Reviews by x-minor_miracle-x

#256

Heard Before?
Most assuredly. Since as long as I can remember I've been interested in the extreme in art. One of the first heavy albums that made sense to me.

Notes:
- one of my first thoughts about this list was "will we get anything actually noisy?" so kudos are due.
- few albums have such obvious goals and accomplish them so thoroughly. the fact that this music still manages to alienate people all these years later is an artistic triumph and gives me warm feelings about art in general.
- although obviously it's a sad thing that it is still politically relevant.
- the mix is thin, shrill, and muddy, with the cymbals dominating every track. deal with it.
- short songs that make a point. songwriters take note.
- i recently slagged Metallica for not understanding how silly metal is. this is what I'm talking about. Napalm Death is unironic and have a serious message. but they get there by leaning into the absurdity of the genre. it's perfect because there is nothing cool about this music. it's as much of a soft target as Celine Dion. but they don't care.

Verdict:
You suffer? No, YOU suffer.

Listen Again?
By now, there are many many albums that sound like this. But sometimes it's still interesting to revisit origin points.

#255

Heard Before?
Nope. Heard some of their other work, though.

Notes:
- multiple vocalists is always good.
- yet another album that probably would reward any attention i paid to the lyrics. but i didn't.
- some memorable riffs, a hooky chorus here and there, but otherwise a total drag.
- why does the whole band have to play the entire time? can't there be any space?
- every song too long and at least half could be cut.
- final track leans best into the dreary endlessness of it all, plus finally features a non-guitar instrument. glad i made it to the end.

Verdict:
Slogging rock opera.

Listen Again?
Nope.

#254

Heard Before?
Many times. I'm so old that my bandmates think it will be cool to cover "Sabotage".

Notes:
- yet another argument for this list having a two-albums-per-artist limit.
- this album marks the point at which i completely stopped paying attention to Beastie Boys lyrics.
- which is good because they become less distinct and more recycled from here on.
- the singles really pop, almost distractingly so. for a long time "Root Down" was my favorite song of theirs.
- a goldmine of samples and studio grooves. repetitive but worth repeating.
- my main feeling is confusion - it all sounds so wonderful to me. so many sounds and moments that i love. at the same time it leaves me empty by the end. an album i only love while it's playing.

Verdict:
Busy funky jams be bringing the freak / overall impression is uneven and weak

Listen Again?
Probably not, or at least not the whole thing.

#253

Heard Before?
How could I not? Also, I'm obligated to say THIS LIST NEEDS A TWO-ALBUMS-PER-ARTIST LIMIT, NOW!

Notes:
- as a Steve Albini fan, i automatically prefer this to Nevermind.
- i think all the best Nirvana song titles are here.
- songwriting is the most varied of any of their albums, and this time I was engaged from front to back. no small feat for an overplayed mainstream album.
- the tightest and most focused they ever got - this album gives me the best sense of Nirvana as a full band.
- "Scentless Apprentice" could almost be a Big Black song.
- sequencing here is exemplary, with the ideal finishing track.
- revisiting Nirvana after many years didn't teach me anything, but i appreciate his vocals more than ever. his expressive range is phenomenal - even as a boring old man, i can feel all the feelings.

Verdict:
Messy, ugly but full of life-force. Something to be expelled. Like a placenta.

Listen Again?
Not going to seek it out or run away.

#252

Heard Before?
Nope. I was always told "Up The Bracket" was much better and I never made it past that.

Notes:
- maybe i should have paid attention to the lyrics. there might be something of interest.
- some nifty guitar interplay.
- fine if undistinguished rhythm section.
- acceptable production values.
- no songs of any interest to me.

Verdict:
Maybe you had to be there.

Listen Again?
No thanks.

#251

Heard Before?
Yes, but not in twenty years.

Notes:
- i moved on in life to far more interesting and wide ranging metal, so this was both better and worse than I remembered.
- I've known far too much weedly-weedlie in my time, but these solos earn their laurels through complexity and forethought. and they aren't endless.
- some of the songs (like the title track) are marvelously written formalist gems. and some (like "The Thing That Should Not Be") are painful filler.
- i would listen to "Orion" again. it does everything Metallica ever did well in the best way.
- drumming is perfunctory, as is the chugga-chugga rhythm guitar.
- production is typical of the era. too clear, perhaps? or at least waaaaay too much vocal. and those guitar and bass tones can just up and die already. blargh.
- i get enough self-righteous barking from my Dad, Mr. Hetfield. you missed your calling as a gym teacher.
- but the worst part of it all for me is the complete lack of self-awareness, the ludicrous seriousness that weighs down every song. no wonder they are beloved of emotionally stunted males the world over.

Verdict:
Metal is the silliest genre. Metallica ignores this at their peril - and yours.

Listen Again?
That's enough, thank you.

#250

Heard Before?
Yes, but not with much attention.

Notes:
- the highlights on Key of Life are more exciting to me, but this might be the most satisfying front-to-back Stevie Wonder album.
- as with Talking Book, every element is so well-considered and fits together so well that i find analysis difficult.
- like many of the big names, there are too many Stevie albums on this list. but if you absolutely to have two of them, this and Key of Life for sure.
- minor quibble about sequencing: the final two songs should be switched. "Don't You Worry" feels like a triumphant closer.

Verdict:
Essentially everything I love about the music (and especially the production) of the 70s can be found in Stevie Wonder.

Listen Again?
Yup.

Heard Before?
Yup.

Notes:
- so none of my favorite Ian Dury songs are here, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying it.
- stupidly funny lyrics still make me smirk, even after many listens.
- flaunts his unconventional frontman charisma in every song.
- wild genre variation, with music-hall tunes deserving special mention.
- driest cymbals, poppingest snare, funkiest bass. bring it on!
- great sequencing, finishes with a bang! one of my favorite power moves.
- i would still recommend the Sex n Drugs compilation over this. oh well. of all the new-wave era UK tripe we've had to slog through, this at least deserves a wider audience.

Verdict:
Gregarious, goofy, gung-ho, grotesque, golden.

Listen Again?
Sure thing. It's a fun old time.

Heard Before?
Not at all.

Notes:
- many exciting ingredients, mashed a bit by overly dense production.
- but a solo album by a Beach Boy should be a vocal showcase and this is emphatically not. for me, all of his various attempts at vocal styles are exactly and transparently that - attempts.
- so for every daring, unexpected moment, of which there are plenty, there is a flat, unconvincing lead vocal.
- now that I've heard the whole thing, i would say the production is glorious. the drowsy, overstuffed feel is mostly the fault of the songs, which lack both hooks and direction.

Verdict:
Much is thrown at the wall, little of it sticks.

Listen Again?
While I didn't love it, I'm glad I heard it and I did save a couple of songs.

#247

Heard Before?
Yes yes yes.

Notes:
- THIS LIST NEEDS A TWO ALBUM PER ARTIST LIMIT, NOW!
- that said, and while Costello is probably the most over-represented artist on the list, this album deserves inclusion.
- he's a great singer and the perma-snide delivery had on this album yet to wear out its welcome, but does he have to sing so much? every song could use more instrumental space to breathe.
- all these rinky dinky organ parts directly stimulate my brain's pleasure centre. and bring on the acrobatic bass!
- so many fantastic and still-unusual drum patterns. for such an influential album, very few followers have nailed this particular type of rhythmic complexity.

Verdict:
It's the Elvis we want and the Elvis we need.

Listen Again?
Will do. Right now, even.

#246

Heard Before?
Only as part of a Kinks binge of several albums in a day. I've always thought of them more as a singles act.

Notes:
- typical British invasion production with strong stereo separation. still love this. the big mono era and the loudness wars really damaged the whole industry.
- fine vocals. always interesting and detailed guitar parts. but why didn't they use other instruments more often, though? i feel like these arrangements are crying out for organ, horns, strings, etc.
- uniformly excellent songwriting, with clever lyrics, varied structures and a lifetime of ideas crammed into one album. even the songs i don't care for have something intriguing going on.
- "Brainwashed" jumped out this time as a perfect little surprise.

Verdict:
A riot of ideas expressed gloriously with modest means.

Listen Again?
I still think of them as a singles act, but this inspires me to take their albums more seriously.

#245

Heard Before?
Nope. I think I saw it in a book of bad album covers.

Notes:
- we brits, funny innit?
- big dumb riff after big dumb riff combined with drunken gang vocals comes off as fun or grating depending on my mood.

Verdict:
Glam rock without the glamour.

Listen Again?
Nope.

#244

Heard Before?
Just "Le Freak".

Notes:
- I would love to sit in on the sessions at the International Congress of Funk Lyricists.
- nothing about this album screams "necessary", but it is certainly a fun time.
- production is lush, and easy to sink into.

Verdict:
I felt the grooves, I made the moves.

Listen Again?
I can see myself playing it for someone else, or putting it on at a party.

#243

Heard Before?
Of course.

Notes:
- Stevie Wonder is a master of so many things that I can easily forget how he's a master collaborator, who coaxes terrific performances out of everyone.

Verdict:
Awe-inspiring.

Listen Again?
Yes indeed!

#242

Heard Before?
Only the singles.

Notes:
- never got into Springsteen. despite being a union worker, I'm not much for blue-collar anthems.
- so it's with a bit of surprise that I'm thoroughly enjoying this, although I'm still not paying much attention to the lyrics.
- one vocal quality, almost extinct now, which Springsteen shares with many of his 1970s brethren is absolute conviction, performing every song as though it were the best ever written.
- but what sells me on this album most thoroughly are the complex piano-led arrangements, with generous dollops of organ, horns and glockenspiel. thrilling. sometimes the guitar parts seem extraneous, though.
- unfortunately "Jungleland" didn't really do it for me, although i can't really say why.

Verdict:
Huge and anthemic without being bloated and bombastic. The backing band carries the day.

Listen Again?
For sure! Perhaps it's time for me to finally give the man a fair shake.

Heard Before?
Yes. Lots.

Notes:
- i love this album, but TNT would be a much better choice for this list. more accessible, stronger songs, more variety.
- sequencing is just bad. it should open with "Glass Museum". "Djed" should be last and should also be split into several tracks. The sections are distinct so there's no reason to glom it all together as one song.
- but my complaints end where the actual music begins. there are so many good ideas here, so many fascinating performances, so many glorious sounds.
- the mix is nicely bass-heavy, yet everything still sounds crisp.
- more vibraphone!

Verdict:
Iconic and cerebral, it's jam band music for studio rats.

Listen Again?
Not for a long time, but it did remind me that I haven't heard their latest (2025) album, so I'll try that now.

Heard Before?
So much. Once upon a time I LOVED this album, but for whatever reason it has been a few years.

Notes:
- so I'm not really a lyrics guy and seriously I never realized until now that this is "Confederate Nostalgia: The Album". Yikes.
- nothing about this album could have been made before the late 60s, yet it feels convincingly and unceasingly old-timey. quite a nifty trick.
- i really hate the quick-fade endings used on most of the songs.
- sequencing is ideal. so balanced, such a good flow and a perfect finisher.
- wah-pedal clavinet!
- these arrangements get me every time. so much going on, but everything meshes together beautifully. i can't think of a record that better balances multiple keyboard parts song after song.

Verdict:
Some unpardonable lyrics aside, this is, to me a masterpiece. It works like memory does, as an imaginary reconstruction of the past.

Listen Again?
I'll give it another long break, but yes.

Heard Before?
Only the singles.

Notes:
- REALLY sags in the middle.
- they truly are the poets of MIDI horns. never has "orchestra hit" been used so lovingly.
- "i love you / you pay my rent" = dream relationship.
- drum programming is very exciting, with a great palette of sounds.
- "One More Chance" is my all time favorite PSB song.

Verdict:
It's synth! It's pop! It's the Pet Shop Boys!

Listen Again?
Not the whole thing, but I saved a few songs.

#238

Heard Before?
Yes. I'm surprised the list picked volume four. The series is one of diminishing returns.

Notes:
- "random Bible quotations" is one of my favorite songwriting strategies, so the opening track is a winner.
- for every moment of genuine pathos, there are three others that are comically cheesy.
- dragging tempos don't automatically confer emotional resonance.
- this album gives me much more respect for Rick Rubin's business acumen than it does for Johnny Cash's talent.

Verdict:
Mostly nursing home karaoke.

Listen Again?
Nope. Still the weakest one in the series. But the first one is excellent. I'm putting it on right now.

#237

Heard Before?
No. Generally I avoid live rock albums.

Notes:
- DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS DRUMS
- my enjoyment greatly increased when I pictured them all as Muppets, especially with Animal behind the kit.
- recording is meh. sounds like a live album in a stadium. the vocals suffer the most.
- stage banter should have been cut, perhaps it was on the original release (I heard the expanded). they sound like morons.
- none of these songs benefit from extended jam versions. the Who is at their best when things are tight.
- i do have a soft spot for the overcooked basslines.

Verdict:
I can imagine having a great time miming along to this and pretending to be a rock star. But as a home listening experience, I found it tiresome.

Listen Again?
Nope. Although it was more fun than I was expecting.