This was a fun 70s rock album. I liked that the production focused on getting a live sound by using a lot of first takes. It definitely adds a bit of that late 70s grit to the album that helps set it apart from some of the cleaner, more overwrought work being done in this period. This sounds like Elvis Costello at times, though I'm not sure in what direction that influence goes. The reggae influence is definitely here as well, and I tend to find that a very pleasant touch to add to rock from this era 4/5

God bless Scottish indie pop. It somehow always comes out sounding like more than the sum of its parts. This band sounds like so many other bands throughout this album, but it never sounds like a single other band, if that makes sense. Sometimes there's hints of Flaming Lips or Oasis, but they never come out sounding like they are doing an impression of those bands. The effect is an album that feels very familiar, but is completely it's own thing 4/5 I'm willing to donate money at this point to make sure that every Scottish child that wants an electric guitar is provided one. It's one way to guarantee a better future

This album has an interesting story, since it was leaked in 2013 and then officially released in 2019. It's weird, since the album still sounds pretty modern, and probably sounded pretty crazy in 2013. I wish I could have heard what this album would have been when it was finished and properly mixed and mastered, though what we have here is still really cool. It makes me sad, though, that the leak had such a negative impact on the artist that he withdrew from making music just as he was starting to impact the mainstream. 4/5

I have no idea what this album is or how to describe it, but it's really cool. The production is great, which can't be easy on an album this unusual with this many moving parts. The lyrics fit the music perfectly, and the lead singer has a great voice that he uses to the fullest 4/5

This album is really cool at times, and the symphonic approach to metal definitely works when well-executed. There are some songs where it starts to feel samey, but that usually doesn't last for long before the album grips you again. I don't know why folks from Scandinavia like metal so much, but god bless em, they know how to do it right 4/5

This album really falls into a sweet spot for me. The combination of metal and shoegaze definitely scratches an itch in my brain. I could see how lots of folks would not care for this album since it's so noisy, but I thought it was really well executed overall, though I think the production could have been a little cleaner in places 4/5

The concept for this album is fascinating. What I'm really not sure what I think about is the execution of the concept. I've never heard an album before where I was less sure of what the artist was actually doing. In general, it sounds like he's just put a microphone up at some distance from a speaker playing music on vinyl. About halfway through the album, he has some shorter loops and has things moving between the left and right channels, which makes what he is doing a bit more obvious, but for the most part his role is very mysterious. In some ways, it's this question about what the artist is doing that makes this work. We are transported through unknown means into a hazy past that may never have existed for us. We experience the work of the artist's hand, but the hand itself is never visible. In some ways, I think this is meant to mimic the unstuck timelessness of Alzheimer's, since AD patients and their connection to music from their pasts were the inspiration for this album. It works. I don't know how or why, or even what works, but it works 4/5

This album is pretty interesting for being part of the nu metal genre at sort of the tail end of that genre (at least as far as I'm aware). It's definitely good in parts, but it starts to sound like a lot of other things I've heard in other parts too. The real strength of this album is the production. There's a lot of good stuff that I think would be missed if it wasn't mixed and mastered so well. The sound is super crisp, and the texture of the bass really comes through. 3/5

I have no idea what this album is or how to describe it, but it's really cool. The production is great, which can't be easy on an album this unusual with this many moving parts. The lyrics fit the music perfectly, and the lead singer has a great voice that he uses to the fullest 4/5

This album was okay. I've never been all that drawn to prog rock, so it's not a surprise that I'm not particularly drawn to this. It's fine and competently made, it's just not what I get into 3/5

I was kinda surprised to see this album pop up today, since the other handful of albums I've gotten on the user-submitted list were albums I'd never heard of by bands I've never heard of in genres that I've never listened to. This album is cool. I love the combination of his voice over synth pop. It just has this smooth, ethereal quality. I don't have a lot to say about this, but this is an album that I want to come back to 4/5

I feel like this is one of those albums where the production really makes it work. The songs are well-crafted, and they are both played and sung beautifully, but the production really helps give it emotional depth. It's like there's so much open space in the record, and yet it feels cozy and warm. The producer does need to back off on the reverb on the vocals a bit, since he occasionally sounds like he's been trapped down a well and needs Lassie to rescue him. Other than that, it's just a really peaceful album that's easy to connect with emotionally 4/5

This album was cool. It's not the most amazing disco album I've ever heard, but it's solid and it goes by in what feels like no time 4/5

I've heard about this album a lot, since it was apparently the album of the summer, but I haven't listened to it now. It's always fun when a pop album turns out to be well-constructed. Charli xcx certainly has odd pop sensibilities, but it really works here. The music is fun, and her voice sounds wonderful over it. The album is really versatile in terms of its sound too 4/5

This album takes a little while to get going, but it's well-crafted, and you can groove to it once it picks up a bit. It's interesting that these two were original members of King Crimson. This album feels kinda like prog-folk, which I would assume that I hate, but it's well done here. 4/5

This album is pretty cool overall. The music never wows me all that much, but the harmonies are really nice. It feels a bit uneven at times, but there are a lot of great moments 3/5

I lost my review for this one, but the music is really cool and also pretty variable. I think I'd be able to appreciate the poetry a little better if I spoke more Spanish, but that's really on me 4/5

I love this album, and I got to see him perform on the tour for it. I'm not sure that this is the Bon Iver album that I would put on this list, since I think his first two LPs are both incredibly beautiful, but this album is certainly more experimental than his previous work. The execution is excellent as well. The album is a bit front-loaded in terms of quality, but this is still one of those albums I let play all the way through 5/5

This album has an interesting story, since it was leaked in 2013 and then officially released in 2019. It's weird, since the album still sounds pretty modern, and probably sounded pretty crazy in 2013. I wish I could have heard what this album would have been when it was finished and properly mixed and mastered, though what we have here is still really cool. It makes me sad, though, that the leak had such a negative impact on the artist that he withdrew from making music just as he was starting to impact the mainstream. 4/5

God, the insane number of hours I've spent driving around stoned as fuck and listening to this album. If we're going strictly by nostalgia, this album is a solid 5 stars, even though I got sick of it by the end of my time in college. We'll see how this album feels in 2025. It's hard to listen to this one with fresh ears. Overall it sounds really good, and I was shocked to find out that it was produced by a member of the Butthole Surfers. The lyrics are often not great, but not terrible either (I'd put them slightly above RHCP in terms of quality). This album is certainly less of a cover album than 40oz was, which is good, but I like listening to that album more. I feel like the highs are really high on this album, the overall quality is pretty good, but then at times the band sounds like they're not trying very hard. 4/5, but far closer to 3/5 than my teenage self would have felt comfortable with

This album is really cool at times, and the symphonic approach to metal definitely works when well-executed. There are some songs where it starts to feel samey, but that usually doesn't last for long before the album grips you again. I don't know why folks from Scandinavia like metal so much, but god bless em, they know how to do it right 4/5

Is Iceland just the land of haunting beautiful music? It's so weird that so much great stuff came out of that island in the 90s and 00s. This album is stunning, just powerful and ethereal the whole way through. Definitely one that I want to hear again, perhaps while strolling through one of Iceland's many haunted forests with my gnome friend that I met while removing the curse from a pair of socks in an enchanted steam 5/5

I wasn't really familiar with how dub worked as a genre before listening to this. Granted, it was because I was struggling to understand why this album was significant, but still. This album is kinda cool. I like the extensive use of delay that they seem to lose control of every once in a while. On the other hand, there's lots of times where it feels like nothing is happening 3/5 Pretty solid album to listen to if you're too stoned to change it when it comes on

You know what, I didn't really want to like this album at first, but these fuckers won me over with their enthusiasm 4/5

This isn't my favorite Primus album, since I've always gotten more into Frizzle Fry, but this album came out in that era and is similar in many respects. I feel like a lot of these songs lack the urgency and intensity that seems to exist throughout Frizzle Fry, but it may also just be that the grooves aren't as groovy here. Still, that's largely a nitpick because this album is really fun and features a ton of great work by Les and the boys 4/5

This album is a fun listen. I'm not sure if I would characterize it as particularly groundbreaking for 2015, but the album sounds great. I really enjoy it when psychedelic artists cross over into more dancey stuff. The production is great. Very clear sound overall, but with a little grit left in 4/5

This album was pretty cool overall, though it rarely rose above background music while I was listening to it. It's a solid album for 1993, though it was not easy for me to understand the significance of this particular album 3/5

I can't say that I really got this album. It's pleasant to listen to, and I could see how someone would like it, but it didn't seem particularly significant to me. The album also went by weirdly slowly for me. Like, I thought I was at least halfway through and found that I was still on song 5. Not bad at all, but not something that grabbed me 3/5

This is an interesting album. Sometimes it sound like a soft rock album that somehow escaped the 1970s. Other times, it steps way out of that mode and does cool, weird stuff. I don't necessarily get it, but I think it's kinda cool when he explores a bit more with his music 3/5

This was a very pleasant album to listen to. She's a good songwriter, and her lyrics are pretty accessible. I'll say, this kept reminding of various female vocalists/bands from the 90s, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think there will always be a place for work by singer/songwriters in this mold, despite the fact that I rarely get super enthusiastic over work like this 4/5

These songs are fun, but the gimmick of recording every album on a shitty boombox wears thin pretty fast. I'm glad they abandoned it after this album, but I wish they'd abandoned it before this album so I can enjoy the production on the album, rather than lamenting it 3/5

I'm a little split on this album. On the one hand, it didn't make much of an impression on me when I first listened to it. On the other hand, I fucking love it when alt rock bands from this era just crank the overdrive pedal all the way up and try to play loud enough that you can hear the melody. It's a fun album, well-produced, and it really captures the sound of the era well. Fuck it. 4 stars

This album is fine, but I don't think J-pop is particularly for me. Something about it always leaves me cold. That's too bad, since I've enjoyed a lot of Japanese music I've heard, especially things in the synthesizer realm. I feel like the vocals are just too processed, so that they come out sounding the same song after song, album after album, band after band. It's a clean and shiny sound, but it doesn't feel personal to me 3/5

I'm not huge into prog rock, so neo-prog wasn't high on my list of genres to check out. While I would describe this album as being a bit overwrought the way most prog albums are, it's a cool album overall. I like the 80s vibe on the album (though 80s nostalgia was much less popular in 95 than it is now) 3/5

Much like how I felt about the first Sparks album I was introduced to on the original list, I found this album charming as fuck. Just a super solid early synth pop album with tons of Giorgio Moroder goodness. 4/5

I liked this album overall. The major issue that I see with it is that every time I stop thinking about it while I'm listening, my brain becomes convinced that I'm listening to REM. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and it's mainly the sound of the lead singer's voice that gets me, but I thought that was kind of funny. 3/5 Cool album, but I don't particularly grasp its signficance

This was a fun 70s rock album. I liked that the production focused on getting a live sound by using a lot of first takes. It definitely adds a bit of that late 70s grit to the album that helps set it apart from some of the cleaner, more overwrought work being done in this period. This sounds like Elvis Costello at times, though I'm not sure in what direction that influence goes. The reggae influence is definitely here as well, and I tend to find that a very pleasant touch to add to rock from this era 4/5

I don't really know what to think of this album, since it seems to change a lot from song to song, but it's certainly interesting. The lyrics are fun and well-written. The music never blows your mind, but it's variable and all well-done 4/5

Most live albums are bad, but some are great and this is definitely the later. Inevitably, the music on this album will be affected by the concert movie shot by Johnathon Demme. However, listening to it on it's own, it's really solid with a ton of great versions of songs from their incredibly deep catalogue 4/5

This album is a fun blast from the past, but I don't really understand the significance overall. It sounds like a lot of other teeny pop from this era. Some fun songs, some hits, but ultimately a forgettable pop album from a pretty forgettable pop era 3/5

I don't usually go in for prog rock, but something about this album just works for me. You can hear why he was recruited to produce Dark Side of the Moon, since there is a lot of that sound in here despite this album not sounding much like Pink Floyd. He does a great job of building slowly but keeping it interesting the whole time 4/5

This is sort of a weird one to review, since it's not so much an album as a compilation of songs recorded overall several years with different bands that Armstrong assembled. It's great, because Louie Armstrong was great, and the influence that these works had on future generations of jazz musicians was undeniable. It's just weird to think about it the way I've been thinking about other albums that I've gotten on this list because it doesn't represent a coherent unit in any sense. Whatever, though, it's Louie fucking Armstrong, and anything less than 5/5 is disrespectful. Also, I'm not going to listen to this whole thing because there's more than 80s songs, and I've got places to be today

God, the 2000s were a hellscape of things that aged badly because their creators confused edginess with intellectual depth. This album is another solid example to throw on the pile I don't hate it. His voice is fine, and the music is good overall. But there's no way you can expect me to listen to this Howdy Doody mother fucker sing about being in a crack house and enjoy it. It's stupid and shitty. It's fine, a lot of us were stupid and shitty in this period, but we don't need to revisit this era nearly as often as we are 2/5

This album was really cool. Kind of a neat mix of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Siouxsie and the Banshees. I hadn't heard of them before, but I'm definitely going to come back to this album 4/5

I don't know about this one. The music is cool, but I cannot get into this dude's voice 3/5

I thought this album was cool overall. I didn't know what to think at first, but it grew on me. I feel like it would be a lot better if I spoke French, but I'm also determined never to learn anything useful 4/5

This is a cool, high energy indie album. I'm not sure that the music is particularly advanced or standout for the time when it was made, but the production is excellent, and the band really put a lot of care into crafting this album 4/5

I'm not sure that this is a particularly significant album musically, but it's fun Riot Grrl style punk, and it was worth a listen just for that. Music is solid throughout. Her voice is nothing to write home about, but she's compelling as a vocalist anyway 4/5

She's so delightfully weird, how can you not like this album? It reminds me a lot of the vibe of Cyndi Lauper's She So Unusual. Just incredibly well-crafted pop songs with great music underneath them that keeps you nodding your head while keeping the focus on the vocalist 4/5

I'll be honest, I didn't really get this album. It never really grabbed my attention, and just sort of played in the background until I turned it off. Music was fine, vocals were fine, but I didn't really get why it was significant 3/5

The irresistible force meets the immovable object. Bruce Springsteen's elite track record of albums that I like on this list collides with my personal track record of hating live albums. My ambivalence about the E street band hangs tenuously in the balance... It's fine. I guess it's fine. Sound quality is good, at least 3/5

This album was a pretty fun listen, but it was hard to tell why it was particularly significant. It's interesting rock music for 1991, but it doesn't particularly feel like they are pushing the envelope 3/5

As a veteran of the ska/big band wars of the 1990s who was largely passed over by the 2000s pop punk thing, this was an interesting listen. It definitely has a tighter and more orchestrated feel than something like Reel Big Fish. The 90s bands felt a little looser, like they weren't taking it as seriously. That was fun, but I like this by contrast because it is informed by all the emo stuff that was happening leading up to this. Ska isn't particularly my genre now, but it's fun. This album has pretty great range in terms of its sound. Given what the album is trying to accomplish, I think they did a great job 4/5

I was mostly familiar with this album through it's dancey mega hit, which gave me a different impression of this band than the rest of the album. It's definitely a bit more slow and subdued in places than I would have thought. The variability in the music also made it a bit harder to rate this one than I initially thought. I enjoyed most of the songs, but there were times when I felt like the album sagged a bit. Still, good overall 4/5

God bless Scottish indie pop. It somehow always comes out sounding like more than the sum of its parts. This band sounds like so many other bands throughout this album, but it never sounds like a single other band, if that makes sense. Sometimes there's hints of Flaming Lips or Oasis, but they never come out sounding like they are doing an impression of those bands. The effect is an album that feels very familiar, but is completely it's own thing 4/5 I'm willing to donate money at this point to make sure that every Scottish child that wants an electric guitar is provided one. It's one way to guarantee a better future