cappyk

I went into this with reservations because folk music tends to bore the ever living hell out of me almost without exception. In addition, I've grown EXTREMELY tired of the recent "indie folk" cycle of artists who aren't especially good at playing instruments... or writing... or holding out basic notes without their forced whiny monotonal voices warbling and cracking like they just hit puberty. Then "indie critics" trying to push this stuff like it's actually ... read more

Not sure what other folks were expecting but this was fine 80s synthpop and it doesn't deserve to be rated in the yellow. Of course it's of its time but there are two pretty widely acknowledged 80s classics here and its mostly fun, upbeat and catchy. The worst parts are when Jones tries to be more somber and serious but thankfully that doesn't happen a whole lot.

Things Can Only Get Better - 10
Life In One Day - 7
Dream Into Action - 6
No One Is To Blame - 10
Look Mama - ... read more

A very moody, laid back, dreamy and downcast take on R&B. This does a pretty remarkable job walking the art - entertainment tightrope, with the more experimental elements incorporated with tact and good taste. There's enough out of the box content to keep things interesting, yet this never goes to pretentious, overbearing, annoying levels with any of that and maintains its smooth and chill vibe throughout. The warm vocals also help this feel more human and less synthetic / artificial ... read more

I've been told for years that this is a must hear, and I guess it is if you're at all interested in the history and development of the rock genre as this went on to become a pretty influential work. It's an interesting album overall with some nice raw vocal delivery and decent instrumentation and writing, but I'd be lying if I didn't also admit I was surprised by how dialed back and mild a number of the tracks were, especially considering the garage and punk tags. Not ... read more