Junker Rates Albums

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A summary of my listening from the past week

Brand New Eyes- Paramore (2009)

Think Tank- Blur (2003)

Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?- The Unicorns (2014)

Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?- Metric (2003)

Adore- The Smashing Pumpkins (1998)

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel (1998)

Once We Were Trees- Beachwood Sparks (2001)

This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About- Modest Mouse (1996)

Terror Twilight- Pavement (1999)

Keep It Like a Secret- Built To Spill (1999)

Figure 8- Elliott Smith (2000)

Mic City Sons- Heatmiser (1996)

The Presidents of The United States of America- The Presidents of The United States of America (1995)

A Beautiful Lie- 30 Seconds To Mars (2005)

Major Arcana- Speedy Ortiz (2013)

Nevermind the Living Dead- Stuck in the Sound (2006)

Orange Rhyming Dictionary- Jets To Brazil (1998)

The Meadowlands- The Wrens (2003)

Bubble & Scrape- Sebadoh (1993)

Hail To the Thief- Radiohead (2003)

Things We Lost in the Fire- Low (2001)

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain- Pavement (1994)

High/Low- Nada Surf (1996)

Diary- Sunny Day Real Estate (1994)

Transmissions From the Satellite Heart- The Flaming Lips (1993)

Regretfully Yours- Superdrag (1996)

Frances the Mute- The Mars Volta (2005)

Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

Turn On The Bright Lights- Interpol (2002)

Antics- Interpol (2004)

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Ultra Mono by IDLES

Ultra Mono- IDLES (2020)

Ultra Mono was a really interesting album to listen to. It's not something that I would have ever sought out on my own, but it is always a good idea to try to branch out. I thought that it was compellingly driving, especially with the instrumentals. More than anything, it sounds like a very modern take on classic British punk, which is really interesting to me. That might be the most "no-shit" take in the world, but I have never particularly sought out or seriously listened to classic punk nor have I ever thought to seek out what it turned into over time. I'd love to know if this is a deliberate resurgence of that iconic sound or if it is a natural evolution. When I first started listening to this album, I wasn't totally sure that I would enjoy it because this vocal style isn't typically my thing, but by the time I got to Model Village I was finding myself jamming pretty solidly. At times I felt like the message was a bit ham-fisted to say the least, however, I have to concede that if you are looking for subtlety in punk, you're listening to the wrong genre. This is one of those genres that I have to be in the right mood to listen to, so unfortunately none of these songs made it into my daily shuffle, but I did really enjoy Mr. Motivator, Model Village, Reigns, and A Hymn. My favorite song from Ultra Mono was Model Village. Unfortunately for the objectivity of these reviews, I am nothing if not biased. For someone who enjoys punk a whole lot more than me, this is a really good album that probably would get somewhere around an 8/10. For me, however, I'll give it a 6.5/10. Good punk, not quite my typical speed.

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Funeral- Arcade Fire (2004)

I don't want it to seem like I only talk about albums that I think are great, but let me talk about an album that I think is truly something special. To be totally honest I'm a little hesitant to make this post because this album has been making me pretty emotional lately. To start, I think the instrumentals throughout Funeral are just beautiful. As I've said in previous reviews, I'm a huge fan of orchestral backings, which this does very well. I think the violins, cellos, and the accordion give it a very distinct sound that sounds like nothing else from that time period. Funeral is one of those albums that just completely oozes pure emotion in a way that has been hitting me pretty hard lately. I think in the last week or so I've probably listened to this album nearly ten times. Without getting too sappy or projecting too hard, Funeral feels like the bittersweet sting of growing up. It's both incredibly melancholic and hopeful at the same time. This album is amazing to listen to all at once, but many (if not most) of the songs are great to listen to individually. It's wonderfully put together, and at no point does it feel disjointed or unorganized. For some reason I'm having a hard time coming up with too much more to say about this album. Maybe it's because if I think about it too hard I might cry. Take all of this with a massive grain of salt I guess. The songs from this album that made it onto my daily shuffle were Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Neighborhood #2 (Laika), Une Annee Sans Lumiere, Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Rebellion (Lies), and In the Backseat. My favorite song from Funeral was Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels). Overall, I give this album a 9/10 for influence on the genre, cohesiveness, my love of orchestral instrumentals, and how much it makes me want to sit in my car and cry about turning 23.

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X&Y- Coldplay (2005)

I think X&Y is good album to listen to at any volume. When listened to loudly, it’s nice for embarrassing levels of dramatics. When listened to quietly, it’s nice for listening to in bed. Come to think of it any volume is nice for being dramatic. This album is right up there with some of the other iconic (in my opinion) albums of the mid-aughts, like Eyes Open by Snow Patrol and Black Holes and Revelations by Muse (hey who put that there). Lots of people I know give Coldplay a lot of shit for being whiny and whatnot but what I think Coldplay does really well, especially in the early 2000s, is tap into that specific sound that was really prominent in that era. I may be totally off base here but I think the sound they really excelled at is a natural evolution of the grunge-opposed, Radiohead-type sound that came out of the 90s. It’s a return to a more melodic sound that was a bit out of fashion in the alternative community for a while. This makes sense, obviously all things go in cycles. I think this album is really beautiful, and Chris Martin’s vocals are so vital to the Coldplay sound that they’re so known for. He has a really interesting range, and I love his use of his falsetto. It really brings a sort of light and airy sound to it that works really well. I also wanted to point out that the bass lines in this album are phenomenal. I love Coldplay’s use and choice of instruments. The piano is regularly on display, the guitars are crisp, and the bass is regularly highlighted in an impressive way. White Shadows, X&Y, and Twisted Logic all made it onto my daily shuffle, and What If made it onto my “embarrassing levels of dramatics” playlist. My favorite song was X&Y. This album is cohesive, melodic, and iconic, so I give it an 8/10.

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Facelift- Alice In Chains (1990)

I do really enjoy Facelift, I think it's super raw, however, something about it feels like they haven't quite found It yet. Earlier today I listened to Dirt, and when comparing the two, I think it's evident that this album isn't quite on the same level as that one. I think something that it struggles with is that a lot of the songs from this album sound very similar to each other. For example, I think Sea Of Sorrow and Bleed The Freak sound very similar to each other. Historians will note that that's something I almost always take into account when listening to albums. None of the songs are bad on their own, but as parts of a whole, it's sort of like making a fruit salad out of only different types of grapes. I know this all sounds really negative but don't get the impression that I think it's a bad album. Something I think Facelift does really well is being ominous. It makes good use of lots of grinding minor chords that makes it feel like it's creeping up on something. Put You Down has a really sweet guitar riff that makes it a lot of fun to listen to. I Know Somethin (Bout You) is super funky too. This is an album that I imagine would be good to listen to if you worked in a factory that makes cars or something. The only songs on this album that didn't make it onto my daily-shuffle were We Die Young, I Can't Remember, and Love, Hate, Love. My favorite song was Put You Down. 8/10.

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Pablo Honey- Radiohead (1993)

Today I listened to Pablo Honey for the first time, and I really liked it! Not that I expected anything less from the album that introduced Creep to the world, but this is quintessential Radiohead. It's got the expressive vocals that I've come to expect from Thom Yorke, which is what makes Radiohead such a good listen when you're being a sad bastard. Being their first full album, it's evident right out of the gate that Radiohead knew what they were all about. One thing that felt a bit different about this album is that it's not quite as damn depressing as some of their other albums. Although it has its fair share of sad songs (and what kind of Radiohead album would it be if it didn't), this album felt more upbeat than some of their others (I'm looking at you, OK Computer). In certain parts it almost felt hopeful, which is rare for this band. How Do You?, Anyone Can Play Guitar, and Ripcord were all lots of fun. Honestly they almost make you want to dance instead of just lay on the floor. Near the end of the album it gets a little bit sadder; Lurgee and Blow Out both made it onto my "Radiohead that makes you want to kill yourself" playlist. Pablo Honey keeps it fresh, song to song. I've said in previous reviews that a good mix of tempos is a great way to keep your songs sounding different (which is true), but I think that the big way this album accomplishes this is by making each song sound different. Some songs feature the acoustic guitar more, others the electric. Some are happier, some are downright dismal. Some are very nice and melodic, others are way crunchier. Fantastic variety from this album. This album is a great one to jam to. My favorite song from Pablo Honey was Anyone Can Play Guitar. Instead of listing every song that made it onto my daily-shuffle, I'll list the ones that didn't: Prove Yourself, Lurgee, and Blow Out. Like I mentioned above, Lurgee and Blow Out were a bit too depressing to listen to at random, but they both made it onto another playlist of mine. Prove Yourself wasn't a bad song, but the "I'm better off dead" lines made me roll my eyes a bit. Overall, I thought this was a great album, and a fun look back on the early career of Radiohead. 8.5/10!

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Dirt- Alice In Chains (1992)

Dirt is so, so cool. I am of the firm belief that this album is best listened to with good headphones, and loudly. For many of the songs, the tempo is not so fast that you can't appreciate the talent outside of how fast they can play. It's not necessarily lumbering, but it is a slower album of theirs that leaves a little more room to breathe. Another thing I really liked about this album is that a few of the songs have some internal variation in tempo (notably in Sickman), which keeps it really interesting. Layne Staley has one of the most remarkable and memorable vocal styles of anything I've ever listened to, and it works so well in this album specifically. He had such an incredible understanding of when to hold back and when to let it rip. While his singing is certainly powerful, raw, and impressive, rationing his most powerful lines makes them all the more impactful. The same thing can be said for Jerry Cantrell's playing style on the guitar. I think this is one of the things that makes Dirt (and Alice In Chains in general) so good. You get the feel that everyone in the band really understands the sound they're going for, and knows exactly how to work with each other to get it. The instrumentals are so (for lack of a better, less on-the-nose term) grungy. It's times like these where I wish I knew more about instruments and recording equipment so I could better describe in writing exactly what it is about the sound that I think makes it. Something I did really like that I wanted to point out though was the sound of the guitar in Angry Chair. It's way different than the sound of it in the rest of the album, it has that sort of goth twang that Alice In Chains doesn't usually lean into very much, but I think it lends a very unique and interesting texture to this song. This is a great album to listen to when you feel like you need something to kick you in the ass and get you going. Every single song from this album made it onto my daily-shuffle, except for Untitled, but that's just because it's an interlude. That being said, I think it goes without saying that this is my favorite Alice In Chains album. My favorite song from Dirt was Junkhead. 9.5/10.

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Badmotorfinger- Soundgarden (1991)

Upfront, I should say that I love Soundgarden, but I'll certainly try to make this unbiased. This album is the music equivalent of a big, rusty mech walking for days on end. Like the Iron Giant or something. I realize that's abstract, but I couldn't really think of a better way to put it, aside from maybe comparing it to those guys who can pull a car through the streets by a few chains. Badmotorfinger is heavy. It's loud, but it's not just noise for the sake of it. This album is dense, gritty, and lumbering with a purpose. It's heavy machinery. It sounds like the strings of the bass and guitar are loose and rusted, and the amp jacks are stuck full of sand. It's hard to describe this album in a way other than similes and metaphors, but that might be the best way to describe it anyway. To torture a metaphor, as heavy as it is, the scope of this album is broad enough that it doesn't sink and get stuck in the mud. There is a good variety of tempos, keys, and tones between all of the songs that really keeps it moving. The instrumentals are heavy, but the vocals from Chris Cornell are soaring (big surprise there), which does a lot to balance it out. As I've said before, I love an album that doesn't all sound the same, but sounds similar enough that the songs all go well together. That being said, what ties it together is the fact that there's practically no filler; this album is nothing but live rounds. This is a great album to listen to while hitting shit with a baseball bat. It's also great to listen to at unsafe volumes. The majority of this album made it onto my daily shuffle. See: Rusty Cage, Outshined, Slaves & Bulldozers, Jesus Christ Pose, Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Room A Thousand Years Wide, Drawing Flies, Holy Water, and New Damage (aka every song except Mind Riot and Somewhere). It's hard to choose a favorite, but I think I can give Slaves & Bulldozers the crown without too much guilt. Give it a listen, like, right now. 9.5/10.

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Bleed American- Jimmy Eat World (2001)

Bleed American is an excellent example of the genre and era it was made for. Jimmy Eat World is an iconic band for good reason, and this album clearly shows why. This album is so incredibly high energy and fun to listen to. While not every song on it is something you would listen to at random, several of them are. One thing that I really love about this album is that all of the songs are quite different from one another, which keeps it from feeling like you're just listening to the same song over and over. At the same time, they are not so separated from each other that they don't make sense to listen to sequentially. Some are driving and almost angry (like Bleed American), while others are slower and more contemplative (like Hear You Me). Another thing that I think is really good about this album is the vocals. My main sticking point there is that the vocals don't annoy me. I know that's a super subjective judgement, but it's essential to my enjoyment of the album as a whole. This album is great to listen to in the car, or maybe while taking a long, emotionally charged walk. It's super diverse in tone, which means it's very versatile for whatever mood you're in. My favorite song from this album is Bleed American, and it's not even close. Seriously. I practically listened to it in between every song, I like it that much. The songs from this album that made it onto my daily shuffle are: Bleed American, The Middle, Sweetness, If You Don't, Don't, and The Authority Song. This album is well worth checking out, so go do it! Overall I give this album a 9/10.

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Villains- The Verve Pipe (1996)

I found Villains in the CD bin of a Goodwill for $0.65 over the weekend, and thought that the album art was interesting enough to take a gamble on it. Worst case scenario I took a $0.65 loss, which I can stomach. I listened to it in the car on the way home, and was pleasantly surprised! I had never heard of this band before so I had no clue what to expect but what I got was an extremely 90s, pretty mellow rock album. It opens really well with Barely (if at all), which I thought was impressive and pretty driving. I thought that the instrumentals were quite decent and the vocals were fine. Honestly, I don't have a ton to say about this album. Most aspects of it (i.e. the vocals, instrumentals, lyrics) were good, but not stellar. This is a good album to listen to while doing laundry or studying or something, but it's probably not something you would listen to, like, as an activity. None of the songs on this album made it onto my daily-shuffle, unfortunately. My favorite song from Villains was Veneer. Overall, I give this album a 6/10, a good investment if you have an hour to kill and a dollar burning a hole in your pocket.

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I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love- My Chemical Romance

Buckle up, this might get a little long. To be honest I’ve been avoiding rating any My Chemical Romance albums because I don’t know if I can be normal about it. I certainly know I can’t be unbiased, not that that has ever stopped me before. However, I’ve been on a bonkers MCR kick these last few days and after listening to every album, plus singles, plus live albums, plus demos, I just had to do one on Bullets. Guys… it’s so good. I’m always a bit hesitant to decide on a favorite album with this band because it really depends on my mood, however, this might take the cake. I’m always a bit of a sucker for the first albums a rock band does, mostly because I really love the dirt and grime of a more unpolished album (for example, I’m a huge fan of Bleach by Nirvana). This is not to say that the songs are not well put together, because they sound meticulously put together, with a sort of wildness that balances it out really well.

Everyone adds so much to this album. I know bass doesn’t always get as much love as it should, but Mikey Way really kills it on the bass (not to mention his backing vocals), especially on Early Sunsets Over Monroeville. It adds a really sweet layer of depth to it. Not to extrapolate too much but Mikey and Gerard Way are so clearly brothers when you listen to them play together. They just blend really well, and while they have different styles, they are super in-sync. Gerard’s vocals on this album are so insanely passionate and super powerful, which is something that he maintains and always does really well. I won’t go too much into the writing/themes/etc. of the album because I could talk about it all day and this is already too long, but long story short: super raw, really impressive. I think that Ray Toro is absolutely integral to this album (and to the band as a whole). To start, his backing vocals blend so well with Gerard’s. Now, I know exactly nothing about guitars, but he has a really incredible ear for interesting chords and harmonies and everything else that a guitar can do. He seems to know exactly when to lay it down and when to pick it back up. Plus, the way he plays is just so technically incredible. MCR gets a lot of (deserved) credit for the impressive vocals, but the rest of the band, especially the guitars are just so so good and skilled. This is a totally biased take, but I would go so far to say that Ray Toro may be one of the best guitarists of the past 25 years I’ve ever heard. I’ll leave it at that. I would go on but this is already the longest thing I’ve ever written and I don’t think anyone is still reading. Clearly I have Too Many Thoughts on MCR and this album. Let’s land this plane. The songs that made it onto my daily rotation were: Honey This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two of Us, Vampires Will Never Hurt You, Drowning Lessons, Headfirst for Halos, Skylines and Turnstiles, Early Sunsets Over Monroeville, and Demolition Lovers. So… almost all of them. My favorite song was Headfirst for Halos. Here is my totally biased rating: 10/10. No notes on that score please.

TLDR: this album is so, so good and I need you all to listen to it for your sake and mine.

Damn.

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Violet- L.S. Dunes

I feel a bit bad for saying this but Violet was better than I expected. I think that most of the reason was because Anthony Green's particular vocal style is not typically what I prefer; I usually prefer something lower in pitch. However, the more I listened to it, the more it started to grow on me. I also really love this album art, it's super cool. I think it's probably worth noting at this point that I am completely biased towards anything even tangentially related to My Chemical Romance, and while I know it's important to let artists move on and try something different from their earlier work, this is not an exception to my obsession. I think that Frank Iero always does a great job on guitar and with composition, and frankly (haha, get it), I have never seen a project he was involved with that he didn't make better. He really knows his genre and it shows. I think that L.S. Dunes always accomplishes what they set out to do, and everyone involved contributes a really great sound to the band. The songs from Violet that made it onto my daily-shuffle were Violet and Forgiveness. My favorite song was Violet. Overall I give this album an 8/10, with one point off for the vocals not being like, my favorite ever, and for some of the songs being good, but not especially memorable. That being said, I do need to listen to it again. This was a great album, check it out!

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Abbey Road- The Beatles

Behold! Here I have written the definitive review of Abbey Road. Surely no one has done this before. Some people think The Beatles are overrated, and I’m sure some people think they’re underrated. I think they were as popular as they were (and still are) for good reason. I also think that this was one of the best albums they ever made, which makes sense if they wanted to go out with a final high note. This album has a lot of soul, and you can really feel the heart and influence off all four members. Abbey Road is extremely melodic, and not particularly experimental as some of their other work is (see: Magical Mystery Tour). Without doing any further reading on the subject, it seems like all of the members wanted to be at their best. There is a great mix of songs on this album, some are beautiful, like Something, some are fun, like Octopus’s Garden, and some are just super catchy, like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. I think Ringo really shines in this album, I feel like he is the only person who could have ever been the drummer for The Beatles. He just has such a way of not doing Too Much, and making the spaces in between beats speak. Overall I give this album an 8/10.

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Days of Abandon- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

I just picked this album up from the store actually, but I think my feelings about this band are clearly indicated by the fact that I had never heard this album before. Days of Abandon starts strong, and if I had to put a feeling to it, I would say it feels like reminiscing about a particularly good summer. It’s really a beautiful listen, super mellow. I thought Coral and Gold was particularly beautiful. Although I certainly enjoy depressing music, I’m glad that this wasn’t. It easily could have been if it had a slight shift in the opposite direction, but I appreciate the decision to keep it light. The vocals and instrumentals are both really well done, and it’s really a joy to listen to. My favorite song is Coral and Gold. I think this album deserves a hearty 8/10. Check it out!

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Violent Things- The Brobecks (2009)

Violent Things is right up my alley, especially right now, so I can’t honestly say this will be an unbiased review. Here’s something interesting (and tangential) I noticed when listening; the song Small Cuts reminds me a bit of My Chemical Romance. The dramatic vocals and carnival-esque instrumentals in the back remind me in a few ways of the Black Parade. Of course, this came out 3 years after that so it may very well have been inspired. The vocals are super fitting for the style of music. The songs on this album range from fun to sweet to a bit spooky at times, but there’s not a single song I didn’t enjoy. In songs like Goodnight Socialite you can really hear the Panic! At The Disco influence in the best way. Quite a few songs made it onto my daily-shuffle, including: If You Like It Or Not, Small Cuts, Better Than Me, and Love At First Sight. My favorite song is If You Like It Or Not. Overall I give this album an 8.5/10, with 1 point off because the first half of the album was more interesting than the latter half.