've got mixed feelings.

#312

Heard Before?
Not in a very long time.

Notes:
- i say this all the time, but sequencing matters. what a well-balanced album. "Supernaut" gains extra punch from its placement.
- love the mellotron on "Changes".
- song for song it doesn't really compare to Paranoid, but what does?
- although i would argue that there's a degree of lyrical sophistication that was lacking earlier. but that's not why we are here.
- the mix is weird and murky, but that works.
- a second listen confirms that what it lacks in hooks it makes up for with atmosphere. it's heavy, it's metal.

Verdict:
While not epochal or genre-defining, it shows the full breadth and power of the original lineup.

Listen Again?
For sure!

#311

Heard Before?
Never even heard of it. Given what I know of this list, that probably means it's both British and bad.

Notes:
- yup. British and bad.
- but if i wanted a concise summary of UK dance clichés circa 1999, this would be perfect.
- laziest drum programming, some ok basslines, valiantly vapid guest vocals, dull pads, boring melodic bits and not much else.

Verdict:
Occasionally danceable, but horrendously trite. The cover is right: this sounds like a shopping bag looks.

Listen Again?
Ha!

#310

Heard Before?
Duh.

Notes:
- one of my favorite opening tracks ever. and the song, despite being overplayed, holds up. i also completely enjoy the cover versions by Faith No More and especially Cake.
- i was going to call the album front loaded, but side B is every bit as wacky and exciting. it just lacks a "Planet Caravan" for balance.
- it's clichéd to say this, but everything i love about metal is already here in full force.
- Ozzy is one of my key examples of a musician who makes virtues of their limitations.
- unlike most current metal, the arrangements and production have lots of space. everything can breathe, and breathe fire.

Verdict:
Magnificent, ridiculous, inescapable, essential.

Listen Again?
I don't need to, but i might. One of very few overplayed records on this list that I'm at all tempted to revisit.

#309

Heard Before?
Nope.

Notes:
- there was a brief moment where Rod Stewart could do no wrong as a vocalist. this is just before that time.
- so many terrific Ronnie Wood basslines.
- production is the right amount of scuzzy.
- "Morning Dew" is easily one of the great songs of the era. this isn't the best version, however, as overworking the song reduces its impact. the whole point is its starkness.
- other songs fare better with these amped up arrangements, although the song choices are all odd. give me Bolero any day, but the rest i can live without.
- oh yeah, there's also lots of guitar on this record. good on ya, Jeff. keep playing that guitar.

Verdict:
The real truth is that Mr Beck does very well at not being the star of his own record.

Listen Again?
Don't need to. But it was fine, and helped me fill in yet another late 60s gap in my listening.

#308

Heard Before?
Nope.

Notes:
- i was really into this kind of pop rock in the 90s, not so much now.
- a huge part of that is production like this - big mono, overcompressed, jam packed for no reason. nothing sounds quiet OR loud and all the instruments are mashed together.
- it's really too bad, because there are some neat touches (like the strimg arrangements) that get completely buried. argh!
- performances from the three musicians are lacklustre at best. the vocalist attempts to make the best of his limitations (while being drowned out by useless layers of guitar), and everything else is consistently unremarkable.
- the only interesting sounds happen in the last minute of the final song.
- that said, i would gladly listen to re-recorded versions of many of these songs, as the writing itself is often interesting, in a classic power pop way that i love. give me "Enola / Alone" any day.

Verdict:
Nifty alt-rock torpedoed by poor decisions in the studio.

Listen Again?
Nope.

#307

Heard Before?
Yup.

Notes:
- i like the idea of this album much more than i like any of the songs. the sequencing is just right, with each of the four sides thematically balanced. a great way to expand the Led Zeppelin sound.
- unfortunately it starts with the most clichéd material, almost like self-parody. i had to grit my teeth to make it all the way through "In My Time Of Dying". eek.
- after that we get two sets of often interesting, always too long songs, performed with vigour and recorded just right.
- by that point i was starting to think i had actually enjoyed myself.
- but then side four is such obvious filler i could only roll my eyes and wait for it to end.

Verdict:
The Zep: Now with genre cosplay!

Listen Again?
A number of these songs are unavoidable, but I won't be putting it on by choice.

#306

Heard Before?
Only "The Humpty Dance".

Notes:
- the whole sex packets idea is horribly fascinating. sexual objectification in the most literal sense. would it solve the incel problem? of course not, because the problem isn't sexual intercourse (or lack of it), but patriarchal power dynamics and the hatred of women.
- that said, every song on here is truly embarrassing, but I'll give points to "Humpty Dance", "Underwater Rimes" and "Doowutchyalike" for being so terrible in a funny way.
- "Gutfest 89" and "Freaks of the Industry" are two of the least sexy sex songs I've ever heard, while "Danger Zone" is an even less effective anti-drug song than anything on the Scruff McGruff album.
- there are certainly some decent samples and fine beats, but not enough to distract from the atrocious raps.

Verdict:
Well, it's certainly memorable.

Listen Again?
Ummm, no.

#305

Heard Before?
Only "Preacher".

Notes:
- i have very mixed feelings about this sort of "let's hand the singer some random pop songs" albums. but this one is fine and dandy, the mix is great, and the orchestrations, while typical of the era, work well with the material.
- terrific selection of songs. Dusty is fabulous here, but it's always great to hear the work of Goffin & King, Bacharach & David, and (to a lesser extent) Randy Newman. "Windmills of Your Mind" has been one of my favorite songs for many years, and she nails that too.
- again, what a versatile and exciting singer.

Verdict:
Big, bold blue eyed soul.

Listen Again?
After three times today, I'm not dying to hear it again soon, but I'm sure I'll revisit it some time.

#304

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN WE HAVE A TWO-ALBUMS-PER-ARTIST LIMIT, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY?

Heard Before?
Yup. I'm Canadian so at this point I think we are born knowing this album.

Notes:
- it seems that glorifying femicide gets you one step closer to musical immortality.
- he became a much better lyricist later.
- the mix is ... bad? cheap drums, muddy bass, distorted vocals, and instruments separated by lazy stereo panning instead of by EQ.
- interminable, stilted guitar solos.
- but for all the dirt and laziness, there's a certain charm that i wish i could ignore.
- I'm not generally opposed to old Uncle Neil, and I've certainly spent a lot of time in the company of his songs, but album-by-album i find a lot that doesn't hold up to close listening.

Verdict:
A lot of underrealized potential, with an opening track that is a stone-cold classic for reasons I can't discern.

Listen Again?
I don't need to.

#303

Heard Before?
Well I haven't been living under a rock for 25 years...

Notes:
- except for the cliché-but-enjoyable DJ feature, the songs are indistinguishable and interchangeable. but contrasting sections within the songs gives enough illusion of variety.
- I'm mostly sick to death of standard rock instrumentation, so even chintzy synths and rote turntablism are welcome. anything to get away from that horrid guitar tone.
- the mix is uncannily well-balanced, but with so much compression that it never sounds quiet OR loud. on the other hand it sounds just as good (if not better) on crappy earbuds as on a big stereo.
- the blend of various (and multitracked) vocal styles would be a standout element if it hadn't been so derivative and then feverishly imitated by thousands of even worse acts in the intervening years.
- desperately, painfully plainspoken lyrics that wiser people would be ashamed to write in their diaries oscillate between whining and blaming. highly relateable for assholes everywhere.

Verdict:
The only thing worse than men who don't share their feelings is men who do.

Listen Again?
If only I could avoid it.

#302

Heard Before?
Many many times. This came out when I was in high school and it took my friend group by (quiet) storm, sounding like the opposite of everything we thought was cool at the time. Layered production, breathy female vocals, clave, strings, synths, vocoders, sexy boys? Unimaginable. Now suddenly I wanted to be a sexy boy in a French band.

Notes:
- so this is one of a handful of records that changed how i listened to records. - but that was a long time ago, and there are no longer any surprises here. all these elements are familiar to me and I've heard all their influences as well, from Bacharach and Gainsbourg to various strains of lounge, exotica, experimental synth, AM pop, etc, etc.
- I've also heard their whole discography, which is mostly diminishing returns, except for the sublime Talkie-Walkie.
- but in my opinion this album still holds up. the arrangements are superb, the production sparkles, the guest vocals are heavenly, every song has a lovely strange momentum and the sequencing is ideal. i almost appreciate it more now that the novelty has worn off.
- and then suddenly in the midst of all this genre-mashing gallic cleverness we have "You Make It Easy", a genuinely heart-rending ballad. gorgeous.

Verdict:
Mood music for the terminally uncool.

Listen Again?
Yes, and soon.

#301

Heard Before?
I was there.

Notes:
- over-fucking-use of a certain motherfucking word diminishes its fucking impact, fuckers.
- i was never an angry young man, so nu-metal was never my thing. at the same time i hear this as more artistically viable than Limp Bizkit or Korn.
- unvarying guitar and bass tones with little in the way of hooks keep the emphasis on the songwriting, with mixed results.
- I'm a fan of extreme vocal styles, and this fits the bill.
- "Soil" was my favorite song this time around. Very well structured.

Verdict:
Overwhelming carnivalesque vocals with underwhelming stuttering instrumentals.

Listen Again?
Nope.

#300

Heard Before?
Many times.

Notes:
- some of my favorite sounding drums ever.
- the mix is delightfully uneven, with stupidly loud bass and kick drum. it's the sound of the obnoxious car stereos of the 90s.
- lauryn hill is so embarrassingly talented it hurts. an unparalleled rapper, singer, songwriter in equal proportion.
- listening again after so long, the bloom is off the rose a bit. the album is too long, and droops in the final third. i don't think anyone needs that cheeseball Paul Anka cover.

Verdict:
On release, this taught me what a great rap/r&b album. The star has only dimmed slightly with time.

Listen Again?
I don't need to, but it is truly wonderful. So maybe, but not for a long time.

#299

Heard Before?
Nope. I love George Jones, but I'm only familiar with compilations.

Notes:
- so there's a formula. and this album fits the singles+filler model that has always dominated the country music industry.
- that said, this is the work of experts, cold hearted professionals, tweaking classic ideas for maximum emotional impact. performances are note perfect and George sings wonderfully.
- lots of great pathos in the lyrics, but nothing that was truly knife-twisting or tear-jerking, with the possible exception of the title track.
- "Weatherman" is my favorite here, and i appreciate his attempt to gently bite the hands that feed him on the closing track.

Verdict:
All George Jones songs are equal, but some are more equal than others. Stick with compilations.

Listen Again?
I saved several tracks.

#298

Heard Before?
Nope.

Notes:
- a Love album that's not Forever Changes? Really?!
- first track is thrilling, if a little silly. love the little 5/8 bridge.
- flute and organ parts are exciting throughout.
- affected vocals start to wear on me by track 3. but at least the song structures are interesting and varied.
- woah, there! final track is truly atrocious, if comical in places.

Verdict:
Like a plane crash, it starts off with a lot of promise, gets awfully fascinating, and then ends in disaster.

Listen Again?
Not a chance, unless I get total amnesia about that last song.

#297

Heard Before?
Yes.

Notes:
- the class of '77 is crowded with winners, but this is my top favorite.
- production is perfectly dirty. arrangements are so minimal that everything is separated.
- minimal, yes, but they wrangle a huge variety of songs from almost nothing. the breadth of sounds, moods , structures and themes is impressive.
- a perfect example of how musicianship is so much more than just instrumental prowess.
- ends on a real banger.

Verdict:
I want to kiss a man so Wire can get me in a corner.

Listen Again?
For sure!