Lizโ€™s Reviews

Stats

# of Reviews:

24

Average Review:

๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

Best-Reviewed Album:

Animals - Pink Floyd

Best-Reviewed Decades:

1990โ€™s, 1950โ€™s, 1980โ€™s

Worst-Reviewed Decades:

1970โ€™s, 1960โ€™s, 2000โ€™s

Best-Reviewed Genres:

Acoustic Rock, Baggy, British Rhythm & Blues, Britpop, C86, Dream Pop, Grunge, Heartland Rock, Jangle Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Noise Pop, Paisley Underground, Shoegaze, Space Rock Revival, Symphonic Rock

Worst-Reviewed Genres:

Art Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul, Electronic, Experimental Rock, Glam Rock, Space Age Pop, Zolo

Best-Reviewed Scenes:

Madchester,
East Coast Hip Hop,
Greenwich Village Scene

Worst-Reviewed Scenes:

New Wave of British Heavy Metal,
Mod

Best-Reviewed Tags:

angry, misanthropic, pessimistic, androgynous vocals, apathetic, depressive, hypnotic, philosophical, protest, raw, space

Worst-Reviewed Tags:

avant-garde, chaotic, futuristic, manic, suite

Animals - Pink Floyd

Listen Party: 4/7/25

Released: 1977

Genres: Progressive Rock, Art Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock

Tags: political, philosophical, concept, album, pessimistic, sarcastic, progressive, satirical, male vocalist, angry, alienation, atmospheric, complex, passionate, misanthropic, protest, rebellious, conscious, urban, epic, existential, dark, psychedelic, anxious, bittersweet, dense

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—

This album flew pigs into my heart.

Goddamn I love this album. This is, by far, the most familiar I have been with an album in this project to date; I've probably listened to Animals hundreds of times.

It is kind of an underrated/lesser known Pink Floyd album, but folks who like it LOVE it. It's me, I'm one of those folks. That being said, it did take a bit to grown on me when I first heard it in my teens, unlike the more well known "Dark Side", "The Wall", or โ€œWish You Were Here" but having invested the time, there is a lot to love about these sprawling barnyard epics.

It's kind of hard to describe why I like Animals... it just puts me in a mood and gives me brain tinglies. I love the journey each song takes. I love the doubling of the guitar in Dogs that is a little off, or the weird off kilter synth in Pigs that sits in contrast to the straight ahead rhythm guitar. And Sheep! The intro is great and somehow pastoral in spite of the jazzy electric piano, but then once it gets going, I love how the vocals blend into the electric guitar.

It's weird listening again for this project and hearing how... monotone a lot of the vocals are, but the grooves are good, the sounds and textures and space are enveloping and I just sort of sink into this one.

All bookended perfectly with the two part Pigs on the Wing.

And who could forget that iconic album cover?

Listen Party: 3/17/25

Released: 1988

Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Folk Rock, Folk Pop, Acoustic Rock, Heartland Rock

Tags: conscious, female vocalist, political, love, melancholic, sentimental, melodic, acoustic, passionate, androgynous vocals, protest, bittersweet, philosophical

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘

This album self titled its way into my heart

Listening to this near perfect album last night was a straight up gut punch. What a masterpiece of a debut album from Tracy Chapman. From the very first track it was song after song of incredible lyrics with impeccable vocals delivered straight into my soul.

With songs touching on everything from heartbreak to poverty to race relations to policing to wealth inequality to domestic violence this album feels as important now as in 1987. Kicking off with "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", Chapman takes no quarter forcing you to sit up and confront what this album is going to be about. While "Fast Car" is obviously a standout and deserves all the accolades it has gotten, the stark delivery of "Behind the Wall" haunts me. The choice to not only have the song be entirely vocals with no backing, but to be mixed so incredibly dry, with little to no processing and reverb, is incredibly bold and makes the songs story impossible to ignore.

I've always liked Chapman's music, at least the songs I've heard, but this was the first time i listened to one of her albums fully. I've been missing out.

MTV Unplugged in New York - Nirvana

Listen Party: 4/3/25

Released: 1994

Genres: Acoustic Rock, Alternative Rock, Grunge, Folk Rock

Tags: acoustic, male vocalist, melodic, melancholic, passionate, introspective, sombre, lonely, pessimistic, alienation, depressive, raw, bittersweet, anxious, lethargic, longing, mellow, death, apathetic, nocturnal

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘

This album unplugged my heart.

I've been on and off again my entire life about whether or not I like Nirvana. When I was a young'n my brother had this album and Nevermind and being the younger sibling who looked up to her brother, I was a fan. Then I was a snobby kid and hated them because it wasn't Pink Floyd or something. Then I only thought they were famous because of Cobain's death. And then I respected them. And then I was kind of whatever. And then i felt pride in them after moving to Seattle.

This made me really want to go in with as open a mind as I could muster. And from the very first chords I was instantly back in my brothers room in our house in Michigan on a cd boombox listening to this album and singing along to Lake of Fire and being amazed at the weirdness of Polly and trying to figure out who Leadbelly was and why Cobain was giving it his all while singing Where Did You Sleep Last Night.

This album kind of rules. I kind of love how much of it is covers and I love just how raw it is for being grunge without (as many) electric guitars. It just cuts it down to that grit and emotion. I feel like it really demonstrates that grunge had a core identity to it that wasn't just loud trashy guitars and raucous drums. Like, yes, it's very much part of the sound, but strip that away and you are left with an amazing emotional album that still feels grunge at its core.

And the mix here is exactly what it needs to be: it balances everything well and lets Cobain's vocal delivery shine thru. It feels intimate but powerful. Great job.

Hot take: this is my favorite Nirvana album.

Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space - Spiritualized

Listen Party: 3/25/25

Released: 1997

Genres: Space Rock Revival, Art Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Dream Pop, Symphonic Rock, Shoegaze, Noise Pop, Blues Rock

Tags: drugs, lonely, melancholic, psychedelic, space, dense, romantic, atmospheric, male vocalist, eclectic, breakup, introspective, bittersweet, Wall of Sound, lush, love, sad, existential, hypnotic, longing, sentimental, alienation, epic, spiritual, melodic, ethereal, warm, depressive, soothing, poetic, progressive, mellow, surreal, noisy, cold

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘

Ladies and Gentlemen, this album floated its way into the space of my heart.

Oh wow that was a treat! Never heard of this artist before but I'm glad it came up since that was a delightful album. Lots of good songs and the vibe changed up quite a bit. Love how a lot of the songs had a good rolling feel. I got a lot of pink floyd vibes from one of the songs that made me wonder if they were quoting some of David Gilmour's work.

Yeah I'm here for the vibes and the experimentation. Kind of surprised I hadn't heard of this album given my tastes in music.

Listen Party: 3/24/25

Released: 1965

Genres: Pop Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Folk Pop, British Rhythm & Blues

Tags: melodic, love, male vocalist, bittersweet, romantic, autumn, mellow, melancholic, eclectic, sentimental, introspective, longing, happy, warm, spring

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘

This album rubbed its soul into my heart

I have always said this was my favorite Beatles album. I think its a fascinating study into such a transitional time for the band, and I love seeing the experimentation bubbling up and it really surprises me just how early this album is: 1965! Obviously much of their work went on to influence nearly the entire musical landscape and I think for many of my favorite bands, it starts here.

Standout tracks for me are "Norwegian Wood" because its perfection and in a bad way "Run For Your Life" because its pretty fucking creepy. Yikes John, yikes.

Listen Party: 3/20/25

Released: 1989

Genres: Baggy, Jangle Pop, Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Britpop, C86, Paisley Underground

Scenes: Madchester

Tags: psychedelic, melodic, uplifting, energetic, male vocalist, playful, lush, summer, rhythmic, optimistic, love, ethereal, hypnotic, dense, anthemic, warm, atmospheric, boastful, bittersweet, drugs, romantic, poetic, sensual

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘

This album rose its way into my heart.
I came in like a fresh spring daisy never having heard of the band let alone the album and was pleasantly surprised!

I put this album on while i was at work and was instantly transported into a land of "oh hell yeah!" While it's admittedly not the best listening experience, I found myself just grooving along with the music and took notice at several points.

After it ended I just came away with "Dangggg how have I never heard this before?!"

At Mister Kellyโ€™s - Sarah Vaughan

Listen Party: 4/14/25

Released: 1957

Genres: Vocal Jazz, Standards

Tags: female vocalist, melodic, urban, longing, humorous, mellow, ballad, sensual, improvisation, nocturnal

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album is a mass in my heart

Oh man, this takes me back to living in the goth house, singing in to synths and gloomy vocals and over the topness. I love it. It makes me long for fall, and rainy nights, and candles, OH so many candles. And a little light blasphemy too.

This goth-y gooey new wave-y goodness always feels like it's so thick and lush but what kind of really blew my mind is how clear and transparent this album actually is giving what it feels like. I always expect this style of music to be ultra reverb-y and bass-y and layered such. And it has that character, but the mixing and arrangement are impeccable. You can hear every single instrument and ear candy synth flourish. In spite of the guitar and piano and synths and vocals and kick drum all being in similar frequency band. This is an incredible feat.

It's not solely mixing magic tho; Much is done in the arrangement. Vocals and synths often are in more of a call and response than a strict layering. When new percussive elements come in and built, often other drums will fall out. The sounds fit together in an elaborate sonic jigsaw puzzle.

With that as the foundation, and great mixing on top that doesn't push too far, and you are left with a fantastic sounding album.

Musically, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Ending with Pimpf is a fun choice to just go for a big sendoff. Time to hit repeat on this album and put on some dark eyeliner.

Music for the Masses - Depeche Mode

Listen Party: 4/11/25

Released: 1987

Genres: Synthpop, Darkwave, Electro-Industrial, Neoclassical Darkwave

Tags: male vocalist, atmospheric, cold, passionate, dark, melodic, rhythmic, sensual, romantic, nocturnal, sombre, melancholic, sexual, bittersweet, mechanical, longing, lush

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album is a mass in my heart

Oh man, this takes me back to living in the goth house, singing in to synths and gloomy vocals and over the topness. I love it. It makes me long for fall, and rainy nights, and candles, OH so many candles. And a little light blasphemy too.

This goth-y gooey new wave-y goodness always feels like it's so thick and lush but what kind of really blew my mind is how clear and transparent this album actually is giving what it feels like. I always expect this style of music to be ultra reverb-y and bass-y and layered such. And it has that character, but the mixing and arrangement are impeccable. You can hear every single instrument and ear candy synth flourish. In spite of the guitar and piano and synths and vocals and kick drum all being in similar frequency band. This is an incredible feat.

It's not solely mixing magic tho; Much is done in the arrangement. Vocals and synths often are in more of a call and response than a strict layering. When new percussive elements come in and built, often other drums will fall out. The sounds fit together in an elaborate sonic jigsaw puzzle.

With that as the foundation, and great mixing on top that doesn't push too far, and you are left with a fantastic sounding album.

Musically, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Ending with Pimpf is a fun choice to just go for a big sendoff. Time to hit repeat on this album and put on some dark eyeliner.

tHE sCORE - fUGEES

Listen Party: 4/8/25

Released: 1996

Genres: Conscious Hip Hop, Boom Bap, Neo-Soul, Reggae, Hip Hop Soul

Scene: East Coast Hip Hop

Tags: female vocalist, male vocalist, political, crime, conscious, introspective, boastful, urban, nocturnal, sampling, lush, rhythmic, melodic, passionate, drugs, lethargic

liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album scored my heart

I think this is a great collection of songs but is a bit lacking as an "album"

First off: holyshit the MUSIC on this album is fantastic. Thru and thru. I was familiar with the hits going in, but the rest of the songs are pretty damned great too. The acclaim The Score has garnered is completely warranted.

The themes and lyrics were potent. The music floors me with a lot of the reggae influence. And Lauryn Hill's vocals, oh my god. No wonder Killing Me Softly was the hit it was and still stands up. Another of those rare cases where the cover surpasses the original.

Where the album falls flat to me are the skits. The Chinese restaurant one in particular feels pretty dated and uncomfortable. And then there is the multiple versions of Fu-Gee-La. I not opposed to having multiple versions of a song on an album... many jazz albums do it... heck I've released multiple versions of my own songs, but I always have to ask myself "what is this adding to the work as a whole?" Is it doing something like bookending a la Floyd's pigs on the wing? (tho that is a bit more of a 2 part rather than multiple versions) Is it an indication of indecisiveness where the artist cant pick what the "definitive" version is? Is it a showcase for their friends? Is it marketing so they can jam pack a CD full of extra shit? Is it re-contextualizing a song and showing it in different light? Is it "we just want more of the song we know is a hit?" Is it "Liz doesn't understand hip hop and is an ignorant twat?"

Could be.
Could be.

Getz/Gilberto - Joรฃo Gilberto, Stan Getz

Listen Party: 3/31/25

Released: 1964

Genres: Bossa Nova, Samba-Jazz, Cool Jazz, Samba-Canรงรฃo

Tags: mellow, tropical, warm, soft, summer, romantic, peaceful, calm, soothing, male vocalist, acoustic, love, female vocalist, lush, bittersweet, longing, sentimental, sensual, happy, uplifting

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album getz its songs into my herto

I played in a jazz band in college and bossa was a big part of the repertoire so many of these songs are familiar to me only because I played them. It takes me back to that time of learning so much about music and playing so much.

This is quite a lovely album that just vibes its way thru. Great musicality and playing. The english verses on Girl from Ipanema are a treat. However, its a bit TOO chill for my tastes and it all started to just blend together and fade into the background. Not an album I'm going to reach for.

That being said: if I'm ever at a pool party in the summer sun with a fruity drink in my hand, I want this album in my ears.

Listen Party: 3/18/25

Released: 1990

Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Surf Rock, Post-Punk

Tags: energetic, male vocalist, anxious, noisy, melodic, quirky, science fiction, warm, rhythmic, abstract, summer, love, female vocalist, psychedelic

Liz

๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album bossanova'ed its way into my heart

This is a delightful album packed with short snappy songs. I had a lot of fun listening to this album with it's distinctive "Pixies" sound, and its pretty solid the whole way thru. I was actually pretty surprised that the chorus of "Is She Weird" was in three bar phrases, which is pretty unusual for this style of music and gives it an off kilter and almost rushed feel. Kim Deal's bass lines are always a delight. While I had a good time, this album didn't really grab me or take me places. It's good. But not great.

A perfect album to put on for a road trip.

Listen Party: 3/13/25

Released: 1963

Genres: Contemporary Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic Blues, Talking Blues

Scenes: Greenwich Village Scene

Tags: poetic, acoustic, protest, political, male vocalist, conscious, mellow, introspective, autumn, passionate, bittersweet, humorous, philosophical, warm, melodic, melancholic, playful, war, breakup, love, romantic, sarcastic

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘

This album freewheeled its way into my heart.

This album definitely takes me back to high school when I was listening to Dylan on repeat. It's been a few years though, so giving this album a listen as a more singular experience (as opposed to having a bunch of Dylan all on shuffle) was fascinating. There are certainly some great songs on here and overall a good album, but not necessarily a favorite.

Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson

Listen Party: 4/4/25

Released: 1975

Genres: Outlaw Country, Singer-Songwriter, Contemporary Folk, Western, Old-Time

Tags: concept album, calm, mellow, melancholic, male vocalist, crime, acoustic, lonely, death, pastoral, bittersweet, soft, sombre, sad, passionate, love, minimalistic, introspective, sparse, melodic

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album invited a red headed stranger into my heart.

I liked this album quite a bit more than I expected. It was a filled with a lot of good folksy country storytelling-y songs. And low harmonica, which the world clearly needs more of.

I was kind of surprised at how SHORT some of the songs are. Like Denver, for example. It felt like, story wise, we get an intro where we find out that we are in Denver, in an establishment, and folks are dancing, and then... It just ends. I guess this is supposed to be more of a concept album where the story kind of runs throughout, but I didn't really pick up on that. Tho to be fair, I wasn't really listening all that closely, and a lot of the songs just kind of blended together.

All in all, it was enjoyable. Not an album I'll be reaching for on the regular as I don't think it's really my thing but I can see why Willie Nelson is an American legend for sure.

Listen Party: 3/19/25

Released: 2004

Genres: Post-Punk Revival, Pop Rock, New Wave, Synthpop, Big Music

Tags: male vocalist, melodic, energetic, bittersweet, anthemic, anxious, romantic, rhythmic, passionate, introspective, sexual, melancholic, urban, love, longing

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album fussed its way into my heart.

This album certainly came out when I was in my "too cool for current popular music" phase, and while I recognized most of the hits I wouldn't say that these were songs I knew going in. That being said, The Killers certainly know how to make a song that feels familiar. Just about every song felt like I could've heard it before and seemed to be inviting me to sing along the next time the chorus came around.

Missing from this album for me was dynamic range. Every song kind of felt like it was at the same level and even within a song, most choruses were at the same level as the verses with the only difference being: "Oh this is the catchy part." I wish there was just a bit more variance, and consequently my favorite parts were when the synth got more prominent and broke up this sort of homogeneity. I also dug Everything Will Be Alright since it stood out so much and made me take notice.

The album as a whole tho? It fine.

The Who Sell Out - The Who

Listen Party: 4/1/25

Released: 1967

Genres: Freakbeat, Pop Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Jingles, Satire

Movements: Mod

Tags: concept album, satirical, humorous, playful, jingle, male vocalist, psychedelic, quirky, melodic, energetic, surreal, eclectic, sarcastic, progressive, conscious

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album sold out my heart

The cover art of The Who Sell Out has been burned into my memory from the very first time I saw it back at Peter White Public Library in my hometown as we were scouring the CD rack for anything new they had gotten since our last visit. I remember checking it out and my dad saying he liked
The Who but never heard that album before. I don't actually remember the music, but I remember my dad commenting he didn't really like it. Revisiting it felt like an uncovering of a long lost memory.

In this album we can clearly see the beginnings of the band's experimentation with overarching themes and concepts to tie an album together that would later be perfected in
Tommy and Quadrophenia, I ultimately feel like it doesn't work here. At best it's just a humorous aside, but at it's worst I think it's ham-fisted detracts from otherwise good songs. I don't feel like the commercial ditties and radio broadcast framing actually add anything to the album aside from a mild bit of humor. They have an entire album contained in a setting, and yet that setting doesn't really elevate any themes or storytelling; it merely exists. And it makes me not want to listen to this work as an album which feels like the opposite of what it should do.

I don't hate this album by any means, and as I mentioned there are certainly some good songs that I enjoyed. I just wish they existed within a more interesting framing device. The Who must have thought so too as much of
Rael was grafted wholesale into Tommy.

Crime of the Century - Supertramp

Listen Party: 4/15/25

Released: 1974

Genres: Progressive Rock, Art Rock, Progressive Pop, Pop Rock, Progressive Pop

Tags: melodic, male vocalist, progressive, lush, existential, alienation, bittersweet, introspective, sarcastic, quirky, anxious, complex, playful, lonely, nocturnal, epic, melancholic, passionate, autumn, eclectic, rebellious

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album was the crime of my heart

I'm beginning to feel like the person that put together the album list has a strong bias towards 70's british prog rock.

Don't get me wrong, there is quite a bit in the genre I like, but is Supertramp really where it's at?

I mean, I don't hate it. Its got some fun songs. I even recognized a few. But whenever Supertramp came on the Classic Rock radio station it always felt like "oh yeah... one of those weird bands folks used to listen to." I never really thought of it as having staying power like other bands of the era.

I guess: I'm glad I've heard songs from the band... but is this really an album I need to listen to in full before I die? I don't feel like passes the bar of being "good enough" to make the cut, nor being "interesting/influential/unique" enough either.

Goodbye and Hello - Tim Buckley

Listen Party: 4/2/25

Released: 1967

Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Folk, Chamber Folk, Baroque Pop

Scene: Greenwich Village Scene

Tags: psychedelic, poetic, melancholic, male vocalist, melodic, passionate, cryptic, warm, romantic, spring, mellow, love, bittersweet, mysterious, autumn, political, rhythmic

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album said goodbye and not hello to my heart.

Well, I listened to this album. The music played into my ears. Why do i feel so bland? It's not like it was bad or unskilled or anything. It just kind of... was. I wanted to like this. Or even hate it. I wanted to have SOME reaction. But here we are.

The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

Listen Party: 3/27/25

Released: 1982

Genres: Heavy Metal

Scene: New Wave of British Heavy Metal

Tags: energetic, male vocalist, anthemic, melodic, heavy, passionate, epic, history, war, violence, death, rebellious, technical, rhythmic, triumphant, infernal, nocturnal, dark, apocalyptic, uplifting

lIZ

๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album did a number on my heart

I went into this dreading having to listen to a full Iron Maiden album. I had heard "Run to the Hills" and "Number of the Beast" before and, while they are fine, it was definitely not music I go for.

While this album was definitely packed full of that 80s metal sound, I didn't hate it as much as I expected. The singing did grate on me after half a song, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how clean the mixing was.

Much like my comment about Dire Strait's self titled album, this was really well balanced and every instrument and vocal had space in the mix. It was certainly aggressive and metal, but not an overwhelming ear-blasting thing that I have heard in other metal albums. It showed surprising restraint and I think the album was all the better for it and no less ๐Ÿค˜

Listen Party: 3/14/25

Released: 1974

Genres: Singer-Songwriter, Folk Pop, Jazz Pop, Soft Rock, Progressive Pop

Tags: female vocalist, poetic, lush, introspective, melodic, soft, love, mellow, bittersweet, longing, romantic, passionate, acoustic, warm

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album courted its way into my heart.

There is a lot to like about this album that ultimately I don't get along with. My issues with this album stem almost entirely from its production. The star of the album is clearly Joni's voice, and consequently the album is at its best when it's in the most pared-down, singer-song writer form as it is in the title track. Piano, some light backing, and Joni's vocals are really all it needs.

The production issues for me are two-fold. The first is that the songs feel too crowded. It feels like the producers were trying to make this album sound big, but it ends up feeling very dated and stifling. Orchestral arrangements and saxophone feel out of place.

My second issue with the production is in the mix which has a harshness to it. There are some mid-high frequencies that are extremely prominent across the entire instrumentation that I think are supposed to give the album an energy, but ultimately end up just fatiguing my ear before the second song is over. And given how rich Joni's vocals are, it makes her fatiguing to listen to.

All in all, a good album hidden by poor production decisions.

Dire Straits - Dire Straits

Listen Party: 3/26/25

Released: 1978

Genres: Roots Rock, Blues Rock

Tags: rhythmic, male vocalist, mellow, warm, calm, playful, atmospheric, poetic, bittersweet, urban, soft, technical, melodic, introspective, lush

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album was dire in my heart.

What a slog. Like, I know it's about the guitar and stuff and I've heard Sultans of Swing more times than I can count, but I just cant bring myself to care about this album at all. It's just kind of boring.

Giving some moons just because I do like the mixing on this album. Everything is very clear and has its own space. The drums are nice and crisp, the dialog between vocals and guitar is very well balanced and it just sits very nicely.

If only the music was more enjoyable

A Date with the Everly Brothers - The Everly Brothers

Listen Party: 4/9/25

Released: 1960

Genres: Close Harmony, Teen Pop, Pop, Rock & Roll, Brill Building

Tags: male vocalist, love, melodic, vocal group, romantic, playful, bittersweet

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album dated my heart.

Jesus this album feels old time-y. I think I recognized 2 songs on it? But the LYRICS oh my god. Apparently women are not people, but merely objects that tease and torment men, but also are just for loving i guess. I know its supposed to be romantic, and that it was a "different time" and stuff but just...๐Ÿคฎ

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nรฉrd 'Skin-'Nรฉrd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Listen Party: 3/28/25

Released: 1973

Genres: Southern Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock

Tags: male vocalist, energetic, sentimental, warm, bittersweet, passionate, melodic, pastoral, love, uplifting, rhythmic, playful

Liz ๐ŸŒ•๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

This album pronounced ษชts weษช หˆษชntu maษช hษ‘rt

I actually recognized over half the songs on this album which kind of surprised me. I didn't realize I knew that much Lynyrd Skynyrd. I don't know a lot about the history of music like this, but I just kept feeling like "why is they so big? this isn't anything special" Feels like just mediocre bluesy rock with a southern twist. I feel like I'm missing something here.

Like it's fine. It's competent. Free bird is long and kind of makes sense as to why it's popular; it has that epic quality. But even other hits like Simple Man or especially Gimme Three Steps just feel bland.

Favorite song I think is actually Mississippi Kid as I kind of like how it dug more into the southern sound. And the world needs more slide guitar.

A Wizard, A True Star - Todd Rundgren

Listen Party: 4/10/25

Released: 1973

Genres: Art Pop, Experimental Rock, Progressive Pop, Art Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Glam Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, Psychedelic Rock, Electronic, Zolo, Progressive Rock, Space Age Pop

Tags: manic, eclectic, psychedelic, surreal, playful, dense, male vocalist, futuristic, progressive, love, quirky, satirical, melodic, chaotic, complex, suite, avant-garde, anxious, lush, ethereal, Wall of Sound, uplifting, optimistic, introspective, energetic, warm, technical, happy

Liz ๐ŸŒ—๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘๐ŸŒ‘

Like a wizard, this album turned my heart into a star.

Fuck me, It's like the world conspired to engineer an album specifically designed to cause me pain. I mean this literally: I'm exceptionally sensitive to certain frequencies (thanks autism) and this album was basically unlistenable for me. I gave it a shot, but I just couldn't. And I wanted to! it sounds like an album I could really get into. I like weird shit. If only I could run this thru a notch filter.