"articifial intelligence" is an album that shouldn't exist and arguably doesn't.
as an avid john cale fan, i want things to be better than they are so i can legitimize this pitiful existence, but alas, after the soul destroyingly unruly 'caribbean sunset," cale provides only scrapping of a good time. there are a lot of musicians that people remark "the eightiest were rough" about, but i think one of the worst must come from john cale. though he is ... read more

if you haven't got the anxious sense of feverish anticipation upon pressing play on this album, well, okay, that's understandable. i'm not gonna knock you for not keeping up with underground danish experimental and post-punk scenes starting in 2009 and continuing til this day. it was something i stumbled upon when i was fourteen, and never left, and from both the perspective of a fanboy fourteen year old and a twenty-three year old near decade long fan is the same: this record ... read more

a soundscape that introduces you to a lifestyle riddled with the images of a greyscale, technologic impossibility. the villains of madvillainy are static and electricity, like watching ultraman on an unstable signal - flashing in and out with uncertain climaxes. these valuable vignettes flow seamlessly from one to the other, there's nothing human here, only abstract splashes of hissing and crackling beats infused with history by madlib that serve as a skyscraper for slick rhymes by MF DOOM ... read more

when i think of the life i never got to live, i have this album.

if you don't like this album you're either so straight that the word 'divine' is simply an adjective to you and not a proper noun or you're being held under the heaviest brick on the planet. this album is a sickening mess, up to down in rhinestones and the flashing cameras. c'mon, platinum card.

this record deserves to be so much more than someone's "guilty pleasure," no shade to the previous reviews who left a comment here. this record shows such an amazing progression throughout alaska's career as a musician; it does something that is incredibly important for both a musician and cultural icon - shows a sense of maturity that doesn't get stale, that doesn't try to impair any wisdom as an "elder" [not that alaska is old, she is TIMELESS!] knowledge long lost in our ... read more

continuing on with my john cale extravaganza, we have ‘caribbean sunset.’

i would describe this record in the same way i would describe the previews iv seen for this niche blockbuster blunder iv never seen [because you can’t find it anywhere], called S*P*Y*S “we all make mistakes.” S*P*Y*S was stylised sneakily after the movie it proceeded, M*A*S*H and it, too stars elliot gould and donald sutherland. i assume it had been scraped from everyone’s collective ... read more

In 2000, a short time after the release of Sonic Youth’s eleventh studio album, New York City Ghosts & Flowers, Pitchfork released a review of the record by Brent DiCrescenzo who had been contributing to the publication for two years at the time. The review is considered to have been one of the most infamous of all time amongst Sonic Youth fans and music forum users, for good reason. The review is incredibly scathing, mixed between a strange Chicago v. New York debate [if Steve Albini ... read more

- there is something just so god dammed satisfying about the music made between these two figures, they have a proto-madlib type beat quality to some ov their tracks on this record.
- adore the “black like Fela man cry” a reference to fela kuti’s “black man’s cry”
- thee homage to yellowman on “definition” is very appreciated, that is thee sample sprinkled all over thee track.
- a record of legacy and history.
- tracks like “brown skin ... read more

review written as bullet points while in thee car during a long trip, hence thee loose writing style.

- i get why this was thee record which “broke them free of the native tongues,” it is definitely a more serious record comparative to “peoples instinctive travels,” thee musical track is far more sophisticated and up to thee date [1991] extremely revolutionary & brand new
- every backing track was pulled from samples ov obscure jazz records and sounds like brand ... read more

review written as bullet points while in thee car during a long trip, hence thee loose writing style.

- holy shit her flow is BITING!!!!
- as an afab person, being able to hear a woman stand up for another woman, hearing advice which i wish i could have heard years ago is incredibly meaningful to me. astounded
- outstanding and exceeded any and all expectations i had. thee only song on here i don’t like 100 is “swiney swiney,” though it’s honestly not half as bad as ... read more

review written as bullet points while in thee car during a long trip, hence thee loose writing style.

- thee only thing that this record suffers from is an insanely awkward and kinduv creepy way ov talking about women on “i’ll do ya” & “behind the bush”. particularly thee latter where he says “just you & me / how god meant for it to be” it’s also insane that they’re encouraging e/o on these tracks. it’s wild.
- with thee ... read more

one ov my favourite things about yuki's music is it's sense ov perpetual movement, this is especially true for this record. yuki's brilliance as a drummer shines out here with a tumbling sense ov percussion which works it's way like a stream throughout thee entire record. it bobs it's head up and down throughout thee entire record, interrupted only by thee exciting buzzes ov tony mansfield's synthetic applications. contributions from mansfield are incredibly welcome, a long time collaborator ov ... read more

for me, this is one ov thee most underrated and potentially most directly influential albums by john. it seems that this record has fallen to thee opinion ov thee consumers when purchased, though critically acclaimed it was panned by audiences and sold poorly. though structurally sparse and rather cheap to make, it is a record which contains a multitude ov depths and ironies. floating throughout a nebulous space ov regret, thee album glides on a wind throughout - enhanced only by cale's ... read more

going into “honi soit” i expected it to be a very bad album as it is one ov thee records which don’t fall heavily into cale fan’s favour. however, i was surprised to recall that thee opening track, “dead or alive,” is one ov my favourite john cale songs ov all time. it’s an astounding [albeit cheesy] song which is criminally catchy. for thee most part, thee album is filled with that intricate descending guitar and awkward instrumentation that ... read more

often glossed over when discussing cale’s discography, “animal justice” is a short but exciting excursion into those nooks ov john’s psyche that isn’t mentioned in thee mostly cursory looks. i find that john’s mental/emotional state in his career is deeply understated, while most artists will be talked in depth concerning their emotionality. i suppose it’s just a side effect ov john being kinduv overlooked overall, and still in reed’s shadow. ... read more

not originally on my list ov cale records to review, but seeing as how it was one ov my most sought after vinyl finds from him, it only seems fair i give it a shot under thee microscope. naturally, as it is a live record and henceforth not reinforced by thee backings & surroundings ov a contained studio record — you can’t really judge it on the same grounds.

… lucky for me, john cale’s live performances are one ov my favourite spectacles to experience!!!! cale ... read more

first release ov 2023 for me !!!
iv loved this band for a long time, and this ep takes them to a sonically different level than their previous releases, entering into a sort ov 4AD territory. reminds me vaguely ov both robin guthrie and late-period scott walker at some points. beautiful! points deducted only due to its length.

thee third instalment in what has been dubbed cale’s “island trilogy,” and in my opinion, thee standout record ov thee bunch. this record is electrifying in every way, containing only some ov thee dated pop elements in tracks like “chinese sea,” which is certainly thee weakest track off ov this record. what really brings this record out in comparison to it’s companions is that dirty, filthy sleaze john brings to thee table with his vocal delivery — a ... read more

cale’s second lp in his “island years” trilogy begins slow to a start, not leaving thee initial rush ov excitement that “fear” provides due to a bittuva wonky tracklisting. opening with “mr wilson” is a fantastic decision, introducing a sense ov whimsy to thee album which is immediately subdued by thee following track. all ov these songs are worthwhile in their own right, but should be ordered into a different list. this record is infected with a bittuv ... read more