Reviews Supplemental

reviews are prerecorded

30 Jul 2016: The Protomen/"The Cover-Up" (2015)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/07/julio-and-case-of-missing-covers.html

so if this band's biggest weakness is not writing enough good songs
how about an album full of good songs, covered by the band

proto man's hamminess works WONDERS for princes of the universe
mr. roboto doesn't work with women doing the backing vocals
also you can't out-ham dennis deyoung

they got a girl to do a couple of the songs but she's just okay
the cover of total eclipse of the heart was pointless because she's not as good or hammy as bonnie tyler

the trooper here is really good (i've never been in love with the original though)

SONGS THEY COVERED THAT WERE ALREADY PERFECT AND THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE COVERED THEM:
Mr. Roboto
In the Air Tonight
Danger Zone

30 Jul 2016: Screaming Trees/"Even If, and Especially When" (1987)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/when-if-how-where.html

reviews are prerecorded

31 Jul 2016: Volbeat/"Seal the Deal and Let's Boogie" (2016)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/07/julio-and-case-of-missing-boogie.html

i love seeing songs called "goodbye forever"
i hate when the title track is the worst track on the album though

31 Jul 2016: Golden Earring/"N.E.W.S." (1984)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/doctor-doctor.html

bad band who got lucky by making two great songs

01 Aug 2016: "Japanese EP #6" by The Beatles

10/10 track listing, with Help!, Ticket to Ride, I'm Down, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy.

I don't know if I've said this before, but I have a hard time listening to Ticket to Ride. I have had exactly one major death in my life, and that was the song that was playing when I learned of it.
Kind of glad it's that song that reminds me of it rather than something like, say, LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

reviews are prerecorded
as you well know by now

01 Aug 2016: Huey Lewis and the News/"Hard at Play" (1991)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/just-do-it.html

you like huey lewis and the news?

01 Aug 2016: Kenny Loggins/"High Adventure" (1982)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/adventure.html

reviews are prerecorded

ROCK BAND 4 DLC TODAY NIGGA
only the first review though
not too big on the idea of doing a robin thicke album

02 Aug 2016: Counting Crows/"August and Everything After" (1993)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/makes-sense.html

like i've said before, this guy ALWAYS sings everything like it's the most important thing ever

02 Aug 2016: Mott the Hoople/"Mott" (1973)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/rip-moot.html

the follow-up to the one with all the young dudes on it
their second-to-last album
with their last album being called "the hoople"
wow

mott basically sounds like a poor man's bowie

drivin' sister is a poor man's foghat song
i wish i was your mother is a poor man's bob dylan song

reviews are prerecorded

BACKSTREET BOYS VS *NSYNC: ROUND TWO

03 Aug 2016: Backstreet Boys/"Millennium" (1999)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-1999.html

This album is generally regarded to be the band's best, but whatever. Watch me hate most of it.

The album bafflingly begins with Larger Than Life rather than I Want it That Way. Larger Than Life is one of those cheesy "thank the fans" songs. I am not a fan of that style of song, and while this one gets nostalgia points, I can't say it's one of my favourites. Of course, when I was a kid, the concept of the song flew over my head at first, since the video had them in robot suits, which was sweet as fuck when I was seven. Also, there's a guitar solo, which is sweet. Honestly, the line "all you people can't you see [...] how your love's affecting our reality" makes it sound like some kind of dystopian future shit, which is much cooler than the reality of the song. The first fifteen seconds are the best part of the song, for the record.

Second is, of course, I Want it That Way. This consistently gets put in the top three of best '90s songs lists, and for good reason. While not my absolute favourite, it's definitely up there. I really like how every member of the group gets a solo section, which doesn't happen often for Kevin and Howie on the singles. Drowning and the next track are the only other songs I can think of off the top of my head where all five get solo sections.
Also worth checking out: The alternate version of I Want it That Way, No Goodbyes.

Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely was the third single from the album. The Spanish guitar is top-notch, and the section with just Kevin and Nick harmonising works really well. Like, if we're looking at their music from an objective standpoint, this is probably the best song they ever made.

Whenever I'd get through the first three tracks as a kid and It's Gotta be You started, I always thought what amounted to "what the fuck is this shit". It's one of those songs that immediately makes you want to hit the skip button, but as it goes on, it begins to grow on you, like a fungus. It's a shame that Nick's intro part repeats throughout the song, because it's annoying as fuck. This is honestly a terrible song to have IMMEDIATELY follow Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.

I Need You Tonight would be better if anyone but Nick were singing. It's a terrible song for him. It brings back the Spanish guitar, but between Nick's singing and those ending harmonies, I just do not like this song.
Don't Want You Back directly calls back to Everybody (Backstreet's Back) in a few places, which just makes me wish I were listening to that song. Like, seriously, AJ says "Backstreet's Back" then the rest of the group sings "ALL RIGHT" as if to say "GUYS WE HAVE GOOD SONGS REALLY KEEP LISTENING"

Maybe it's just because the three songs immediately preceding it were shit, but Don't Wanna Lose You Now is pretty good. It may be a very standard ballad-type song, but I like the Spanish guitar, and, honestly, almost anything is better than Don't Want You Back.

The One is the fourth and final single from this album, cleverly placed near the end so that you'll think "oh man this album might get good again". I like it a lot, honestly. It's one of three songs on the album co-written by Brian, along with Larger Than Life and the closer.

Back to Your Heart is a standard-ass ballad, but I'll take it over the ""upbeat"" songs on this album any day.
I asked this question when I reviewed a Madonna album, but what's the deal with Spanish eyes? Are they super-good at seeing? U2 also have a song with that name. What's the deal? I DON'T UNDERSTAND
No One Else Comes Close is also fine. Nothing wrong with it.

The album ends on The Perfect Fan, which is kind of like, well. Brian wrote it about his mother. I'm just not going to comment. It feels like this song isn't for me. I'm sure she loved it.

NOW ONTO THE BONUS TRACKS FOR COUNTRIES I DO NOT LIVE IN
The first one is called I'll be There for You, and it's not a cover of the Rembrandts or Bon Jovi. Has there ever been a bad song called I'll be There for You? I hope not.
You Wrote the Book on Love sounds more like an *NSYNC song in terms of everything but vocals.

If You Knew What I Knew was co-written by AJ, and is by far the best non-single on the album. For fuck's sake.
My Heart Stays with You sounds like an outtake from the album. That's fine. That's what South Korean bonus tracks should sound like.

Overall, disappointing. Putting tracks 4-6 right in a row makes the album seem worse than it is. It's still the group's worst album yet, though.


IMPROVED ALBUM TRACK LISTING:
01: I Want it That Way
02: Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely
03: The One
04: Larger Than Life
05: Back to Your Heart
06: Don't Wanna Lose You Now
07: I'll be There for You
08: You Wrote the Book on Love
09: If You Knew What I Knew
10: Spanish Eyes

japanese bonus track:
11: No One Else Comes Close

throw the rest in the garbage

03 Aug 2016: *NSYNC/"No Strings Attached" (2000)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-strings.html

i skipped home for christmas i'm sorry

Obviously and sensibly, this album begins with Bye, Bye, Bye. The album begins with the lead single that would become their most popular and remembered song. Imagine that.
Second is It's Gonna be Me, which is the complete opposite of Bye, Bye, Bye lyrically. I've always liked the video for this one, where they're action figures.

When you call a song Space Cowboy, I expect more out of it. A good song, for example.
R.I.P. Lisa Lopes
Your part of this song was the best part of it, even if that's not saying much at all.
If I'm being honest, JC's voice is really starting to annoy me.

Just Got Paid is a cover. No idea why you'd choose to cover a filler track, but whatever.
It Makes Me Ill is the first decent album track. It's kind of weird, but I'm into it.

This I Promise You is the final single from the album. It's a sweet song, but JC's hammy vocals try to ruin it as best they can.
Thankfully, the title track is a good song. The best non-single by far.

Next is a song about cybersex. Remember that one time we went on the Habbo Hotel and I got my virtual penis doused? That's the expression, right?
The song itself has annoying vocal effects and sounds really cheesy.

Bringin' da Noise is just one of those songs that you'll hear and completely forget about immediately after it ends.
That's When I'll Stop Loving You tries to be This I Promise 2, and just sounds like an early version that was scrapped for being kind of stupid. It's still kind of good, though.

I'll be Good for You is the ultimate "going through the motions" song. It sounds like they recorded it simply to have another song.
I Thought She Knew is a capella, but it doesn't have enough going on to be entertaining in any way. Terrible closer.

NOW FOR THE BONUS TRACKS

I'll Never Stop is better than most of the album. It was a single in Europe, so that may be why.
If I'm Not the One is decent too. As is Could it be You.

This is Where the Party's At succeeds at what Bringin' da Noise tried to do.
If Only in Heaven's Eyes should have been on the album instead of I'll be Good for You or That's What I'll Stop Loving You.

HOLY SHIT
JUST REPLACE THE SHITTY ALBUM TRACKS WITH THE BONUS TRACKS AND YOU'VE GOT A GOOD ALBUM
FUCK YOU

The winner of this battle is, in reality, no one. The best non-singles on both albums were mostly relegated to bonus tracks, and both albums had some REALLY BAD album tracks.
I gave less bad song ratings to Millennium, though, so Backstreet Boys win. Yay, hooray.

reviews are prerecorded

So, in addition to the Backstreet Boys vs *NSYNC battle everyone played up, there was another around the same time. Two women whose careers started at the very end of the '90s.
Oh boy.

Sometimes, I do reviews more because I feel I have to than because I want to. This is one of those times.


04 Aug 2016: Britney Spears/"... Baby, One More Time" (1999)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-why-did-i-do.html

Britney's album came out first, so I'll hit it first.

The album opens with the title track, which isn't as good as I remembered, on the singing end. It's a well-written song that does what it sets out to do.
You Drive Me Crazy is a fun song, but something about the vocal performance sounds a bit weird.

Soda Pop is just like what
Email My Heart is just why does this exist (it would be fine if not for the title line, which ruins the entire song by making it EXTREMELY dumb)

The Beat Goes On has incredibly annoying instrumentation. I have no idea what that sound is, but I do know that I hate it.

So basically what I'm getting from this album is this Britney Spears is not as good a singer as I'd remembered.
It's still a pleasant album that I can't say I hated. Nothing wrong with it, aside from the final track.

04 Aug 2016: Christina Aguilera/"Christina Aguilera" (1999)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/something-that-has-to-be-done.html

The album sensibly opens with Genie in a Bottle, which is exactly what you'd expect to happen.
I Turn to You is so oversung it isn't even funny. Christina tries way too hard, and it doesn't really end well. I'm sure

American Idol judges would love this shit, but I find it annoying.

The song from Mulan is really over the top and kind of cheesy, but I feel like it's knowingly cheesy.

The thing about Christina vs Britney, in this stage at least, is that they sing completely different styles of music. Britney's

music is simple, and Christina's tries really hard to show off her vocal range at times.

So, contrary to what I thought would happen beforehand, I prefer Christina's album. It's just a lot better.
I talked shit about I Turn to You, but it and Obvious are the only songs on the album I didn't like much.

reviews are prerecorded
i just misspelled "prerecorded" twice in a row despite writing it every day for the past two months
that feels good

05 Aug 2016: Hanson/"Middle of Nowhere" (1997)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-middle.html

hanson's first album on a label, with both rerecordings of older material and new songs

as always, mmmbop is a 10/10 classic
lucy is the opposite of that

despite a short run of filler toward the end, they pick it back up for the last two tracks
this was a fine album

05 Aug 2016: 98º/"98º and Rising" (1998)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/hey-hey-do-that-brand-new-thing.html

With every movement, there comes the 98ºses of the world. The Steelhearts and Creeds of the world. The Bubsys and Rock Revolutions.
And what the fuck is with the platinum blonde guy with the goatee? He doesn't fit at all.

Coincidentally, this marks the second day in a row where I've reviewed an album with a song from Mulan on it. I only saw that movie once.
Coincidentally, this marks the second day in a row where I've reviewed an album with a song from the first Pokémon movie on it. Never seen that one.

The intro track is the cheesiest thing ever. I love it.
The "interlude" has a weird vocal melody (if you can call it that) and beatboxing. Hooray.

I like True to Your Heart more than I probably should.
The album ends on its worst track, which is probably good if you own the cassette tape, as you can just hit stop then rewind before getting to this boring-ass a capella track.

This album basically plays out like you got a robot to create the most middle-of-the-road boy band music in the world. Beep boop.

reviews are prerecorded

today is supergroup day

06 Aug 2016: Tinted Windows/"Tinted Windows" (2009)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-tint.html

james iha of smashing pumpkins
taylor hanson of uh hanson
bun e. carlos of cheap trick
some other guy

an interesting album, and a better one than i'd expected
better than the majority of supergroups

06 Aug 2016: Damn Yankees/"Damn Yankees" (1990)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/goddammit.html

tommy shaw of styx
jack blades of night ranger
ted nugent of uh ted nugent
random drummer from post-plane crash lynyrd skynyrd

high enough is obviously the best track here
it's all surprisingly good though

maybe shaw should have stayed with damn yankees and deyoung should have gotten the styx

reviews are prerecorded

07 Aug 2016: Dinosaur Jr./"Give a Glimpse of What You're Not" (2016)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-not.html

if this had come out in 2014 or 2015 it would have been my album of the year
but it's just third place this year, behind radiohead and david bowie

07 Aug 2016: Smash Mouth/"Smash Mouth" (2001)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/somebody-once-told-me.html

now allow me to sing you the song of my people:

SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORLD IS GONNA ROLL ME
I AIN'T THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED
SHE WAS LOOKIN' KIND OF DUMB WITH HER FINGER AND HER THUMB
IN THE SHAPE ON AN L ON HER FOREHEAD
WELL
THE YEARS START COMIN' AND THEY DON'T STOP COMIN'
FED TO THE RULES AND I HIT THE GROUND RUNNIN'
MADE NO SENSE NOT TO LIVE FOR FUN
YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART BUT YOUR HEAD GETS DUMB
SO MUCH TO DO SO MUCH TO SEE
SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH TAKIN' THE BACKSTREETS
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU DON'T GO
YOU'LL NEVER SHINE IF YOU DON'T GLOW

that song is not on this album
coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally) it is incredibly mediocre

their cover of i'm a believer grew on me over time
like a fungus

reviews are prerecorded

08 Aug 2016: Iron Maiden/"En Vivo!" (2012)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-apology.html

a while back, i was doing all the iron maiden live albums
this is the only one i didn't do
i would have done it sooner but it's a double album

beginning with a filler track was a bold move
starting with a trio of tracks from THE (then) NEW ALBUM was a bold move
then having the first old track be two minutes to midnight is just frustrating

i wish they'd kept the new tracks for the end so they could do the good songs before bruce's voice got tired
that would have been nice

like i get that iron maiden and running free are always the encores but really

however, the second disc of the album did make me forget the first (not that it was that hard) so maybe it all worked out all right

08 Aug 2016: Eagles/"Eagles Live" (1980)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/live.html

another live double album because why not
this is how you start a live album
with the most famous song that everyone's heard a billion times and are probably sick of

this album's version of heartache tonight is better than the original
life's been good is always a fun one
"they write tim letters; tell glenn don's great"

take it to the limit is the best eagles song, bar none
it's followed by a filler instrumental

reviews are prerecorded

rock band dlc this week is a "literally who" and today's second review

09 Aug 2016: Judas Priest/"Nostradamus" (2008)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-common-sense.html

a double album by an already-spotty band
hooray

predictably begins with a filler instrumental
the vocals on the next track are incredibly annoying

fuck this album though
the title track is the best one on the album however which is nice

https://rateyourmusic.com/collection/Rakitox/strm_a/Judas+Priest/1

09 Aug 2016: Belinda Carlisle/"Heaven on Earth" (1987)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/this-space-intentionally-left-blank.html

there's a cover of i feel free here
what the fuck

reviews are prerecorded

10 Aug 2016: Augie March/"Thanks for the Memes" (1998)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-memes.html

ahead of its time

10 Aug 2016: REO Speedwagon/"Lost in a Dream" (1974)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/03/numbers.html

give me a ride is a really fun song and a good opener