Reviews by x-minor_miracle-x

Heard Before?
Only "Cry to Me" and "Goodbye Baby"

Notes:
- production, lyrics and arrangements all very typical of the era. not a bad thing at all, just not really noteworthy.
- terrific use of backing vocals, acting almost as a greek chorus at times, amplifying the cause of the narrator.
- a bit more mistake variety than i expected. some nice use of 6/8. i especially dig the near-mariachi sound of "Can't Love Em All".
- "Cry to Me" is the big hit for obvious reasons. It's got the most thrilling vocal performances, a terrific melody and a slightly atypical lyrical conceit. I love it.
- really it's all down to Burke, who sells every song completely, inhabiting the characters with intonation that seems improvised and unhinged while being actually careful and restrained.

Verdict:
Very much singles+filler, but Burke's surging, unpredictable vocal work elevates it.

Listen Again?
For sure, if only because my partner is a big soul fan.

Heard Before?
Only "I Shot the Sheriff"

Verdict:
Cream of Wheat: The Album

Listen Again?
Not a chance.

Heard Before?
I was there. It couldn't really be helped.

Notes:
- by far the best thing about the 90s major label alterna-boom is that the mainstream success of lunkhead grunge (like Soundgarden) led to the unprecedented signing and promotion of actually weird acts, delaying the total creative death of rock by about five years.
- this album remains a classic rock dinosaur dressed in grungy flannel.
- most every song is a single riff run into the ground. every song is too long and half of them could have been cut.
- lyrics sound like they could be meaningful, but aren't. thankfully they are absurdly oversung so we get all the feelings without having to think.
- i still have a soft spot for "Spoonman". it's silly and fun.
- production is turgid and blandly typical of the era. little background touches fail to add much of interest.

Verdict:
Another slab of bloated, overplayed, self-serious riff rock. Meh.

Listen Again?
Nope.

Heard Before?
Not since it came out and I had forgotten it completely.

Notes:
- first track sounds uncannily like the Tea Party.
- Lyrics are unnoticeable, which i don't mind at all. Vocals are much better than I remembered. It's not my favorite vocal style, but he's now probably my favorite singer of the grunge era.
- production is bland and overcompressed. carefully attention has been given to make the already dull guitar, bass and drum parts as boring as possible. even in 1996 there is no excuse for that guitar tone.
- but what's this? some nifty arrangements? atypical instrumentation? excellent use of strings? what a pleasant surprise.
- the introduction to "Gospel Plow" teases a potential fascinating detour for the band, before resuming the road to blandsville.
- "Traveler" is genuinely lovely and "All I Know" is demonically catchy. This is also the rare CD era album that isn't too long.

Verdict:
Grunge-lite with some well chosen artistic risks.

Listen Again?
No, but there were some pleasant surprises in any case. Sometimes that's all I need from 1001.

Heard Before?
I was too churchy when it came out, but I've heard it a few times since.

Notes:
- intros and skits should be banned. they are never good to start with, have no replay value, and age terribly.
- some of my favorite ever beats. the magic formula of booming drums, impossibly funky bass, perfect samples and shrill synths triumphs on every song. still stands out from the legion of imitators.
- but of course this is a rap album, so there's some rapping involved, and Dre just ain't great, at all.
- Snoop might still have the most captivating flow in rap, Kurupt and RDX are decent-to-good and Lady of Rage kills it.
- it's easy to see why this is so popular with white suburban teens. I'm old and boring and even i feel cool just listening to this.
- other people are better positioned to discuss the lyrical content. for better or worse that's just not why i listen to rap. I'll only say that i had to work harder than usual to ignore what they were saying. the final track should not exist.

Verdict:
Too much critical ink gets spilled about "timeless" music. Production wise The Chronic boldly encapsulates a very specific moment in the best way. Lyrically it does the exact same but in the worst way.

Listen Again?
Nope. But these beats....

Heard Before?
Only "Peace Love and Understanding"

Notes:
- this list ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a two-albums per artist limit.
- production is flat and overcompressed but otherwise unremarkable, arrangements are politely varied.
- he's a clever lyricist and a fine enough singer, but i just want him to shut up sometimes and let the music play.
- lots of nifty flourishes and spiffy touches, but this does not an album make. none of the songs really cohere for me as a thing i want to spend a lot of time with. notice, admire, move on, forget.
- it's just all so well mannered, so archly professional.

Verdict:
The only problem with prolific songwriters is that they write too many songs.

Listen Again?
Unlikely. But if I do it will be a new experience because I've just gone through this three times and can barely remember it.

Heard Before?
Unavoidable, so yes.

Notes:
- i tell everyone about 1001 and always add the caveat: be prepared to spend a lot of time with music you hate.
- the very first note could be the start of a drone-metal album i would actually enjoy.
- listening deliberately and carefully for the first time ever, i was pleasantly surprised at the stylistic variety, even if their takes on ballads, funk workouts, mid-tempo rock and (especially) rap don't resonate with me.
- why are the vocals the centrepiece of the production? why, lord, why? irritating to begin with, this makes it just that much harder to ignore the truly awful lyrics.
- as mentioned elsewhere, the mix and master job is garbage. yuck.
- the lizard-brain takes over on "I Like Dirt" which is dumb fun that i actually danced to.
- "Porcelain" is such a lovely (although conventional) ballad that i would like to pretend it's from another album.
- everything else is some sort of combination of overplayed, competent and cringe.

Verdict:
Surprisingly varied and ambitious, with dull songs, horrendous vocals and ugly production.

Listen Again?
Don't tease me.

Heard Before?
Yes, indeed.

Notes:
- one of the best parts of 1001 is radical tonal shifts from day to day. yesterday i got Korn.
- I dare you to tell me there is a better singing drummer than Karen Carpenter.
- I've spent my life as a sentimental cheeseball and that's not about to change, so obviously this is right up my alley.
- production is immaculate, arrangements are lush and beautifully balanced, songs are intricately composed, with delightful contrasts and transitions.

Verdict:
Edgeless and glorious, perfect in its own dorky way. Although I should point out this is not the best Carpenters album (that would be "A Song For You").

Listen Again?
As much as I love this and will probably give it another spin, I think all the Carpenters most people need is going to be on their Singles 1969-1973 compilation.

Heard Before?
Sad but true. I was in high school and all the worst people loved this.

Notes:
- my oldest kid discovered 90s pop-punk and nu-metal at age 16, binged all of it, purchased an actual Korn vinyl for real money, and then less than a year later realized their terrible mistake and has been trying to forget all these songs ever since.
- all this is to say that the cultural weight of nu-metal makes it difficult for me to engage with it as actual music, which it certainly is. i don't enjoy judging bands by their fans or image, but here we are.
- this is stupidly written but well-produced, decently arranged, competently and passionately played. i hate every second of it.
- i really despise all the guitar tones, and the same dumb tricks used in every song.

Verdict:
We all have terrible feelings inside of us. There are better ways to deal with them.

Listen Again?
Thankfully unlike some of the overplayed garbage on 1001, this one is easy to avoid.

Heard Before?
Oh yes. Funeral arrived just at the right time to make a significant impact on me, for reasons that are hard to pin down. Maybe you just had to be there. So I kept up with Arcade Fire until the terrible "Everything Now".

Notes:
- dense, claustrophobic production isn't always my favorite, but it perfectly suits these songs.
- very happy they led the glockenspiel revival. too bad it burned out so fast.
- the arrangements are my favorite thing about this album. horns, strings, synths, organ, piano, backing vocals, etc are well used and vary from track to track.
- i always say this, but it's true. yet another group seriously underusing their superior female vocalist. plus more French would be fun.
- sequencing is exemplary even if it drags in the middle. more albums should start with the outlier and end with the two strongest songs.
- all in all, much better than i remembered, but still lacking the impact of the debut.

Verdict:
A perfect example of sophomore slump - more of the same (possibly better) songs but without all the freshness and innovation of the debut.

Listen Again?
I doubt it, but it was interesting to hear it again after writing it off years ago. But yes, this list only needs Funeral.

Heard Before:
Yup. I've never been high in my life, but somehow I'm still the kind of person that everyone thinks would love this.

Notes:
- so many ingredients that i love - dense arrangements, horns, strings, choirs, drones, pillowy drums, crawling tempos, extreme repetition.
- these songs mostly go nowhere, but that's by design. it's best if you surrender. so while the opener is the obvious single and best track, this time around i had the best experience with the closer, all 17 minutes of it.
- the lead vocals grate on me a bit. i think this overstuffed miasma of sound deserves a soaring, operatic sort of lead. but songwriters too often insist on singing their own material.
- the generic "love" lyrics are pointless when clearly all this band loves is big sounds, drugs and themselves.
- the key dilemma with these static, more-is-more songs is that if they don't start strong, they rapidly wear out their welcome. this happened several times for me.

Verdict:
Ambition mixed with bombast, slowly spreading like a warm puddle.

Listen Again?
I've probably heard it enough at this point.

Heard Before?
Yup, although I was very late to the party.

Notes:
- i really hate the production. trebly, too much reverb, the drums sound like garbage and the mix is inconsistent. some cool synth parts, but the eq is awful.
- lyrics are not great - too many clunkers. they should have stuck with icelandic. maybe that's why "Cat" is my favorite song.
- multiple vocalists is exciting, although this guy is, at best, a foil for Bjork.
- not a lot of hooks, but some nifty song structures.
- mixed differently i could potentially really enjoy this. then again, there is so much similar sounding post punk from this era that i like better. you should try Ekaterina Velika.

Verdict:
"hey did you know Bjork was in a post punk-band?"

Listen Again?
Won't avoid, won't seek out.

Heard Before?
Only "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Monday".

Notes:
- perfectly encapsulates the early rhythm and blues formula, in all its innovation and sameness.
- the songs are nothing to speak of really, but the performances sound as vital and vivid as ever.
- i have a soft spot for this era of recording, before multitracking and effects. no one would purposely do that anymore, nor should they. but as a time capsule it is wonderful.
- i love it all: the distant muddy piano, the booming uncompressed drums, the peaking vocal mic, the saxophones that bob and weave, even the mostly inaudible guitar and bass. all is played with verve and energy.

Verdict:
As good an evocation of the era as any, and better than most. Let the blues times roll.

Listen Again?
Probably not, even though it's very good. It certainly inspires me to try more 50s rock n roll that I have missed.

Heard Before?
Yes, plenty of times. Seems like everyone I know had a Jeff Buckley moment.

Notes:
- obviously this is a vocal showcase, and it delivers in every way. the first performance of his I ever heard was "The Way Young Lovers Do" from Live at Sin-é, and I was fine with 10 minutes of vocal stunting.
- this time around the drums really shone. expressive, responsive, dynamic and recorded with a nice live feel. the string arrangements and other production touches are also lovely while not overbearing.
- the guitar and bass parts are mostly perfunctory, but that's ok. they aren't the focus.
- the biggest downfall for me is the songs. he's just not my favorite songwriter and despite having heard these dozens of times over the years, i barely remember them. the hooks aren't there, the lyrics don't resonate and the arrangement could be tighter. "Last Goodbye" is glorious, though.
- fantastic choice of covers, although if i ever have to hear "Hallelujah" again (especially a cosplay version by someone else) i will cover my ears and scream.
- like almost every CD era album, it's too long.

Verdict:
One of the great vocalists of the 90s, if not the whole of rock history, but the album's staying power seems to lie mostly in what could have been.

Listen Again?
I won't be seeking it out, but I'm not opposed.

Heard Before?
Yes, but not in ages.

Notes:
- nearly every song has too many repetitions of the chorus. this is grating for me, no matter how much i like the song.
- great use of lead vocal multitracking and also goofy backing vocals.
- mostly the instrumental parts are simple to the point of mind-numbing. the legacy of punk, i guess.
- thus the album succeeds when it leans hardest into costume party silliness, "Los Rancheros" and "Jolly Roger" being prime examples.

Verdict:
Hard to imagine anyone taking this seriously and it can be truly annoying but I'm here for a campy fun time and it often delivers.

Listen Again?
This list might just kill my love of New Wave through overexposure.

Heard Before?
Yes, a few years ago.

Notes:
- does whistling belong in recorded music? i can never hear it without thinking of Billy Joel and Peter Bjorn and John.
- while I'm namedropping, Air, Portishead and Broadcast all mined similar influences but each managed to take them somewhere new. the palette here is so much less varied. we get imaginary 60s exotica torch ballads and nothing else.
- this despite the consistently gorgeous vocals and lovely spacious production.
- the songwriting is nearly unnoticeable; these songs rise and (mostly) fall on mood and technique alone.

Verdict:
James Bond theme cosplay.

Listen Again?
Nope. The rest of the Goldfrapp discography is similarly uninspiring, but at least they make attempts at variety.

NOTE ABOUT THE LIST:
I know it's pointless, but here I am once again advocating for a two-albums-per-artist limit. Yes, Bowie fans, your precious David is preventing us (and you!) from expanding our musical horizons.

Heard Before?
not at all, despite several attempts to get in Bowie over the years.

Notes:
- I appreciate the tribute to Nina Simone. it's certainly well-sung and a nice change of pace to have a well-written song with decent vocal melodies. at the same time, it doesn't touch her version.
- the title track has parts i enjoy, but all of them go on too long, and the awkward melodies are awkwardly sung. it's bad when the auxiliary percussion and electronic noise are the most exciting parts.
- "Stay" is fun, full-bore disco although why anyone thinks these vocals work is a mystery to me.
- i can appreciate every song. i get what's going on. but i kept feeling like it was just about to get really good and it never did.
- seriously, are these vocals post-ironic?

Verdict:
More Bowie, more persona, long songs, no reason to care. At least it was better than the atrocious and endless "Young Americans".

Listen Again?
Nope. I still find myself wishing i liked Bowie. I would have so much more to talk about with people.

Heard Before?
Several times. I've gone through more than one prog phase.

Notes:
- the lyrics are always cheesy (sometimes outright awful) and the concept is stupid. so what?
- what does bother me is the try-hardy vocals which utterly fail to sound heavy and edgy. much better on the acoustic songs.
- I'm in the minority surely, but i could go for less vocals overall, and maybe more piano or organ. or other winds?
- all the flute parts remain a highlight, even the extended solos.
- that said, the focus here is on the songs themselves and not on wanky solos for their own sake, which i very much appreciate.
- sequencing is wonderful and the album really hangs together as a whole, getting more cohesive with every listen.
- i adore how these songs are structured. yes i want to take notes and analyze, but at the same time they are still fun and exciting. it never feels academic or overcooked.

Verdict:
The proggiest prog, with lots of folk influence and a ridiculous but ignorable story. I love it almost as much as Harmonium's "Les Cinq Saisons".

Listen Again?
Next time I feel the prog urge, certainly.

Heard Before?
Once, a long time ago, when i was working through his whole discography.

Notes:
- i can't think of an artist i respect more yet listen to less than Cohen. maybe it's the minimal (and often cheesy) arrangements, or the lack of vocal ability. as I've said about Dylan, i prefer my music with more going on musically.
- at the same time, Cohen wrote a number of my all time favorite songs (The Future, Tower of Song, You Want it Darker, Bird on a Wire, etc).
- of course, not every song hits that level of genius. lots of them are either a moderately clever mashup of faux-transgressive religion/sex/death musings or a dark and difficult story darkly and obtusely told.
- "Diamonds in the Mine" is actually awful, borderline unlistenable. I love it.
- as for the other tracks, they need more listens than I'm willing to give them just at this moment. too bad, honestly. it's part of a larger problem with this list - any album worth five stars is going to benefit from and perhaps even require serious listening, spread over a few days. I'm starting to think that listening to a new album every day for three years is teaching me less than i thought it would, or at least isn't the best way to approach the best albums on the list.

Verdict:
Poetry fans rejoice. Everyone else, be patient.

Listen Again?
Probably!

Heard Before?
Not since it came out.

Notes:
- Kanye from the before-times. what a producer. and also Dilla?! the beats are varied, bright, beautiful and exciting. can this please be an instrumental album?
- honestly i remember Common being a better rapper. his flow is fine, but the rhymes can be awkward and his lyrics too often oscillate between forgettable and embarrassing.
- "The Corner" brings me back to why I love rap in the first place, but then "Go!" leaves me itching for the skip button.

Verdict:
Fabulous sounds paired with occasionally clever raps I can live without.

Listen Again?
Nope.