MicShazam

I've been listening to it here and there. Just need some more time before I write anything.

Key

Got through 2 tracks and realized I really don't like this genre or the vocals. Probably won't be finishing it tbh.

MicShazam

It's a bit wobbly for me, but I find the tracks pretty enjoyable on average, one of the tracks pretty awful and another one of them ****ing excellent. All in all an album that I'd probably buy if I came across a copy.

Sorry I'm being so lazy, but it's not like anyone else is putting effort into the album club anymore right

8/10

Psy-Fi

This is Marianne Faithfull's "comeback" album that brought her back into the spotlight. Prior to this album, she had been known mostly for singing covers of folk songs, ballads, and pop songs reminiscent of Judy Collins.
This album sounded unlike anything she'd recorded before and her voice had also gone through a significant change from her earlier work.
The pretty voice was gone and had been replaced by a gruff, weathered voice that sounds decades older and world-weary. The music was also quite different and featured synthesizers which helped give much of the album a new-wave and (in some spots) a krautrock vibe.

Songs about terrorism, addiction, feelings of guilt, mental breakdown, infidelity, there's a lot of jarring, potent music here.
The biggest hit from the album, “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”, is a cover of a song by Shel Silverstein which was originally recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, about the mental breakdown of a suburban housewife. This version features Marianne Faithfull singing with just Steve Winwood backing her on synthesizer, giving the song a minimalist and deceptively upbeat vibe.
There's a cover of "Working Class Hero" by John Lennon which is easily the best cover version of that song I've ever heard. The music reminds me of a slower tempo "One of These Days" by Pink Floyd which gives it a sinister, unnerving feel that perfectly matches her tone of voice as she sings the lyrics.
The last song on the album, set to a reggae/dub beat, is a scathing tirade against a cheating lover, complete with angry expletives and dissonant electric guitar notes which work like vocal and musical exclamation points as she unloads her venom on her unfaithful man.

She put out some good work before this album and she's put out some good work since this album but I daresay this album is her masterpiece.

9.5/10

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MicShazam

^can't compete with that, but I still feel like writing a little bit about some of the stand out tracks when I have the time.

Anteater

Really like the production on this one, very pillowy. I always like music (in general) where there's a big contrast in the mood or lyrical content and the instrumentation of a song, ans she goes to some dark places here. Of all the songs, 'Why'd Ya Do It" works best while 'Brain Drain' and the title track are pretty memorable. My favorite song overall is probably 'Guilt' though: it has a great groove and a nice jazz-fusion underpinning from Steve Winwood.

I'm thinking about a 7 out of 10.

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