I have to hand it to Nails. They know that the albums they produce can only be handled once every few years, and only for less than 20 minutes in duration. Every Bridge Burning is 17 minutes of pandemonium that ended perfectly, right before I would have turned it off anyway. Second half is definitely stronger than the first half.

Like: Every Bridge Burning, Give me the Painkiller, Made Up in Your MInd, Dehumanized, I Can't Turn it Off, No More Rivers to Cross
Meh: Imposing Will, ... read more

Solid, yet unremarkable album. I found it to be good background music but nothing hooked me in. The whole album is somewhat of a blur.

Available now, new and improved super-concentrated Lit!

This happens to be the final album Lit release on my list, since I started my trek through Lit's discography with the pop country album and worked my way around the horn. Prior to embarking on a deep dive into the Lit discography my main impression of Lit was that they were a pop punk one-hit/one-album wonder. That's not accurate (as is the case with most bands labeled one-hit wonders). My impression of this album is that this ... read more

I like breathe, that's about it. 22 songs...70 minutes long? GTFO with that noise, cut it in half and you might have an album worth writing about.

2004 LIt - shed all the weight of that big label (and accompanying fame and success).

Guys, this album kinda sucks. Big surprise, I know. But I was a bit hopeful that this project might be good because of that 90 critic review, but it's all over the place. I really only recommend two tracks - Forever Begins Right Now, which has a kind of awesome Weezer/Richie Valens sound to it, and Looks Like They Were Right, which is a solid pop punk song. I'm just going to leave my 1st listen song ... read more

I wasn't completely sold until Morphine Waltz, which sealed the deal for me. I need to listen a few more times, but loved it on first listen. It is a strong album that can work at surface level as background music for working/exercising, but also has depth for an active listening experience. These two attributes = lots of repeated plays for me.

There was a period of my life that I was all sold on Arjen Lucassen. But over time I've come to realize that he hasn't really developed his sound much. This album is a good example; many of these songs would fit right at home on Into the Electric Castle or his other late 90s/early 2000s albums. The sound is dated and a bit stale at this point, at least for a long time fan. Simone Simons is fine but not outstanding from other female metal vocal artists. In sum, there's not a lot ... read more

I like the concept of Mothica's new album Kissing Death. The vocals are soothing but with a lurking darkness that compliments the industrial synthpop quite well for the most part. The music is the major drawback of this album. All of the instrumentals are pretty generic and kind of monotonous. There's not a lot of variety between tracks. The vocals are consistent throughout, but not flashy, so the music needs to drive the hooks. This vocalist with an A tier production team would have ... read more

Powerful album that has more bloat than Vince Neil in 2024.

Been meaning to pick this album apart for a long time. I've owned it for over 20 years but have never listened to the whole thing in one sitting. I think I figured out why...the bloat!! It would be one thing if these songs progressed in any way, but this album consists of 7 songs between 5 to 7 minutes each that could all be cut to 3 minutes apiece. This isn't a progressive metal band, these guys are a hair metal band ... read more

Steve Cropper serves an album full of quality blues/soul songs at 82 years old. What a legend. These are traditional songs, lyrics about everyday problems etc..., so the innovation here is low, but each song is solid and worthy of a listen. It's a simple, straightforward album, and I can appreciate that!

Grief Chapter has goddamn staying power for this listener.

This is my first experience with Mother Mother, aside from Nickel Creek's cover of Hayloft released a few years ago. It is interesting that this band gets such mixed reviews and seems to be one of those love 'em or hate 'em bands.

I really like Grief Chapter front to back. The lyrics are interesting, musical arrangements dance outside of the expected norm for pop rock and almost seem a little bit like hyperpop in ... read more

Can't believe I haven't given Lives Outgrown a full review yet. Rating this now to get it on my list, will be back for a track by track review. Definitely one of my favorites of 2024.

Edit----88---->82

Album faded a bit over the course of the year.

Some highlights peppered in the first half but overall uneven pacing kills it for me.

I love the first three tracks on Romance. There's a nice slow burner to start the album, followed by two very unique-sounding tracks (Starburster and Here's the Thing), all three of which differentiate themselves from each other but also still sound cohesive. The album drops off pretty hard for me after that, with only In the Modern World and Motorcycle Boy as highlight tracks. The final four songs ... read more

It's raw, it's rough, sometimes it's asinine, but there are parts on this album that were already unapologetically brilliant. The challenge is sitting through all the amateur hour stuff to hear the gems. I personally like Flow Motion, Sons of Assassins and #1 Assassin. This isn't an hidden gem debut or anything, but Flow Motion is the monumental song that got them signed to Ruthless, so worth checking out.

Been There Done That - my reaction to listening to this album again and the only song worth listening to on this album.

Brutal album. I'm glad I experienced it but replay potential of American Standard is low. American Standard (the song) is a transcendental song but I was ready to tap out at 12 minutes. I liked This is Not a Prayer, lots of layers to slog through but a nice progression throughout the song is a welcome change. Drumming in this song is fantastic and I especially like the last two minutes of it. Clemency and Permanent Embrace are fine tracks, but the album really starts to drag here. The tone ... read more

Alvin and the Chipmunks take a vacation to Tony Montana's mansion.

WTF...look, I can't explain this shit. I'm not even going to try. I really wanted to tank this album and then somehow it sucked me in and now I'm a Melt-Banana fan. Word of warning; if you listen to this album, you might like it. If you like it, then you stand the risk of having to explain that you like a band that sounds like gacked out alvin and the chimpmunks. Proceed with caution.

Like: Code, Stopgap, ... read more

Solid country-rock album that is light on the country cringe factor.

Pretty big fan of this album. Listened through a couple of times. This isn't an extremely innovative album; it mostly focuses in on rock-driven country a la 1990s. I'm not complaining about this, we have enough Bro country and country rap to last a few generations. There are some interesting little twists here and there, for example a funk-driven highlight for me was Ring Finger. Also, Whiskey Colored Crayon hit ... read more

Garth Brooks Double Live essentially serves as a greatest hits album, but brings to life his songs in a way the studio albums can't touch. Garth is one of the best entertainers in music and he feeds off of crowd energy, and that is apparent throughout this album. This is also probably the best produced live album I've ever heard.

Entertaining album. The only drawback for me is that I sometimes felt like I was listening to kids bop does nu metal. Like in another dimension Justin Beiber put out this album when he was 14.