Joni Mitchell - "Court and Spark: I have a hard time relating to it. It's beautifully arranged, great lyrics and great voice, but it still feels a bit distant. There is no real hook here, or anything that really grabs me (although it's eerily intriguing). But could be I was in the wrong mood when I listened to it, and I will probably pick it up again (or any of her other albums) some time in the near future. Score: 3 stars (but could potentially grow be higher)
Chemical Brothers - "Dig Your Own Hole": This brings back som nostalgic memories of being shitfaced in the club trying to move to the beat of "Setting Sun" while some idiot punk starts a moshpit on the dancefloor and smash my nose in with his elbow. In short: Great individual songs for clubbing but pretty exhausting as an album. Every song has a similar beat and build up and it's CONSTANTLY LOUD! I think I listened to this album quite a lot back in the day, as every song feels pretty familiar (or it could be that every song is a bit samey). More rock influences than I remembered, and the title track could just as well have been an original krautrock jam by Can or Neu!. The lovely "Where do I begin" with the soothing vocals of Beth Orton is a welcome respite near the end.
Score: 2 stars, if seen as an album that I listen to from start to finish. 4 stars, if seen as a compilation of individual songs to get shitfaced to in the club.
www.allmusic.com
