northernsky

Hello everyone, and thank you for the comments. In fact, in the review, I tried to convey a fundamental ambiguity that this type of album evokes in me—on one hand, it entertains me, and on the other hand, it seems a bit too contrived. I gave it a 3 because it's time to reevaluate average ratings; I believe a 3 is a good score all things considered. I also admit my fault and say that in the past, I've awarded 4 or 5 stars with excessive generosity. Psycho, I haven't listened to the Islands (but I don't know the Unicorns either!) Do they deserve it? What's the album like? What genre do they play?

good review. the album, however, is really repetitive, nice but nothing special, you listen to it for a bit then move on to something else. too twee.

Thank you, hobbit. Unfortunately, I must say that perhaps after so many years, Stereolab are truly at the end. However, nothing wrong with that; it's natural for everything to come to an end. Especially since, in my opinion, Mary’s death has dealt a blow that is difficult to recover from. All this to say that the last Fab Four suture is truly a mannered record that perhaps doesn’t take anything away but doesn’t add anything to their discography either.

you deserve a 5 just for reviewing them. a band that doesn't get much attention, who knows why! meanwhile, they're already on their third album and much more interesting than many others.

great album. truly one of the most interesting bands around in a rather stifling landscape of clamorously new trends. well done.

They sound different, they are live recordings at the BBC made over several years and are perfectly recorded.

this album is beautiful. no doubt about it. I’m tired of always hearing about the previous production of Mogwai. if someone doesn’t recognize the value of this album, they must have their ears stuffed. the previous production was great, fine, but Mr. Beast enriches the production with another gem. beautiful sounds, piano and feedback intertwine magnificently. I don’t know what a band is supposed to do after their first two albums. should they stop? should they always make the same album? because if they had kept making Young Team, there would have been those accusing them of being always the same...

The review is well done, but as the aforementioned commentators have pointed out, it tries to prove the unprovable, namely to downplay the impact of The Smiths as a singles band. This argument has some merit, but as ngw explained well, you don’t change an era without being a great band. Just think of The Smiths' first album, the self-titled one; sure, in hindsight we can see its flaws, but when it burst onto the scene, it was a revelation, a band that created an aesthetic from nothing, overturning the machismo of rock without resorting to extremes of drag or homosexual clichés. This is not something a mere singles group accomplishes. I also don’t understand the hostility towards "Cemetry Gates," which is one of the most beautiful, poetic, and evocative lyrics from Moz. Is the music simple? And so what? If you read the lyrics, it all makes sense. Finally, go ahead and reassess "Strangeways," but it will always remain the worst album by The Smiths. The second side is often bland.

I'm finally starting to like it, but it has been and still is a slow and troubled process. However, I don’t understand what is meant by the ability to renew themselves. They have had that. It’s legitimate for someone not to like their albums after a certain period, but one cannot say they haven’t evolved. Just listen to if you're feeling sinister and compare it to DCW or the latest one. Otherwise, I’m missing the concept of a band capable of renewing itself. I see that in the history of rock, bands either break up quickly (and then they don't have the issue) or truly don’t renew (but as an example, I would rather cite Placebo) or (and this is the highest achievement, in my opinion) they try to incorporate new elements within a tested sound. That's what BS does.

Well, frankly, even though I have all the possible sympathy for Pulp, I just haven't quite digested this album. I'm going with the obvious: for me, the masterpiece is Different Class.