Ron’s Reviews
Stats
# of Reviews:
9
Average Review:
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Best-Reviewed Albums:
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses,
Hot Fuss - The Killers
Worst-Reviewed Album:
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
Best-Reviewed Decades:
2000’s, 1980’s, 1990’s
Worst-Reviewed Decades:
1960’s, 1970’s
Best-Reviewed Genres:
Baggy, Big Music, Britpop, C86, Jangle Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, New Wave, Paisley Underground, Post-Punk Revival, Synthpop
Worst-Reviewed Genres:
Acoustic Blues, Talking Blues, Contemporary Folk, Art Rock, Progressive Rock
Best-Reviewed Scenes:
Madchester, East Coast Hip Hop
Worst-Reviewed Scene:
Greenwich Village Scene
Best-Reviewed Tags:
anthemic, atmospheric, dense, ethereal, hypnotic, optimistic, sensual, sexual, uplifting
Worst-Reviewed Tags:
breakup, humorous, war, autumn, sarcastic
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
I've never heard of The Stone Roses before and even after listening to the album, am pretty sure I've never heard any of their songs before. How have I missed this??? They are SO GOOD.
They sound like a mix between Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, The Who, Phish, and maybe The Beach Boys? Occasionally toss in some jazz or funk and you've got The Stone Roses. I really like how each track seems to be so different and it felt sort of experimental, like they were testing out different styles and asking themselves "is this our sound?"
Their self-titled album is incredibly solid but I really found the opening and ending tracks to be my favorites. This Is The One and Waterfall are probably my favorite tracks on the album because they are both so dynamic. The perfect road trip songs. I usually pick out a stinker but I don't think this album has one!
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
I didn't like every song on the album but it still deserves 5 stars (I only disliked Everything Will Be Alright but I really, really disliked it; sorry fans of the song).
I didn't realize how many of the songs on this album were singles, which really shows how good the album is as a whole. I'll skip reviewing them since they have proven themselves individually. As a whole, the singles still slap and if they ever come on the radio/random I'm always jamming along.
The standout in the album for me has to be Believe Me Natalie. I'm a huge fan of dynamic rhythm changes and this has a lot of them. The beginning sort of reminds me of a 30 Seconds to Mars song, who I also enjoy listening to.
I think The Killers do a good job of "having a sound" without being repetitive or one-note. Minus the one stinker, this is an album that gets regular plays and evokes a lot of nostalgia for me.
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
rON 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Ok, clearly Fast Car is an amazing song and holds up to this day. What about the rest of the album, though? I think so!
I'd normally criticize other artists for being too simple in regards to songs like Behind the Wall and For You, but for some reason Tracy makes the simplicity really shine. Like my favorite Italian foods, its about fresh ingredients being showcased upfront... and Tracy has some of the freshest out there. Her voice is amazing and super nostalgic.
The rest of the album is good, but its hard to compare to Fast Car and Baby Can I Hold you. I really appreciate how she had to walk a fine line between powerful lyrics and general acceptance, given the time of this album's release. I'd love to sit down with her and ask if she would change any of the lyrics if she were to re-write them now.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Oof, what a mixed bag!
I have a lot of nostalgia for the singles on this album but I have not listened to the whole album until now. Killing Me Softly with His Song is an absolute banger and I really think The Score is underrated, but what is up with the skit in the Beast? I guess it was a product of its time; I can think of a bunch of similar examples of how this type of racism was ok in the 90's.
I can really appreciate the different styles of hip-hop on the album. Zealots is surprisingly good, despite being a big departure from other songs on the album. The No Woman, No Cry cover was fine overall but is a nice example of their mix between hip-hop and reggae. This was also my first time hearing How Many Mics and I really liked the song; it felt like something between boom bap and gangsta rap.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
I'm really not a fan of country/western music but I had to give this an honest shot... and I'm glad I did. This is a great album! It did feel a bit one-note in the way that a lot of songs had the same tempo, style, and dynamics (I think this is just what country sounded like back in the 60's and 70's), but every song felt well written and was very easy to listen to. The simplicity of the instruments backing Willie make this very digestible for most people but really its Willie's voice that elevates each song from good to great. I enjoy listening to him sing.
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and O'er The Waves (this was surprising to me, since its an instrumental) were my standout songs but I honestly couldn't pick a stinker in the album. Honorable mention to Down Yonder because I felt like I was in a cartoon saloon, smoking a fake cigarette, and playing 5 card stud when listening to it. This is the sort of album that I think I'd rarely intentionally listen to but if any of the songs played randomly, I would be happy it did.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Bossanova is overall a great album that has just a couple stinkers (Rock Music and Ana, I'm looking at you). I appreciate that they are pioneers and super artsy when its comes to the genre but the ones that I didn't like really, really brought me out of that "listen to the whole album" high you can sometimes get. Maybe I just don't get these songs?
That being said, Hang Wire and Havalina are my faves for the album and given they are both at the end of the album I always walk away with a good vibe.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Joni Mitchell is a name I would recognize but I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you who she was or why she was known until now.
I thought Court and Spark was a really solid album. Joni's voice is beautiful and easy to listen to for long periods of time. A lot of the songs in this album have some strong jazz influence, of which I'm a huge fan. That being said, some of them were a bit too old fashioned for my taste, like Trouble Child. Down To You is my standout song on this album and will likely make into a playlist or two of mine in the future.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this album. It was good in the way that I liked listening to it but it didn't feel terribly memorable or special.
Bloody Well Right was the only song I've heard before (and it’s a good one!). Of the rest of the album, I really liked Hide In Your Shell and Rudy. Both songs did a good job of hitting that nostalgia-to-novelty ratio. I wanted to like more of the album but I just couldn't get into most of it. I really thought I'd like Crime Of The Century at the start of the song but it quickly felt drawn out and repetitive.
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
Ron 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I’m not a huge fan of Bob Dylan but I can see how he has influenced music in the generations after him (Tom Petty seems to be the most direct influence and I like his music). I liked ‘Oxford Town’ the best but honestly most of the rest of the songs sounded very similar to each other.