Zack: I didn’t expect this album to sound so…British. I mean, yeah I knew it was a bunch of Brits playing, but it just sounded like an American stereotype of a British person playing music. You know, Big Ben, bad teeth, jolly good and whatnot. This album was so British it spells color with a “u.” I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. The rampant UK-centrism displayed by the list has been well discussed and, if memory serves, well documented. If not, then I’m documenting it here. This list is rampantly UK-centric. Happy Mondays, Supergrass, and The Verve each have two albums. Each! Can anyone even name two songs by any of those bands? Let’s see…Bittersweet Symphony and…and….uh….. Yeah, I thought so. But anyway, back to The Stoune Roses (note: I would have done that with Roses but it would have just made Rouses which is an actual word, unlike that fake Britishy word). It was certainly good. I like it enough and I will probably relisten in the near future. I’ve even listened to a few of the tracks I especially liked again already. But it sort of felt like a simple mash-up of British Invasion along with the soon-to-be created Britpop. Apparently, that’s called Madchester, a reflection of how much the British love their clever wordplay. And it’s pretty cool, I guess. Once I understood how Britishy it was, I immediately put on a kettle to make some English Breakfast tea, assuming that it would be necessary to truly unlock the layers of awesomeness that I had been led to believe was this album. I didn’t feel like it enhanced it all that much. Maybe it’s because drinking English breakfast tea while listening to a Britishy album is a superficial enhancement and does not alter the music or the mood you are in while listening to it in any way. Or maybe it’s because there wasn’t anything to really unlock. It is what it is. And that is a heaping plate of audial fish and chips.
Favorite Tracks: Made of Stone; I Am the Resurrection; She Bangs the Drums
Emily: I thought I was really going to love The Stone Roses. The album came highly recommended from more than one musical authority. Okay, just from a couple friends whose musical tastes I admire. And, of course, from Wikipedia, an ever-important guide on our musical mission. The Stone Roses were critically acclaimed pretty much right from the start, with some critics even calling their self-titled debut “the greatest British album of all time.” Now, there’s no way I could ever agree with that statement, but praise that high certainly gave me some high hopes. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. That’s not to say it’s not a good album. It definitely is, and I enjoyed listening to it. However, I kept waiting for the music to blow me away with fantasticness, and that just didn’t happen. It was much more understated and nuanced than I expected, so maybe the supposed greatness of The Stone Roses just doesn’t come through upon one listen. Maybe I bought too much into the hype, but I enjoyed the music enough to give it another shot – and perhaps then I’ll find greatness.
Favorite Tracks: She Bangs the Drums; Bye Bye Badman; Made of Stone
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