(What's the Story) Morning Glory? review

The second and most acclaimed album by the beloved English rock band Oasis, which hailed from Manchester. This is a significant work of Britpop with some of the band's most famous songs.

Tracks:

1. Hello: 6/10 this routine but fun track starts the album on an average note.

2. Roll with It: 6/10 simplistic but perfectly fun.

3. Wonderwall: 5/10 perhaps it's blasphemy to say this, but I really can't stand this song. It's catchy at times, but Liam Gallagher's vocals are so annoying, it's fairly simplistic as a song and nothing about it is genuinely grabbing.

4. Don't Look Back in Anger: 9/10 this song was heard frequently after the devastating events in Manchester last month. Wonderwall might be overrated, but this is a genuinely great song with a serious emotional punch and superb introspective songwriting.

5. Hey Now!: 6/10 more or less the same as the first 2 tracks.

6. Untitled: 5/10 difficult to judge. It's just a small, passable rock instrumental inserted into the middle of the album.

7. Some Might Say: 8/10 a step back up for the album, this excellent track is an optimistic and highly rousing anthem.

8. Cast No Shadow: 7/10 its subject matter isn't always clear but it's another good one.

9. She's Electric: 7/10 another decent one, if nothing ground-breaking.

10. Morning Glory: 7/10 the title track of the album is largely decent, if fairly by the numbers.

11. Untitled: 4/10 why this was put in is a mystery.

12. Champagne Supernova: 8/10 a heavy, long and epic finale with confusing lyrics but it's otherwise an enjoyable and powerful track,

Best song: Don't Look Back in Anger
Worst song: Wonderwall

Summary: Don't believe the hype; this is no great album. All the praise seems completely over the top. It's a record essentially saved by several bangers and elevated to its levels of fame by the wildly over-praised Wonderwall. The trouble with this is a lack of anything truly new or charismatic and this is generally just a fairly bog-standard, fun rock album without a lot of substance. It just isn't good enough to justify the hype. That being said, some of the songs are really good and none of them are bad, so this is just an average album. It's far from awful.



Final rating: 6/10

Blood Sugar Sex Magik review

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the 5th album by the American rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers and probably their most beloved album. This album is a high-point for one of the world's biggest stadium rock bands (Rock bands are sadly dying) and a great showcase of their combination of rock and funk and talent for inserting sexual innuendo into their songs.

Tracks:

1. The Power of Equality: 9/10 with a wonderful message, awesome hip-hop style lyrics and a crazy funky instrumental, this sums up the band at their best.

2. If You Have to Ask: 8/10 a bragging song and a very good one at that.

3. Breaking the Girl: 9/10 a superb relationship song with a highly effective melancholy vibe.

4. Funky Monks: 8/10 another blast of funky fun, even if it's less striking and the abrupt pauses in the song are a little jarring.

5. Suck My Kiss: 9/10 a classic RHCP sex song- complete with a thundering, brilliant bass-line and plenty of innuendo.

6. I Could Have Lied: 7/10 with confusing lyrics this isn't my favorite on the album, but it's still thoroughly acceptable with a genuine emotional center.

7. Mellowship Slinky in B Minor: 8/10 a thoroughly enjoyable song about nothing in particular.

8. The Righteous and the Wicked: 8/10 this proves once again there is so much more to the band than sex and drug songs.

9. Give it Away: 9/10 a fantastically catchy tune with a brilliant bass-line and a great message- a true classic.

10. Blood Sex Sugar Magik: 9/10 another tune that's just loads of fun rather than being focussed on deep, serious themes.

11. Under the Bridge: 10/10 a triumph the band are unlikely to top any time soon. Lyrically they've never been better and this seriously gives you the feels. When it enters the final section, prepare for goosebumps.

12. Naked in the Rain: 8/10 with a perhaps overly upbeat instrumental, this isn't as good a loneliness song as the previous track, but it's still highly effective and very enjoyable indeed.

13. Apache Rose Peacock: 7/10 not hugely striking compared to the rest of the album, but it's still catchy and fun.

14. The Greeting Song: 8/10 not the best lyrically, but when music is this enjoyable who cares?

15. My Lovely Man: 8/10 a very nice tribute to Hillel Slovak, a late former member of the band.

16. Sir Psycho Sexy: 9/10 an 8 minute epic filled with sex metaphors, funk, volume, energy and oozing coolness. The ultimate RHCP song? Possibly.

17. They're Red Hot: 6/10 it's amusing, but this fast-paced blues cover doesn't feel serious enough and the previous track would've made for a better closing song.

Best song: Under the Bridge      
Worst song: They're Red Hot

Summary: If there's one word to describe the album it's... Cool. This is brilliantly, endlessly cool. It's cooler than an iceberg. From beginning to end, this is absolutely electrifying, enthralling and exhilarating. It's simply stunning in every sense. It's so, so much fun, but it's also not as sex-obsessed as you probably remember and it has several songs with great messages and emotional substance. The funky instrumentals are glorious and the hip-hop style lyrics are incredible. This is one of the most enjoyable and fun albums you will ever hear. The energy levels throughout are stunning and on the whole, this is utterly wonderful musical escapism of the best kind. If the band ever top this album, I'll be stunned.  



Final rating: 10/10

Straight Outta Compton review

The first album by the notorious and controversial hip hop group N.W.A, which is an early and influential example of Gangsta Rap. The recent film about this group is highly recommended.

Tracks:

1. Straight Outta Compton: 9/10 it may lack a chorus, but this fast and furious track remains one of the most badass rap tracks ever recorded.

2. Fuck tha Police: 10/10 the title may initially seem unpleasant, but once you listen to the song you'll realize it's one of the best protest songs ever recorded and a rap masterpiece. Ice Cube's verse is pure genius.

3. Gangsta Gangsta: 9/10 nasty, ugly, repellent, ferocious, wonderfully wrong in every sense and utterly blistering.

4. If it Ain't Ruff: 8/10 a continuation of the awesomeness of the first few tracks, even if it isn't quite as striking.

5. Parental Discretion Iz Advised: 9/10 all 5 members of N.W.A do a great job here and show the group was a poetic one (Albeit very violent poetry).

6. 8 Ball (Remix): 8/10 a highly enjoyable remix.

7. Something Like That: 8/10 it's ugly, but just go with it. It's also brilliantly written and delivered and highly enjoyable.

8. Express Yourself: 8/10 a rare clean song from N.W.A with plenty of good rhymes and a nice message as well.

9. Compton's N the House (Remix): 7/10 the first song on the album that could be skipped but still a decent enough remix.

10. I Ain't tha One: 7/10 undeniably well-done, despite the endless sexism.

11. Dopeman (Remix): 7/10 like most of the songs on the album this goes on for too long, but it still has plenty of good bars.

12. Quiet on tha Set: 8/10 a solid and pleasingly raw track.

13. Something 2 Dance 2: 7/10 this catchy filler ends the album on a decent note.

Best song: Fuck tha Police
Worst song: Compton's N the House (Remix)

Summary: One of rap's most important albums and it's not hard to see why. Filled with anger, ugliness, social commentary and rebellion, this is the album that just won't behave and it's great fun to listen to. It's also often thought-provoking and sobering. It's a winning combination of great lyrics and excellent production, with all 5 group member giving strong performances throughout the album. Unfortunately it peaks too early with its early tracks and becomes a bit repetitive in its second half, so it doesn't quite create the same feel of euphoria through the whole album. On the whole though, this is a very good rap record which is endlessly badass and represents a form of aggressive, angry art.



Final rating: 8/10