u/Rambooctpuss

On Leslie Feist’s sophomore album, the musician combines her own stellar songwriting craft alongside eclectic covers. Showcasing the depth and breadth of her voice, she switches moods and gears effortlessly, from heartbreak to flirtation, introspective to upbeat, while exploring folk, jazz, and French pop. Standouts include the intimate, vulnerable, delicate, raw “Let It Die” and the whimsical “Mushaboom.” Meanwhile, she does refreshing covers, like her lilting take on Ron Sexsmith’s “Secret Heart,” and “Inside and Out,” her flirty, funky version of the Bee Gees’ “Love You Inside Out.” Let It Die remains influential to new pop stars two decades later, with Chappell Roan saying it’s “my favorite comfort album” and Carly Rae Japsen naming it her favorite of the past quarter-century. 
Review:
The album opens with “Gatekeeper” . It has this nice jazzy lounge meets minimalist indie folk groove. It is  built around a gentle, intimate acoustic fingerpicking pattern and hushed, whispered vocals. “Mushaboom” has a  Bouncy, rhythmic indie-pop melody mixed in  with a  doo-wop vibe. It relies on a playful acoustic stride, handclaps, tambourine, and Gonzales providing a  "sh-boom sh-boom" vocal harmony that sounds so faint and whispered you really can’t notice it. “Let It Die” is the solemn gospel tinged ballad that incorporates some chamber pop melodies. It seems to grow brighter as it moves along. “One Evening” introduces some silky R&B basslines to the track. . It feels like a callback to 80’s jazzy R&B. “Leisure Suite” continues that subtle funk/jazz hybrid sound. It also has the ambient samba melody  that feels like you are at some hazy light night afterparty. “Lonely Lonely” has this minimalist groove that feels like it is an a-cappella that allows Feist's voice to take center stage and just soar. “When I Was A Young Girl” is a traditional folk song made famous by 1930s folk singer Texas Gladden. The song has this tribal percussion that feels so gritty and dirty. It feels like a summer day in the swamps of Louisiana which is also featured on Feist’s biting vocal melodies. “Secret Heart” is a cover of a Ron Sexsmith song. It has this ambient jazzy tone that just feels like it is just gliding all over the place. “Inside and Out” is a total reworking of the Bee Gees song “Love You Inside And Out” It has this funked up disco groove that just feels like a callback to 70’s disco. The beat switch-up amps up the tempo and just feels so infectious and fun. “Tout Deconcement” is a reworking of a song popularized by jazz vocalist Blossom  Dearie. The song has this bouncy french-pop piano that bops along. The album closes with  “Now At Last”  a Jazz Standard that is stripped of all the modern trappings of pop music and has this jazz lounge aura. Feist vocals are so tender and vulnerable that you get lost in their emotion as the album fades away. 
Final Thoughts:
This is the definition of a slowburn album; it just grows on you with every listen. I wasn’t impressed after the first listen but the longer the album sticks with you it just grows. It is just a genius record that feels like it should have been recorded in a different era. I am a big fan of Feist's voice and especially her work with The Broken Social Scene. You can see how she inspired artist like Lana Del Ray. In a century of hallowed out corporate pop music this record stands alone. If you want to experience a modern day lounge jazz record mix in with some indie folk put this on your bucket lists. 

Previous Winners

Alan Parsons-I, Robot (Alan Parsons Project)

Maniac Street Preachers-Everything Must Go (1996)

Super Furry Animals-Fuzzy Logic (1996)

Zach Bryan-American Heartbreak (2022)

Foo Fighters-The Colour & The Shape (1996)

Car Seat Headrest-Teens Of Denial (2016)

Deftones-Deftones (2003)

Harry Styles-Harry's House (2022)

Synopsis:
Pinkerton is the second album by Weezer  released on September 24, 1996  Rivers Cuomo wrote most of Pinkerton while studying at Havard , after abandoning plans for a rock opera, songs from the black hole . It was the last Weezer album to feature the bassist Matt Sharpe, who left in 1998. To better capture their live sound, Weezer self-produced Pinkerton, creating a darker, more abrasive album than Blue Album Cuomo's lyrics express loneliness and disillusionment with the rock lifestyle. The title comes from the character BF Pinkerton from Giacummo Puccini’s  1904 opera Mandame Butterfly, whom Cuomo described as an "asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star". Like Madama Butterfly, Pinkerton views Japanese culture from the perspective of an outsider who considers Japan fragile and sensual.
Review:
The album opens with “Tired Of Sex” it has this abrasive thick groove that lets you know the poppy radio friendly sound of the blue album is dead and buried. The song has this emptiness both sonically and lyrical. Cuomo has a blistering guitar solo towards the end of the song. “Getchoo” is this loud dense sludge rock track. One of Weezer’s grunge adjacent songs they ever recorded. It just feels so disjointed and chaotic. “No Other One” continues that loud distorted sound but there is a melodic harmony buried deep in the track. “Why Bother?” sonically could be the closest the band gets to the Blue Album carefree vibe. Lyrically it still maintains the theme of loneliness and depression. “Across The Sea” might be one of Rivers' most problematic songs. The theme of him fascinating over a  letter from an 18 year old Japanese fan comes off as creepy yet endearing at the same time. “The Good Life” abandons the chaotic energy found on earlier tracks on the album. It has this infectious guitar riff that gives the song a groovy energy. It marks a change of direction of the album as if Rivers has decided to stop wallowing in sorrow and return to society. “El Scorcho” was the first single released for the album. It has one of the more bizarre song structures in the band’s catalog. It also feels more infectious and groove friendly than anything else on the album. I love the Green Day dig that Rivers includes. This is one of his best wordplay he ever wrote. “Pink Triangle" has Rivers confessing his love to someone who can never reciprocate, this time a Lesiban is the subject of his obsession. Sonically, it has this infectious  energy. After an album worth of obsession and emptiness “Falling For You” has Rivers finally finding someone he likes and is returning his affection which absolutely terrifies him. The track has this dense layered groove. The guitar solo is one of his finest efforts. The album closes with the quiet energy of “Butterfly” which is just this simple acoustic guitar ballad. Inspired by Pucci’s opera Madame Butterfly. It acts as Rivers apologizing for his negativity found throughout the record. 
Final thoughts:

Most people know the narrative of this album. Trashed by critics and fans when it was released but is now considered one of the best albums ever recorded. For Weezer superfans the band will never reach the heights of this record again. I have loved this record since the first listen. It is such an amazing departure from the Blue Album. Rivers Cuomo is one of the more complicated songwriters ever. This is probably his masterclass. Whatever you think of what Weezer have put out since this album’s release you can’t deny its power. If you haven’t heard this record, put it on your bucket list.

The Who-Tommy (1969)

Peter Gabriel-So (1986)

Elton John-Honky Chateau (1972)

Faith No More-Sol Invictus (2015)

Linkin Park-One More Light (2017)

Coldplay-Ghost Stories (2014)

The Black Keys-Brothers (2010)

Janelle Monae-Archandroid (2010)

Parquet Courts-Wide Awake (2018)

Warren Zevon-Warren Zevon (1976)

Jerry Lee Lewis-All Killer No Filler (1993)

Tyler, The Creator-Igor (2019)

The National-Trouble Will Find Me (2013)

Dire Straits-Brothers In Arms (1985)

Daft Punk-Random Acesss Memories (2013)

LCD Soundsystem-This Is Happening (2010)

Rainbow-Rising (1976)

Moby-Play (1999)

Paul & Linda McCartney-Ram (1971)

The Flaming Lips-The Soft Bullentin (1999)

The Streets-A Grand Don't Come For Free (2004)

Sorry I missed some albums on my list! but here is the complete list of my Kinks album rankings. Once again if you haven't did a Kinks deep dive I would definatly suggest it. They were simply the most underrated band in the history of rock music!

wrapped up my Kinks journery and I have to admit I was delightlfully suprised how many great to solid record are in their discography. If you haven't I would suggest to go down the Kinks rabbit hole.

1981-1985-Ney Matogrosso-Ney Matogross

1996-2000-Limp Bizkit-Chocolate Starfish & The Hot Dog Flavored Water

2011-2015-Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Mosquito

The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds (1966)

Pearl Jam-Binarual (2000)

Ice Cube-Amerkkka's Most Wanted (1990)

Iron Maiden-Piece Of Mind (1983)

The Raconteurs-Broken Boy Soldiers (2006)

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Rome (2011)

Tool-Lateralaus (2001)

Weezer-Weezer (Green Album) (2001)

Missy Elliot-...So Addictive (2001)

Run DMC-Raising Hell (1986)

Wilco-Sky Blue Sky (2007)

Burial-Burial (2006)

Beach House-Beach (2012)

Charlie XCX-How I'm Feeling Now (2020)

Perfume Genius-My Heart On Fire Immeadatly (2020)

RS Synopsis:
With his 2018 album, Astroworld, Travis Scott successfully made the transition from rap superstar to rap megastar. The album introduced Scott’s grand ambitions at world building, creating a sonic landscape capable of embracing the rap world’s biggest stars. Consider standout single “Sicko Mode,” which managed to reconfigure what rap songs sounded like going forward. The track’s signature beat switch, as well as a verse from red-hot Drake coming off one of his most prolific years, made it an instant and undeniable classic — the blueprint for a number of rap hits that would go on to follow the same formula. In that regard, Scott remains peerless. As he says on “Sicko Mode,” he’s truly the glue that keeps the sound of modern rap together. 
Review:
The album opens with “Stargazing” . It has this cool psychedelic beat that sounds so chill. It allows Travis to lay down a chill flow. “Carousel” continues the dizzy psychedelic beats but pumps up the energy especially in Travis’ flow. It contains a sample of the beastie boys “A New Stye” Frank Ocean has an uncredited feature that gives the song some soulful energy. “Siko Mode” is one of the greatest hip hop songs ever. It has one of the most addicting beats you will ever hear. I absolutely love Travis’ flow on the track. It maintains that chilled out psychedelic beat but also adds some funk energy to it as well. Thanks to the the sample of Uncle Luke’s “I Wanna Rock” it has one of the best Drake feature verses ever. The track is a career defining track that makes you get why Travis Scott is one of the best hip hop artists of this century so far. “R.I.P. Screw” serves as a heartfelt, psychedelic tribute to the legendary DJ Screw, the pioneer of the "chopped and screwed" sound that defined the Houston hip-hop scene. Rather than being a high-energy club anthem, this track is a slow-burning, hazy immersion into the spacey atmosphere of Scott’s hometown. “Stop Trying To Be  God” mixes the psychedelic trap beats with some soulfulness creating this dreamy melodic hook. Stevie Wonder provides the harmonica laced into the track, Kid Cudi  provides the umm umm vocals, James Blake & Earth Wind & Fire’s Phillip Bailey provide some great vocals that also adds some gospel energy to the track. This is pure genius and just reminds people how great hip-hop can be when mixed into different genres. “No Bystanders” pumps up the energy after the introspection of the previous track. Juice World provides a great hook. Travis has one of his most anthemic flows ever. Three six Mafia is sampled throughout that gives the track a high octane club atmosphere. “Skeltons” returns to the breezy psychedelic theme of the album. Kevin Parker (tame Impala) and Pharrell provide production and the Weeknd is featured with a haunting swirling background vocals. This track is a slow-burning, hazy immersion into the "spacey" atmosphere of Scott’s hometown. “Wake Up” is anchored by a bright, repetitive acoustic guitar loop produced by Frank Dukes and Sevn Thomas. This gives the track a warm, organic feel that leans into "alt-R&B" territory. The Weeknd is once again featured this time he provides some soulful vocal tradeoffs with Travis chilled out verses. “5% Tip” has this spooky paranoid vibe. The sample of “Still Tippin” from Mike Jones, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall acts as the whole foundation of the track. “NC-17” maintains the spooky energy but adds some dark soulfulness that sounds so provocative. “Astrothunder” is the second production credit from Kevin Parker. The song delves deeper into the trippy psychedelic sound of the two previous tracks but feels more darker and creepy. Thundercat is featured with a bouncy bassline. John Mayer has an uncredited guitar riff. “Yosmeite” has this trippy production Gunna has a nice feature. “Who?What!” picks up the pace of the record with its heavy dense club ready beats. Quavo and Take Off provide feature verses. “Butterfly Effect” has this icy synth beat mixed with some bouncy percussion. “Houstonfornation” is a play on the RHCP song “Californication” ; it adds some of the nocturnal energy with some funky beats.The track features one of Travis’s best flows.  The album closes with “Coffeebean” which has this light jazzy beat. It gives off lounge club energy rather than the night club. It is a nice cool way to end this great album. 
Final Thoughts:

I will be honest, I was not excited to listen to this record. I am not a big fan of Travis Scott the person for a multitude of reasons. However once again an album I wasn’t excited to listen to blew me away. This is just one of the best hip hop albums I’ve listened to in a while. I love the dark psychedelic beats. Travis’s flows are some of the best I have heard and the featured list is quite impressive. I don’t know if he can ever match the energy of this record. If you want to get into the trap genre this is a must listen along with his other classic album Rodeo.

Neil Young w/Crazy Horse-Eveyone Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)

Ice-T-Orginal Gangsta O.G. (1991)

The Clash-Combat Rock (1982)

The Black Keys-Delta Kream (2021)

Steve Miller Band-Fly Like An Eagle (1976)

The Vampire Weekend-Modern Vampires Of The City (2013)

Weezer-Maladroit (2002)

Primus-Sailing The Sea Of Cheese (1991)

REM-Reveal (2001)

St. Vincent-Daddy's Home (2021)

Synopsis:

Phobia is the final album from The Kinks. It was the only album released for Sony Records. It is also the only album that doesn’t feature drummer Mick Avory in some capacity. The album is also the longest in The Kinks discography. 
The Review:
The album opens with “Opening” which is just a heavy 38 second riff that perfectly transitions into “Wall Of Fire” which has more abrasive groove we have heard on a Kinks album. Which probably was the product of grudge sound taking over rock music at the time. Even Ray Davies' vocals sound gritty and rough. “Drift Away” has a more atmospheric sound mixing psychedelic rock with 90’s rock. Ray’s vocals give me Springsteen vibes. “Still Searching” adopts more of a melodic pop rock groove. I love the harmonies in the chorus and it has this breezy production that gives it a dreamy aura. “Phobia” has this dense 90’s rock groove. It gives off this dirty hard rock sound that feels paranoid and anthemic at the same time. “Only A Dream” is this dreamy reflective track filled with such chilled whimsical melodies. The song has a pretty mundane subject matter as Ray is fantasizing about a woman standing next to him on an elevator but somehow he makes its whimsical and emotional. “Don’t” has this midtempo pop-rock groove. Ray’s vocals sound strained and fatigued that goes along with the subject matter of the mundane energy of a long relationship that is about to end. “Babies” has this aggressive punk groove that reminds the listener of the band’s late 70s stadium rock era. “Over The Edge” describes a world filled with paranoia which is reflective with the nervous energy in the groove. “Surviving” has this resilient energy that is a shift away from the paranoia of the previous tracks. “It Alright (Don’t Think About It)” has this dense blues groove that feels more like Aerosmith than The Kinks. It is the first vocal we hear from Dave Davies. “Informer” has this introspective sound that Ray Davies feels so whimsical and reflextive. “Hatred (A Duet)” has this fast punky groove. It is one of the only songs that has both brothers trading off vocals. Both are just trading off insults and describing how they can’t stand each other. Perhaps why this would be the last Kinks record. “Someone Stole My Car” is another fast punky rock track. I absolutely love the bassline from Jim Rudford. “Close To The Wire” is the third lead vocal appearance from Dave Davies. It has this nice dense 90’s rock groove. The album closes with “Scattered”  , a nice mid-tempo blues based yet reflective track. 

Final Thoughts:

There it is the last chapter in our Kinks deep dive. My thoughts on the record is that once again the band made a solid effort. I like the more gritty sound the band adopted. The album is perhaps too long which was the trend during the CD era. There are so many highs one this record which makes it a nice swan song for the band.

De La Soul-De La Soul Is Dead (1991)

Swans-To Be Kind (2014)

New Order-Low-Life (1985)

Frank Zappa & Electric Symphony Orcheestra-Lumpy Gravy (1968)

Death Cab For Cutie-Narrow Stairs (2008)

Moby-18 (2002)

The Black Keys-Turn Blue (2014)

The Rolling Stones-Exile On Mainstreet (1972)

Jimi Hendrinx-Are You Expirenced (1967)

The Black Crowes-Southern Haromon &Musical Companion (1992)

Lenny Kravitz-5

Synopsis: 

The debut album from Candlebox was released on July, 20th 1993. It represented a change of the 90s alt rock sound. Moving away from the sludge aggressiveness of the grunge era. The album has more of a blues based pop rock energy. The album was a massive success selling over four million albums and charting with their big hits “You” and “Far Behind”
Review:
The album opens with “Don’t You” . It has this high energy hook. It just feels so heavy and aggressive. Kevin Martin’s soaring vocals and Peter Klett’s guitar work are highlights. “Change” has more of a melodic groove. It starts out so slow but just builds momentum throughout its runtime. “You” has become one of the best “Post” grunge anthems. It has this choppy yet chilled out groove. It inherits the slow/heavy/slow pace that was so popular in rock music at the time. I love the driving rhythms from Bardi Martin (Bass) and Scott Mercado (Drums). “No Sense” has a jazz based melodic groove. It feels so sharp and clean. “Far Behind” was the band’s big hit from the album. It feels more like a pop rock ballad than a heavy sludge track. “Blossom” experiments with some psychedelic rock troupes. It feels so chilled out and moody. “Arrow” hits hard with its aggressive groove. “Rain” introduces some bluesy riffs to the band’s post-grunge sound. It's a nice change of pace for the record. “Mother’s Dream” is the band’s most aggressive heavy and dense sounding song on the album. It feels more akin to the Seattle grunge sound than anything else on the record. “Cover Me” is this moody emotional ballad but it still contains some 90’s dense rock melodies. The album closes with “He Comes Home” is this moody introspective track that rather than gain momentum it just fades aways to end the record. 
Final Thoughts:

This is just a great post-grunge rock record. It is filled with great hooks and melodies. The band sometimes gets some flack for being a grunge wannabe but I will defend this album until my dying breath. I just love it. I feel some realness in the band and its unfair it gets clumped into some of the mediocrity that followed some of the rock music in the mid-90’s. Unfortunately the band never reached the heights of this album again. Put this one on your bucket list to relive some 90’s rock glory.