Reviews by zoobee20

Chuck D and Flavor Flav continue to be some of the most entertaining emcees ever on here. Lots of politically charged lyrics and great flows. I don’t think the beats are quite as good as their last two albums but they still are great. Favorites were Nighttrain, Can’t Truss It, I Don’t Wanna Be Called Yo Niga, By The Time I Get To Arizona, Bring Tha Noize.

If progressive rock in a linear journey than this is an open world adventure. The instrumentals slide, bounce, and skate in so many different directions that are consistently interesting. I like the vibes. Favorites were Djed, Glass Museum, and Along The Banks Of Rivers.

“I was wondering if you could play that song again?” “Mmm which one, man?” “The one that goes bee boo boo bop boo boo beep” I love how the synths sound. Each song is given enough time to develop, but not so much where they become boring. Kraftwerk continue to have some of the best album covers.

I had no idea the Jam version of David Watts was a cover. This album is really great. Nice diversity in styles that all show off really great songwriting. Waterloo Sunset is a fantastic closer and maybe the best Kinks song. Last night after listening to this YouTube recommended me a video of Ray Davies and Damon Albarn performing Waterloo Sunset in 1995 and then they play Parklife immediately after and I finally understand. The end of Tin Soldier Man is the SpongeBob theme. Favorites were David Watts, Death of a Clown, Tim Solider Man, Situation Vacant, Afternoon Tea, and Waterloo Sunset.

Definitely not the best Beatles solo album or even the best album by Paul, but this has some quality material on it. The standout is absolutely Maybe I’m Amazed. I liked the use of Bluesy elements, but some of the songwriting can feel a little half baked. Favorites were That Would Be Something, Oo You, Momma Miss America, and Maybe I’m Amazed.

This is not anything mind blowing, but it’s well performed, and each musician gets their moment. The highlight here is Street Life which is a great blending of genres.

You Suffer is the musical equivalent of an exclamation point and it’s fantastic. This album is just relentless. Explosive speeds and volume yet clear enough that you can still hear all the instruments. Deciphering the vocals is another story. Awesome album. Favorites were Instinct Of Survival, Scum, Siege Of Power, Human Garbage, You Suffer, Success?, and C.S.

It’s like a cover album full of original songs. Ryan Adams is the heartland-rock/Americana version of what Logic is to hip-hop. He wears his influences so directly that all I really know about Ryan Adams as an artist is that he likes Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young. This is a good album but I can’t say it would be anything greater than a 7/10. Favorites were New York, New York, Answering Bell, Nobody Girl, and Enemy Fire.

I like Thundercat. He contributed to some of my favorite albums of the 2010’s. Thundercat is great at the bass. I just don’t think he’s the best at making a complete song. Every song here feels like he made 1/2-2/3s of a song and then kinda stopped. I’m not sure what they are missing, but they are missing something. I really enjoy the style on here overall. I still enjoyed it, but I just think I need more from a song structure standpoint. Favorites were Captain Stupido, Uh Uh, Show You The Way, Walk On By, Tokyo, and Them Changes.

RZA cooked on these beats. The movie samples give the album a great cinematic feel. GZA’s lyrics are hard hitting and his flows are consistently great. All the guest appearances are operating at a high level. My favorite song here is probably 4th Chamber. Every verse is fantastic and sits within the minimalism of the beat so well.

Lyrics were super progressive for the time. Production is classic glam rock. Bowie was definitely involved. Great album. Favorites were Vicious, Perfect Day, Hangin’ Round, Walk On The Wild Side, and Satellite Of Love.

Love when artists say the album title in the lyrics of a song that isn’t a title track like on Favourite Hour. Another quality album by Elvis Costello with biting lyrics like you would expect. His vocals and melodies are also still high quality here. Cant really call this revolutionary as it’s mostly a relatively safe “more of the same” album. Favorites were This Is Hell, 20% Amnesia, London’s Brilliant Parade, and Just About Glad.

I think the Manic Street Preachers are a great band. The power pop melodies here are fantastic. The progression each song shows is like if Green Day squeezed Jesus of Suburbia to three and a half minutes and made it thirteen times. The use of effects and dissonant noise really fits with the lyrics. Loved this album.

Yet another one by The Byrds that I listened to a couple times because it was solid, but not amazing enough that I would want to seek it out. The kind of album I might buy from the used section of the record store if it was below five dollars. The Bob Dylan written songs are the highlights proving his songwriting greatness.

I can completely understand why someone might hate this. I like this. It’s essentially another Divine Comedy album and I liked the other two. You can clearly tell who wrote each of these songs even without having the credited clearly. The Elvis Costello songs could have been done by him and the Nick Cave song has his fingerprints all over it. Little Water Song also has vocals that feel like Bjork could have done them well. This sort of schmaltzy cabaret is entertaining with some really funny lyrics. Favorites were Little Water Song, Tango Ballad, and Split.

If Ladies And Gentlemen is a bombastic intergalactic adventure then this is a slow float through the solar system with the occasional passing asteroid. I like how the songs on each side flow into each other. The lyrics are mostly secondary with the vocals acting more as texture to the instrumentation. Favorites are I Want You, Run, and Angel Sigh.

Another great Sonic Youth album. I think the second half is a little weaker which holds this back from being on the level of Goo or Daydream Nation for me. The different vocals all fit the vibes they are creating and the guitar tones are great as ever. Favorites were Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Pipeline/Kill Time, and Pacific Coast Highway.

This was cool and I’m glad I heard it, but I think this had a little more value to me as a history lesson on who Hanns Eisner was. The orchestration was solid and the lyrics were definitely the best part. I just don’t think I will be coming back to this. Favorite songs were The Ballad Of The Sackslingers and Song Of A German Mother.

Really pleasant set of songs. You can’t listen to this and be mad. I’m not sure this is the best album in the great 70’s singer-songwriter category, but it’s still pretty good. Interesting instrumentation including slide guitar and the occasional horn section. Favorites were Sweet Baby James, Country Road, Fire and Rain, and Suite for 20 G.

How have I never listened to this before? The lyrics here are just filled with so much personality. He will be singing the saddest story you have ever heard and it’s filled with so much wit it still has me smiling. The instrumentals and his voice all serve the stories he tells so well. Fantastic album front to back.