Album
Noah’s Barks pages relating to music albums.
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Van Halen – “Van Halen”
It’s easy to deride Van Halen in the light of the dozens of mediocre spawns they birthed, and they hold a large responsibility for ushering in the worst era of rock: glam metal—but make no mistake. Van Halen aren’t your usual KISS or Mötley Crüe. They’re actually a great fuckin’ band (Lee Roth era only) and their debut… (read more)
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Cocteau Twins – “Head Over Heels”
Head Over Heels is the best album by Cocteau Twins. The simple reason for that being that it has the most variety in the songwriting. Lack of variety in the songs is always, always, always the number one problem when it comes to dream pop albums and is what separates the good albums of the… (read more)
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Scientist – “Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires” (1981)
The horror theme of Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires is great—when it’s actually there. For the most part, this album doesn’t have an actual sonic framework. It’s fairly typical dub, as far as my limited experience with the genre goes. When the damp, swampy beats settle into a monster-mashing… (read more)
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Vista Chino – “Peace” (2013)
Surprisingly, the post-Kyuss project with the most Kyuss members, Vista Chino, is one of the alumni’s weakest. (read more)
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Blue Öyster Cult – “Fire of Unknown Origin”
Blue Öyster Cult remain a band that tease me. One of those I feel should be made for me to obsess over, but the pieces don’t come together like they should. But I’ll be trying them until I can’t see the potential anymore. I was initially worried Fire of Unknown Origin would be a single-driven… (read more)
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Minutemen – “The Punch Line” (1981)
I was already prepared to say “too much hardcore, not enough post-hardcore” after listening to What Makes a Man Start Fires?, which is significant because I’m a big fan of one and care little for the other. No points for guessing which. I don’t hate The Punch Line. I just don’t care about (almost) any… (read more)
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Lasher Keen – “Berserker” (2012)
Berserker features paganistic folk heavily inspired by Comus. I have a hard time getting into any modern post-Comus pagan folk bands because of the different context. When Comus put out First Utterance in 1971, it was genuinely a risky, controversial move filled with true inspiration from its unpaved road. A band like Lasher Keen are one of many… (read more)
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Cloud Nothings – “Life Without Sound”
‘Life Without Sound’ is too flaccid. Even looking through the murk, there’s no killer track like "Stay Useless" or "I’m Not a Part of Me." Bummer. (read more)
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OutKast – “ATLiens” (1996)
Didn’t expect this to be such a big step back from ’Aquemini.’ There’s little on ‘ATLiens’ to anticipate that genre-splitting landmark. (read more)
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Burzum – “Filosofem”
Starts off pretty decent. The gleaming fuzz of the guitar tone reminds me of Blood Fire Death by Bathory, but that album had a lot more going on in it. Even when it comes to atmospheric focus, I prefer more density. The appropriately titled “Rundgang um die transzendentale Säule der Singularität” sounds like the dark… (read more)