The xx - xx

The xx - xx (2009)

Genre: Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Indie Rock

With a minimalist approach to what is essentially indie rock, The xx's debut album was a sleeper hit that took many by surprise. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I'm shocked, honestly. How did this happen? Normally, an album that is as sonically stripped down as this one would constitute music that puts me to sleep, but The xx make it work. Minimal guitar work, funky beats, and prominent bass riffs that are simple, but effective. Truly, there isn't a whole lot going on here, instrumentation wise. Yet, this is a record that somehow caught my attention all throughout. It's hypnotic in a way. 

Part of this stems from Oliver and Romy's vocal chemistry found on many tracks. There's something so soothing and beautiful happening on Infinity as Oliver sings, "Give it up...," while Romy responds with such a smooth delivery, "I can't give it up..." It's funny because Oliver isn't even a very expressive singer. He seems to have this almost monotone-like voice pretty consistently, but it happens to work against the subtle instrumentation. This group seems to know what they were doing with their sound though, as the album opens with a track titled Intro, which is purely instrumental, showcasing the soft and minimalist approach that awaits listeners.

The song that seems to have the most fleshed out composition is Islands, which was actually the track that introduced me to this group, and it's pure bliss. Certainly the highlight of the album. There's honestly not much else to say here. The lack of grander music ideas here prevent me from delving much more into it. That said, this is an album that makes up for it's lack of fleshed out sounds with its superb execution of simple, catchy hooks and sultry vocal deliveries. And overall, it's just a super relaxing album to put on for a nice morning mood.

A-

Favorite Tracks: VCR, Crystalised, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, Infinity

Least Favorite Track: Fantasy

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (2003)

Genre: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Lo-Fi

The Unicorns' sole studio album release in a mish-mash of goofy and creative ideas that makes for a fun and at times comedic listen. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I appreciate the obvious fun that this band had in compiling this record. While not often classified as psychedelic, I can't help but hear traces of it throughout. Tuff Ghost features a prominent eerie bass and synth groove that brings to mind acid rock influences of the late 60's. The aforementioned fun I spoke of derives not only from the cool rhythms and creative music ideas being mended together, but also from the often zany lyrics that paint an absurd, but captivating story.

The title track I Don't Wanna Die and the closing track Ready to Die loosely tries to make of this a concept album, but is most surely done for simple comedic purposes. I couldn't help but actually laugh out loud at the ending track's abrupt ending, where the singer seems to choke, obviously indicating his sudden death. This kind of cleverness is only present in more subtle doses throughout, but it's silly all the same. Perhaps the most nonsensical lyrics come in the form of the song Jellybones, which from the title alone should be a good enough indication of what I mean.

For having a lo-fi aesthetic, the group still manages to sound completely confident in their craft, coming out very forward with their sound. It doesn't feel like a debut, but more so like a group who has had some experience under their belt, and so I applaud them for that. And on a completely unrelated note, I can't help but notice the sizeable number of times that ghosts are referenced throughout. It's ironically bittersweet how an album that heavily pushes the theme of death and imagery of ghosts happened to be the first and final album to be released by the band.

It's a shame that they haven't reunited with the purpose of creating a new album, because I would certainly be up for a listen. The band has a flurry of creative ideas that blend relatively well with their goofy style of songwriting and dream-like aesthetic. As an obscure footnote in indie rock history, I'm glad that someone recommended I check this out. It definitely deserves some more love and appreciation.

A-

Favorite Songs: Tuff Ghost, Sea Ghost, The Clap, I Was Born (A Unicorn), Tuff Luff, Ready to Die

Least Favorite Track: Inoculate the Innocuous

The Doors - The Doors

The Doors - The Doors (1967)

Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock

Often hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, it's a wonder why I never properly heard it all the way through until recently... This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

One thing I always found unique about this group is their decision to mix in some prominent organ playing in nearly their music. It's honestly one of the reasons that I couldn't get into them for years. When I was younger, I just found the organ playing to be irritating at times, especially on Light My Fire, which incorporates a hefty jam session in between that seems to drag for a bit too long. As I've grown, I've come to enjoy that track and the organ playing more though, and now I view it as an integral part of the band's style.

I especially love Manzarek's organ performance on the track Soul Kitchen, which starts off front and center, and later subverts itself to subtly driving the song along on an infectious groove. Twentieth Century Fox and The End are other highlights for me. The former is simply fun and catchy, with its prominent blues influence. The latter is a near 12-minute Magnus Opus, which may not be big on extravagant music ideas, but is a grower, progressively showcasing the beauty in its general simplicity.

I can't deny that front man Jim Morrison comes off as slightly snobbish and self-conceited, not only in his lyrics, but also in his vocal performances. On the other hand, he's got some pipes. Often cited as one of the greatest front men in rock history, it's simple to discredit this as simple popularity among women, but I can agree that he's a damn good vocalist that fits well within this group. As future albums would prove, he was certainly the man for the job.

Is the praise that this record receives warranted? While I do believe it's certainly an accomplished piece of work, some of the weaker songs on here drag down the momentum just a bit, personally. The Crystal Ship and the cover Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) are by no means unpleasant, but still quite short on energy and fun as other popular standouts like Break On Through (To the Other Side) and Light my Fire. Overall, an excellent album within the realms for late 60's acid rock, if only slightly overrated by the masses.

A-

Favorite Songs: Soul Kitchen, Twentieth Century Fox, Light My Fire, Take It As It Comes, The End

Least Favorite Track: Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

Greta Van Fleet - Anthem Of The Peaceful Army

Greta Van Fleet - Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018)

Genre: Hard Rock

In an era where some back to basics classic rock would be very much appreciated, it's a shame to see that the one band to rise up and give us the goods is relegated to being a Led Zep wannabe and mostly fails. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

After coming away pleasantly surprised by some of their singles back in 2017 like Highway Tune and Safari Song, I saw promise, but I wasn't unaware of the uncanny similarity to Zeppelin, especially in Josh Kiszka's wailing vocals. I hoped that by the time they rolled out with their first proper album, that they would develop a bit more, but they didn't. This album caters basically to one thing alone, and that's nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, I can see the appeal here, but I have to say that this is one of the most uninspired records I've listened to in recent memory. 

The opening track Age of Man and the third track When The Curtain Falls were somewhat catchy, but still felt incredibly uncreative and bland at times. By that point, I still had some hope that there would be some bangers on here, but they never really came. Personally speaking, while I can pick out a few tracks I "liked," none of them were that much better than what the album as a whole provided. The magnitude of their lack of originality goes so far as to rip off their own songs. Brave New World included vocal sections that sounded oddly reminiscent of Age of Man. That said, I can certainly appreciate the musicianship found on here, especially the guitar work, but it's really all flash and no substance.

It pains me to point this out, but this group is one EP and one LP in, and the lead singer already sounds like he's straining himself at times. One thing that made Robert Plant such an icon, is that he sounded genuine. Rarely did he sound like he was struggling to reach such high notes. Here, Josh is in his early 20's and sounds like a dying cat, seemingly trying to replicate Plant's style, but failing. It's surprising, considering how good he sounded in some of their earlier singles. 

For what it is, this is a pretty raw piece of work and would most certainly be enjoyable for many people who miss the heydays of hard rock. Objectively though, this record packs a string of uncreative songwriting attempts, mediocre riffs, and uncomfortable vocal performances riddled throughout. I know it's kind of ironic to call this band uncreative when comparing them to Led Zeppelin, but at least they didn't completely rip off another artist's sound to a T. This is the kind of band that would have been better off playing local joints as a cover band, but up to this point, have shown very little of worth as an individual unit. I do hope they can find their own sound, because as musicians, they do show some talent, but this album demonstrates that they are pretty uncreative songwriters.

D+

Favorite Tracks: Age of Man, When The Curtain Falls, Brave New World

Least Favorite Track: The New Day

The Chainsmokers - Memories... Do Not Open

The Chainsmokers - Memories... Do Not Open (2017)

Genre: Electropop, Trap, Synth-pop, Tropical House

Infamous for being known as the duo to only be able to write "one song," I just had to give their debut a shot. Oh boy... As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

When I'm listening to a record, I try to keep track of all the songs that stick with me, the ones I was especially fond of. Two songs into this record, I had already forgotten what the first one sounded like. This is literally how the entire thing played out for me. Upon finishing, I had no recollection of any songs. Everyone of them just seemed to bleed into each other, and so I now understand what people mean by The Chainsmokers only being capable of writing one song.

As a result, I can't even comment on individual tracks on here, because they're all pretty similar. If I had to comment on some positives, it would be that the female guest singers do liven up the record, just a tiny bit. The music itself is uninspired, all throughout. This duo seems to rely on very generic, basic piano chords that do nothing to spice up the tired four chord pop formula. And if the music itself is very basic and bland, I would at least expect some interesting lyrics, but there's none to be found here either. This is a collection of generic love/heartbreak songs that lend themselves well as modern radio muzak. 

Taggart does not have an unappealing voice by no means, but he's incredibly devoid of much charisma, and while the guests aren't really doing much to improve the quality of this record, I would have disliked this album much more than I already did if every song was sung purely by him. In conclusion, as I'm sure many have already made light of such a pun, do not open the contents of this album. This is generic, lazy songwriting that had no right to get much attention. While the music wasn't unpleasant, per se, it was certainly putting me to sleep. I wish I could flesh out this review some more, but there really isn't more to say when there's so little going on here.

D-

Favorite Tracks: The One, Wake Up Alone (If I had to pick)

Least Favorite Track: Pretty much all of them.

Mitski - Be the Cowboy

Mitski - Be the Cowboy (2018)

Genre: Art Pop, Indie Rock

Indie rock singer/songwriter Mitski returns with her 5th full length LP, embracing the soft piano pop/rock of her earlier albums to much critical praise. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Considering that Mitski has been a pretty underground name within the industry over the past few years, it's nice to see that this album has been getting a lot of attention. Granted, while I did enjoy this album, there seems to be a lot of unwarranted praise coming from professional critics and the general public which I frankly don't really understand. For one, while the songs on here are certainly pretty, Mitski seems to just play it safe for the most part. With a 32 minute run-time and 14 tracks, there's a lot of really short and sweet tracks on here that seem to end before they can really grow on you.

This even applies for some of my favorite tracks. Old Friend is probably the track that resonated with me the most, and I was fully enjoying it, but then it just fizzled out suddenly. Lonesome Love is another great track, which ends with a long, sustained note that, sonically, is kind of unsatisfying. And I'm not trying to nitpick, because the tracks' short length and less than pleasant endings don't necessarily detract from the songs' appeal overall. I just wish that Mitski had executed them in a better way. Nobody, while being one of my favorite songs on this record, isn't exempt from these weird, cut-out endings either. That said, all the songs here are quite pleasant and enjoyable, and as one critic pointed out, it's nice to hear her move on to "more conceptual themes" in her lyrics pretty effectively.

As I stated previously though, she plays this record very safe from a musical standpoint. There's almost no experimentation or enough variation in the structuring of these songs, and because of that, this album actually benefits from being relatively short as it is. The most interesting songs on here actually come in the form of the more rock-oriented tracks. Why Didn't You Stop Me and Remember My Name are good examples of this. The former making great use of synthesizers to push it forward. The more standard soft piano tracks scattered throughout are decent in their own right, but they just don't resonate as well with me. 

Honestly, it's kind of hard to flesh out my thoughts too much on this record. Yes, I do believe it's a good album, but I don't really understand the immense praise it's getting. And I am fully aware that you don't need to reinvent the formula to make something great, but as it is, the album as a whole isn't as exciting as critics were hyping it up to be. There's just not enough here to allow me to feel the same. When it comes to indie rock, this is a much more subtle, at times lovely album, but it could have been a bit "more."

B

Favorite Tracks: Why Didn't You Stop Me?, Old Friend, Lonesome Love, Remember My Name, Washing Machine Heart

Least Favorite Track: Geyser

Gorillaz - The Now Now

Gorillaz - The Now Now (2018)

Genre: Electropop, Synth Funk

After their somewhat disappointing release of Humanz during the previous year, Gorillaz came back with a much more musically coherent and enjoyable album this time around. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I was left somewhat bummed out Humanz. It's ludicrous amount of guest artists and much more pronounced electronic influences made it feel less like a Gorillaz album, and more like a compilation of ideas by different artists. I'm glad to see that The Now Now sees a much more humble return to form, for the most part. Only two out of the eleven tracks here feature guest artists, and that's incredibly refreshing. I can certainly say that I was coming into this album with some high hopes after having heard a few of the single released prior to this record, with Tranz being one of my favorites, with it's dream-like vibes and esthetic. 

Surprisingly, for a band that is known for its hip-hop influences, there is a distinct lack of it on this record. Hollywood is the only track here that really fits that bill, featuring a much appreciated and laid-back performance by Snoop Dogg. It was probably for the best, as I thought it was one of the weaker tracks here. For the most part, a lot of the tracks on this album are surprisingly laid back and have a somewhat melancholy tone to them. The closing track Souk Eye is perhaps one of the "prettiest" songs to come out of the Gorillaz' discography, even as it starts transitioning into "disco" territory near the end. I can't say that these are the sort of vibes I expected out of a Gorillaz album, but I can't complain.

Similarly to Souk Eye, Idaho is a mostly acoustic track that proves how Damon Albarn doesn't need to make use of heavy studio experimentation to make a pretty great Gorillaz song, and still have it sound like an actual Gorillaz track. Lake Zurich is an incredibly synth heavy dance track which, surprisingly, features no real vocals aside from some seemingly spoken word interjections thrown in. Fire Flies is another highlight, featuring some satisfying syncopated vocal delivery and slow, but funky synth groove.

There are certainly no shortage of good tunes on here and while not the most musically diverse of their records, this album does well in combining funk, synth-pop, dance and soul into a short and sweet package. It's quite possible that after the release of Humanz, this may not necessarily be the return to form that most Gorillaz fans were hoping for, but it's certainly a welcome entry into their discography. Hopefully, Damon will take some of the good ideas on here, expand upon them and eventually give us a true Gorillaz album once again, one that mixes said good ideas with some quality hip-hop, in the same vain as Demon Days.

A-

Favorite tracks: Tranz, Idaho, Lake Zurich, Fire Flies, Souk Eye

Least Favorite Track: Sorcererz

The 1975 - The 1975

The 1975 - The 1975 (2013)

Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Electropop, Funk Rock, Pop Rock, Alternative Rock

Indie/alternative/pop-rock group The 1975, dropped their debut studio album in 2013, offering a mix electropop and funk influences with some punk-style lyrical content sprinkled in. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I can't say I expected much after hearing the title track, which features some very interesting experimentation, but for some odd reason is full of euphemisms for oral sex. I don't see the correlation, unless this band is so full of themselves that they're starting off by announcing how many girls they lay down with on the daily. In fact, there's a lots of sexually charged lyrics throughout this album, with Sex being the most "in your face" track, lyrically. Here, Matty Healy seemingly gloats how he can steal your girl, being the Casanova that he aspires to be. I can't deny though, that it's probably their catchiest song on this record.

There's a lot of genres mixed in here, but there still seems to be a mostly consistent type of song structure throughout. Almost all tracks have a very prominent synth-pop vibe, but the production here is decent enough that the synths never blow up more than they need to. A very prominent use of synthesizers is on the track Menswear, which plays out like a chill, lo-fi hip-hop musical background for half of the song's length. I almost expected Matty to come in with some bomb-ass bars, but he didn't. *tear*

While there are no shortage of decent tracks on this album, there never was a single track that stood out above all the rest to such a great extent. As I stated, Sex was probably the catchiest here, and aside from that, only Chocolate and Talk! made we want to get up and dance a bit. The latter features a simple and subtle, but effectively funky bassline that kept my ears occupied. M.O.N.E.Y. is a song which I didn't necessarily love, but did feature some interesting use effects and electronic vocal alterations. I have yet to understood how silly, yet intriguing it is to hear Matty spell out "money" after his voice has been transformed into an annoying little robot.

Because of the overreliance on common pop-tropes and synths, the album does start to stumble a bit with the second half. The best track from the second half would probably have to be Girls, with its upbeat, simple chord riff. Again, nothing on here ever lives up to the fun nature of Sex, but there's no shortage of simple, funky tunes either. The album ends with a sultry, yet minimalistic piano ballad, Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You, which seems drastically different within the context of this album. Overall, their first album was a decent effort in incorporating funk and synth-pop into more traditional alt-rock and pop rock, while unironically leaving in some room for some youth-driven care-free type of songwriting. There's quite some room for improvement, both sonically and lyrically, but for what it is, there's definitely some enjoyment to be had here.

B-

Favorite Tracks: Chocolate, Sex, Talk!, Girls, The City, She Way Out

Least Favorite Track: 12 (Yes, I'm counting the minimalist interludes)

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Often hailed as one of the greatest achievements in prog-rock history, King Crimson's debut album has become a staple of rock history and pop culture, and one that by 1969 standards, seemed ahead of its time. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

After many years of this album seemingly going under my radar, thanks in part to its absence from YouTube and Spotify, I can now finally agree with the fanboys. This is an essential, prog-rock album, and anyone that claims to be a fan of the genre would be doing themselves a great disservice in skipping it. With its smooth blend of symphonic, jazz, and classical influences, I'm still amazed that this was released in 1969.

Uncommon for the era, 5 tracks are all that's presented here. This record runs nearly 44 minutes, so you can expect some pretty lengthy passages. As is obvious, you cannot hold someone's attention for that long without offering something incredibly well-crafted and interesting. For the most part, King Crimson did well in delivering some sweet guitar improv passages, pounding bass riffs and strangely enough, some of the best hard hitting drum fills I have heard on any record. 21st Century Schizoid Man opens up the album with an incredibly upbeat jazz-influenced track that crescendos into one of the most satisfying climaxes I've heard in progressive rock, a little bit after the 2 minute mark. This trails back to the original style of the track around the 6 minute mark. A lot of people consider this to be the highlight of the album, and I can see why, though it's hard to decide if it truly is.

As far as musical variation goes, 21st Century Schizoid Man probably takes the cake, but tracks like Epitaph and the title track are so full of life, so hypnotically beautiful, that it's hard for me to decide on a favorite. Epitaph especially, has a deep sense of urgency surrounding its haunting instrumentals and depressing lyrics, which bring to mind thoughts of nuclear fallout. Court Of The Crimson King is a wonderful album closer, and features some great fantastical imagery that really takes you to another world. I Talk To The Wind is the most "traditional" song on the record, presenting a colorful, lovely acoustic melody, perfectly complimented by Ian McDonald's sweetly melodic flute playing, which is also prominent halfway through the title track. 

The worst track on this otherwise perfectly constructed album would have to be Moonchild. There is nothing inherently wrong with some Avant-Garde experimentation in a prog-rock album. However, when the track is just over 12 minutes long, and most of it is dedicated to minimalistic instrumental quips, it does drag quite a bit. Granted, it's not a big deal for aficionados of the genre. I can't say that I wasn't amused upon first listen, though I wouldn't find myself hard-pressed to listen to this track in its entirety every time I go through this record. The sums on this record greatly outweigh the few cons here though.

A

Favorite Track: Can't decide

Least Favorite Track: Moonchild

The Score - Atlas

The Score - Atlas (2017)

Genre: Pop Rock, Hard Rock, Indie Pop

Atlas is the debut studio album by the indie pop-rock duo The Score, released in 2017. I am reviewing this album by request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I may not have a full appreciation for modern pop, but I do enjoy a good dosage of indie rock from time to time. That said, upon my first listen of this album, I didn't have such a strong impression. A second listen did allow me to pick out a couple of "gems" off this record, while still leaving the rest as below average, simple feel good music. Legend teased me near the beginning with some barebones sonic imitation of Led Zeppelin's heavy guitar driven riffs, and then it just went away. A real shame, as it had the potential to keep its momentum going and become my favorite track. Tightrope surprised me with Eddie's admirable performance, as unlike most of the other tracks, he sounds pretty "clean" and, admittedly a bit sultry. Strange on the other hand, is the other decent cut on the album which I praise for it's seemingly simple, but catchy syncopated vocal performance. Speaking of vocals though, I have to talk about the lyrics.

Look, I'm all for bold statements and intellectuality in music, but there's something about this record that screams, "SELF-CONCEITED!" The fact of the matter is that a lot of the lyrics clearly relate to grand ideals of fame, uniqueness and standing out. Most of it is the sort of happy-go-lucky songwriting you have come to expect from most of the tween friendly pop world of today. Normally, that's not a big deal, but I'd be lying if I said they don't feel blown out of proportion thanks to the saturated overproduction my ears experienced from listening to this album. I'm not blinding myself to the fact that at heart, this is a pop record, but there is a limit to how much overdubbing you can do before the music comes off as a bit pretentious, especially with the subject matter at hand.

  

From what I've gathered, the band's very own Edan Dover handled production work, and while I admire his efforts, some tracks could have fared better without some of the unnecessary overdubs and blown up production. One of the cleaner sounding songs on this record, Believe, has the unfortunate distinction of being one of my least favorite on the record. As Eddie sings on Revolution, "There's a revolution coming!" If this album is any indication of things to come, then they have some work to do before I'm willing to listen to their cause. Overall, it's a painfully standard feel good record in which some generic by-the-numbers compositions and questionable production choices hamper it from being an enjoyable debut. Fans of simple, modern pop rock may very well get a kick out of this, though, but I wouldn't really know.  

  

D

  

Favorite Tracks: Tightrope, Strange, Who Am I

  

Least Favorite Track: Only One

The Beatles - The Beatles [White Album]

The Beatles - The Beatles [White Album] (1968)

Genre: Pop Rock, Art Rock, Psychedelic Rock

With the release of the new 50th anniversary edition of the Beatles' legendary Double-LP, I found it appropriate to start my album reviews with this one. This will not be a review of the new mix's production, but more so just the music and the original album in general. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Fresh off the heels of Sgt. Pepper's (Let's forget about Magical Mystery Tour for a second), anticipation for the Beatles' next studio album was undoubtedly high at the time. What we ended up getting was the most musically incoherent album that they ever released. I don't mean this in a negative way, though. Packing 30 tracks into a Double-LP is no easy feat, especially with the strict deadlines that they faced. With that many tracks, one would expect quite a few of them to be real stinkers, but surprisingly, the album keeps a steady momentum going throughout most of its nearly 94-minute runtime. 

In comparison to Sgt. Pepper's, this does feel like a return to more traditional rock n' roll. However, this wouldn't be a proper late Beatles record without lots of sonic and stylistic experimentation within. Glass Onion, with it's simple, yet funky riff and entertaining "4th wall breaking" lyrics, dabbles with tints of psychedelia, prominently on display with the eerie use of strings near the end of the track. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill provides a short, but tantalizing Spanish guitar style intro. Helter Skelter infamously became known as the first heavy metal song and, ironically still sounds fresh, with its distorted, fuzzy production and all. 

Being a Double-LP, there is also room for good handful of acoustics. Blackbird and Julia remain among the most hauntingly beautiful songs in The Beatles' discography. With both of these songs being solo efforts by Paul and John, respectively, it's interesting to note that there are quite a few times throughout the album where you get the vibe that in reality, this record is a mish-mash of solo efforts combined into one. Tensions within the band were troublesome throughout the recordings, but it gave us a glimpse, to some degree, of what each member was cable of writing and composing on their own. Probably the most celebrated effort on the album would have to be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which forever solidified George's great ability as a songwriter. 

As I stated previously, this album does suffer from a sort of identity crisis, in that there is no consistent style throughout, and while this can be attributed to the vast amount of tracks, it does seem like each Beatle had different artistic ideas in mind. Nothing can excuse them from the (admittedly little amount) of weird filler, though. God knows what was going through Paul's mind when recording Wild Honey Pie, one of the shortest and most unique, yet unsettling pieces of filler I've ever heard. Revolution 9, which has sort of become a novelty at this point, immensely drags down the momentum of the 2nd disc, and at nearly 8 and 1/2 minutes, it REALLY drags. While I consider it more of an experiment than an actual song, I still skip it pretty much ever time I go through this record. Because of this and my general dislike for George's much too slow Long, Long, Long and the admittedly appropriate, but snore-inducing (Perhaps, that was the point?) closing track Good Night, Disc 2 does present itself as a weaker effort than the first, though it doesn't get too much in the way of holding this record to a high standard. This is most certainly one of the The Beatles' greatest accomplishments and the fantastic assortment of songs mostly makes up for the few stinkers.

A+

Favorite Tracks: Dear Prudence, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Rocky Racoon, Julia, Savoy Truffle

Least Favorite Track: Revolution 9