Lazar

Not every song here is Harry's best work, but when it hits it hits in a completely unique way. The concept of people's lives as short stories is fantastic as a framing both here and for most of Harry's songs. Many of the stories here are tragic in a very human way: The man who's not talented enough to make a career of his passion, yet his passion it remains. The mail order broom in the old American West. The old man realizing that times haven't changed, he has. These ... read more

Cat's In the Cradle is a fantastic song (and Shooting Star and What Made America Famous? are standout as well), but I don't think this is Harry Chapin's finest work. I've never been huge for musical comedy because I feel like it wears with time, and while I don't have that problem with Six String Orchestra I absolutely do with 30,000 Pounds of Bananas, since the latter feels devoid of anything but the comedy.

Wow.

There's never been an album that's made me want to dance as much as this one, and yet the lyrics are still powerful. It's like if you wrote a philosophical treatise on the meaning of life and all of the problems of the world and somehow made it also one of the most pleasant listening experiences capable of gracing the human ear. It's optimistic, but not delusional. It flows effortlessly, but isn't shallow. It's long, but never drags. It's a breath of ... read more

I'm not going to say this is Four Tet's best work, but it's definitely an album only Four Tet could make. Calm and meandering yet somehow it stays interesting, at least for the most part.