Tag: album review

One Hit Wonder or Not? New Radicals’ Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too

So here, it is, the second review of our One Hit Wonders round, this time listening to New Radicals’ Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too. If you haven’t listened to/read about why we picked it, check that out first.

The album was released October 16, 1998, and is essentially an album by lead singer, Gregg Alexander, who is the only person to play on all the album’s tracks. He enlisted a swath of session musicians (28) to play instruments while recording, really making this an album of hired guns. The very successful You Get What You Give charted high on most Top 40 lists around the world, then the band broke up in 1999. A second single, Someday We’ll Know, was released shortly after the band called it quits and the rest is history.

One Hit Wonder or Not? a-ha’s Take on Me

Sonic Collective member Darren Scott started off our one hit wonder round by choosing a-ha. a-ha is often considered a one-hit wonder, largely due to the immense success of their debut single “Take on Me.” The song reached number one in the United States and several other countries in 1985, and its innovative music video became an iconic part of 80s pop culture.

We now go back and listen to this album and explore this band a little deeper to see if they deserve the negatively perceived one hit wonder moniker. Listen along to see what we discovered about this band from Norway, we think you will be surprised at some of the things we discovered.
Enjoy! Darren @ The Sonic Collective

a-ha Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott Hunting High and Low One Hit Wonders scott coates Scott Gregory Take on me the sonic collective

Review of Patty Loveless: When Fallen Angels Fly

Scott’s pick had the team split. We had a range of opinions covering the entire spectrum. We’re usually more into music where the guitars are plugged in, so country music has a hard time breaking into the mix. Still, everyone found something to appreciate (or at least not dislike!) about this album, even though the scores hit both ends of the spectrum. Have a listen and see what each member of the team thought after a month of listening and see who you matched up with most.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott Patty Loveless review scott coates Scott Gregory When Fallen Angels Fly

Review of The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico

Alain’s pick for March 2023 had us listen to The Velvet Underground’s debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, which was released in 1967, but failed to really make a splash on the music scene until nearly a decade after its release for a variety of reasons. The Velvet Underground would ultimately go on to leave a legacy of influence and high regard in the annals of music history, and we decided to start at the beginning to see if the band is worth the hype.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott nico review scott coates Scott Gregory The Velvet Underground the velvet underground and nico

Review of King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King

February 2023 saw us listen to King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, which was released on 10 October 1969 and hit #1 on the UK charts.We went into this with pretty high expectations being how many times we had read about this album being a major influence on bands like The Who, and cited by many rock publications as one of the best ever prog rock albums. Well… let’s just say we weren’t that wow’d and don’t really get how it has cultivated the legacy it has.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott In the Court of the Crimson King review scott coates Scott Gregory

Review of Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here

After completing a fun series of shows that spotted connections between albums, we have gone back to our roots and started a new round of reviews of classic influential albums. Darren picked this Pink Floyd album that followed their success after Dark Side of the Moon. This album is familiar Pink Floyd, but yet a bit darker and more serious than their previous concept albums. Listen to this review to hear what we discovered, and if we think you should spend your time revisiting this Wish You Were Here album.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott Pink Floyd review scott coates Scott Gregory Wish You Were Here

Review of Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Sonic Collective member Scott Gregory picked this album to give us a chance to explore 2010s pop with a message. Check our pick for August, 2022.

Alain DuPuis album review Born This Way Darren Scott Lady Gaga review scott coates Scott Gregory

Review of Dirt by Alice in Chains

Sonic Collective member Alain Dupuis picked Alice in Chain’s album Dirt after his girlfriend randomly talked about how much she enjoyed it. All of us knew the band pretty well, however none of us had taken time to listen to a full album before. Find out how we felt after ruminating on Dirt throughout the month of July 20.

Alain DuPuis album review alice in chains Darren Scott dirt review scott coates Scott Gregory

Review of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

The boys overall were underwhelmed with Joy Division’s debut album Unknown Pleasures. All in all it was a bit too glum. Listen along to reveal what we learned about this album and why we think it might not quite stand up for the average music fan.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott Joy Division review scott coates Scott Gregory Unknown Pleasures

Review of Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson

Sonic Collective member Darren Scott picked this album from a recent vinyl collection he acquired. Little did he know, that this was one of the most interesting album picks we ever had. We discovered a legend in Harry Nilsson and our opinions and reviews were as crazy as his life was. How had we never known this artist? Listen and enjoy.

Alain DuPuis album review Darren Scott Harry Nilsson Nilsson Schmilsson review scott coates Scott Gregory