album reviews Archives - The Sonic Collective

Erykah Badu: Baduizm

For January 2022 Sonic Collective member Darren Scott decided to explore a genre of soul he always really liked, but never made much time for his choice – Neo Soul.

Darren had some of Erykah Badu’s songs on playlists of his but he really wanted to have a better listen to her music, so he decided to select her iconic first album, Baduizm. Listen to why he chose this artist and be sure to listen along this month to the album. We will then release our full review February 1st, 2022.

Darren
The Sonic Collective

Garbage: Garbage

Garbage is Garbage’s debut album, featuring Shirley Manson on vocals and Butch Vig in the band. With a strong history producing for other bands, it will be interesting to see what happens when Butch returns to the other side of the window.

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NERO: Welcome Reality

Our pick for November 2021 is Welcome Reality, the groundbreaking debut album from English Electronic group NERO. The album is conceptual, taking a stab at what civilization might look like in the year 2808.

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Brian Eno: Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks

Our pick for October 2021 is Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno, which is the ninth solo studio by British Eno and was released in 1983. It was a collaboration with his brother and Canadian Daniel Lanois. Many of the tracks have since appeared on soundtracks such as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Heat, among others.

The album was originally recorded as the soundtrack for a feature-length documentary movie called Apollo, but the film went through several iterations and wasn’t particularly well received. But the music has gone on to make a much deeper impression upon listeners since its release.

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Public Image: First Issue

Darren selected the very first album from Public Image, soon to be changed to Public Image Ltd., or PiL as an acronym. This was the project that John Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten of the notorious Sex Pistols started in 1978 directly after the Sex Pistols broke up. Known as one of the strongest Post-Punk bands of all time, it is very interesting to see how John Lydon developed as a writer and a musician.

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Four bands people love to hate

For April 2021, The Sonic Collective member Darren Scott has chosen the Sleaford Mods, Divide and Exit album. This new and edgy working class electronic punk music is minimalist, raw as hell and has a distinctly new sound. With our world is so much chaos, we need more voices like this, telling it like it is. Enjoy Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn as the Sleaford Mods.

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Bjork: Homogenic

Bjork’s 1997 album Homogenic was nominated for a grammy for Best Alternative Rock Performance, losing to Radiohead’s OK Computer. I guess if you have to lose to another album, that’s high on the list of ones to lose to. Homogenic certified gold in the US and Canada and Platinum in Europe, which are pretty solid numbers for such an eclectic-sounding artist.

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Sublime: Sublime

For June 2021, Sonic Collective member Alain Dupuis has chosen to review Sublime’s 1996 self titled album, their first major label debut. Does this album hold up? Can ska, punk, and reggae all collide into an album that we enjoy? Listen along with us, and stay tuned for our review.

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ZZ Top: Tres Hombres

This month we’ll focus on ZZ Top’s third album Tres Hombres, which was released in 1973. While not very warmly received upon its release, as time has passed, it’s regularly recognized as the band’s finest album. It was their first album to enter the Top 10 and single La Grange reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Get ready to soak in the blues, rock, and dive fully into the original early roots of what has made ZZ Top one of the world’s greatest and longest standing rock bands.

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