KeithJericho

After a 20-year gap since their last studio record, Gaucho, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker returned to the studio and brought us this—an album that some fans hailed as a triumphant return, but does it live up to the reputation of their 70s classics like Aja or Can't Buy a Thrill? Or is this one of those cases where a legendary band’s return just doesn’t quite recapture the magic?

First things first, the production on Two Against Nature is clean—maybe a little too ... read more

This record comes after the massive success of Aja, which is still widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. So the pressure was on for Steely Dan to follow up that magnum opus, and with Gaucho, they delivered something that’s both familiar and different—it’s sleek, it’s polished, it’s kind of melancholic, and it feels a bit more detached than their previous work. But does it live up to the hype? Is it as iconic as Aja?

irst off, we need to talk ... read more

It’s often considered their magnum opus—the moment when they perfected their already signature blend of jazz, rock, pop, and studio wizardry into something that would be practically untouchable for the rest of their career. There’s a reason Aja is often hailed as a classic. It’s complex, it’s meticulous, and—despite all of its precision—it flows with this effortless smoothness that only Steely Dan could pull off.

By 1977, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker ... read more

Now, by this point in their career, Steely Dan had already crafted a sound that was unmistakably their own—sophisticated, jazzy, smooth, and yet deceptively cynical. The Royal Scam is a continuation of that evolution, but with a sharper edge and a darker, more complex vibe. Gone is the breezy optimism of earlier albums—this one’s steeped in a sense of paranoia, existential dread, and a cynical look at the American Dream.

The album kicks off with “Kid Charlemagne,” ... read more