John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

This album is the sound of a man stripping away every layer of artifice until only the bone remains. It is remarkably uncomfortable and deeply necessary, functioning less as a collection of songs and more as a recorded session of psychological exorcism. Influenced heavily by Arthur Janov's Primal Scream therapy, Lennon rejects the lush, psychedelic tapestries of his previous work in favor of a sound that is almost aggressively sparse. The drums are mixed so dry they feel like they are being played in the room with you, and the piano carries a weight that feels both ancient and immediate.

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