The Fat of the Land

I want to like this more than I do. There are three or four tracks here that are genuinely excellent — inventive, well-produced, emotionally resonant. But the album as a whole doesn't sustain that level. The middle section in particular feels like it's treading water, and the closing track, while ambitious, goes on too long. That said, I do think this is worth hearing. At its best, it shows real creative vision, and even the weaker tracks have interesting ideas in them. It just needed a more ruthless editing pass to trim the good from the great.

Somehow sounds even better decades later.

I tried multiple times but can't connect with this at all.

This grew on me a lot. First listen I thought it was good, not great. By the fifth listen I was completely hooked. The subtlety of the arrangements really rewards patience and close attention.

Arguably the greatest album in its genre. Hard to argue otherwise.

Tried really hard to get into this and gave it way more chances than most albums. Some sections are legitimately interesting but they're sandwiched between long stretches of tedium. Not worth the effort for most listeners.

I think this album gets slightly overlooked in discussions about the best of its era, which is a shame because it does so many things right. The arrangements are inventive without being showy, the performances are committed and emotionally present, and the overall arc of the tracklist is really well considered. My only real criticism is that it occasionally feels like it's holding back when it should be going for broke. There are moments where you can sense a bigger, bolder idea lurking just beneath the surface. But what's actually here is still great — a confident, cohesive album that rewards close listening and repeated plays.

There are about six really good songs here buried in an album that's twelve tracks too long. The edit would be excellent but as presented, it's a patience-testing listen that rewards skipping around.